1. How did the discovery of DNA prove that Darwin’s theory of evolution was right?
Darwin’s theory of evolution came to be correct in many ways. He realized that species change but didn’t know-how. DNA proves that there is only a 1% percent difference in the DNA of humans and chimps, proving we descend from the same animal and are closely related. DNA also has the vital quality of never staying the same because of mutation. Without this ability, every living organism would stay the same and never adapt to its environment. From knowing this information, scientists can now find the genes that are responsible for the evolutionary change that occurs.
Over many generations, tiny variations allow the fit to get fitter and unfit to vanish, this being natural selection, also something Darwin suspected. Then, going back from this idea, you can physically see that humans have the same number of genes as a chicken and less than an ear of corn, many of those genes being similar or the same.
2. How does it change the way we view evolution today?
Knowing that animals all have common ancestors led scientists to discover the importance of studying embryos and how they prove we are related.
They are the platform of diversity and some all show the same basic genes. Now, scientists don’t only look at fully-grown animals, and try to find their similarities in their genes, but they now turn back and look at these creatures before they develop.
This proof of how creatures come from the same ancestors is shown in the human inner ears, which were evolved from fish gills, and fossils shown with creatures with legs that appeared 365 million years ago.
Dinosaurs share a common ancestor with birds and humans with all four-legged forms. The Archaeopteryx fossil had features of both birds and dinosaurs, all of these have the same or similar ancestors. This makes scientists look at fossils more extensively as well as the embryos of animals more instead of their fully developed forms.
3. How does it change the way we view and study evolution in the future?
Finding the ancestors is a large part of moving forwards in finding and understanding where we came from. Tiktaalik, an ancestor in fossil form, was found and is known to be a perfect transition of an animal with the body of a fish with scales. They have the bones of arms and legs that are seen in all four-legged forms.
Studies on humans and chimps show that the difference between us and them isn’t in the genes, but the “switches” operating them and turning them on and off. The gene between chimps and chickens is only two letters, while the difference between them and humans was 18 letters.
Making scientists think differently, not to only find the difference in genes and letters, but the “switches” around those genes.
Sources:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sci-news.com%2Fpaleontology%2Fscience-new-fossils-tiktaalik-roseae-01686.html&psig=AOvVaw3WA6-S9RM-4X9vJoWqxjkB&ust=1635276845020000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAwQjhxqFwoTCMDPyZOn5vMCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAI
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Frebeccarhelm%2Fstatus%2F1201287492395315202&psig=AOvVaw07a9y0191rQx1ZsNwOrrw9&ust=1635311867964000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAwQjhxqFwoTCLC7qM6p5_MCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAb
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DC6ruIZYddhk&psig=AOvVaw07a9y0191rQx1ZsNwOrrw9&ust=1635311867964000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAwQjhxqFwoTCLC7qM6p5_MCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAh