Since the very beginning, humans have asked similar questions: where do we come from? why are we so different from other living beings? how does life find ways to expand in the most unexpected and remote environments? While there are many theories that seeks to answer these questions, the theory of evolution is the one that scientists rely on because it relies on empirical evidence.
Charles Darwin is often credited with formulating the theory of evolution, but in reality, there were many scholars working on an empirically based theory to explain life on planet earth for quite some time. One of these scholars was Jean Baptiste Lamarck.
Charles Darwin’s book On the Origins of Species published in 1859 provided a general theoretical framework, but the practical details of evolution remained unclear. It was not until the early 1900’s when scholars re-discovered the work of Gregor Mendel that the scientific community created a ‘modern synthesis’ of the theory of evolution.
In this project, you will need to reference Chapters 3, 4, and 5 in your discussion of Charles Darwin’s contribution, alternative approaches to evolution, and finally the ‘modern synthesis.’
-Evolution by natural selection
Who was Charles Darwin? How did his travels to the Galapagos Islands influence his thinking?
If you met someone who has never heard of Charles Darwin, how would you explain his theory of ‘natural selection’?
-Alternative approaches to evolution (Jean-Baptiste Lamarck)
Who was Jean Baptiste Lamarck?
Why is this approach to evolution wrong?
-Modern synthesis
Who was Gregor Mendel?
How was Mendel’s work influential in the study of genetics? How was his work part of the ‘modern synthesis’ of the theory of evolution?
Book-https://pressbooks.calstate.edu/explorationsbioanth2/chapter/3/
