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Period: Jan 1, 1543 to
Evolution's Role In History
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spontaneous generation
The invention of instruments for maginfication changed the way scientist research. It helped scientist see life that is to small for the eye to see. this solved question whether life can arise from non living matter. -
Linnaeus
Linnaeus attempts to classify all life on earth. His theory divides life into kingdoms, classes, orders, genera and species. This theory proved to be very useful for the future as this is how scientist classify life today. This influenced Charles Darwin as well when creating the tree of life. -
Comte de Buffon
Buffon claims humans are related to apes. He also claims oraganisms evlove based on their environment. He believes all life has decended from a single ancestor. -
Zoonomia
In Zoonomia it is written would it be too bold too imagine. That all warm blooded animals came from one living thing. While not accepting evolution. -
Lamarck
Lamrack claimed that all living things evolve to become more complex. He said that living things' "vital forces" helps them adapt to there environment. This is done by developing or not using traits needed for survival in their environment which is passed on to future generations. -
Darwin Born
When Charles Darwin was born he fortunately was born into a family of freethinkers. In 19th century there is no such thing as a professional scientist. -
Curier
The construction of canals and mines in the early 19th century that helped discover extinct creatures. Georges Cuvier tries to explain them. He says that great floods and earthquakes are what killed the species in the past. -
Lyell
Charles Lyell argues that slow moving processes are what brought life. Later with this theory he becomes a mentor of Charles Darwin which he later uses that theory in his theory of how species evolve. -
Beagle Voyage
Charles Darwin sets out on what’s to be a 2 year voyage but after 5 years he returns as a changed man, he now commits his life to science, and examines fossils and collections he gathered from his trip mainly in south America and the Gallipolis islands and the become the building blocks for his discoveries. -
Darwin’s Secret
Darwin starts a secret note book. This book talks about his Galapagos birds point out that there could be a whole new species of bird over time from a common ancestor. He names the note book transmutation of species. He also draws the tree of life. -
Neanderthal
The findings of a fossil in Germany sparks a debate over whether all humans are direct descendants of Adam and Eve. The skull resembles a modern human but is still noticeably different. Neanderthal fossils will continue to fuel debate over human evolution for decades to come. -
Wallace provokes Darwin to publish
A young British explorer named Alfred Russel Wallace is studying evolution and has a theory about natural selection which Darwin had been studying for 20 years and writes to Darwin. Due to this new competition it inspired Darwin to write his first book -
Flint Tools
In Brixham, England, a man dropped a pick axe into a hole in the ground and that brings him to a cave. Inside the cave he founds antlers. Then an archeological excavation was led by William Pengelly and flint knifes were found as well as mammals bones. -
Origin of Species
"On The Origin of species" was a book written by Charles Darwin and was the most influenctional at the time. His book was backed up with solid evidence and logical theory of evolution. -
Evolution Accepted
This event was based around scientists not believe in the theory of evolution. But a few years later a book on the origin of species was published and then evolution was mainstream. Religion, newspaper and magazines promoted evolution. -
Medel
Medel published a paper talking about how traits are inherited through generations. He sees that many traits like seed colour are passed down. Medel then called them genes. But his paper was not noticed by many it was in Charles Darwin’s study. -
Horse Fossils
Thomas Huxley a passionate advocate of evolutionary science travels to the U.S to give lectures. While there he meets s fossil hunter by the name of Othniel Charles Marsh, who had recently discovered fossils of ancient horses. The pair then put together a theory of evolution of horses. -
Piltdown man
For generations everyone had been awaiting the missing link between humans and other primates. The fossil skull called Piltdown Man appeared to be that link, although later in the 1950s the fossil is revealed as fake -
Scopes Myth
Scopes myth is all about a battle between scientific rationalism and blind, dogmatic faith. -
Neo-Darwinism
In the 40s the science of genetics had offerend new insights into evolution. Scientists now undertstand that random genetic mutations can cause changes in the traits of organisms, and then inherited changes spread throughout a species, this is an evolved form of Darwin’s “Natural Selection” theory -
DDT
using DDT to kill insects in the 1940 lead to insects increasing resistence which is evidence of rapid evolution. -
origins of life
A young graduate student named Stanley Miller Produces amino acids by using electric currents and inorganic chemicals to simulate conditions of ancient earth. This indicated that the first life on earth was made using natural processes. -
Humans and Apes
Breakthroughs in genetic technology allow researchers to compare the blueprints of Human and Ape DNA. Later in 1971 Mary-Claire King and Allen Wilson estimate that humans and chimps share more than 98% of their genes -
Lucy
The discovery of a 4 million year old fossil brings the evolution of man kind into headline news. The fossil called "Lucy" discovered by Donald Johanson walked upright and had a small, ape-size brain. -
Sociobiology
Edward O. Wilson annouces a different theroy to Darwins ideas on the natural process. He calls his term sociobiology that looks at the social behavior of all animals. -
DNA Codes
Reading DNA sequencing becomes easier and cheaper which aids the Evo;utionary scientists. This helps them see organisms and how they evoled on a molecular level. -
Human Genome
The first draft of the sequence of the human genome is completed. This helps scientists understand how humans and other living organisms have evolved over billions of years.