Change Over Time 🕰️
**Evolution** is the process by which populations of living organisms change over generations. It is driven by the interaction of organisms with their environment. The primary mechanism for evolution is $\text{Natural Selection}$, often called "survival of the fittest."
An **Adaptation** is an inherited trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce in its environment, like a polar bear's thick fur in the Arctic.
Darwin's Theory: $\text{Natural Selection}$ 🐦
$\text{Natural Selection}$ works through four key steps:
1. Overproduction
Organisms produce more offspring than can possibly survive. This leads to competition.
2. Variation
Individuals within a species have natural differences in traits (like size, color, speed). This variation comes from $\text{mutations}$ in $\text{DNA}$.
3. Selection
Some variations make an organism better suited ($\text{better adapted}$) to survive in its environment, making them more likely to live and reproduce.
4. Adaptation & Inheritance
The organisms that survive pass their helpful traits to their offspring. Over many generations, the beneficial trait becomes common in the population.
Video: Survival of the Fittest Example 🎬
Watch a simple demonstration of how an environment "selects" the best traits.
Practice Problems (Concept Check)
Identify which term best fits the description.
⚡ Evidence for Evolution Challenge!
Click on the examples that are considered **Strong Evidence** for the Theory of Evolution.
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