505 Evolution Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best evolution topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 good essay topics on evolution, ✅ simple & easy evolution essay titles, 🔍 good research topics about evolution, 🎓 writing prompts about evolution, 📌 interesting topics to write about evolution, ❓ evolution essay questions.

  • The Rise and Evolution of the World of Islam Prophet Muhammad, who was was born and raised in Mecca, started spreading the teachings of Islam in Saudi Arabia and this marked the origin of Islam.
  • Land Transport – History, Evolution, and Development Essay The combination of the horse and the wheel made transportation system simple as it facilitated exchange of crops. This was the origin of movement of a large number of people in the 18th century.
  • International Organizations and Their Evolution In this context, it can be stated that this strategy of international politics recognizes the belief that organizations and institutions are key ways of promoting peace around the world.
  • The History and Evolution of the Visual Basic Programming Language It is a specific language that is used by users to have a flexible environment in which they interact easily with the computer it is the best programming language and the easiest to use.
  • Computer Technology: Evolution and Developments The development of computer technology is characterized by the change in the technology used in building the devices. The semiconductors in the computers were improved to increase the scale of operation with the development of […]
  • Principles & Concept of Total Quality Management Essay The second principle of TQM is that the problem in most companies is the processes but not the people. This was based on the fact that the quality of the products was determined by all […]
  • Importance of History and Evolution of Businesses to Managers Business managers are expected to organize, plan, control and oversee the implementation of business plans and strategies with the ultimate aim of accomplishing the goals and objectives of the firm.
  • Evolution of the Clock In this light, the paper tracks changes in the operation mechanisms of the clock in the quest to provide theoretical records of evolution of engineering.
  • The Evolution of the Automobile & Its Effects on Society This piece of work will give an exhaustive discussion of the evolution of the automobile and the effects it has had on the society.
  • The Times New Roman Font: Evolution and Readability The typography used in a newspaper represents a sample of the state of the medium. 7There is however, a strong tendency to ensure the legibility of the style and the readability of the writing, at […]
  • Evolution of Television Throughout the decade, the cable television was the means of transmission between the transmitters in television network premises and the receivers at the viewer’s home.
  • Nursing History and Theory Evolution This paper aims to offer a comprehensive view of the history of nursing, major influences on the profession, and the evolution of nursing theory.
  • Geography, its Evolution and Future Geography is the study of the earth and the natural features that characterize it. The revolution was related in some way, to the methods in which the researchers studied the earth and the processes occurring […]
  • Controversies on Darwin’s Theory of Evolution Although there are many theories which explain the origin of the earth, Darwin’s theory evokes strong responses due to the fact that it opposes religion and it does not meet all the requirements of a […]
  • History and Evolution of the Guitar Instrument According to Scott, one final and significant development in the evolution of the guitar is the increasing attention given to musical composers.
  • Evolution of Fire Fighting Gear The traditional shape of the helmet was created with a short brim on the front and a long brim on the back to keep embers and hot water from going down the back of the […]
  • Evolution of Amazon Business Model In this whole process, it will have to entice the customers to pay for the value and so it is a proposition of what the customer expects in terms of product, how they want it […]
  • The Evolution of Electricity In one of her works Diana Bocce observes, “The kite experiment helped Franklin establish a relationship between lightening and electricity, which led to the invention of the lightning rod” This is considered one of the […]
  • Co-Evolution: Angiosperms and Pollinating Animals The birds need nectar from the flowers, the plants that produce nectar consequently only do so to attract these birds and insects, for the process of drawing nectar from these plants to be possible, the […]
  • Horse Family and Its Evolution Fossil records reveal a wide study of the evolution of the horse. This paper examines the evolutionary trend of the horse.
  • “Why Evolution Is True?” by Jerry A. Coyne The reader is able to use this vivid substantiation of claims to understand the author’s need to introduce the aspect of God who is at the center of these natural happenings.
  • History of Hunting: Evolution and Improvement Contrary to the modern trend of hunting being more of a sport, during the pre-civilization era hunting was one of the main means of survival.
  • Sports Photography and Its Evolution The death of Niepce was announced in 1833, but the experiment was still been performed by Daguerre and he succeeded in the development of the daguerreotype finally in 1837.
  • The Evolution of Behavioral and Cognitive Development Theories of Crime Behavioral theory is based upon the principles of behavioral psychology and is the basis for behavior modification and change. This theory is founded on the belief that the way in which people organize their thoughts […]
  • Stellar Evolution The mass of the star is, however, the most essential and influential factor that determines its lifetime especially when other factors are kept to a constant.
  • English Language Evolution Because of the consolidation processes which England was experiencing in the course of the sixteenth century and the following strengthening of the empire, as well as the establishment of the relationships with other states of […]
  • Graphic Card Industry and Evolution A graphic card, usually, referred to as a video card or a graphic accelerator card is an electronic circuit installed on the motherboard inside the central power unit, mostly on Laptops and desktop computers.
  • Biosphere Evolution and Threats The biosphere, however, overlaps between all the spheres that include the lithosphere, which is found on the surface of the earth.
  • Earth Atmospheric Evolution It is believed that the different geological evolutions of the earth and the atmosphere have come up with very new species of animals following a transformation of the then existing animals, as well as extinction […]
  • Historical Evolution of Technology in Healthcare During the 18th century, the medical field was in disarray due to the lack of organization and deaths resulting from inefficiencies and negligence of doctors.
  • Human Circulatory System and Evolution The coronary circulation involves the movement of blood through the tissues of the heart while the systemic circulation involves taking blood to all the rest of the body tissues and back to the heart”.
  • Hebrew Monotheism: Origins and Evolution In the book of Exodus, Moses received the Ten Commandments from God and one of the commandments was to worship one God only.
  • The Evolution of Dragons in Fantasy Fiction One of the most significant figures among the range of the animals inhabiting the land of fantasy is a dragon, the symbol of wisdom and power.
  • Personal Computer Evolution Overview It is important to note that the first evolution of a personal computer occurred in the first century. This is because of the slowness of the mainframe computers to process information and deliver the output.
  • The American Military and the Evolution of Computer Technology From the Early 1940s to Early 1960s During the 1940s-1960, the American military was the only wouldriver’ of computer development and innovations.”Though most of the research work took place at universities and in commercial firms, military research organizations such as the Office […]
  • Evolution of Icon Painting: Hans Belting’s “Likeness and Presence” Alongside this, the themes depicted on the icons began to reflect human ethical ideals, as, for instance, the icons that presented the depiction of the Virgin implied the necessity of salvation.
  • Music, Its Definition and Evolution It is in a romantic era when different types and functions of music were developed, followed by 20th-century music, where there was an increase in music listening and the emergence of new technology which made […]
  • Neurophysiological and Evolutionary Theories While the brain plays a critical role in major processes of an individual, the concept of learning has occurred seamlessly throughout the lives of species. Hence, learning in this situation may depend on the power […]
  • 4G Network Adaptation and Evolution In comparison to other networks, the functionality of 4G networks is distributed amongst a set of gateways and servers. It has also become easier to make video calls due to the speed and latency of […]
  • Artificial Intelligence: The Trend in the Evolution Thus, the lens of history is a great way to consider knowledge and understanding of society and technology from a different angle in terms of comprehending the dynamics of society and the importance of technology […]
  • Hominids and Stages of Human Evolution Ardipithecus ramidus, Australopithecines, Homo habilis, Homo erectus, and Homo Neanderthal are stages of human evolution with distinct physical appearances and behavior. The molars and premolars of Homo habilis were comparatively smaller than Ardipithecus and Australopithecus.
  • Computer Evolution, Its Future and Societal Impact In spite of the computers being in existence since the abacus, it is the contemporary computers that have had a significant impact on the human life.
  • Harry Winston Fashion Brand and Its Evolution Harry Winston Diamond Corporation was founded in the year 1932 and is headquartered in New York. Harry Winston has remained a powerful brand in the global jewelry industry.
  • Phonograph Invention and Evolution The time period the phonograph was invented and the circumstances that led to the invention. The invention and advancement of the phonograph and its operations has had a part to play on other inventions.
  • The Evolutionary Theory in the Context of Modern Sociology A theory is a connected system of general concepts, constructs, or propositions presenting a systematic view of phenomena through the specification of variables to explain the phenomena.
  • Nursing as a Discipline: Evolution and Education This paper aims at discussing and describing the evolution of the nursing profession to date, its mode of conduct, and the differences between associate nurses and Baccalaureate nurses.
  • The Evolution of Heavy Metal Rock Music in UK and US In the United States, the tempo of heavy metal music is slower than the heavy metal rock music in Great Britain.
  • Dove as a Brand and Its Evolution The brand is the world’s number one cleansing brand in the category of health and beauty. The brand was never to be put in the category of soaps in its history.
  • The Evolution Future Architecture The implication is that by the end of the year 2030, it will not be necessary to use fossil fuels in the construction and operation of buildings in the world.
  • The Evolution of Education in Hong Kong The intention of this research paper is to elaborate on the influence of culture in the Hong Kong on education system and give an account of the evolution of education in Hong Kong.
  • The Evolution of the Car Engine France and the Great Britain reinforced the notion of the electric powered cars in the late 1800s. At the beginning of the century, a number of 33,842 electric vehicles in the United States became registered.
  • The Evolution of the Personal Computer and the Internet Due to the complexity of the subject matter it is necessary to digress once more and discuss briefly the history of the World-Wide-Web so that there is a clearer understanding of what it is all […]
  • Evolution and Importance of Advertising in a Context of Modern Society It is difficult to overestimate the importance of advertising within the modern society as the main tool of persuasion of the audience and advancement of the companies and their products.Dr S.
  • Creationism vs. Evolution A piece of art showcases the aptitude of an artist, so does the earth and the universe that imply the reality and the potentiality of its stylist.
  • The Importance of Teaching Alternative Evolution Theories The theory of evolution should be the basis of the entire course of biology at school. The general representation of the leading alternative evolution concepts should be provided before the arguments for these theories implementation […]
  • The Evolution of Human Rights: France vs. America The Age of Enlightenment made human rights one of the major concerns of the world community, which led to the American and French Revolutions the turning points in the struggle for justice.
  • Greek Sculpture and Its Evolution Over Time The shape of the hands was sculptured to be held close to the sides of the statue; their fists were clenched, their knees were rigid, and their hair was stylized.
  • Technical Evolution of Automobiles In 1888, the practically of Benz’s car would come to test when his wife, Bertha, and their two sons embarked on a journey using a better version of the car.
  • The Evolution of Human Skin Color The amount of UV light depends on the latitude: the highest concentration is spread throughout the equator, while the areas close to the Earth’s poles had it in scarcity. Both folate and vitamin D contributed […]
  • Theories of Galaxy Formation and Evolution How the first galaxies were formed and the way that they have evolved and the physical processes that have resulted to diverse structures in the adjacent galaxies form the basis of the theories that attempt […]
  • Urbanism in Architecture: Definition and Evolution In general urbanism is a very wide concept that is used to describe an urban centre architectural system in its totality beyond the mere building structures and includes a city’s infrastructure system, economy, geography, social-cultural […]
  • Human Evolution and Animal Extinction The recent scholarly findings prove that invasions of Homo sapiens to the Austronesian and American continents were the major factors that conditioned the extinction of numerous animal species.
  • The History Of Drag Queens and The Evolution Of Drag In conclusion, drag has been a part of the social culture for centuries. As drag queens started to get more successful and recognized by mainstream media, it became crucial to examine the roots of drag […]
  • Charles Darwin: Evolution Theory The naturalist of the time believed that everything in the world had a key role in the economic of nature and the credit was given to an intelligent creator.
  • The FBI and Its Evolution Through the History To talk competently and properly about the start of the FBI, you need to know and understand the main purpose they are keeping to; “The mission of the FBI is to upload the law through […]
  • The Evolution of Music: Brief Review After the Classical Music era , music evolved into the Early Romantic Music era , the Late Romantic Music era , the Modern Music era and the Contemporary Music era .
  • Evolution of Warfare and Weapons The creation of kingdoms led to the creation of the first stage of warfare known as the Chariots Age. The Age of the Knight was the third warfare stage.
  • The Evolution of Philips Organization Reorganization in the 1990s demonstrated that the company’s effectiveness of Philips was earlier reduced due to the specific approach to the senior management selection.
  • The Theory of Evolution It must be admitted that the theory of evolution has a number of legit points and has all the rights to be considered the most valid theory of all existing.
  • The Instrumental Music of Baroque: Forms and Evolution Outstanding composers of the early Baroque period includes; Giovanni Gabriel, Johann Hermann Schein, Claudio Monteverdi and others The middle Baroque consisted the period of consolidation and happened around 1640 to 1690.
  • Technology Evolution in The Modern Society Service perspective – which holds that e-commerce constitute a tool that fulfills the needs and desires of companies, customers and management with aim of reducing the transaction costs while at the same time being able […]
  • Candy Evolution Through the History The evolution of candy similar to those of the organism, may explain the reason why candy has found a centre spot in celebrating Darwin’s days. Valentine candy was used in the past and presently with […]
  • The Evolution of American Slavery Overall, it is possible for us to advance a thesis that the origins of black slavery should be sought in the economic development of American colonies in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and especially the […]
  • Global Evolution in “Midaq Alley” by Mahfouz Naguib First, since 1914, the world was featured by global integration and its changing patterns that led to: immense colonies and powers, the three worlds of Cold War eras, and the current interdependent and networked of […]
  • Internet Evolution and Structure The creation of the network was meant to be a security measure to ensure that data and information belonging to ARPA remained within the system.
  • Phyletic Gradualism and Punctuated Equilibrium Evolution Theory The evolution happens very fast and in response to the effects of the toxicants present in the water of the rivers.
  • The Evolution of Nursing Overview When defining the notion of nursing in the context of the 21st century, many people fail to reflect on the historical precedents that contributed to the development of nursing as a separate qualification.
  • Evolution of Clothes and Fashion in Twentieth Century The first half of the century was notable for the development of artistic movements, which contributed to the emergence of new elements in clothes.
  • The Evolution of the Chinese Brush Painting Other ritual vessels in the country were decorated using the brush and ink; resulting in the flourishing of the brush painting in the country.
