What Darwin Never Knew
Question: 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 as a young scientist realized that species change as time goes on. He had this realization when he was on the gulf islands looking at the different kinds of finches and how there were some with long beaks, some with short, some with thick, some with skinny. This is true because with the study and discovery of DNA we now know that each of the same species carry different DNA which gives the animal unique attributes. This has changed how we view evolution today because we realize that all species are connected and are now able to study deeper in diversity. For example we now know that fish and humans were connected, the gills on fish are the same bones that make our ear canal. One of Darwin’s many wonders was how creatures could evolve to have no legs. He believed in natural selection and how species slowly changed over time too benefit itself and make surviving easier. This led to scientists researching how fish grew legs. They found a fossil in which a flat fish had limbs. They think that this happened because the amount of prey in the waters in order for the fish to survive it must grow limbs to pull it self to shallow waters or shore in order to be safe. Darwin was the start of evolution and since him we have been able to make many discoveries like mutations and diversity.
The fossil of the flat fish with limbs
