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-16 teachers, including:

• lesson plans

• conceptual framework

...and more.

Teachers click here >>

Evo in the news
octopus Evolution's dating and mating game - May 2008
Long assumed to be loners, at least one octopus is now known to lead a complex love life. Last month, biologists Christine Huffard, Roy Caldwell, and Farnis Boneka reported on one of the first long term studies of octopus mating behavior in the wild. What they found out about the social life of the Indonesian octopus Abdopus aculeatus is the stuff of daytime television: jealousy, brawls, betrayal, sneaking around behind one another's backs — if they had backs, that is — and, a soap-opera favorite, the open-ended question of paternity...

Read the whole story >>

highlights

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.




Angling for evolutionary answers: The work of David O. Conover Angling for evolutionary answers: The work of David O. Conover
This research profile examines how scientist David O. Conover studies the impact of fishing practices on fish evolution and investigates why the "big ones" simply don't exist anymore.
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).