Evolution Origin of species

3 billions years ago to today

Millions and millions of years! Over time the cells changed. New ones were born which were different to its parents and better at finding food! Because they were better at finding food they grew stronger and reproduced – they had more babies!

As more and more were born there were little differences between them – just like you and your friends are different. Some were good at catching other animals to eat and they grew stronger.

Some were good at scavenging for food and they grew stronger.

Some had shells or weapons to stop being eaten. They grew stronger! The more they changed and were successful the more they reproduced.

After millions and millions of years there were lots of different animals living in lots of different places in the world.

Some lived in the sea because they had features that made that a good environment to live in.

Some lived in the snow because they had features that made it easier to live there.

Some lived in the air because they had features that made it a good environment to live in.

Some lived in the desert because they had features that made that a good environment to live in.

Charles Darwin 1809-1882 1803180(Charles Darwin 1809-1882)

He was ridiculed by the press Church versus science It took over 50 years for Darwin's theory to be accepted. His ideas went against the ‘God created the World’ He was ridiculed by the press

Are our ancestors the apes?

Homo erectus Erect man – as in standing erect i.e. upright (so put any other thoughts out of your mind!) The pelvis of primates prevents them from walking upright easily – homo erectus is a link in the evolutionary chain to modern man from the primates

Evidence

Capacity of skull - brain

Evolution is the slow, continual change of organisms over a very long time. All living things on the Earth have developed from the first simple life forms that arrived 3,000,000,000 years ago. One of the effects of evolution is that species will become better adapted to their environment. If these species don’t adapt they may become extinct due to being unable to deal with any of these factors… Increased competition Changes in the environment New diseases New predators

My key observations: All living things produce more offspring than survive to adulthood In spite of this, population sizes remain roughly constant Variation exists among species Characteristics can be passed on from one generation to the next. These observations led me to the conclusion that species evolve over a along period of time by a mechanism called “Natural Selection”. The main evidence for this is from fossil records.

Get off my land, you lanky git Natural Selection 1) Each species shows variation: Shut it - shorty There is competition within each species for food, living space, water, mates etc Get off my land, you lanky git Yum Gutted! The “better adapted” members of these species are more likely to survive – “Survival of the Fittest” These survivors will pass on their better genes to their offspring who will also show this beneficial variation.

Darwin vs Lamarck

LAMARK

Horse

Pentadactyl limb

Extinction – adapt or die