I HATE HOMEWORK!!!!!!! ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S AN ESSAY OR A RESEARCH PAPER!!!! Here's what I have for my evolution paper so far.

Evolution

Evolution is the study of the changes and adaptations in species over millions of years.  This is a theory by Charles Darwin after years of research and analyzing the evidence he discovered.  In this paper several topics will be discussed.  These topics are the following: Isn’t Evolution just a theory, who was Charles Darwin, how do we know evolution happens, how does evolution really work, did humans evolve, why does evolution matter now, and why is evolution controversial anyway.

Evolution is not just a theory because of the constant new evidence that arises.  There is evidence within our genetic code and the genetic code of other species on our planet. These codes may be similar in many ways. For example, the DNA of certain primates such as orangutans, chimpanzees, and gorillas show that 90% to 99% of the genetic code is similar to us humans.  Fossils are another source of evidence. Fossils from many different time periods show organisms that have changed or adapted over time because of their environmental needs to survive.  New evidence has been discovered over the past years, contributing to the proof that evolution is not just a theory.

            Just by dropping an apple, you can see what gravity is or is not.  Gravity is a force on all planets that may or may not hold objects on its surface or in its atmosphere. You cannot see gravity or even prove that it is not a “higher power”.  What you can do though is prove that it is an existing force.  Men and women have gone into space and landed on the moon, and witnessed that the gravity on the moon is less than on earth. The theories of evolution and gravity cannot be disproven just because they are theories, thus meaning they are “hunches”.  In a scientific case, a theory is taking facts and principles and putting them together to explain phenomena.

            Charles Darwin is known as the “Father of Evolution.” He came up with the theory that all living things adapt and evolve to survive in their environments.  He set out on a voyage on the HMS Beagle.  He went on this voyage to collect data and to collect fossils. He delayed in publishing his ideas because they went against the Bible and the belief in creation.

            Darwin did not come up with his theory until 23 years after his voyage.  He took all the evidence he had found and the evidence he specifically looked for and put it together to form the idea that all living things were part of a “Tree of Life.” Each new species evolved from another in this tree, all of which descended from a common ancestor. He published this theory in his book, “The Origin of Species.”

            We know evolution happens because of the evidence that has been discovered and the new evidence that is being discovered today.   Phil Gingrich found a skull of a wolf-like creature in 1978.  He discovered that this wolf-like creature, named Pakicetus, had ears very similar to a whale’s. 

            After this discovery, Gingrich traveled to the Valley of the Whales in Egypt.  There he made another discovery.  He discovered that Basilosaurus had legs.  Scientists believe that whales evolved from a creature called Sinonyx over a period of 10 million years.

            Natural selection is the survival of individuals who are best adapted to their surroundings.  Genetic variations, over production of offspring, struggle for existence, and differential survival and reproduction are the basic factors of natural selection.  Genetic variations help an organism to change in order to survive in its environment.  The over-population of offspring helps because not all survive and the number of those survivors aids in the development of the species.

            The hummingbird population is effected by natural selection. Genetic variations can affect this species because if hummingbirds lived in an environment where long flowers grew, then only the hummingbirds with longer beaks would survive.  All organisms are in a struggle for existence against their changing environments and other members of their species.  Only the individuals that are genetically better adapted would survive.