  • Scientist Charles Darwin & Evolution By the year 1846, Darwin had a number of publications relating to zoological and geological discoveries of his expedition works that catapulted him in the scientists front rank.
  • Evolution of Humans: The Human Evolutionary Theory The earliest best-known theory of evolution was propounded by Charles Darwin, whose main thesis was that life has evolved from simple single-celled organisms to multi-cellular, complex living things through the process of natural selection and […]
  • Soccer in America: Its History, Origin, Evolution, and Popularize This Sport Among Americans The coverage of the history of this game which is also popularly known as soccer is quite diverse and different ideas have been put across as to where the game originated and its evolution to […]
  • Communication Evolution and Media at the Wartime Modern revolutionary transformations in the system of communication involve the interplay of technology, human actors, and institutions. Similar to the industrial revolution, communication technology developments appear in response to human needs.
  • Tesla: Testing a Business Model at Its (R)Evolutionary Best To examine the sustainability of Tesla’s business model, one needs to get to the very core of what the company is actually doing on the market and in the business world.
  • The Private Security’ History and Evolution However, it was after this era when the parliament in the United States organized a number of security studies in order to expand the scope of security channels in various institutions including the inclusion of […]
  • Darwin’s Theory of Human Evolution Although Darwin seems to refute the religious claim on the origin of man, it is apparent that both religion and science share a common hypothesis that man has a distinct origin. Darwin is also concerned […]
  • The evolution of McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y in relation to the development of management theory The natural response of managers was to be more stringent and consequently the employees reacted to it, resulting in a viscous cycle.
  • Creationism and Evolution The bible in the book of Genesis describes the origin of heaven and earth and everything that is in it; God created everything.
  • Classical Symphonies: Investigating Style Evolution of Western Classical Music The formative period of classical music was between the 18th and 19th centuries. Beethoven wrote music slowly and purposely with the romantics’ guidance.
  • Modernist Movement in Music: Investigating Style Evolution of Western Classical Music The modernist movement in music seems appropriate for this paper because of the unique and exciting styles of composing modern-era music, such as jazz, pop, and rock.
  • Evolutionary Psychology and Christian Worldview Since psychology studies the human mind and behavior of people and thus it incorporates and implements various scientific fields and methods to do so.
  • The Automotive Technology Evolution This marked the beginning of the car industry, which ultimately led to the development of modern automobiles and opened the way for their production. The reliability and safety of automobiles have increased due to technological […]
  • Hominin Evolution: Biological and Cultural Aspects The brain capacity of Homo habilis creatures was greater compared to their ancestors enabling them to become more intelligent. The locomotion of Homo habilis was aided by their legs and forelimbs.
  • The Evolution of Boy and Girl Characters Through the Decades That depiction of the boy character reflects the expectations for boys in the 1940s, which were heavily influenced by the traditional values of the time.
  • The Juvenile Justice System Evolution Process The notion of due legal process, in turn, implies the maturity and autonomy of the person involved in the due process.
  • Linguistic Evolution: Language Development The ability to acquire new things and keep the brain active and healthy is greatly enhanced by acquiring a second language other than one’s native tongue. Identifying language as a tool for forming connections and […]
  • Unveiling the Evolution of Geography Much of the Middle Ages’ astronomy and geography may be traced back to the claims of Claudius Ptolemy, a Greek mathematician, astronomer, and geographer. He wrote about it in The Almagest, a book about the […]
  • Transhumanism and Its Impact on Human Evolution The same thoughts began to spread within the framework of eugenics in the early 20th century in the form of various conferences and meetings.
  • Human Evolution and Bio-Cultural Changes The concept of the human sphere was introduced in the 30s of the XX century simultaneously in different countries by several scientists.
  • The Origin of Man and Primates’ Evolution However, one can merely comprehend the origin of man if one considers history from the beginning of the evolution of the order of primates. Primates are masters of living in the trees due to their […]
  • The Evolution of Modern US Society: The US Foreign Policy The economy of the antebellum era was characterized by significant growth, which was attributed to the slave economy, which was common among the southerners and the family farms in the northern states, and the waged […]
  • The Evolution and Impact of Advertising in the Medical Sector The negative impact of advertising has often been a myth and has not been adapted to the specific influence in the area under consideration.
  • Telehealth’s Evolution: Navigating Health and Equality Across Pandemic Phases By offering estimates of the effect of improved access to telehealth services on the general public, this research adds to the larger body of work on telecare.
  • Aspects of Human Evolution and Progress The concepts of human evolution and progress have evolved throughout history leading to different perspectives on the scientific, agricultural, and language themes resulting in universal similarities that have shaped the nature of the world today.
  • The Evolution of Private and Public Unions Public sector unions first appeared in the 1900s, after private sector unions in the middle of the 1800s. Since the middle of the 20th century, the membership of unions in the public and commercial sectors […]
  • Primal Vocal Communication and Evolution of Speech The focus on primate vocal communication and its significance to the evolution of speech, the main form of human communication, led to the selection of a paper by Fischer J, “Primate Vocal Communication and the […]
  • Philosophizing About Music and Its Evolution Applying the cultural lens to the notion of music and the associated concepts implies revisiting the current understanding of the specified notions.
  • Theories of Galaxy Evolution: Looking at the Bigger Picture From the point of galaxy evolution, it means that the stellar mass of the galaxy also intensifies with time due to the existence of trends in the spectral energy distribution.
  • Evolution of Humans: The Main Theories The process of evolution is one of the closest to the human being as people constantly invent new technologies and expand their minds.
  • Evolution of Political Philosophy: Smith & Arendt The flowering of the ideas of political economy in the historical sense came in the works of the eighteenth-century English economist Adam Smith.
  • The Video Game Industry Evolution The first mention of the creation of such games dates back to the 1940s, but it was in 1952 that Alexander Shafto “Sandy” Douglas officially presented his dissertation at the University of Cambridge. One of […]
  • Social Darwinism: Evolutionary Explanations in Sociology In order to understand the reasons behind the failure of social Darwinism to describe society objectively, it is essential to review this ideology’s common arguments.
  • Hyper Evolution: The Rise of the Robots From the video, the robots look like real human beings, and they have been capacitated to act in a human way in what is known as machine learning technology powered by artificial intelligence. Hyper evolution […]
  • Evolutionary and Revolutionary Models of Change in Management At the same time, the rush and the absence of back-and-forth communication usually mean that revolutionary change has to be maintained to prevent the company from reverting to the old ways.
  • Evolutionary Psychology and Psychological Anthropology Coupled with the tendency to avoid uncertainty and the positive activation of the emotional system by fantasies about winning, humans’ reliance on crude calculations of odds makes lottery gambling something attractive.
  • Computer Usage Evolution Through Years In the history of mankind, the computer has become one of the most important inventions. The diagnostics and treatment methods will be much easier with the help of computer intervention.
  • Aggression in Nonhuman Primates and Human Evolution Comparing and analyzing the sources of aggression among chimpanzees and bonobos revealed that environmental factors, such as food availability, determined key differences of social structure and aggression patterns in chimps and bonobos.
  • The US Federal Authority: History and Evolution Moreover, according to Grodzins, the sheer force employed in persecuting African-Americans in their movements for Civil rights was also facilitated by Federalism.
  • Evolutionary Biology and Darwin The lack of knowledge about the laws of heredity, the genetic and ecological structure of species, and the lack of experimental evidence of natural selection served as the basis for the growth of critical attitudes […]
  • Early Evolution of Parole in the US In Chapter 3, there is a discussion on the early evolution of parole in the US, as well as its utilization in the current sentencing practices.
  • Study About the Greek Evolution Following the development of the polis, the Greeks initiated the formation of different political structures in the country. Athens played a vital role in the Persian war by defeating the Persians in the salamis and […]
  • Sociology: History, Early Theories, and Evolution In the middle of the first millennium BC, the awareness of the inevitability of social inequality resulted in a conceptual justification of its necessity.
  • Healthcare Evolution and Its Effect on the US Thus, presuming inequality in the fabric of the nation and lack of the feeling of “sameness” is one part of the reason for the lack of unified healthcare.
  • Materiality, Agency and Evolution of Lithic Technology The authors’ hypothesis is to conduct a re-assessment of materiality theory and to broadly re-articulate the debate about the evolution of the human species.
  • The Historical Evolution of Perceptions Towards Gender Some of the main questions of what is appropriate to the people of certain gender have been present and debated about for a long time.
  • Origin of the Earth: The Creation and Evolution Theory The Catholic Church believes in both the creation and evolution theory. According to the Catholics, all Christians believe in a unique creation carried out by God in six days, and there is a strong belief […]
  • Racism Evolution: Experience of African Diaspora As a result, distinct foundations fostered the necessity of inequality to establish effectiveness of inferiority and superiority complexes. To determine the effect of slavery and racism to modern society.
  • Emotional Evolution and Mental Problems in Postmodern Literature For the first time, the authors started talking about the horrors of war and the animal fear that a person experiences.
  • Researching of Evolution of Love Intimacy, as a component of the triangular theory of love, is the feeling of bondedness, connectedness, and closeness in a relationship.
  • Northwest Coast Masks: Evolution of Cultural Complexity According to Coupland, “the development of the Northwest Coast ethnographic pattern those uniquely complex ethnographic hunting-and-gathering societies has been the focus of many archaeological investigations on the Northwest Coast of North America”.
  • History: Evolution of Humans The first picture demonstrates the areas of the settlement of modern humans’ predecessors, namely, Homo erectus, Homo neanderthalensis, and Homo sapiens, as well as the times of the migration of Homo sapiens to different regions.
  • Evolutionary Ethics vs. Belief in God In addition, the disadvantage of the evolutionary theory is that moral and ethical norms cannot be determined only to a biological degree.
  • First Reptiles Adaptation: Amniotic Egg Evolution The amniotic egg evolution is an adaptation that allowed the first reptiles to thrive in a dry land the development occurred over 300 million years ago. The robust shell protects the egg from drying out, […]
  • Lenski’s Theory of Sociocultural Evolution An evaluation of the progression of crime, deviance, and social control through these stages is demonstrative of the theory’s applicability. The forms and means of crime and deviance were rudimentary during the pre-industrial age, and […]
  • Categorizing Human-Made Objects: How It Shaped the Evolution of Display Spaces Due to the introduction of museums and display spaces in the 1500s-1830s, the opportunity to apply the historical lens to historical objects has emerged, helping to discover and appreciate the information about the specifics of […]
  • The Evolution of Women’s Rights Through American History From the property-owning women of the late 18th century to the proponents of the women’s liberation in the 1960s, women always succeeded in using the influential political theories of their time to eventually make feminist […]
  • Aspects of Evolution and Creationism The adheres to the theory of divine spark and pays special attention to the ability of organisms to adapt to various conditions and the complexity of their structure.
  • Evolution of Construction Management From 1960s to Today Thus, the basic features of management within the scope of construction were visible already throughout the undertakings of the first people.
  • Evolution: Natural Selection in Action The population of these moths will have both dark and white moths at the starting point. The dark moths reproduced successfully due to lack of predation.
  • Evolution of Public Policies in Healthcare – Role and Impact of Nurses In California in the 1990s changes in health care delivery resulted in reduced nursing jobs and consequent higher stress for nurses, affecting the safety of patients.
  • Evolutionary Changes of Animals and Plants This presentation will show how animals and plants evolved with time passing. It is critical to examine the factors that underlie these processes and their outcomes.
  • Evolution of Autonomous Driving Technology The torpedo could travel hundreds of meters while maintaining underwater depth due to its pressurization system known as ‘The Secret.’ The Secret was a combination of hydrostatic and pendulum that gave the hydroplane stability to […]
  • Anthropology: Evolution of Human Language and Tongue According to the anatomical characteristics of humans the ability to produce speech was pursuant to them. They lived among hominids which noise and sounds they tried to come after.
  • Evolutionary and Socioemotional Selectivity Theories Namely, interpersonal relationships in the family are the basis of socialization and intellectual development as they connect a person with other people, allowing the developing of a personality and forming an identity.
  • Evolution: Taxonomy, Primate Physiology The bones in the snake are the last remaining parts of the pelvis though the snake’s bones however, the snake does not have bones.
  • American Popular Music and Its Evolution Compared to the country blues popular in the 1900s, classic female blues combines its features with urban theater music, and “Crazy Blues” is one of the first songs of this genre.
  • Nigeria’s Economic Evolution and Future Growth The Federal Republic of Nigeria is a country located in the western part of the African Continent. The paper is going to tackle the economic evolution and the current economic status of Nigeria.
  • On the Evolution of MTV and Music Videos The nature of the music industry had a great transformation with the birth of MTV and acquired a glory in the next several years.
  • The Evolution Of Cell Types: Evolution of a Menace Antibiotic resistance The capability of a bacterial species to survive the impact of the administration of chemicals that are designed to induce death is known as antibiotic resistance.
  • Organ System and Evolution The resistant bacteria can survive and continue to multiply even in the presence of the antibiotics that were once used to eradicate them.
  • “Molecular Insights Into Classic Examples of Evolution” Current research, as discussed by the symposium speakers explicitly cited in this article, reveals that genetics plays a fundamental role in evolution science and it is indeed the mutation of genes that actually allows organisms […]
  • Evolution of Community Correctional Programs One of the varieties of the sanctuary was applied to all members of the public while the other was reserved to the church members only.
  • Evolution of Understanding of Medical Ethics From Past to the Present A look at the concern about the treatment of human subjects, the history of human subjects, the current treatment of human subjects and the real impact of the treatment of human subjects and research done […]
  • Parasite Toxicity: Parasite Evolution and Host Adaptation The most devastating effects of a parasite to the host are related to the toxicity of the parasite. The phenomenon of natural selection leads to the molecular evolution and ultimately changes the chemical and biological […]
  • Parasites and Hosts Relations Over Evolutionary Time Subsequently, within the secondary host, the behavior of the parasite that makes the secondary host more at vulnerable risk to being consumed by the primary host would be anticipated to evolve.
  • How Biogeography Supports the Theory of Human Evolution This segment of the study reveals variation in biological communities of organisms in the lines of geographical gradients of elevation, habitat area, isolation, and latitude.
  • Emerging Infectious Disease: Epidemiology and Evolution of Influenza Viruses The chain of infection of H1N1 influenza is hard to break because it is transmitted through the respiratory system and contact. When a human being is infected with the H1N1 virus, is mainly due to […]
