Evolution
The change in heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations.
Also: Darwinian evolution
Definition
Evolution is the process of change in all forms of life across successive generations, driven primarily by natural selection, genetic mutation, genetic drift, and gene flow. Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace independently proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection in 1858. Over vast timescales, evolution accounts for the diversity of life and the common ancestry of all organisms on Earth.
Example
“The development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria is a rapid, observable example of evolution: bacteria with random mutations that confer resistance survive antibiotic treatment and pass that trait to offspring, eventually dominating the population.”
Synonyms
- biological evolution
- Darwinian evolution
- descent with modification
Antonyms / Opposites
- creationism
- stasis
Images
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Related Terms
- Natural Selection
- Genetic Mutation
- DNA
- Adaptation