Understanding Evolution: your one-stop source for information on evolution
Welcome to Understanding Evolution
Find out what's new at Understanding Evolution.
New visitors can take our site tour.

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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, 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
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. Lesson plans, nuts-and-bolts knowledge, classroom strategies and more.

Teachers click here >>

Evo in the news
zebrafish
A fish of a different color - February 2006
The zebrafish, a small but flashy aquarium pet, may seem like an unlikely informant on questions of human genetics — yet its genome could hold the keys to understanding many diseases and, surprisingly, the genes underlying human skin color. In December 2005, a cancer research team headed by Keith Cheng at Penn State University announced that their studies of the mutant "golden" zebrafish had taken an unexpected turn: they had discovered a single human gene that accounts for about 30% of the difference in skin color between African and European descendents...

Read the whole story to see the evolution connection >>

highlights

Evo 101 Evolution 101
This in-depth, multi-part course takes you through evolutionary theory and mechanisms, from definitions to details, natural selection to genetic drift, mutations to punctuated equilibrium.

fun stuff

mantis shrimp Mantis shrimp shoulder their evolutionary baggage and bluff
Delve into the fascinating case of the mantis shrimp to see how this undersea predator overcomes evolutionary constraint.





Carl Bergstrom Battling bacterial evolution: The work of Carl Bergstrom
This research profile examines how the scientist Carl Bergstrom uses computer modeling to understand and control the evolution of antibiotic resistant bacteria in hospitals.
The Arthropod Story The Arthropod Story
This interactive investigation delves into the amazing world of the arthropods and examines their success and their evolutionary constraints.

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).