  • Humans Are Not the “Last Point” in the Evolution of Vertebrates This paper focuses on the evolution of animals and in precise the evolution of the vertebrates. It shows that the mammals were are not the highest evolution of the vertebrates but some more animals and […]
  • Impact of Specialization and Evolution in Law These changes include increased demand for legal services from the ever-expanding corporate world and individuals who were previously underrepresented, an increase in the number of female lawyers, and an increase in the number of minorities […]
  • “The Evolution of the New Environmental Metaparadigms of Nursing” by Kleffel
  • The Evolution of Probation, Parole, Prisons, Jails, and Sentencing
  • Evidence for Biological Evolution
  • The Theory of Evolution. Gene Responsible for Hairiness
  • Structure and Evolution of Plants
  • Evolution: Debunking Darwin’s and Lincoln’s Contributions
  • Biological Diversity Origin and Evolution Directionality
  • Evolutionary Theory: Misconceptions Analysis
  • Healthcare Evolution and Current Financial Decision-Making Situation
  • Healthcare Facilities’ Design Evolution
  • Summary Article and Video of Evolutionary Process
  • Evolution of Segmentation Among the Chordates, Annelids, and Arthropods
  • The Origin and Evolution of Segmentation by Davis and Patel
  • The Origin and Evolution of Segmentation: Analysis
  • Origin and Evolution of Segmentation
  • Finches and Worms’ Evolutionary Pattern
  • Technological Evolution in the Financial Industry
  • Evidence of the Evolutionary Process
  • Evolution Development: Introducing New Species
  • The Evolution of the Greek Temple
  • Patterns of Evolution in Humans and Other Organisms
  • The Evolution of Vertebrae Teeth
  • Evolutionary Analysis of Asymmetric Limits
  • Evolutionary Biology: Sleep Patterns in Mammals
  • Darwin’s Ideas of Natural Selection and Evolution
  • Evolution of Makkah as a City
  • Evolution of Computers in Commercial Industries and Healthcare
  • Society and Evolutionary History: The Question of the Origin of Life
  • Evolution and Natural Selection
  • The Evolution of Insect Wings
  • The Evolution of Communication Structures in Animals
  • Evolution of the Cichlid Fish Species in Lake Victoria
  • Prison Gangs’ Evolution and Solutions to Them
  • Evolution of the Caregiving Experience in the Initial 2 Years Following Stroke
  • Charitable Organizations and Trust Models: Duties and Ethics
  • Photosynthesis Rate Determination From the Oxygen Gas Evolution
  • Insect Evolution
  • Evolution: Three Different Modes of Selection
  • Medicare: Comparison With Medicaid and Its Evolution
  • Evolutionary Theory and Linguistics in Africa’s Historiography
  • Microeconomic Perspective on Poverty Evolution in Pakistan
  • How Customer Evolution Has Affected Airlines
  • The Evolution of Marketing Activities
  • Convergent Evolution of Health Information Management and Health Informatics
  • Transgenic Organisms and Evolution
  • Screen Readers’ Evolution and Their Current Usability
  • Hip Hop Evolution and Racial & Political Conditions
  • DNA and Evolution – What’s Similar
  • Creationism and Evolution Theories
  • Human Evolution: Electronic Immortality
  • Evolution of Mating by Charles Darwin
  • The Positive Evolution of Art in the Twentieth Century
  • Non-Aligned Movement History and Evolution
  • Primate Evolutionary Context
  • Criminal Justice System in the United States Evolution
  • Morality Evolution, Its Explanations, and Definitions
  • Franklin Roosevelt: The Evolution of an American Idea
  • “Why Evolution Is True” by J. A. Coyne
  • Evolution of Social Behaviour and Attitudes
  • History and Evolution of the Public Policy
  • Evolutionary Explanation for Sex and Gender Differences
  • “Evolution of Federal Cyber Security” by J. Roth
  • The Evolutionary Psychology Key Points
  • Evolutionary Paradigm Theory by Alan Malachowski
  • God and Darwin’s Evolution Theory: A Theological Approach
  • The Origin and Evolution of Religious Pro-sociality
  • Evolution Process and the Study of Hominids
  • The Evolution of Terrorism on the World Stage
  • The Super Continental Cycle and Evolution
  • Lamprell Company: Company’s Evolution
  • Tracing Our Roots: Early Human Evolution and Socioeconomic Practices
  • Child Development and Evolutionary Psychology
  • Judaism: Religious Beliefs Evolution
  • Understanding the Evolution of Trade Deficits
  • A Perspective on the Evolution Marketing Management
  • Intelligent Design and Evolution
  • Popular Culture in America Today: Evolution, Features, and Impact in Other Parts of the World
  • Evolution Essays and Their Components
  • Anthropology: Genus Homo and Human Birth Evolution
  • EPA and the Evolution of Federal Regulation
  • Biological Anthropology, Lamarck’s and Darwin’s View of Evolution
  • Evolution of Formal Organizations
  • Evolution of Chevrolet Camaro. Historical Analysis
  • Evolution: Different Types of Selection
  • Evolution and the Cognitive Neuroscience of Awareness and Consciousness
  • Evolution: Primate Locomotion and Body Configuration
  • Sociology. Evolution of Formal Organizations
  • Misconceptions About the Evolutionary Theory
  • Music: Evolution Factors of Technology and Drugs
  • Evolution: Gene Variations Among Different Species
  • Alternative Theories of Evolution
  • Stephen Jay Gould, Evolution, and Intelligent Design
  • Grandmothering and the Evolution of Homo Erectus
  • Television Systems: Innovation and Evolution
  • Science Provides Evidences to Idea of Evolution
  • Hominoid Evolution: Intelligence and Communication
  • Theory of Evolution and Religion
  • The Expression of the Bmp4 Gene and Its Role in the Evolutionary Process
  • Telemedicine: Evolution Today of This Form of Trade With Development of IT and E-Commerce
  • Scholars on Philosophy and Evolution
  • Outsourcing Evolution in Poland
  • The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Origins and Evolution
  • “Why Evolution Is True” by Jerry Coyne
  • Evolution of a Media Sources
  • The Network and Architectural Issues of Enterprise System Evolution
  • Modern Corporate Marketing Departments Evolution
  • Bergson’s and Whitehead’s Philosophy of Evolution
  • Theology of the Old Testament. Religious Evolution
  • Evolution of Formal Organizations Paper
  • Mexico’s Economic, Social and Political Evolution
  • The Analysis of Tendencies of Evolution of Global Governance
  • Evolution of Limbs: Fossil and Genetic Information
  • “The Historical Evolution of Black Feminist Theory and Praxis” by Taylor
  • Film Music Evolution in the United States
  • Women’s Status in the Workforce and Its Evolution
  • The Turtle Evolution Concept
  • Cartesian Dualism and Human Evolution
  • Intelligent Design vs. Evolution Theory
  • Nursing Evolution Since Florence Nightingale
  • Learning Assessment Evolution and Current Trends
  • The Importance of Studying Creation and Evolution Theories for a Christian
  • Body Shape Evolution in African Sympatric Congeners
  • Web Form Evolution: From Web 1.0 to Web 3.0
  • Darwin, Evolution, and Modern History
  • Personal Legend and Journey of Evolution
  • Ponyboy’s Evolution in Hinton’s “The Outsiders”
  • Evolutionary Psychology and Natural Selection Theory
  • Tectonics and Geology: Landscape Evolution
  • Human Societies Evolution and the Role of Innovation
  • History and Evolution of Lipsticks
  • Contrast Evolutionary and Social Psychology
  • Instructional Design Approaches and Evolution
  • Russian Ideas’ Evolution in Politics and Economics
  • Anthropology: Homo Erectus in Evolution
  • Balanced Scorecard Evolution as a Management Tool
  • Evolution of Project Management Research
  • The Evolution of Software Attacks
  • Evolution With a Human Face: Biological and Cultural
  • The American Revolution and Political Legitimacy Evolution
  • Ardipithecus Ramidus in Language Evolution
  • Fibrous Aerosol Filters and Their Evolution
  • Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Supply Chains’ Evolution
  • The Evolution of Leadership Theory
  • Durkheim’s Labor Division Theory and Legal Evolution
  • Audre Lorde’s Role in the Black Aesthetics Evolution
  • Kent Flannery’s View on the Evolution of Civilisations
  • The Study of the Civilizations Evolution
  • Evolution of Psychology and Social Cognition
  • The US Foreign Politics Evolution
  • Globalization Evolution in the UAE
  • Emirate Post Group: the Pace of Evolution
  • Television, Its Invention and Technical Evolution
  • Evolutionary Theory in Biology and Anthropology
  • Human Brain Evolution: External & Internal Factors
  • Embedded Intelligence: Evolution and Future
  • Native Americans’ Evolution in the XIX Century
  • Human Brain Evolution and Shrinking
  • The Islam Nation Rise and Evolution
  • The Evolution of Finches and Their Feeding Habits
  • Evolution of Close Binary Stars
  • Darwin’s Evolutionary Theory and Creationism
  • Darwinism and Creationism in “Evolution” Documentary
  • Darwin’s Theory of Evolution
  • Evolution of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • Evolutionary Time Lag and Good Genes Selection
  • Criticism and Discussion in Science Evolution
  • Jerry Coyne’s Book “Why Evolution Is True?”
  • An Evolutionary Window on the Worlds of Pornography and Romance
  • Modern City and Human Society Evolution
  • Languages, Their Evolution and Importance
  • From Classics to Our Time: the Evolution of the Cinema
  • Money Evolution in Ancient Times and Nowadays
  • Biodiversity, Its Evolutionary and Genetic Reasons
  • American Finance Evolution and Its Stages
  • Money Evolution in the 21st Century and Before
  • Nazi Anti-Jewish Policy and Its Evolution
  • Creationism, Evolution and Intelligent Design
  • Starbucks’ Brand Evolution and Redesign
  • Language: Evolution and Universal Features
  • The Evolution of Harriet Tubman
  • Parity Conditions and Country’s Evolution
  • American National Security and Technology Evolution
  • Process of Evolution: Organisms Structure Modifications
  • Distance Learning and Its Evolution
  • US Militia System Evolution to US Military
  • Evolution of a Firm: Linear Regression
  • The Process Market Relations Evolution in Modern World
  • Terrorism: the Evolution of ISIS
  • Evolutionary Driving Forces
  • Habeas Corpus: History, Evolution and Significance
  • US Policing Evolution Since 1963
  • Performance Measurement Evolution
  • Ecocide, Human Social Evolution, and Globalization
  • The Evolution of Lean Six Sigma by Pepper & Spedding
  • Automotive Industry Evolution
  • Anti-Defamation League: Evolution and Definition
  • Evolutionary Psychology: Science or Pseudoscience
  • The Solar System Formation and the Earth Evolution
  • Culture of Italy: History and Evolution
  • Social Networking Evolution: GeoCities Analysis
  • The Evolution of the Race Meaning
  • Evolution of Capitalism: Concept, Origin and Development
  • Evolutionary Theory and Genetics
  • Psychological Perspectives Evolution and Theories
  • Evolutionary Psychology: Cognition and Culture
  • The Future of Islam: Evolution and Changes
  • Why Evolution Is True?
  • The Evolution of Human Rights in Canada
  • Hotel Electronic Distribution Channel Strategy Evolution
  • Evolution and Speciation’s Four Forces
  • India and the UAE: Evolution Ways
  • History of the Race Evolution
  • “The Facts of Evolution” by Michael Shermer
  • The Concept of Design and Its Evolution
  • Why Medicine Needs a Dose of Evolution?
  • Athletic Training Evolution
  • Evolution Role in the Humanity and Planet Development
  • Cognitive Psychology Evolution Aspects
  • Celtic Christianity Evolution
  • Formal Organization Structure
  • Forbidden Archeology Against Mainstream Evolution Theories
  • Commoner, Darwin and Paley’ Theories on Humans Evolution
  • Culture and Human Evolution – Personal Psychology
  • Andy Clark on Human Mentality and Technology
  • Canadian Social Democracy Historical Evolution
  • The Evolution of the LGBT Rights
  • History: Evolution of the Scientific Revolution
  • Economic Issues: The Evolution of Usury
  • The Crime Fighting Evolution
  • The Human Morals Evolution
  • Evolution Process Definition
  • Mi’kmaq People: History and Evolution
  • Biological Anthropology: Hominid Evolution
  • The Evolution of Television
  • Evolution of Cognitive Psychology
  • Evolutionary Psychology: Short-term Mating in Men
  • Evolutionary Psychology: Definition and Key Concepts
  • Language Evolution in Human Being
  • Analysis: “Pandora’s Growing Box: Inferring the Evolution and Development of Hominin Brains from Endocasts” by Zollikofer and Ponce de Leo´n
  • The Evolution of Organizational Knowledge Creation Theory
  • Office Depot’s E-Commerce Evolution
  • Does Evolution Explain Why Men Rape
  • “The Link Between Fire Research and Process Safety” by Cadena and Munoz
  • Balanced Scorecard Concept Evolution
  • Plantinga’s Evolutionary Argument against Naturalism
  • Canadian Child Welfare System Evolution
  • Impressionism and Post-Impressionism: Technique Evolution
  • Human Computer Interface: Evolution and Changes
  • Industrial relations-Evolution of labor movements
  • Evolution and Revolution as Organizations Grow
  • Evolution of Planning and Design
  • Evolution of Organizational Knowledge Creation Theory
  • Evolutionary Psychology: Depression
  • History and Evolution of Health Care Economics
  • Evolution of Fire Protection Codes
  • Evolutionary Psychology Issues
  • How the Way of Reading Books Changed due to Rapid Evolution of Technology
  • Evolution of Imperial Rule in Japan and China
  • The Problem of People’s ‘Dangerous Evolutionary Baggage’
  • Evolution of Predator and Prey Pairings
  • The Reasons for Amazon’s Evolution of Supply Chain and Distribution Systems in the United States
  • Evolution of ERP system
  • Incident Command System History and Evolution
  • Human Evolution and Archaeology
  • The Four Forces of Evolution and Variation
  • The Individual and Game Theory Criticisms and the Evolutionary Theory
  • Childhood Evolution and History
  • Evolution of Charitable Self-Guidelines in Europe
  • Evolution of the Incidents Command System
  • History of the Gradual Radical Evolution in America
  • The Evolution of Gun Control Policy in College Campus: The Path to Better Policy Making
  • West Coast Jazz: History and Evolution
  • Major Historical Vents: Evolution or Revolution
  • The Concept and Effects of Evolution of Electronic Health Record System Software
  • Theories of the Language Evolution
  • Illustration’ Evolution in 20th Century
  • Evolution of the Chilean Government After the Ruthless Regime of Augusto Pinochet
  • How primary resources can debunk the misconception that Darwin proposed the first theory of evolution
  • Capitalism Concept Evolution
  • Evolution in the English Language
  • The background and evolution of British policy regarding the Palestine issue
  • The Evolution of Industrialized Workers in Chicago
  • The Evolutionary Genetics of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis
  • Evolutionary Account of Female Mating Preferences
  • The Four Forces of Evolution
  • The Development and Evolution of the CIA’s Directorate of Science and Technology
  • Feminism and Evolution or Emergence of Psychology
  • Paleontology and The Evolutionary Theory
  • Women and the Evolution of World Politics
  • “The Indian Challenge: The Evolution of a Successful New Global Strategy in the Pharmaceutical Industry” by D. Jane Bower and Julian C. Sulez
  • The Evolution of the Division of Labor Theory Starting From Ancient Greek Economists to the Present
  • The Evolution of Woman’s Work From the 19th Century
  • Evolution of Solar Energy in US
  • Evolution of the IRA
  • Money: Evolution, Functions, and Characteristics
  • The Evolution of US Military Logistical Procurement
  • Does Evolution explain human nature?
  • The Evolution of the American Hero
  • Evolution and History of Fire Science
  • Evolution of Dogs from the Gray Wolf
  • Comparing Knauft’s Study on Violence and Sociality with Darwin’s Evolutionary Perspectives
  • Evolution of Power Production
  • Evolution of Photography: Trying to Seize the Moment
  • Evolution of Hospice Care
  • Natural Selection: Darwin’s Theory of Evolution
  • The Evolution of American Federalism
  • The Relevance of Evolutionary Psychology
  • The Evolution of the iPhone from Inception to Today’s iPhone 4
  • Are Economic Crises Inherent to Capitalist Evolution?
  • Are Spatial Planning Objectives Reflected in the Evolution of Urban Landscape Patterns?
  • Can Evolution and Creation Co-exist?
  • Can Evolution Ever Explain Why Men Rape?
  • Can Evolution Fit Into Christianity?
  • Did Climate Effect Human Evolution?
  • Did “Desert Storm” Represent a Revolution or Evolution in Air Power?
  • Does Evolution Make Reasoning Improve Learning?
  • Does Evolution Solve the Hold-up Problem?
  • Does Molecular and Structural Evolution Shape the Speedy Grass Stomata?
  • Ecological Rationality and Evolution: The Mind Works That Way?
  • Evolution Versus Creation: Does Biblical Religion Unravel the Mysteries That Science Forbids?
  • Host-Microbe Interactions as a Driver of Brain Evolution and Development?
  • How Does Bioarchaeology Reveal the Evolution of Disease?
  • How Do Body Plans Relate to Nervous System Evolution Biology?
  • How Did the Evolution of Oxygen-Releasing Photosynthesis?
  • How Did the Evolution of the Amniote Egg-Free Amniotes?
  • How Does Evolution Tune Biological Noise?
  • How Does Kin Selection Explain the Evolution of Altruism?
  • How Does Teilhard Justify Placing God Christ in Evolution?
  • How Does Transduction Contribute to the Rapid Evolution?
  • How Has Evolution Affected Our Lives Today?
  • How Did Evolution Transpire?
  • How Finding Yourself Comes Through the Evolution of Thought?
  • How Genetic Evolution Alters Brain Development?
  • How Has Mankind’s Perception of Evolution Impacted Society?
  • How Human Disease Impacted Our Evolution?
  • How Humans Became Athletes Through Evolution?
  • How Learning About Evolution Challenged My Religious Upbringing?
  • How Have Male and Female Gametophytes Changed During Evolution?
  • Human Nature Essay Titles
  • African Diaspora Ideas
  • Natural Disaster Topics
  • DNA Essay Ideas
  • Antibiotic Ideas
  • Biodiversity Research Topics
  • Developmental Psychology Essay Ideas
  • Environment Research Topics
  • Chicago (A-D)
  • Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2024, February 28). 505 Evolution Essay Topic Ideas & Examples. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/evolution-essay-topics/

