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The importance of evolution to the study of biology was stated best by Theodosius Dobzhansky, who said, "Nothing in biology makes any sense except in the light of evolution." While most of biology attempts to describe what the natural world is like, evolution explains how and why it became that way. The forces that drive changes in species are vital to an understanding of life itself.
About 200 years ago, evidence began to surface that led to an increased interest in the idea of evolution. However, it was not until 1859, when Charles Darwin wrote his book, On the Origin of Species, that the modern study of evolution began to take shape.
In this unit, we will look at the processes involved in evolution and discuss the idea of common ancestry. We will examine the different forms natural selection can take and how it can result in the formation of new species. Next, we will investigate populations. We will see how populations can experience reproductive isolation, and we will learn a mathematical model for studying population genetics. Finally, we will take a look at larger patterns in evolutionary history and the origin of life on Earth.
