Darwin and DNA

How did the discovery of DNA prove that Darwin’s theory of evolution was correct and how does it change the way we view evolution today and into the future?

 

Darwin’s main points from his evolutionary theory included the diversity among animal groups that trace features and genes back to a common ancestor. Like how humans with arms, legs, and posable thumbs can be related to ancestor fish. Darwin also believed in the theory of natural selection and how species that evolved from a deep water fish died out as they proved unfit.

Species also have Have variations from one another depending on where they are found. For example during Darwins trip to the Galapagos islands he noticed the upper shell on the tortoises differed from one another depending on which island they were placed on. The shells differences benefitted the turtle’s in different ways depending on their habitat around them. Darwin believed this to be adaptations caused by the animals fitness in relation to these surroundings. We now know know that certain genes in DNA have mistakes like deletions, additions, and mistakes which alter the way things are made. Also the use of gene switches control the gene turning it off and on, controlling how much of the gene was made or how little. In the future adaptations like the turtles will still happen forming around their ecosystem and their needs

Only a few mistakes in the genetic code can create great differences that separate species. For example humans and chimps have only a one percent difference in their DNA sequence. That 1% creates lots of different adaptation that can sometimes benefit that species. Like the difference between chips and humans would be in their jaws. Animals have less muscle in the job bone rather chips have more. The extra muscle in a job allows them to eat harder more difficult food while the lack of muscle creates cranium space for humans which allow their brains to grow for about 30 years of their life. Another analogous similar feature in species would be legs. Legs were found about 365 million years ago on fish. These four legged fish fossils have the same bone structure found on four legged animals today.An example of this would be the extinct animal Tiktaalik. This animal had an ideal form. It had the body of a fish with the bone structure of four legged animals. In thousands of years from now we will still have the bone structure of four legged animals, but could fly around.

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