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IvyPanda . (2024) '505 Evolution Essay Topic Ideas & Examples'. 28 February.

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1. IvyPanda . "505 Evolution Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." February 28, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/evolution-essay-topics/.

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120 Evolution Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

Evolution is a fascinating topic that has captivated scientists and scholars for centuries. From the origins of life to the development of complex organisms, the study of evolution has provided valuable insights into the history of our planet and the diversity of life on Earth. If you're interested in exploring this complex and intriguing subject, we've compiled a list of 120 evolution essay topic ideas and examples to help spark your creativity and inspire your research.

  • The Theory of Evolution: An Overview
  • Darwin's Theory of Natural Selection
  • The Evidence for Evolution
  • Evolutionary Biology: The Study of Evolution
  • The Evolution of Humans
  • The Evolution of Birds
  • The Evolution of Whales
  • The Evolution of Insects
  • The Evolution of Plants
  • The Evolution of Fish
  • The Evolution of Reptiles
  • The Evolution of Mammals
  • The Evolution of Primates
  • The Evolution of Dinosaurs
  • The Evolution of Fossils
  • The Evolution of Genetics
  • The Evolution of DNA
  • The Evolution of Development
  • The Evolution of Behavior
  • The Evolution of Ecology
  • The Evolution of Speciation
  • The Evolution of Adaptation
  • The Evolution of Extinction
  • The Evolution of Migration
  • The Evolution of Reproduction
  • The Evolution of Diversity
  • The Evolution of Complexity
  • The Evolution of Cooperation
  • The Evolution of Competition
  • The Evolution of Symbiosis
  • The Evolution of Parasitism
  • The Evolution of Mutualism
  • The Evolution of Predation
  • The Evolution of Herbivory
  • The Evolution of Carnivory
  • The Evolution of Omnivory
  • The Evolution of Trophic Levels
  • The Evolution of Ecosystems
  • The Evolution of Biomes
  • The Evolution of Climate
  • The Evolution of Ice Ages
  • The Evolution of Mass Extinctions
  • The Evolution of Biodiversity
  • The Evolution of Endemism
  • The Evolution of Invasive Species
  • The Evolution of Conservation
  • The Evolution of Restoration
  • The Evolution of Evolutionary Theory
  • The Evolution of Creationism
  • The Evolution of Intelligent Design
  • The Evolution of Lamarckism
  • The Evolution of Epigenetics
  • The Evolution of Horizontal Gene Transfer
  • The Evolution of Gene Duplication
  • The Evolution of Gene Regulation
  • The Evolution of Gene Expression
  • The Evolution of Gene Networks
  • The Evolution of Genetic Drift
  • The Evolution of Gene Flow
  • The Evolution of Genetic Variation
  • The Evolution of Genetic Diversity
  • The Evolution of Genetic Structure
  • The Evolution of Genetic Isolation
  • The Evolution of Genetic Speciation
  • The Evolution of Genetic Adaptation
  • The Evolution of Genetic Inheritance
  • The Evolution of Genetic Mutations
  • The Evolution of Genetic Recombination
  • The Evolution of Genetic Mapping
  • The Evolution of Genetic Engineering
  • The Evolution of Genetic Testing
  • The Evolution of Genetic Counseling
  • The Evolution of Genetic Modification
  • The Evolution of Genetic Sequencing
  • The Evolution of Genetic Algorithms
  • The Evolution of Genetic Programming
  • The Evolution of Genetic Algorithms in Artificial Intelligence
  • The Evolution of Genetic Algorithms in Machine Learning
  • The Evolution of Genetic Algorithms in Robotics
  • The Evolution of Genetic Algorithms in Bioinformatics
  • The Evolution of Genetic Algorithms in Medicine
  • The Evolution of Genetic Algorithms in Agriculture
  • The Evolution of Genetic Algorithms in Industry
  • The Evolution of Genetic Algorithms in Finance
  • The Evolution of Genetic Algorithms in Marketing
  • The Evolution of Genetic Algorithms in Education
  • The Evolution of Genetic Algorithms in Sports
  • The Evolution of Genetic Algorithms in Gaming
  • The Evolution of Genetic Algorithms in Entertainment
  • The Evolution of Genetic Algorithms in Art
  • The Evolution of Genetic Algorithms in Music
  • The Evolution of Genetic Algorithms in Literature
  • The Evolution of Genetic Algorithms in Film
  • The Evolution of Genetic Algorithms in Television
  • The Evolution of Genetic Algorithms in Theater
  • The Evolution of Genetic Algorithms in Dance
  • The Evolution of Genetic Algorithms in Fashion
  • The Evolution of Genetic Algorithms in Architecture
  • The Evolution of Genetic Algorithms in Design
  • The Evolution of Genetic Algorithms in Technology
  • The Evolution of Genetic Algorithms in Science
  • The Evolution of Genetic Algorithms in Engineering
  • The Evolution of Genetic Algorithms in Mathematics
  • The Evolution of Genetic Algorithms in Physics
  • The Evolution of Genetic

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100 Evolution Essay Topics + Essay Writing Guide

evolution research paper topics

Even though most of us know enough about evolution, finding a good and a unique topic can quickly become a challenge! The trick here is to determine a unique framework for your future paper, so you know what structure to follow to keep up with all the essay writing rules. Looking through the countless Biology and Life Sciences essays of the actual students and reading through essay revisions of college and university professors in our time, I have made a list of 100 excellent evolution essay topics and wrote down all the “Do’s” and “Don’t’s” of evolution essay writing.

Trust me, choosing a good topic becomes much easier when you understand how the evolution works and realize that it deals with much more than explaining how we all got here. It is not only about us, human beings, as evolution also deals with all flora and fauna and the changes that take place in our society. As you read through the topics below, think of evolution as of diversity in nature that provides a framework for the determination of the ways how the species develop their distinguishable differences!

Contents (Clickable)

      What is an Evolution Essay?

Evolution essay is a paper that focuses on any aspect related to the evolution theory and diversity in nature. Since it is a scientific theory that is fundamental for the modern biological theory, an evolution essay also includes the facts, theories, hypotheses, and the history of the evolution theory among other topics. Evolution essay is first and foremost, a scientific work, therefore, it is extremely important to include verified facts, backed up with the help of academic journals and the books with a correct format and the references.

      Evolution and Theory of Evolution

A bit more theory that will help you to understand the topics in a better way! Trust me; I’ll keep it short!

Evolution refers to changes in heritable characteristics in species over successive generations. This process ultimately results in the occurrence of biodiversity (this is the reason why the presence of Biodiversity in your research paper is so important!). In basic terms, evolution is a process that occurs in all species on Earth, which are currently estimated at mind-blowing 2 million . In other words, it means all the species, starting with miniscule bacteria and up to the evolution of human beings.

Theory of evolution refers to a scientific theory that explains the origin of different species by evolution. Charles Darwin is considered to be the father of the theory of evolution and the one behind the foundation of the theory explained in the famous On the Origin of Species book published in 1859.

      Actual Research Essay Examples on Topic!

Before we move on to the list of 100 evolution essay topics, I want to share four actual essay examples related to evolution, biology, and the life sciences, so you can get a better idea about how particular ideas can be implemented in practice for the best results. Looking through our vast essay database written and shared by students, I came up with these diverse examples:

  • Global Warming: Fact or Fiction? – Evolution explored through the phenomenon of global warming. Is it a fact or a fiction? This essay’s author came up with an excellent research topic and argumentation!
  • Environmental Science Q&A – Here we have an example of environmental issues related to evolution and the changes that we can observe. See how the questions are addressed and how the structure is kept.
  • Genetically Modified Food – As surprising as it may be, it is also an issue related to evolution because the microorganisms and the species go through mutation, which is, essentially, an evolution process and a relevant social issue.
  • Geographical Characteristics of the Streams in Urban Areas and Forested Areas – see how the changes of evolution impact the geographical aspect in both urban and the forested areas.

As you can see from the examples, evolution is an expansive concept and a field of research, so you do not have to limit yourself with a strict list of biology or microorganisms-related topics. Be creative and try to make your evolution essay feel interesting and inspiring!

     100 Evolution Essay Topics

Let us start with the human evolution, so we can see how broad and many-sided the evolution essay writing can be!

      Human Evolution Essay Topics

  • Why do human beings laugh?
  • Why did human species develop to be dominant on the planet?
  • What distinguishes human brain from the other species?
  • Evolution of human eye.
  • Why do human beings perceive beauty?
  • How does evolution theory explain the existence of language and speech?
  • Recent mutations the humans underwent.
  • The current mutations humans are going through.
  • Geodakyan evolutionary theory of sex.
  • Evolution of sexual reproduction.
  • Red Queen hypothesis.
  • Evolution of human intelligence.
  • Evolution of monogamy.
  • Evolutionary medicine.
  • Social effects of evolutionary theory.
  • Evolution of immunity.
  • Evolution of the human nervous system.
  • Evolution of sex differences in cognition.
  • Sexual selection.
  • Sexual conflict.
  • Host-parasite coevolution in human malaria.
  • Variation in evolution.
  • Evolutionary stance on art.
  • Why did humans start walking on two feet?
  • What is the evolutionary benefit of forming the society?
  • As you can see from these examples, evolution is not only about biology and the life sciences!

