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The Academy's Evolution Site

The concept of biological evolution is a fundamental concept in biology. The Academies have been active for a long time in helping people who are interested in science understand the concept of evolution and how it influences every area of scientific inquiry.

This site provides students, teachers and general readers with a wide range of learning resources about evolution. It includes the most important video clips from NOVA and WGBH-produced science programs on DVD.

Tree of Life

The Tree of Life, an ancient symbol, represents the interconnectedness of all life. It is an emblem of love and harmony in a variety of cultures. It also has practical applications, such as providing a framework to understand the evolution of species and how they respond to changes in environmental conditions.

Early attempts to describe the world of biology were built on categorizing organisms based on their metabolic and physical characteristics.  look at here , based on the sampling of different parts of living organisms, or short DNA fragments, significantly expanded the diversity that could be included in the tree of life2. However, these trees are largely made up of eukaryotes. Bacterial diversity remains vastly underrepresented3,4.

By avoiding the necessity for direct observation and experimentation genetic techniques have allowed us to depict the Tree of Life in a more precise manner. We can construct trees using molecular techniques such as the small subunit ribosomal gene.

Despite the dramatic growth of the Tree of Life through genome sequencing, a large amount of biodiversity awaits discovery. This is particularly the case for microorganisms which are difficult to cultivate and are typically found in one sample5. Recent analysis of all genomes resulted in an initial draft of the Tree of Life. This includes a wide range of archaea, bacteria and other organisms that haven't yet been isolated or the diversity of which is not fully understood6.

This expanded Tree of Life is particularly useful for assessing the biodiversity of an area, assisting to determine if certain habitats require special protection. This information can be used in a variety of ways, including finding new drugs, battling diseases and improving the quality of crops. This information is also extremely useful in conservation efforts. It helps biologists discover areas that are most likely to be home to cryptic species, which could have vital metabolic functions, and could be susceptible to human-induced change. Although funding to safeguard biodiversity are vital but the most effective way to preserve the world's biodiversity is for more people in developing countries to be empowered with the necessary knowledge to act locally to promote conservation from within.

Phylogeny

A phylogeny (also called an evolutionary tree) depicts the relationships between different organisms. Scientists can create an phylogenetic chart which shows the evolution of taxonomic groups using molecular data and morphological differences or similarities. Phylogeny plays a crucial role in understanding genetics, biodiversity and evolution.

A basic phylogenetic tree (see Figure PageIndex 10 Determines the relationship between organisms that have similar characteristics and have evolved from an ancestor that shared traits. These shared traits are either analogous or homologous. Homologous traits are similar in terms of their evolutionary path. Analogous traits could appear like they are, but they do not have the same ancestry. Scientists group similar traits together into a grouping called a the clade. For instance, all the species in a clade share the trait of having amniotic eggs. They evolved from a common ancestor that had eggs. The clades are then linked to create a phylogenetic tree to determine the organisms with the closest relationship to.

Scientists use molecular DNA or RNA data to build a phylogenetic chart which is more precise and precise. This information is more precise and gives evidence of the evolutionary history of an organism. Researchers can utilize Molecular Data to calculate the age of evolution of living organisms and discover how many species have the same ancestor.

The phylogenetic relationship can be affected by a variety of factors, including the phenomenon of phenotypicplasticity. This is a kind of behavior that alters as a result of specific environmental conditions. This can make a trait appear more similar to a species than to the other and obscure the phylogenetic signals. This problem can be addressed by using cladistics, which is a a combination of analogous and homologous features in the tree.

In addition, phylogenetics can aid in predicting the length and speed of speciation. This information can assist conservation biologists in making choices about which species to protect from the threat of extinction. Ultimately, it is the preservation of phylogenetic diversity that will lead to a complete and balanced ecosystem.

Evolutionary Theory

The central theme in evolution is that organisms change over time due to their interactions with their environment. Many scientists have come up with theories of evolution, including the Islamic naturalist Nasir al-Din al-Tusi (1201-274) who believed that an organism could evolve according to its individual requirements and needs, the Swedish taxonomist Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1778) who developed the modern hierarchical system of taxonomy as well as Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1844-1829), who believed that the use or absence of traits can cause changes that are passed on to the next generation.

In the 1930s and 1940s, theories from various fields, including genetics, natural selection, and particulate inheritance - came together to form the modern evolutionary theory synthesis which explains how evolution is triggered by the variation of genes within a population and how those variations change in time due to natural selection. This model, known as genetic drift or mutation, gene flow and sexual selection, is a cornerstone of modern evolutionary biology and is mathematically described.

Recent developments in the field of evolutionary developmental biology have demonstrated that genetic variation can be introduced into a species by genetic drift, mutation, and reshuffling genes during sexual reproduction, and also through the movement of populations. These processes, along with others such as directional selection and gene erosion (changes in the frequency of genotypes over time) can lead to evolution.  sell  is defined as changes in the genome over time and changes in phenotype (the expression of genotypes within individuals).

Students can better understand the concept of phylogeny by using evolutionary thinking into all aspects of biology. A recent study conducted by Grunspan and colleagues, for example, showed that teaching about the evidence that supports evolution increased students' understanding of evolution in a college-level biology course. To learn more about how to teach about evolution, please look up The Evolutionary Potential in All Areas of Biology and Thinking Evolutionarily A Framework for Infusing Evolution in Life Sciences Education.

Evolution in Action

Scientists have studied evolution through looking back in the past, analyzing fossils and comparing species. They also study living organisms. Evolution is not a distant event; it is an ongoing process. Bacteria transform and resist antibiotics, viruses evolve and elude new medications and animals change their behavior in response to the changing climate. The results are usually easy to see.

However, it wasn't until late 1980s that biologists realized that natural selection could be observed in action as well. The key is that different characteristics result in different rates of survival and reproduction (differential fitness) and can be passed down from one generation to the next.

In the past, if a certain allele - the genetic sequence that determines colour was present in a population of organisms that interbred, it might become more prevalent than any other allele. Over time, that would mean that the number of black moths within a particular population could rise. The same is true for many other characteristics--including morphology and behavior--that vary among populations of organisms.

Monitoring evolutionary changes in action is easier when a species has a fast generation turnover like bacteria. Since 1988, Richard Lenski, a biologist, has been tracking twelve populations of E.coli that are descended from one strain. The samples of each population were taken frequently and more than 50,000 generations of E.coli have passed.

Lenski's work has shown that mutations can alter the rate of change and the efficiency at which a population reproduces. It also shows evolution takes time, a fact that is difficult for some to accept.

Microevolution can be observed in the fact that mosquito genes that confer resistance to pesticides are more common in populations that have used insecticides. This is due to the fact that the use of pesticides causes a selective pressure that favors individuals with resistant genotypes.

The rapid pace at which evolution can take place has led to an increasing awareness of its significance in a world shaped by human activities, including climate change, pollution, and the loss of habitats that prevent the species from adapting. Understanding the evolution process will help you make better decisions regarding the future of the planet and its inhabitants.