Evolution ResourcesThis thread is a guide to sites that are either dedicated to evolution or have a significant area devoted to the subject. I have tried to stick to what can be recognised as reputable organisations. Sites for a younger audience are often mixed in with teaching resources so they are all there together. This is not a intended to be a discussion thread so if you find something you would like to comment on please copy the relevant parts and start a new thread. It you want to add new sites and links please do!
Thanks
Chris
GuidesFrequently asked questions about evolution What is evolution? Biological evolution refers to the cumulative changes that occur in a population over time. These changes are produced at the genetic level as organisms' genes mutate and/or recombine in different ways during reproduction and are passed on to future generations. Sometimes, individuals inherit new characteristics that give them a survival and reproductive advantage in their local environments; these characteristics tend to increase in frequency in the population, while those that are disadvantageous decrease in frequency. This process of differential survival and reproduction is known as natural selection. Non-genetic changes that occur during an organism's life span, such as increases in muscle mass due to exercise and diet, cannot be passed on to the next generation and are not examples of evolution.
Understanding Evolution, University of California Understanding Evolution is a non-commercial, education website, teaching the science and history of evolutionary biology. This site is here to help you understand what evolution is, how it works, how it factors into your life, how research in evolutionary biology is performed, and how ideas in this area have changed over time.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute 2005 holiday lectures. 4 hours of video on various aspects of evolution, including a fascinating introduction to Charles Darwin; both his work and his life.
The Talk Origins Archive is a collection of articles and essays, most of which have appeared in talk.origins at one time or another. The primary reason for this archive's existence is to provide mainstream scientific responses to the many frequently asked questions (FAQs) that appear in the talk.origins newsgroup and the frequently rebutted assertions of those advocating intelligent design or other creationist pseudosciences.
PBS Evolution, the journey. A wide selection of videos, very accessible, including one about the evolution of the eye.
The complete works of Charles Darwin Everything Darwin ever produced. This website is the largest collection of writings by and about Darwin ever published. It contains his complete publications, thousands of handwritten manuscripts and the largest Darwin bibliography and manuscript catalogue. There are also over 200 supplementary texts, from reference works, reviews, obituaries, biographies and more.
Evolution Timeline The timeline of human evolution outlines the major events in the development of human species, and the evolution of humans' ancestors. It includes a brief explanation of some animals, species or genus, which are possible ancestors of Homo sapiens sapiens. It begins with the origin of life and presents a possible line of descendants that led to humans
Interactive Time Line Very informative interactive timeline going back to the Big Bang. It takes a few seconds to load. Unless your screen is quite wide you can’t see the right hand end of the line which is our bit.
Evolution and the Fossil Record This non-technical introduction to the fossil record and evolution, produced by the American Geological Institute in cooperation with the Paleontological Society, aims to help the general public gain a better understanding of one of the fundamental underlying concepts of modern science. Also has a 36 page
booklet.
Tree of Life Web Project The Tree of Life Web Project (ToL) is a collaborative effort of biologists from around the world. On more than 9000 World Wide Web pages, the project provides information about the diversity of organisms on Earth, their evolutionary history (phylogeny), and characteristics.
Becoming Human Organisation The Institute of Human Origins (IHO) conducts, interprets and publicizes scientific research on the human career. IHO’s unique approach brings together scientists from diverse disciplines to develop integrated, bio-behavioural investigations of human evolution. Through research, education, and the sponsorship of scholarly interaction, IHO advances scientific understanding of our origins and its contemporary relevance. Combining interdisciplinary expertise and targeted funding, IHO fosters the pursuit of integrated solutions to the most important questions regarding the course, cause and timing of events in human evolution.
Fossils Window to the past An excellent guide to fossils and fossilisation. Part of the
University of California Museum of Paleontology (sic).
Academic Sites and GuidesThe Society for the Study of Evolution Subscription site for serious study. The Society for the Study of Evolution was founded in March, 1946. The objectives of the Society for the Study of Evolution are the promotion of the study of organic evolution and the integration of the various fields of science concerned with evolution. The Society publishes the scientific journal Evolution and holds annual meetings in which scientific findings on evolutionary biology are presented and discussed.
Dawin Manuscripts The origins of Darwin’s theory of evolution – including the pages where he first coins and commits to paper the term ‘natural selection’ – are being made freely available online in one of the most significant releases of Darwin material in history.
In total, Cambridge Digital Library is releasing more than 12,000 hi-res images, alongside transcriptions and detailed notes as a result of an international collaboration with the Darwin Manuscript Project, based at the American Museum of Natural History. These papers chart the evolution of Darwin’s journey, from early theoretical reflections while on board HMS Beagle, to the publication of On the Origin of Species – 155 years ago today.
The launch of Darwin’s papers also marks the end of the first phase of funding for Cambridge’s Digital Library, launched to worldwide acclaim in 2011 with the publication of Isaac Newton’s scientific archive. Initial £1.5m funding for the Digital Library was provided by the Polonsky Foundation. Funding for the digitisation and transcription of the Origin papers was provided by the US National Endowment for the Humanities and National Science Foundation.