Okay, so you want something more traditional? Here we go below:

essay topics on evolution

      Evolution of Flora and Fauna Essay Topics

  • Evolution of dogs/cats/whales/ or any other species of your choice.
  • Parallel evolution in the animal kingdom.
  • Earliest life forms.
  • Cladistics in the animal kingdom.
  • Evolutionary ecology of parasites.
  • Host-parasite coevolution in animals.
  • Evolution of birds.
  • An impact of climate on evolution.
  • Evolution of fungi.
  • The hair evolution.
  • Notable cases of adaptation.
  • Evolution of mimicry.
  • Natural selection in the animal kingdom.
  • Co-operation development.
  • Early animal evolution.
  • Polyps and medusas evolution.
  • “Savannah” hypothesis of early bilateral evolution.
  • Why the invertebrates became more complex?
  • Evolution of the animal genome.
  • Early evolution of neurons.
  • Plant population genetics and evolution.
  • Reconstruction of sexual modes throughout evolution.
  • The role of chromosomal change in plant evolution.
  • Evolution during the domestication of animals.

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Let’s continue with more biology-related topics!

      Evolutionary Biology Essay Topics

  • Gene-centered view.
  • Theory of stellar evolution.
  • The social impact of evolutionary biology.
  • Evolution of multicellular organisms.
  • Genetic architecture of adaptation.
  • Evolutionary robotics.
  • Evolution of cooperation.
  • Paleobiology.
  • Bayesian inference of phylogeny and its impact on evolutionary biology.
  • Evolutionary biology of aging.
  • Neuroscience in evolutionary biology.
  • Optimality theory.
  • Morphometrics.
  • Biological conservation.
  • Evolutionary biology and ecology.
  • Evolutionary biology and immunology.
  • Conceptual issues in evolutionary biology.
  • Evolutionary biology and population genetics.
  • Evolutionary biology and phylogenetics.
  • Mathematical models in evolutionary biology.
  • The evolutionary perspective on sperm biology.
  • Plant speciation.
  • Marine speciation.
  • Morphological evolution.

      Theory of Evolution Essay Topics

  • How did Darwin come up with his theory?
  • Theories that can potentially debunk an evolution theory.
  • Common misconceptions about evolution that everyone still believes.
  • Influence of Darwin’s theory on the science.
  • History of evolutionary thought.
  • Theories about evolution that existed before Darwin’s “ The Origin of Species”
  • Essentialism.
  • Tree of Life Concept.
  • Are we all related?
  • Adaptation theory.
  • Lamarck’s theory of evolution.
  • Evolution as fact and the theory.
  • Somatic selection.
  • Synthetic theory of evolution.
  • Why is evolution still considered a theory?
  • Evolution theory of a social change.
  • Evolutionary psychology.
  • Mutation theory by De Vries.
  • Neo-Darwinism.
  • The types of evolutionary theories.
  • The contribution of Alfred Wallace in the evolution theory.
  • Who should be credited for evolution theory – Wallace or Darwin?
  • Objections to evolution theory.
  • Proof of evolution.
  • How does evolution explain morality?

      How to Write an Evolution Essay

how to write an evolution essay

1 Evolution Essay Structure

The structure of an evolution essay is what you should know even before you decide on a topic and there is a good reason for that! There are three major elements that your essay structure should include to make sure that your professor will not decrease your future grade:

  • Introduction . It provides the readers with a brief outlook on your topic, your essay structure, the elements included, and the main idea that you want to communicate. It is where your strong thesis statement or an argument go to! Make sure your introduction contains the following:
  • A strong hook sentence – an attention-grabbing element that is usually in the first 1-2 sentences of the essay. Since we have to write an essay about the evolution theory, we will choose a scientific fact or refer to an impressive discovery that refers to evolution. A reason why hook should be there is to capture your reader’s interest and attention!
  • Overview of your major argument and topic – let the readers know what they are about to find out and learn as they read your evolution essay!
  • A brief overview of the essay structure – explain how and in what order you are planning to develop each part of your paper.
  • Thesis statement – the main idea or the quintessence of your essay. Make sure to write several thesis statements and choose the one that not only sounds best but the one that you can back up and explain with the help of scientific data and credible references.
  • Body paragraph includes the consistent and logical sequence of paragraphs that reveal all the facts and arguments that you use to support your thesis statement.

Make sure to:

  • Use verified sources – evolution theory is a scientific theory that has plenty of evidence, so make sure that you include as many credible references as necessary!
  • Be logical and consistent – let your readers follow your logic easily. Remember that your audience may differ, so make sure to write a sentence or two that explains your vision and the concepts you are discussing. If it requires more work or a reference to a case study, make sure to include it in your paper.
  • Start every paragraph with a topic sentence – it will be much easier for you to write each section if you start writing them with a thesis that reflects the content of the paragraph.
  • Explain the facts included in the essay – demonstrate your understanding of the facts you use in the essay and their relevance to the main topic and thesis statement
  • Avoid plagiarism – copying someone else’s work without reference is not cool while using numerous sources to support your thought with an academic claim is entirely another thing that makes your essay look credible and professional!
  • Conclusion part is where you summarize the whole essay without the introduction of any new ideas . Remind your readers of the most important facts and the findings they should remember when they are done reading your essay. Restate your thesis statement in other words to make the essay sound logical and integrated.

2 Argumentative Essay on Evolution Writing Tricks

When you have to write an argumentative essay on evolution, there are some writing tricks that you should mind to avoid trouble with your paper and impress your college or university professor.

  • Include your own opinion on an issue that you discuss – an argumentative essay requires having your own stance on a problem or what most college professors call “a voice of the writer.” Ask yourself about how can YOU contribute to the issue since it is your paper and it has to stand out!
  • Defend your view on the issue using as many verified facts as you can!
  • Include the viewpoints that oppose yours – and prove them wrong . Do so with the facts and use strong reasoning.
  • Do not simply restate thesis statement in conclusion , but readdress it using the evidence you accumulated through the body paragraphs.
  • Use classic 5-paragraph essay format (if you are not required to do otherwise) – Introduction, 3 Body Paragraphs, and Conclusion. Such an approach will help you to see where all that information belongs!

      Evolution Essay “Do’s and Dont’s”

  • Research your facts, the background of the issue, and the case studies (if relevant) as you choose your future topic and read the list of topic examples below.
  • Include scientific facts in your essay and use professional language.
  • Start your introduction with an interesting hook by stating why is the topic of choice relevant to you and society.
  • Use strong thesis statement as your guideline to make sure that you don’t deviate from the topic.
  • Double-check your facts and always back up your paper with academic journals and credible references.
  • Do not underestimate the use of drafts as you write the paper.
  • Do not use the same wording for the thesis statement as for your hook sentence. These are two different matters where one of them is an introduction, and the other one is the reason for your research.
  • Do not simply copy scientific information without your personal comment and consideration. If it has to be there, explain how and why.
  • Do not underestimate the importance of an outline, format, and the body structure.
  • Do not ignore the importance of proofreading because it will help you to eliminate typos, grammar mistakes, and accidental repeating of the same sentence.

      Help! I’m Still Stuck!!!

Sometimes even the list of helpful topic ideas and the essay writing guides are still not enough because the deadline is coming up and you have not yet started. In other cases, it is way too difficult to find the right sources, and you need just a bit of help to get your paper done. It is exactly the moment when you need professional help and someone who can help you get out of this “I’m Stuck!” mode.

The help is already here for you as our skilled team of biology and life sciences experts, as well as professionals in the other fields of science, are ready to help you work through the most complex assignments and be there to make you come up with a great topic idea! All you have to do is tell us of your homework task, fill in the simple form, and we shall connect you with a skilled geek who knows how to help and do so timely! It is absolutely safe and confidential, let alone that it is fine to ask for help when you need it! Our team knows how much challenging all of these tasks are, so it is guaranteed that you will be guided through each problem and issue that you have to deliver a great final paper. No matter what your problem may be, we are ready to help you identify and deal with it!

essay topics on evolution

I am sincerely hoping that my 100 evolution essay topics and the writing guide article have helped you to get an idea of how to write your paper. If not, remember what I have mentioned in a paragraph above! 🙂 In case you have something to add or want to share something important, feel free to post in the comments below! I wish you the best of luck and let us make an evolution with a truly awesome paper!

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161 brilliant evolution paper topics to inspire you.

evolution paper topics

Evolution paper topics focus on natural diversity and the evolution theory. Evolution refers to habitable characteristics’ changes in species through several successive generations. It’s a process that results in biodiversity occurrence.

Thus, evolution is a process occurring in every species on the planet. The evolution theory explains different species’ origins through this process. Many people consider Charles Darwin, the father of the evolution theory.

How to Write a Paper on Evolution

An evolution paper can include information about species, extinction, and survival. The instructor will tell you whether to use MLA or APA format when writing the essay . Once you’ve researched the information to include in your paper, follow these steps to write it.

Write the Introduction Introduce the evolution topic briefly and tell the readers about the structure, elements, and the main idea or thesis statement. Ensure that the introduction has a hook sentence to grab your readers’ attention. Usually, this should appear in the first or second sentence of the paper. For instance, you can use a scientific fact about evolution. That way, you can grab your reader’s attention and interest. Also, overview the topic and the essay structure in the introduction. Write the Body Use logical and consistent paragraphs revealing arguments and facts supporting your thesis statement. Here, present all relevant and valuable information that your audience wants to hear about the topic. Present and support your argument in the body paragraphs. The number of sections you include in the body will depend on the preferred length of your paper. Conclude the Paper Write a firm conclusion by reminding the audience what you set out to do from the beginning and showing them how you’ve done it. You can also recommend further studies on the topic. Nevertheless, your conclusion should summarize the entire paper without introducing new ideas. Recap the essential findings and facts that the readers should take from your essay. Also, restate your thesis statement using different words to make your paper sound integrated and logical.

That’s a summary of the easiest way to write an evolution paper. However, your approach might vary slightly depending on the instructions you receive from the educator. But most importantly, use information from relevant and verified sources. Also, be consistent and logical in your argument.

Use a topic sentence to start your sentences in the body sections. Above all, explain your facts after stating them and avoid plagiarism in any form. After writing your paper, check the instructions from the educator to ensure that you’ve done the right thing. Proofread and edit your essay before submission to eliminate all typo, grammatical, and factual errors.

Evolution Research Paper Topics

Perhaps, you want to write an evolution paper but don’t have a topic for the essay. Maybe the educator asked you to pick a unique title for your essay, but this gives you a headache. If so, here’s a list of the best titles to consider for your evolution essay.

  • Does evolution try to explain morality?
  • Is there evidence to prove evolution?
  • Explain how Darwin came up with the evolution theory
  • Theories that will potentially debunk the evolution theory
  • The evolution thought’s history
  • Common myths about the evolution theory that people still believe
  • How Darwin’s theory influences science
  • Evolution theories that existed before “The Origin of Species” by Charles Darwin
  • Describe the Life Tree concept
  • Essentialism- What is it?
  • The evolution theory objections
  • Who deserves credit for the evolution theory- Darwin or Wallace?
  • What was Alfred Wallace’s contribution to the evolution theory?
  • Describe different categories of evolution theories
  • What is neo-Darwinism?
  • Describe the De Vries mutation theory
  • What is evolutionary psychology?
  • Describe the social change evolution theory
  • Explain why scholars consider evolution a theory
  • Describe the synthetic evolution theory
  • What is somatic selection?
  • Explain evolution as a theory and a fact
  • Describe the adaptation theory
  • Describe Lamarck’s evolution theory
  • Are all human beings related?

Select a topic from this list and then research it extensively to develop a winning evolution paper. Some of these titles are relatively easy to find related information from reliable sources. Thus, writing an essay about any of these titles shouldn’t be difficult for most learners.

Evolutionary Biology Research Paper Topics

Evolutionary biology entails observing changes in living organisms. Writing a research paper on a topic in this category can help you understand the versatile nature of life on the planet. Here are interesting issues to consider in this category.

  • Compare the ectotherms and endotherms evolutionary process
  • Explain how animal physiology adapts to a geographic range
  • Investigate the stamina evolution of animal locomotion
  • Explain how bees learn communication by dancing
  • Explain ways via which species achieve maximum fitness
  • Life history theory: Explain how the life history of a species influence its evolution
  • Explain the process of determining age in the herbaceous plants
  • Explain how stabilizing selection maintains a species’ phenotype during evolution
  • Discuss the four questions by Tinbergen
  • Describe the advantages of sexual reproduction
  • Why does cancer persist?
  • Evolution and society: What is their connection?
  • Explain the limited alcohol dehydrogenase gene occurrence in Southeast Asia
  • Dividing humans into different races- Is it scientifically logical?
  • Tracking the aging evolution in human history
  • Explain how speciation works
  • Genetic drift- Explain how it affects variation
  • Describe the Modern Synthesis problems
  • The Red Queen hypothesis- What does it state?
  • What is morphological development?
  • Ideas on sex evolution and recombination
  • Recent evidence supporting or refuting Wright’s shifting balance theory
  • Evolution evidence in the chloroplast genome
  • Codon choice evolution evidence
  • Sympatric speciation evidence
  • Speciation evidence through polyploidization
  • Reticulate evolution evidence
  • Speciation evidence through hybridization
  • Flowering plants’ ancestral group evidence
  • Evolution evidence in the mitochondrial genome
  • Evolution evidence arising from predator-prey interactions
  • Evolution evidence for developmental pathways
  • Evolution evidence for diverse mating systems
  • Demonstrate the disease role in a species’ evolution
  • Describe evolutionary changes in how species mate
  • Describe the evolution of the human immunodeficiency virus
  • How wolves exhibit a social behavior
  • Why do malaria parasites resist drugs?
  • Animal camouflage- Describe the evolutionary evidence and causes
  • Evolutionary response by parasites to vaccination
  • Natural selection for aquatic organisms
  • Human appendix- What were its original functions?
  • Describe the evolutionary connections between butterflies and moths
  • Chimpanzees versus gorillas anatomy
  • Describe aquatic speciation
  • Explain the genome response to environmental toxicants
  • What are the impacts of evolutionary theory?
  • Explain the plants’ evolutionary history
  • Does evolution has any applications?
  • Explain the evolution of plants

Evolutionary biology research topics can cover geology, genetics, and ecology. Some of these titles cover paleontology too. Nevertheless, select a title you can comfortably work with and impress the educator.

