Darwin's Theory of Evolution

Darwin's theory of evolution is one of the most famous and well-known theories ever introduced. The theory of evolution by natural selection by introduced and published by Charles Darwin's "on the origins of species" in 1859. Darwin explains in his book how physical or behavioral features are passed down through generations, causing creatures to develop through time. He also explained how each organism seems to evolve over time - which may be discussed later on the course of this article through Darwin's theory of evolution through natural selection.

Who was Charles Darwin?

Being born on February 12, 1809, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, he suggested that "the theory of biological evolution by natural selection" (Khan academy, 2016). Which later became a foundation of further modern evolutionary studies done by scientists to better understand the process of evolution. After completing a circumnavigation of the globe aboard the HMS Beagle in 1837–1839, Darwin developed his theory in private. It was not until On the Origin of Species (1859), a book that had a significant impact on contemporary Western society and thought, that he finally gave it full public expression.

Theory of Evolution

This theory of evolutions explains that: over time, small changes add up to larger ones. Or it can also be explained as - all species have a common ancestor, which also means that all species may co-exist, and that species can change through time and from one generation to the next.

Darwin explains in the book "on the origins of species" about evolution through natural selection. People that are more easily able to adapt to their environment will help them survive and have more offspring, who will inherit those traits. The physical body and the brain change permanently as a result of evolution.

Darwin also proposed natural selection as a process for evolution, in which heritable features that aid organisms in surviving and procreating grow more prevalent in a population over time.

Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection

As mentioned before, the mechanism by which evolution takes place is known as natural selection. This mechanism is the most logical way of putting how species evolve over time. This concept is based on natural selection through noticeable key features that help in the success of the species characteristics being passed on to the next generation. These key features include:

1. Variation: from one organism to another, distinct bodily characteristics may be displayed.
2. Survival of the fittest: only species that have a high degree of environmental adaptation will survive.
3. Inheritance: the favorable characteristics will be passed on to the next generation.
4. Progressive change: as time goes on, competition for resources will increase and population adapting to the environment will improve.

Through these key features, it can be concluded, as was done by Charles Darwin, that:

Given the conditions, species tend to inherit the traits that help them survive and reproduce. And in turn may become more common in the next generation; and overtime, the population will become adapted to its environment.

It can be stated, which is through much observation by Charles Darwin and the scientists after him, that each group would have been subjected to a distinct habitat where various heritable features would have been preferred, such as various beak sizes and shapes for utilizing various food sources. Each island's unique species may have evolved as a result of these conditions.

Evolutionary Psychology

Much like the Darwin's ideas about evolution by natural selection, evolutionary psychology is "the study of focuses on how favorable adaptations of human nature are selected for over less favorable adaptations." (Scoville, 2020). An adaptation could include traits like a propensity to remain on the lookout for possible risks or the capacity to cooperate in groups, for instance. The study of evolutionary psychology focuses on how selective forces produced specific adaptations like these. Evolutionary psychology also examines human cognition, emotion, and behavior.

Evolutionary psychology is closely related to macroevolution and microevolution. Macroevolution - "it looks at how the human species (especially the brain) has changed over time" (Scoville, 2020). Whereas microevolution - One or a few genes are affected by small-scale changes that occur in populations during shorter time periods. Evolutionary psychology also seems to be closely related to Molecular Biology, Biogeography, and embryonic development and vestiges.

The principles of Evolutionary Psychology

1. Because the human brain's primary function is information processing, it responds to both internal and external stimuli by sending signals to other parts of the body.
2. Both sexual and natural selection have helped the human brain evolve.
3. The components of the human brain are specialized to address issues that have arisen during the course of evolution.
4. Because of persistent issues over a long length of time, modern people have brains that have developed.
5. The majority of what the human brain does happens subconsciously. Even seemingly simple tasks involve extremely complex unconscious neuronal reactions.
6. Human psychology is made up of a variety of extremely sophisticated systems. Human nature is the culmination of all these systems.

Research

According to the theory of evolution, psychological adaptations are necessary in a number of contexts for species development. These include - consciousness, responding to stimuli, learning, and motivation. On the evolutionary spectrum of psychology, the use of language is also connected as a survival ability.

Another research done by scientists is how we interact with other humans. These encounters are significantly influenced by emotions, language, and geography. People that live nearby interact more frequently, which eventually results in the development of a particular culture that changes dependent on immigration and emigration in the region.

Conclusion

With the discussion above, it is worth noting how evolution has taken millions of years to take us where we are now. And we keep evolving, not just around the environment but also through how the brain stimulates the activities around us to make decisions on a daily basis.

Different features are likely to be favored by natural selection in each habitat (and other evolutionary processes, such random drift, may potentially work independently on the groups). The groups may become so distinct from one another due to variances in heritable features that accrue over many generations. In the course of Earth's history, this kind of process is thought to have occurred countless times. The extraordinary diversity of modern living forms is the result of evolution via natural selection and other mechanisms, and the interaction of natural selection with the environment may be explained.

Numerous instances of changes in different species that resulted in the diversity of life we observe today provide strong evidence for evolution. According to John Lambshead (Than et al, 2018), the fundamental concept of contemporary biology is natural selection, or, to put it another way, diversity, heredity, and differential fitness. It is to biology what, for example, the atomic model is to chemistry and quantum mechanics are to physics.

References:

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Khan Academy (2016). Darwin, evolution, & natural selection. [online] Khan Academy. Available at: https://www.khanacademy.org/science/ap-biology/natural-selection/natural-selection-ap/a/darwin-evolution-natural-selection [Accessed: 9 Jun. 2023].

Psychology Today Staff (2019). Evolutionary Psychology | Psychology Today. [online] Psychology Today. Available at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/evolutionary-psychology [Accessed: 9 Jun. 2023].

Ayala, F. (2019). Evolution - The fossil record. In: Encyclopædia Britannica. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/science/evolution-scientific-theory/The-fossil-record [Accessed: 9 Jun. 2023].

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