Understanding Evolution: your one-stop source for information on evolution
Welcome to Understanding Evolution
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Dive right in: for basic information on how evolution works, start with Evolution 101.

Browse by topic

How evolution works What is evolution and how does it work?
Detailed explanations of the mechanisms of evolution and the history of life on Earth
Includes: Examples of evolution, Genetics, History of life on Earth, Macroevolution, Microevolution, Natural selection, Speciation ...
Relevance of evolution How does evolution impact my life?
The relevance of evolutionary theory to our everyday lives
Includes: Agriculture, Conservation, Medicine ...
Evidence and examples What is the evidence for evolution?
Multiple lines of scientific evidence relating to evolution
Includes: Homology and analogy ...
History of evolutionary thought What is the history of evolutionary theory?
The history of ideas, research, and contributors in the study of evolution


Looking for information on controversies in the public arena relating to evolution? See our frequently-asked questions.


Teaching evolution

Understanding Evolution for teachers

Explore the ultimate evolution resource for K-12 teachers, including:

• lesson plans

• conceptual framework

...and more.

Teachers click here >>

Evo in the news
mosquito Fighting the evolution of malaria in Cambodia - December 2009
In celebration of the Year of Science's December theme, science and health, this month's news story focuses on how evolution is shaping one of the world's most deadly infectious diseases. Malaria infects more than 250 million people a year and kills almost one million — most of them children. The disease is curable with the right treatment, but this year scientists announced that it may not be curable for long...

Read the whole story to see the evolution connection >>

highlights

David Jablonski How to survive a mass extinction: The work of David Jablonski
David Jablonski researches how patterns of evolution relate to mass extinctions. Why are some species doomed while others survive?
Survival of the Sneakiest Survival of the sneakiest
This comic follows the efforts of a male cricket as he tries to attract a mate, and in the process, debunks common myths about what it means to be evolutionarily "fit."




Ancient fossils and modern climate change: The work of Jennifer McElwain Ancient fossils and modern climate change: The work of Jennifer McElwain
This research profile examines how scientist Jennifer McElwain studies plant evolution in order to understand the history and patterns of global climate change.
From soup to cells -- the origin of life From soup to cells — the origin of life
Explore our current understandings of the origins of life and how scientists are able to investigate the details of such ancient events.

This site was created by the University of California Museum of Paleontology with support provided by the National Science Foundation (grant no. 0096613) and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (grant no. 51003439).