Interesting Evolution Topics

Maybe you want to have some fun researching and writing your evolution paper. Perhaps, you want to write about a topic that even your audience will find exciting to read. In that case, consider these titles for your paper.

  • Describe the evolution of mating systems in plants
  • Interactions between biotic and physical environments
  • Neglected taxa genomic diversity
  • Life-history evolution and reproductive allocation
  • Sexual conflict and sexual selection
  • What is social evolution?
  • Memory and learning in the wild
  • Infectious disease evolutionary biology
  • Evolution of the immune systems and immunity
  • Parasites evolutionary ecology
  • Host-parasite co-evolution
  • The speciation genetics
  • Genome and molecular evolution
  • Bacterial evolution
  • Viral evolution

Many scholars would love to research and write about these exciting topics in evolution because they can unearth exciting information. Nevertheless, take your time to explore any of these topics to develop a winning paper.

Human Evolution Topics

Do you want to research and write about human evolution? If yes, this category has some of the best topics to consider for your essay.

  • Are humans different from apes?
  • Why did humans start walking on their two feet?
  • Explain what happened to Neanderthals
  • Describe the evolutionary benefits of establishing a society
  • Evolution and art- Is there a correlation?
  • Evolution variation
  • Host-parasite co-evolution in malaria
  • Sex differences evolution in cognition
  • The human nervous system’s evolution
  • Immunity evolution
  • Evolutionary theory and its social effects
  • Describe evolutionary medicine
  • Describe monogamy evolution
  • Human intelligence- How has it evolved over the years?
  • Describe the Red Queen hypothesis
  • Explain why humans laugh
  • Explain what enabled the human species to dominate the others on earth
  • What makes the human brain different from that of the other species?
  • Describe the human eye evolution
  • Explain why humans perceive beauty
  • How the evolution theory tries to explain speech and language existence
  • Describe the recent human mutations
  • Describe the evolutionary sex theory by Geodakyan
  • Sexual reproduction evolution
  • What are the evolutionary advantages of a culture?

All these are exciting topics to consider for your academic paper. Nevertheless, spend sufficient time researching your title to develop a stellar evolution paper.

Creation vs. Evolution Topics

Maybe you want to write about creation versus evolution. This category has some of the most controversial topics to explore when writing a research paper. Consider these ideas for your essay.

  • Examining the arguments for evolution and creationism
  • How evolution and creation explain the origin of humans on earth
  • How different religions explain the creation theory
  • How Buddhism explains the creation theory
  • Evolution and the creation myth
  • Is the creation theory an abuse of science?
  • Is there a common ground between evolution and God?
  • A Darwinian as a Christian- Is it possible?
  • Why creationism and evolution present a public controversy
  • Why is the creation theory so different from the evolution theory?

These are brilliant topics to consider for your college or university paper. However, prepare to research your paper extensively and use other theories to support your argument if possible. That way, you can compose a unique, custom paper that will impress your educator to award you the top grade.

Good Evolution Research Topics

Maybe you need a good topic that most people will find captivating to read about and find relevant information. In that case, this category has good titles to consider for your paper.

  • Aqua man- An evolution across the ages
  • The evolution of whales, cats, dogs, or any species
  • Describe the earliest forms of life on earth
  • With examples, explain the animal kingdom’s parallel evolution
  • The animal kingdom’s cladistics
  • Birds and evolution
  • How climate affects evolution
  • Describe fungi evolution
  • Describe hair evolution
  • Describe the animal selection process in the animal kingdom
  • Describe the co-operation development
  • How chromosomal change affects plant evolution
  • Describe evolution during animals domestication
  • Sexual modes reconstruction throughout evolution
  • Evolution and pant population genetics
  • Early neurons evolution
  • Animal genome evolution
  • Medusas and polyps evolution
  • The evolution of early animals

This category has simple and complex topics for students at different academic levels. Nevertheless, you can find information on most of these topics from reliable sources. Thus, you can write your paper on any of these titles and impress the educator.

Additional Evolution Topics for Research Paper

Perhaps, you’re yet to find an exciting topic for which you can write a detailed paper. In that case, these additional topics should present a title you’ll find worth working with if the teacher has assigned you an essay on this subject.

  • Intimate selection- What is it, and how does it work?
  • Optimality concept- Describe it in detail
  • What is a gene-centered view
  • What effect of biology is social?
  • Multicellular organisms development
  • Adaptation and hereditary architecture
  • Describe evolutionary robotics
  • Palaeobiology- Describe it with examples
  • Neuroscience and evolutionary biology
  • Immunology and evolutionary biology
  • Biological preservation- What is it?
  • Evolutionary biology- What are the conceptual problems?
  • The evolutionary sperm biology perspective
  • Evolutionary biology and mathematical models
  • Phylogenetics and evolutionary biology
  • Biology Genetics and evolutionary population

Please select these topics and then develop them into awesome papers through extensive research and analysis. Evolution is undoubtedly an exciting subject to study and even write about in high school, college, or university. However, students need time to research and write papers about this subject. Unfortunately, not every learner finds this subject exciting or has adequate time to write an essay about any of these topics. And that’s where the help of professionals comes in.

Get Online Help with Your Evolution Paper

Maybe you’re stuck with an evolution paper whose deadline is due in the next few hours. Perhaps, you don’t even know where to start or write your essay without compromising on quality. Whether the educator asked you to write about comparative anatomy or an ancient species and its evolution, our crew can help you.

We’re a professional team with a proven track record of helping students with evolution essays and papers. Regardless of how simple or complex your topic seems, we are ready to help you write a winning paper about it. Our expert writers know where and how to gather relevant information for any evolution topic. What’s more, we’re always ready to take your paper order. That means you will get instant help with your paper upon enlisting our service.

Stop struggling to write your evolution when our experts are ready to help. Instead, contact us now to enlist a service that will enable you to score the top grade in your class!

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201 Evolution Essay Topics

🏆 best essay topics on evolution, ✍️ evolution essay topics for college, 👍 good evolution research topics & essay examples, 🎓 most interesting evolution research titles, 📌 easy evolution essay topics, ❓ evolution essay questions.

  • The Evolution and History of Numbers and Counting
  • Evolution of the Internet
  • Information Systems Evolution in the Banking Industry
  • Evolution of Cell Phones
  • Evidence of the Evolution Theory
  • Evolution of Beauty: The Transformation of Beauty Throughout History
  • Charles Darwin’s Evolutionary Theory
  • Human Rights: Historical and Conceptual Evolution The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a fundamental document for the world population. It covered all aspects of the social, economic, and political life of human beings.
  • Evolution in Modern Indian Music Rich and diverse, Indian folk music is utilized for special occasions and educational purposes. The sources of Indian music are endless and its potentials are without limit.
  • Evolution of Network Systems from 1G to 4G This paper is a literature review on the evolution of network systems from 1G to 4G, focusing on key aspects of each generation.
  • Actinopterygii: The Evolution of Ray-Finned Fishes The paper illustrates that the Actinopterygii may be the largest, most varied but there remains much debate about the timing and extent of early evolutionary development.
  • The Evolution of Tragedy: From Greek to American The purpose of this paper is to provide a definition of tragedy, a form of drama, and discuss the differences between ancient Greek, Elizabethan, and an American one.
  • The Evolution of Special Education Special education provides and interprets certain practices that allow addressing the individual needs of each student to assure a better learning environment for everyone.
  • Study of Folklore in Terms of Development and Evolution According to the psychoanalytic perspective of folklore study, human beings have gone through various stages of psychological development and evolution.
  • History and Evolution of Online Education This paper aims to explore the evolution and history of online learning to understand its key milestones and recent developments.
  • Sharks: History, Evolution and Habitat Sharks are a crucial part of the marine ecosystem, skillful predators with well-developed sensory systems. Most species are harmless to humans.
  • Evolution of Microsoft Windows Operating System This paper will cover the road Windows has traveled and continues to explore with Windows 7 that will be launched on the 22nd of October.
  • Human Impact on Evolution and Environment Research on positive and negative impacts of humans on evolution and industrial development on the environment.
  • Aquaman: An Evolution Through the Ages Another way of how the Aquaman franchise has evolved to respond to the preoccupations of the time becomes clear when emphasis is placed on the details of Aquaman’s plot.
  • Organizational Psychology: Definition, Evolution, and Comparison With Related Disciplines The paper defining organizational psychology and offers an account of the evolution of the field, then it compares and contrasts with other related fields.
  • The Evolution of John Ford’s Idea of the West John Ford developed the idea of the West and the evolution of his thought can be seen in three famous films: “Stagecoach”, “The Searchers”, and “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”.
  • Evolution of Healthcare Information Systems Healthcare and hospital information systems have greatly changed in the past twenty years and this has been as a result of the improvement of information technology.
  • Cleopatra’s Role in the Evolution of Humanity Cleopatra managed to effectively rule her country, fostered its development by combining outstanding diplomatic skills, charisma, and knowledge.
  • Business and Economics: The Evolution and Impacts of the Ponzi Scheme The regulators should keep the general populace informed through general alerts regarding methods employed to swindle investors.
  • Evolution vs. Religious Dogma The religiously fervent still rejects the idea of man evolving from ape but now even the most religious persons today accept evolution to be true.
  • Music Evolution and Historical Roots Music as a form of art was constantly changing throughout the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the Baroque periods.
  • Running Racing: History and Evolution Evolution is crucial in the running of the early man and various historical events led to the adoption of running as a sport.
  • Gender Identity Evolution and Its Results The evolution of gender identity evoked attempts to modify the cultural perceptions of the citizens; in this situation, sex became a less significant characteristic.
  • Vertebrate Jaw Evolution From Developmental Perspectives The vertebrate jaw is one of the essential developmental features associated with the crest cells’ changes, the history of jaws’ evolution can be traced to early fish species.
  • Marsupials: Evolutionary History, Key Features, and Ecological Role This paper discusses marsupials to present a phylogeny of their in-group and out-group taxa, key features that unite the clade, ecological roles played by some of these features.
  • “Why Evolution is True” by Jerry Coyne Jerry Coyne’s work provides some context for certain social issues, such as the misuse of Darwin’s theory, scientific racism, and the ongoing conflict of religion and evolution.
  • Exploring the Evolution of Fungi: Ancient Origins Fungi have ancient origins: the most recent evidence suggests that they appeared as early as one billion years ago.
  • Whittington’s Classical and Evolutionary Approaches Towards Business Analysis The key theories that should be analyzed are Whittington’s classical and evolutionary approaches towards business analysis, as well as the resource-based view of decision-making.
  • The Evolution of the Nursing Practice Role The role of nursing has shifted significantly in the last decades, enabling nurses to become critical and leading professionals in the community and healthcare systems.
  • Quality Evolution in Auto Manufacturing Industry Since its first appearance at the end of the 19th century, the automobile has come a long way not only in its appearance and technical capabilities but also in quality standards.
  • Dehumanization and Its Evolution in Warfare One running theme in the history of warfare is dehumanization, which has often served the purpose of legitimizing the taking of human life during a war.
  • Technology’s Influence on Design Evolution The introduction and adoption of the new technology in the contemporary world has significantly intertwined graphic design practices and other reproduction techniques.
  • Culture and Evolution of Hip-Hop in South Korea Korean hip-hop, otherwise known as K-hip hop, is a subgenre of hip-hop music from South Korea. It is essential to establish the culture and evolution of hip-hop in South Korea.
  • “Frontiers, Borderlands, Wests”: The Evolution of the Historical Study of the American West “Frontiers, Borderlands, Wests” explores what connotation the interpretation of certain events takes on depending on the context, for example, the history of the American West.
  • Natural Selection Process and Evidence of Evolution The purpose of this paper is to discuss the book “Why Evolution is True” by Coyne. This article assumes that evolution by natural selection is true.
  • Intelligent Design and Evolution Theories The existing theories of human origin are still controversial, however, Intelligent Design remains a religious belief without clear scientific arguments.
  • American Clothing Evolution and Its Factors Plenty of social, economic, and political aspects impacted the American outfits, changing them, and also the appearance of people.
  • Human Resource Management Concepts Evolution Any organization that aspires to be efficient and effective in its operations requires a vibrant Human Resource Management (HRM) strategy.
  • Evolution of Modern Banking: Middle Ages to Present The history of banking began around 2000 BCE in Assyria, Sumeria, and India when wealthy families kept gold and silver coins in their homes.
  • The Evolution of the Panspermia Hypothesis This report will review the evolution of the panspermia hypothesis and the mechanisms of life transfer that are not rejected as totally unrealistic.
  • Convergent Evolution and Analogous Structures Convergent evolution is a situation whereby different unrelated species independently develop similar traits. In some cases, other organisms develop identical characteristics.
  • Digital Video Evolution and Its Implementation in Australia In the current digital era, the production of video has become more effective. This is due to the availability of new technologies that support the production of digital video.
  • The Evolution of Taekwondo The purpose of this paper is to review the way of the development of taekwondo and highlight the main controversial aspects regarding the origin of this martial art.
  • Anthropology: Natural Selection and Evolution Natural selection is the process of an organism’s adaptation to the environment that is performed through changing its genotype on a selective basis.
  • Leadership History and Evolution Every century has an example of a capable leader that influenced many people. However, various leaders differ significantly from each other from one period of time to another.
  • Horse Population, Evolution, and Physiology The evolution of horses occurred over a period of 55 million years. By analyzing bones and DNA of the ancient horses, we are able to get an idea about their origins.
  • Jamaican Music’s Evolution and Forms Jamaican music finds its origin in enslaved West Africans who sang for their masters and got rewarded for the skill. This form of music was known as the Mento.
  • Convergent Evolution, Genetics and Related Structures This paper discusses the concept of convergent evolution and related structures. Convergent evolution describes the emergence of analogous or similar traits in different species.
  • How Will the Design Track the Evolution of the Growing Complexity of Society’s Problems? The paper argues it is the joint efforts of different cultures that create stunning designs that influence the expression of the thoughts and ideas of the authors.
  • The Beatles Band’s Strategic Musical Evolution This paper provides insights into the formation of the Beatles, the British invasion, and their strategic musical evolution.
  • Healthcare Marketing and Its Evolution During the last several decades, much attention has been paid to developing healthcare advertising and replacing traditional marketing principles with innovative ideas.
  • DNA and Proteins as Evolutionary Tape Measures DNA and proteins can be used as tape measures of evolution but their usage depends on the concept of a linear sequence of nucleotides.
  • Language Evolution: The Major Schools of Thought The theory of language development and evolution has continued to attract attention of many analysts, researchers, and psychologists.
  • Evolution of Organizational Performance Metrics The metric of profit has likely not changed much throughout the 20th century. The rate of return is also calculated in the same manner, but it may have become less significant.
  • The Evolution of Family in the USA Families are still prevalent and do not lose their significance among people in the U.S. Rather, they are transforming into new kinds that are more appropriate to the current time.
  • Religion and Science. Intelligent Design vs. Evolution In the context of science vs. religion, science will always have an upper hand, because it is always religion that resorts to science, in order to substantiate its own dogmas.
  • The Evolution of Cryptography In this paper, attention will be paid to the progress of cryptography through ancient, technical, and paradoxical periods, the worth of common encryption methods, and the impact of coding on modern communication.
  • Are We Ready for Neo-Evolution? The analyzed video is related to biopsychology through the aspect of interfering with human genes to influence different aspects of life, such as longevity and disease resistance.
  • Cognitive Development Theories and Their Evolution This paper analysis the cognitive development concept with a lot of focus on the various theories, their evolution, and the associated developmental stages.
  • Hip-Hop Evolution of Rap Movement This work explains the rapping element of Hip-Hop as it developed across time, how it has influenced the movement and changed over the years.
  • Warfare Evolution Throughout History War is known as an ancient social trend that continued to persist throughout centuries ever since humans appeared as a separate species.
  • Evolution and Challenges of Modern Advertising The study aims to highlight the problems of advertising by identifying the causes, finding solutions, and evaluating the effectiveness of the solutions.
  • Evolution: Are Humans Animals? The people supporting the idea of humans being animals may give an explanation of the origins of mankind and how it achieved its current form.
  • The Internet Evolution and Advancement Since its creation, the Internet has changed humanity’s trajectory. All aspects of people’s lives, from business to social interactions, are now shaped by the World Wide Web.
  • Social Media Evolution and How Does It Make a Difference in Today’s World The evolution of social media has made it a global political actor because of its significant role in various areas of human life.
  • The Historical Evolution of the International Community The emergence of the international community is linked to the treaty of Westphalia of 1648 which was signed following the thirty-year war.
  • Evolutionary Mismatch and Mental Health The evolutionary mismatch has led to divergent cultural and lifestyle adaptations that have left current generations at a higher risk for mental illnesses.
  • Magnolia Tree: Life Cycle and Evolution Magnolia is among the largest genus flowering plants in Texas and eastern North America. Magnolia is derived from the French botanist Pierre Magnol.
  • Darwin’s Theory of Evolution: Impact of Genetics New research proved that genetics are the driving force of evolution which causes the revision of some of Darwin’s discoveries.
  • Sainsbury’s Market: Its History and Evolution Sainsbury’s was founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury as a small shop in Drury Lane, London, however, in 1922, the company became the largest retailer of groceries.
  • iPhone 12 Mini: Apple’s Smartphone Evolution The iPhone is one of the most competitive smartphone brands in the world today. This discussion examines how the iPhone has evolved until the latest device, the iPhone 12 mini.
  • Evolution of Long-Term Care Systems More programs like Medicaid and other long-term care initiatives occurred and started registering children and women and helping aged people.
  • Catholic and Scientific View of Evolution Evolutionary theory is accepted by the Catholic and the scientific community. The church views evolution as a sign of God’s indirect participation in how living organisms were formed.
  • Evolution of the United States Health Care System The paper aims to describe how the US health care system has evolved since the early 1900s and what two unique characteristic features this evolution has brought.
  • “Why Evolution Is True”: A Chapter-Wise Reflection This paper reflects on persuasions to accept the evolution theory as a valid discourse of explaining the origin of species in the nine chapters of Coyne’s “Why Evolution is True”.
  • Forensic Psychology, Its History and Evolution Forensic psychology refers to an applied discipline focused on the application of psychological research as well as principles within the legal and criminal justice systems.
  • Architectural Form Evolution Throughout History The evolution of form in art is connected to human development over the years. This paper explores the connection between different art forms and their influence on architecture.
  • Evolution Psychology: “Is Anatomy Destiny?” The media “Is Anatomy Destiny” raises questions relating to the issue of anatomy by arguing that the concept of anatomy is to a large extent influenced by social categorizations of the human body.
  • Cultural Evolution in Vietnam’s Early 20th Century Article Review The authors are argumentative in presenting their central points. The first research question deals with the validity of the chosen approach.
  • Darwin’s Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection was crucial for science in the past but remains essential. This theory started a true revolution in science.
  • Analyzing the Evolution of Data Visualization Du Bois’ visionary statistical methods of infographics have revolutionized data visualization, and new platforms offer even more possibilities for analysis.
  • GE’s Two-Decade Transformation: A Journey Through Organizational Evolution General Electric transformed itself over the last two decades by focusing on innovation, lifelong learning, and a global perspective.
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These essay examples and topics on Evolution were carefully selected by the StudyCorgi editorial team. They meet our highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, and fact accuracy. Please ensure you properly reference the materials if you’re using them to write your assignment.