MuseumsThe Virtual Fossil Museum Fossils across geological time presented in multiple contexts of geological history, the tree of life, paleobiology and evolution. The Virtual Fossil Museum is an educational resource providing an ever-growing extensive collection of fossil images.
London’s Natural History Museum Welcome to the Natural History Museum. We promote the discovery, understanding, enjoyment, and responsible use of the natural world. Explore our world-class collections, fantastic exhibitions and cutting-edge research online, or visit our landmark buildings.
University of Nebraska State Museum Explore Evolution is a major new partnership forged between science museums and 4-H organizations to bring current research on evolution to the public. The project features the work of scientists who are making leading discoveries about the evolution of life. From rapidly evolving HIV to whales that walked, the public is invited to explore evolution in organisms ranging from the very smallest to the largest.
The Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago All kinds of different exhibitions related to evolution, including the most complete T-Rex skeleton on Earth
Arizona Museum of Natural History The Arizona Museum of Natural History is the premier natural history museum in Arizona. It is dedicated to inspire wonder, respect and understanding for the natural and cultural history of the Southwest.
Explore Arizona and the Southwest from the creation of the earth 4.5 billion years ago to the present. See the origins of life on earth, meteorites and minerals. In Dinosaur Hall, discover some of the biggest dinosaurs that ever lived, and on Dinosaur Mountain see how some appeared and sounded in a natural context. In a Walk through Time, explore ancient Arizona’s Paleozoic Seas, Triassic Petrified Forest, monsters of the Cretaceous Seas, and the first animals to fly.
Teaching guides, education resources and kids/teenager guidesEvolution and the Nature of Science The National Academies Press
Evolution Resources From the National Academies This Web page is designed to provide easy access to books, position statements, and additional resources on evolution education and research. These materials have been produced by the National Academies and other sources.
National Center for Science Education The National Center for Science Education (NCSE) defends the teaching of evolution in public schools. We are a nationally-recognized clearinghouse for information and advice to keep evolution in the science classroom and "scientific creationism" out. NCSE is the only national organization to specialize in this issue.
Welcome Trust Big Picture on Evolution
"Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution." Theodosius Dobzhansky (1973)
The Evolution Report, hosted by Paul Wilson The Evolution Report is a series of audio programs on evolutionary topics. It is primarily intended to be supplemental instruction for BIOL 322 Evolutionary Biology. Students say that they don't have enough time to study more than they are already studying, but many spend tons of down-time in their cars and relaxing before bed. Our idea then was to produce an entertaining show that could be listened to during this down-time and that would not consume high-quality time. The goal is to make evolutionary topics more familiar.
MiscellaneousAlfred Russell Wallace deduced the application of natural selection to evolution independently of Charles Darwin. While Darwin deduced natural selection to be the 'engine' of evolution some 18 years before Wallace he did not publish his thoughts. It was only when he received a paper from Wallace in 1858 that Darwin's friends convinced him to publish or see all his own work go to waste.
The text of the joint paper, presented without Wallace's knowledge, can be read here
The 1858 Darwin-Wallace paper. Evolution, a philosophical perspective Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy
History of Evolution A single page history of the concept of evolution.
Darwin Day Darwin's 200th Birthday occured on February 12, 2009; it was the 150th Anniversary of the publication of his famous book, On The Origin of Species. A truly international celebration to express gratitude for the enormous benefits that scientific knowledge, acquired through human curiosity and ingenuity, has contributed to the advancement of humanity.
Digital Morphology The Digital Morphology library is a dynamic archive of information on digital morphology and high-resolution X-ray computed tomography of biological specimens. Browse through the site and see spectacular imagery and animations and details on the morphology of many representatives of the Earth's biota.
A few selected transitional fossils "All species undergo gradual change over time, but in the fossil record we find evidence of some changes that are particularly striking. This website is dedicated to some of these so-called transitional fossils."
Gene Expression and Regulation A page with an excellent introductory essay on the way that genes function in an organism, with links to a large selection of articles dealing with more specific aspects of the topic.
OneZoom Tree of Life Explorer "An interactive map of the evolutionary relationships between 1.8 million species of life on our planet. Each leaf on the tree represents a species and the branches show how they are connected through evolution. Discover your favourites, see which species are under threat, and wonder at over 100,000 images on a single page."
"How do we know that evolution is really happening?" A well written, illustrated article from the BBC that examines the theory of evolution and the current evidence that supports its veracity.
The Burgess Shale Details of one of the most significant fossil beds ever found. "High on a mountain ridge in Canada’s spectacular Yoho National Park in British Columbia is one of Earth’s most important fossil deposits: the Burgess Shale. Preserved with exquisite detail within the rock layers for the last half-billion years are the remains of soft-bodied and often bizarre animals and algae dating from the Cambrian period. These exceptional fossils include some of the oldest members of many animal groups still alive today. "
Blogs, wikis and forumsBy the nature of blogs there will be all sorts of things here so dive in and have a look.
The Panda’s Thumb is the virtual pub of the University of Ediacara. The patrons gather to discuss evolutionary theory, critique the claims of the antievolution movement, defend the integrity of both science and science education, and share good conversation.
Pharyngula is the blog of PZ Myers a biologist and associate professor at the University of Minnesota. Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal!
Specific ExamplesSome people wish to refute or deny evolution exists or has ever happened and demand examples as proof. These links are hard scientific evidence of evolution, if somebody felt that they had a good case to refute evolution they would have to categorically disprove these examples in open scientific debate. They are provided for information. If you have any original source material of this nature please send the details to me in a PM.
Evolution of antifreeze glycoprotein gene from a trypsinogen gene in Antarctic notothenioid fishAbstract. Freezing avoidance conferred by different types of antifreeze proteins in various polar and subpolar fishes represents a remarkable example of cold adaptation, but how these unique proteins arose is unknown. We have found that the antifreeze glycoproteins (AFGPs) of the predominant Antarctic fish taxon, the notothenioids, evolved from a pancreatic trypsinogen. We have determined the likely evolutionary process by which this occurred through characterization and analyses of notothenioid AFGP and trypsinogen genes. The primordial AFGP gene apparently arose through recruitment of the 5 and 3 ends of an ancestral trypsinogen gene, which provided the secretory signal and the 3 untranslated region, respectively, plus de novo amplification of a 9-nt Thr-Ala-Ala coding element from the trypsinogen progenitor to create a new protein coding region for the repetitive tripeptide backbone of the antifreeze protein. The small sequence divergence (4-7%) between notothenioid AFGP and trypsinogen genes indicates that the transformation of the proteinase gene into the novel ice-binding protein gene occurred quite recently, about 5-14 million years ago (mya), which is highly consistent with the estimated times of the freezing of the Antarctic Ocean at 10-14 mya, and of the main phyletic divergence of the AFGP-bearing notothenioid families at 7-15 mya. The notothenioid trypsinogen to AFGP conversion is the first clear example of how an old protein gene spawned a new gene for an entirely new protein with a new function. It also represents a rare instance in which protein evolution, organismal adaptation, and environmental conditions can be linked directly.
29+ Evidences for MacroevolutionAbstract. According to the theory of common descent, modern living organisms, with all their incredible differences, are the progeny of one single species in the distant past. In spite of the extensive variation of form and function among organisms, several fundamental criteria characterize all life. Some of the macroscopic properties that characterize all of life are (1) replication, (2) heritability (characteristics of descendents are correlated with those of ancestors), (3) catalysis, and (4) energy utilization (metabolism). At a very minimum, these four functions are required to generate a physical historical process that can be described by a phylogenetic tree.
If every living species descended from an original species that had these four obligate functions, then all living species today should necessarily have these functions (a somewhat trivial conclusion). Most importantly, however, all modern species should have inherited the structures that perform these functions. Thus, a basic prediction of the genealogical relatedness of all life, combined with the constraint of gradualism, is that organisms should be very similar in the particular mechanisms and structures that execute these four basic life processes.
YouTube videos and the likeOrigin of Life.
A lecture by John Maynard Smith that goes right to the heart of the development of DNA and consequently life and not life.
Part 1Part 2Part 3Part 4Part 5Part 6 Darwin’s Dangerous Idea 1/11 Darwin’s Dangerous Idea 2/11 Darwin’s Dangerous Idea 3/11 Darwin’s Dangerous Idea 4/11 Darwin’s Dangerous Idea 5/11 Darwin’s Dangerous Idea 6/11 Darwin’s Dangerous Idea 7/11 Darwin’s Dangerous Idea 8/11 Darwin’s Dangerous Idea 9/11 Darwin’s Dangerous Idea 10/11 Darwin’s Dangerous Idea 11/11What Darwin Never Knew Broadcast (2010) Earth teems with a staggering variety of animals, including 9,000 kinds of birds, 28,000 types of fish and more than 350,000 species of beetles. What explains this explosion of living creatures, 1.4 million different species discovered so far, with perhaps another 50 million to go? The source of life's endless forms was a mystery until Charles Darwin's revolutionary idea of natural selection, which he showed could help explain the gradual development of life on Earth. But Darwin's radical insights raised as many questions as they answered. What actually drives evolution and turns one species into another? And how did we evolve?
On the 150th anniversary of Darwin's "On the Origin of Species," NOVA reveals answers to the riddles that Darwin couldn't explain. Breakthroughs in a brand new science nicknamed "evo devo" are linking the enigma of origins to another of nature's great mysteries, the development of an embryo. NOVA takes viewers on a journey from the Galapagos Islands to the Arctic and from the Cambrian explosion of animal forms half a billion years ago to the research labs of today. Here scientists are finally beginning to crack nature's biggest secrets at the genetic level. And, as "NOVA" shows, the results are confirming the brilliance of Darwin's insights while exposing clues to life's breathtaking diversity.
