Evolution And Evolution Of Evolution - 1154 Words

EVOLUTION Evolution is a scientific theory that was first introduced in the mid 1800’s and it refers to the biological changes that take place within a population of a specific species over the course of many generations. This theory was one of the most scientifically groundbreaking discoveries of our time, and since its discovery, scientists have been working hard to find more and more evidence on the subject. Although there is much controversy on the subject of evolution, it is hard to ignore the facts and observations that strongly support it. In the first chapter of Science, Evolution and Creationism by the National Academy of Scientists, it explores different scientific discoveries and observations which even further confirm the†¦show more content†¦This specific island contained sedimentary rock that had apparently been there for approximately 375 million years. Why is this number important? Because it was predicted that around 375 million years ago shallow wate r fishes were slowly evolving into land creatures with four legs. The team of scientists believed that it was possible they found evidence of this hypothesis and they were not at all disappointed. What they found was the fossil of a Tiktaalik. A tiktaalik is a fish that had several characteristics of tetrapods, or a four-legged creature. The fossil showed that the fish had four fins on the front and back which contained bones that would allow the creature to prop itself up. This fossil is an example of what scientists call a transitional fossil. A transition fossil is a fossil which gives us evidence of a transition from one species to another. It is a fossil that is in between point A and point B. The tiktaalik is a superb example of this because it has characteristics of both a fish and a four-legged land creature, suggesting that over time the tiktaalik probably actually became a species of the land after several generations of them growing leg-like appendages. The tiktaalik woul d likely achieve evolving into a land creature through sexual reproduction. Reproduction plays a key role in biological evolution. When two creatures of the same species reproduce, the offspring receives DNA that belonged to both