This essay topic collection was updated on January 8, 2024 .

Introductory essay

Written by the educator who created What Makes Us Human?, a brief look at the key facts, tough questions and big ideas in his field. Begin this TED Study with a fascinating read that gives context and clarity to the material.

As a biological anthropologist, I never liked drawing sharp distinctions between human and non-human. Such boundaries make little evolutionary sense, as they ignore or grossly underestimate what we humans have in common with our ancestors and other primates. What's more, it's impossible to make sharp distinctions between human and non-human in the paleoanthropological record. Even with a time machine, we couldn't go back to identify one generation of humans and say that the previous generation contained none: one's biological parents, by definition, must be in the same species as their offspring. This notion of continuity is inherent to most evolutionary perspectives and it's reflected in the similarities (homologies) shared among very different species. As a result, I've always been more interested in what makes us similar to, not different from, non-humans.

Evolutionary research has clearly revealed that we share great biological continuity with others in the animal kingdom. Yet humans are truly unique in ways that have not only shaped our own evolution, but have altered the entire planet. Despite great continuity and similarity with our fellow primates, our biocultural evolution has produced significant, profound discontinuities in how we interact with each other and in our environment, where no precedent exists in other animals. Although we share similar underlying evolved traits with other species, we also display uses of those traits that are so novel and extraordinary that they often make us forget about our commonalities. Preparing a twig to fish for termites may seem comparable to preparing a stone to produce a sharp flake—but landing on the moon and being able to return to tell the story is truly out of this non-human world.

Humans are the sole hominin species in existence today. Thus, it's easier than it would have been in the ancient past to distinguish ourselves from our closest living relatives in the animal kingdom. Primatologists such as Jane Goodall and Frans de Waal, however, continue to clarify why the lines dividing human from non-human aren't as distinct as we might think. Goodall's classic observations of chimpanzee behaviors like tool use, warfare and even cannibalism demolished once-cherished views of what separates us from other primates. de Waal has done exceptional work illustrating some continuity in reciprocity and fairness, and in empathy and compassion, with other species. With evolution, it seems, we are always standing on the shoulders of others, our common ancestors.

Primatology—the study of living primates—is only one of several approaches that biological anthropologists use to understand what makes us human. Two others, paleoanthropology (which studies human origins through the fossil record) and molecular anthropology (which studies human origins through genetic analysis), also yield some surprising insights about our hominin relatives. For example, Zeresenay Alemsegad's painstaking field work and analysis of Selam, a 3.3 million-year old fossil of a 3-year-old australopithecine infant from Ethiopia, exemplifies how paleoanthropologists can blur boundaries between living humans and apes.

Selam, if alive today, would not be confused with a three-year-old human—but neither would we mistake her for a living ape. Selam's chimpanzee-like hyoid bone suggests a more ape-like form of vocal communication, rather than human language capability. Overall, she would look chimp-like in many respects—until she walked past you on two feet. In addition, based on Selam's brain development, Alemseged theorizes that Selam and her contemporaries experienced a human-like extended childhood with a complex social organization.

Fast-forward to the time when Neanderthals lived, about 130,000 – 30,000 years ago, and most paleoanthropologists would agree that language capacity among the Neanderthals was far more human-like than ape-like; in the Neanderthal fossil record, hyoids and other possible evidence of language can be found. Moreover, paleogeneticist Svante Pääbo's groundbreaking research in molecular anthropology strongly suggests that Neanderthals interbred with modern humans. Paabo's work informs our genetic understanding of relationships to ancient hominins in ways that one could hardly imagine not long ago—by extracting and comparing DNA from fossils comprised largely of rock in the shape of bones and teeth—and emphasizes the great biological continuity we see, not only within our own species, but with other hominins sometimes classified as different species.

Though genetics has made truly astounding and vital contributions toward biological anthropology by this work, it's important to acknowledge the equally pivotal role paleoanthropology continues to play in its tandem effort to flesh out humanity's roots. Paleoanthropologists like Alemsegad draw on every available source of information to both physically reconstruct hominin bodies and, perhaps more importantly, develop our understanding of how they may have lived, communicated, sustained themselves, and interacted with their environment and with each other. The work of Pääbo and others in his field offers powerful affirmations of paleoanthropological studies that have long investigated the contributions of Neanderthals and other hominins to the lineage of modern humans. Importantly, without paleoanthropology, the continued discovery and recovery of fossil specimens to later undergo genetic analysis would be greatly diminished.

Molecular anthropology and paleoanthropology, though often at odds with each other in the past regarding modern human evolution, now seem to be working together to chip away at theories that portray Neanderthals as inferior offshoots of humanity. Molecular anthropologists and paleoanthropologists also concur that that human evolution did not occur in ladder-like form, with one species leading to the next. Instead, the fossil evidence clearly reveals an evolutionary bush, with numerous hominin species existing at the same time and interacting through migration, some leading to modern humans and others going extinct.

Molecular anthropologist Spencer Wells uses DNA analysis to understand how our biological diversity correlates with ancient migration patterns from Africa into other continents. The study of our genetic evolution reveals that as humans migrated from Africa to all continents of the globe, they developed biological and cultural adaptations that allowed for survival in a variety of new environments. One example is skin color. Biological anthropologist Nina Jablonski uses satellite data to investigate the evolution of skin color, an aspect of human biological variation carrying tremendous social consequences. Jablonski underscores the importance of trying to understand skin color as a single trait affected by natural selection with its own evolutionary history and pressures, not as a tool to grouping humans into artificial races.

For Pääbo, Wells, Jablonski and others, technology affords the chance to investigate our origins in exciting new ways, adding pieces into the human puzzle at a record pace. At the same time, our technologies may well be changing who we are as a species and propelling us into an era of "neo-evolution."

Increasingly over time, human adaptations have been less related to predators, resources, or natural disasters, and more related to environmental and social pressures produced by other humans. Indeed, biological anthropologists have no choice but to consider the cultural components related to human evolutionary changes over time. Hominins have been constructing their own niches for a very long time, and when we make significant changes (such as agricultural subsistence), we must adapt to those changes. Classic examples of this include increases in sickle-cell anemia in new malarial environments, and greater lactose tolerance in regions with a long history of dairy farming.

Today we can, in some ways, evolve ourselves. We can enact biological change through genetic engineering, which operates at an astonishing pace in comparison to natural selection. Medical ethicist Harvey Fineberg calls this "neo-evolution". Fineberg goes beyond asking who we are as a species, to ask who we want to become and what genes we want our offspring to inherit. Depending on one's point of view, the future he envisions is both tantalizing and frightening: to some, it shows the promise of science to eradicate genetic abnormalities, while for others it raises the specter of eugenics. It's also worth remembering that while we may have the potential to influence certain genetic predispositions, changes in genotypes do not guarantee the desired results. Environmental and social pressures like pollution, nutrition or discrimination can trigger "epigenetic" changes which can turn genes on or off, or make them less or more active. This is important to factor in as we consider possible medical benefits from efforts in self-directed evolution. We must also ask: In an era of human-engineered, rapid-rate neo-evolution, who decides what the new human blueprints should be?

Technology figures in our evolutionary future in other ways as well. According to anthropologist Amber Case, many of our modern technologies are changing us into cyborgs: our smart phones, tablets and other tools are "exogenous components" that afford us astonishing and unsettling capabilities. They allow us to travel instantly through time and space and to create second, "digital selves" that represent our "analog selves" and interact with others in virtual environments. This has psychological implications for our analog selves that worry Case: a loss of mental reflection, the "ambient intimacy" of knowing that we can connect to anyone we want to at any time, and the "panic architecture" of managing endless information across multiple devices in virtual and real-world environments.

