The Theory of Evolution is arguably one of the most famous theories in existence
The Theory of Evolution is arguably one of the most famous theories in existence. It makes up much of our knowledge on both ourselves and animals.
The basic idea is that the animals and creatures around us- including ourselves- were derived from the first common bacterium.
Evolution happens through natural selection; a process where dominant and adapted genes and mutations live through the struggles of survival. For example, the Galapagos Finches that Darwin discovered on his expeditions to the Galapagos Islands. There were 14 differently adapted species, all of which came from the same ancestor. One species had a thick, flat beak to crack open shells of nuts, while another has a long and slender beak to get bugs from trees and the ground.
The Galapagos finches were one of the most concrete evidence that science had of evolution by natural selection, until the 1974 discovery of ‘Lucy’, which proved that humans werent always human. (3)
As with all good theories, there was substantial opposition to Evolution. As it went against Creationism and religion, most of the population was against it- even if the evidence was undeniable. The main opposition were:
• Lamarckism – offspring could have similar acquired features at birth
• Creationism- God did it