Despite her concerns, Case believes that our technological future is essentially positive. She suggests that at a fundamental level, much of this technology is focused on the basic concerns all humans share: who am I, where and how do I fit in, what do others think of me, who can I trust, who should I fear? Indeed, I would argue that we've evolved to be obsessed with what other humans are thinking—to be mind-readers in a sense—in a way that most would agree is uniquely human. For even though a baboon can assess those baboons it fears and those it can dominate, it cannot say something to a second baboon about a third baboon in order to trick that baboon into telling a fourth baboon to gang up on a fifth baboon. I think Facebook is a brilliant example of tapping into our evolved human psychology. We can have friends we've never met and let them know who we think we are—while we hope they like us and we try to assess what they're actually thinking and if they can be trusted. It's as if technology has provided an online supply of an addictive drug for a social mind evolved to crave that specific stimulant!

Yet our heightened concern for fairness in reciprocal relationships, in combination with our elevated sense of empathy and compassion, have led to something far greater than online chats: humanism itself. As Jane Goodall notes, chimps and baboons cannot rally together to save themselves from extinction; instead, they must rely on what she references as the "indomitable human spirit" to lessen harm done to the planet and all the living things that share it. As Goodall and other TED speakers in this course ask: will we use our highly evolved capabilities to secure a better future for ourselves and other species?

I hope those reading this essay, watching the TED Talks, and further exploring evolutionary perspectives on what makes us human, will view the continuities and discontinuities of our species as cause for celebration and less discrimination. Our social dependency and our prosocial need to identify ourselves, our friends, and our foes make us human. As a species, we clearly have major relationship problems, ranging from personal to global scales. Yet whenever we expand our levels of compassion and understanding, whenever we increase our feelings of empathy across cultural and even species boundaries, we benefit individually and as a species.

Get started

essay topics on evolution

Zeresenay Alemseged

The search for humanity's roots, relevant talks.

essay topics on evolution

Spencer Wells

A family tree for humanity.

essay topics on evolution

Svante Pääbo

Dna clues to our inner neanderthal.

essay topics on evolution

Nina Jablonski

Skin color is an illusion.

essay topics on evolution

We are all cyborgs now

essay topics on evolution

Harvey Fineberg

Are we ready for neo-evolution.

essay topics on evolution

Frans de Waal

Moral behavior in animals.

essay topics on evolution

Jane Goodall

What separates us from chimpanzees.

Evolution - Free Essay Examples And Topic Ideas

Evolution is a scientific theory explaining the process of natural selection and how species change over time. Essays on evolution could explore the evidence supporting evolutionary theory, its historical development, or its contrast with other theories like creationism. Discussions might also delve into human evolution, the implications of evolutionary theory for understanding biodiversity, or the ethical and philosophical debates surrounding evolution. This topic offers a plethora of avenues for exploring biological, historical, and sociocultural dimensions of human understanding of life. A substantial compilation of free essay instances related to Evolution you can find in Papersowl database. You can use our samples for inspiration to write your own essay, research paper, or just to explore a new topic for yourself.

Unraveling Reality: the Convincing Evidence of Evolution

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Vestigial Structures: Nature’s Relics of Evolution

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Four Lenses of Gender Differences

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The Evolution of Caste Systems: a Comparative Exploration in India, Guyana, and North America

The concept of caste systems has woven its intricate threads into the social fabric of various societies, with India, Guyana, and North America providing distinct tapestries of this phenomenon. As we embark on a journey through time and geographies, it becomes evident that the Guyana Indian experience, in particular, adds a unique layer to the broader narrative. In India, the birthplace of the caste system, the intricate web of social stratification has roots that stretch back millennia. Initially conceptualized as […]

Evolutionary Science’s Application to Psychology and Pharmacology

In this essay, the methods by which evolutionary science is applicable to psychology and pharmacology will be discussed. Evolutionary theory informs and guides these fields in research, medical treatment, and other applications. The impact of evolution on psychology cannot be understated, with the Annual Review of Psychology calling it "the second wave of the cognitive revolution." The field of evolutionary psychology is relatively new, but its room for exploration is vast because it "can be applied to all areas of […]

Teen Pregnancy Issues and Challenges

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Evolutionary Learning: Fear Conditioning is the Product of Evolutionary Learning in Humans

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Culture Versus Evolution: Mating Preferences

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Homosexuality: where does it Come From? where does it Go?

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Discoveries in the Field of Virology

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Are Viruses Alive? a Scientific Perspective on the Nature of Viruses

In the grand theater of life, every organism plays a distinct role, and viruses occupy a particularly intriguing position. Invisible to the naked eye yet capable of causing global upheavals, viruses challenge our understanding of life itself. Are viruses truly alive? This question has perplexed scientists and philosophers for decades, sparking debates that compel us to reconsider our definitions of life. Central to this debate are the core characteristics of life: reproduction, metabolism, growth, responsiveness to stimuli, and environmental adaptation. […]

Debating the Status of Viruses: are they Truly Living Organisms?

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The Intriguing Case of Viruses: why they Defy Classification as Living Entities

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the Horseshoe Crab’s Remarkable Lifespan and Survival

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Biology library

Course: biology library   >   unit 25.

  • Introduction to evolution and natural selection
  • Ape clarification
  • Natural selection and the owl butterfly
  • Darwin, evolution, & natural selection
  • Variation in a species
  • Natural selection and Darwin

Evidence for evolution

essay topics on evolution

Key points:

  • Anatomy. Species may share similar physical features because the feature was present in a common ancestor ( homologous structures ).
  • Molecular biology. DNA and the genetic code reflect the shared ancestry of life. DNA comparisons can show how related species are.
  • Biogeography. The global distribution of organisms and the unique features of island species reflect evolution and geological change.
  • Fossils. Fossils document the existence of now-extinct past species that are related to present-day species.
  • Direct observation. We can directly observe small-scale evolution in organisms with short lifecycles (e.g., pesticide-resistant insects).

Introduction

Evolution happens on large and small scales.

  • Macroevolution , which refers to large-scale changes that occur over extended time periods, such as the formation of new species and groups.
  • Microevolution , which refers to small-scale changes that affect just one or a few genes and happen in populations over shorter timescales.

The evidence for evolution

Anatomy and embryology, homologous features, analogous features, determining relationships from similar features, molecular biology.

  • The same genetic material (DNA)
  • The same, or highly similar, genetic codes
  • The same basic process of gene expression (transcription and translation)
  • The same molecular building blocks, such as amino acids

Homologous genes

Biogeography, fossil record, direct observation of microevolution.

  • Before DDT was applied, a tiny fraction of mosquitos in the population would have had naturally occurring gene versions ( alleles ) that made them resistant to DDT. These versions would have appeared through random mutation , or changes in DNA sequence. Without DDT around, the resistant alleles would not have helped mosquitoes survive or reproduce (and might even have been harmful), so they would have remained rare.
  • When DDT spraying began, most of the mosquitos would have been killed by the pesticide. Which mosquitos would have survived? For the most part, only the rare individuals that happened to have DDT resistance alleles (and thus survived being sprayed with DDT). These surviving mosquitoes would have been able to reproduce and leave offspring.
  • Over generations, more and more DDT-resistant mosquitoes would have been born into the population. That's because resistant parents would have been consistently more likely to survive and reproduce than non-resistant parents, and would have passed their DDT resistance alleles (and thus, the capacity to survive DDT) on to their offspring. Eventually, the mosquito populations would have bounced back to high numbers, but would have been composed largely of DDT-resistant individuals.
  • Homologous structures provide evidence for common ancestry, while analogous structures show that similar selective pressures can produce similar adaptations (beneficial features).
  • Similarities and differences among biological molecules (e.g., in the DNA sequence of genes) can be used to determine species' relatedness.
  • Biogeographical patterns provide clues about how species are related to each other.
  • The fossil record, though incomplete, provides information about what species existed at particular times of Earth’s history.
  • Some populations, like those of microbes and some insects, evolve over relatively short time periods and can observed directly.

Attribution:

Works cited:.

  • Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution. (2016, April 6). Retrieved May 15, 2016 from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_in_Biology_Makes_Sense_Except_in_the_Light_of_Evolution .
  • Wilkin, D. and Akre, B. (2016, March 23). Comparative anatomy and embryology - Advanced. In CK-12 biology advanced concepts . Retrieved from http://www.ck12.org/book/CK-12-Biology-Advanced-Concepts/section/10.22/ .
  • Reece, J. B., Urry, L. A., Cain, M. L., Wasserman, S. A., Minorsky, P. V., and Jackson, R. B. (2011). Anatomical and molecular homologies. In Campbell biology (10th ed., p. 474). San Francisco, CA: Pearson.
  • Chapman, B. R. and Bolen, E. G. (2015). Convergent evolution [Glossary entry]. In Ecology of North America (2nd ed., p. 311). West Sussex, UK: John Wiley & Sons.
  • Insulin. (2014, June 6). In UCSD signaling gateway . Retrieved from http://www.signaling-gateway.org/molecule/query?afcsid=A004315&type=orthologs&adv=latest .
  • Wilkin, D. and Akre, B. (2016, March 23). Evolution and the fossil record - Advanced. In CK-12 biology advanced concepts . Retrieved from http://www.ck12.org/book/CK-12-Biology-Advanced-Concepts/section/10.21/ .
  • Reece, J. B., Taylor, M. R., Simon, E. J., and Dickey, J. L. (2011). Scientists can observe natural selection in action. In Campbell biology: Concepts & connections (7th ed., p. 259). Boston, MA: Benjamin Cummings.

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The Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Program

  • Introduction to Human Evolution

3/4 view of an early human skull

Human evolution

Human evolution is the lengthy process of change by which people originated from apelike ancestors. Scientific evidence shows that the physical and behavioral traits shared by all people originated from apelike ancestors and evolved over a period of approximately six million years.

One of the earliest defining human traits, bipedalism -- the ability to walk on two legs -- evolved over 4 million years ago. Other important human characteristics -- such as a large and complex brain, the ability to make and use tools, and the capacity for language -- developed more recently. Many advanced traits -- including complex symbolic expression, art, and elaborate cultural diversity -- emerged mainly during the past 100,000 years.

Humans are primates. Physical and genetic similarities show that the modern human species, Homo sapiens , has a very close relationship to another group of primate species, the apes. Humans and the great apes (large apes) of Africa -- chimpanzees (including bonobos, or so-called “pygmy chimpanzees”) and gorillas -- share a common ancestor that lived between 8 and 6 million years ago. Humans first evolved in Africa, and much of human evolution occurred on that continent. The fossils of early humans who lived between 6 and 2 million years ago come entirely from Africa.

Most scientists currently recognize some 15 to 20 different species of early humans. Scientists do not all agree, however, about how these species are related or which ones simply died out. Many early human species -- certainly the majority of them – left no living descendants. Scientists also debate over how to identify and classify particular species of early humans, and about what factors influenced the evolution and extinction of each species.

Early humans first migrated out of Africa into Asia probably between 2 million and 1.8 million years ago. They entered Europe somewhat later, between 1.5 million and 1 million years. Species of modern humans populated many parts of the world much later. For instance, people first came to Australia probably within the past 60,000 years and to the Americas within the past 30,000 years or so. The beginnings of agriculture and the rise of the first civilizations occurred within the past 12,000 years.

Paleoanthropology

Paleoanthropology is the scientific study of human evolution. Paleoanthropology is a subfield of anthropology, the study of human culture, society, and biology. The field involves an understanding of the similarities and differences between humans and other species in their genes, body form, physiology, and behavior. Paleoanthropologists search for the roots of human physical traits and behavior. They seek to discover how evolution has shaped the potentials, tendencies, and limitations of all people. For many people, paleoanthropology is an exciting scientific field because it investigates the origin, over millions of years, of the universal and defining traits of our species. However, some people find the concept of human evolution troubling because it can seem not to fit with religious and other traditional beliefs about how people, other living things, and the world came to be. Nevertheless, many people have come to reconcile their beliefs with the scientific evidence.

Early human fossils and archeological remains offer the most important clues about this ancient past. These remains include bones, tools and any other evidence (such as footprints, evidence of hearths, or butchery marks on animal bones) left by earlier people. Usually, the remains were buried and preserved naturally. They are then found either on the surface (exposed by rain, rivers, and wind erosion) or by digging in the ground. By studying fossilized bones, scientists learn about the physical appearance of earlier humans and how it changed. Bone size, shape, and markings left by muscles tell us how those predecessors moved around, held tools, and how the size of their brains changed over a long time. Archeological evidence refers to the things earlier people made and the places where scientists find them. By studying this type of evidence, archeologists can understand how early humans made and used tools and lived in their environments.

The process of evolution

The process of evolution involves a series of natural changes that cause species (populations of different organisms) to arise, adapt to the environment, and become extinct. All species or organisms have originated through the process of biological evolution. In animals that reproduce sexually, including humans, the term species refers to a group whose adult members regularly interbreed, resulting in fertile offspring -- that is, offspring themselves capable of reproducing. Scientists classify each species with a unique, two-part scientific name. In this system, modern humans are classified as Homo sapiens .

Evolution occurs when there is change in the genetic material -- the chemical molecule, DNA -- which is inherited from the parents, and especially in the proportions of different genes in a population. Genes represent the segments of DNA that provide the chemical code for producing proteins. Information contained in the DNA can change by a process known as mutation. The way particular genes are expressed – that is, how they influence the body or behavior of an organism -- can also change. Genes affect how the body and behavior of an organism develop during its life, and this is why genetically inherited characteristics can influence the likelihood of an organism’s survival and reproduction.

Evolution does not change any single individual. Instead, it changes the inherited means of growth and development that typify a population (a group of individuals of the same species living in a particular habitat). Parents pass adaptive genetic changes to their offspring, and ultimately these changes become common throughout a population. As a result, the offspring inherit those genetic characteristics that enhance their chances of survival and ability to give birth, which may work well until the environment changes. Over time, genetic change can alter a species' overall way of life, such as what it eats, how it grows, and where it can live. Human evolution took place as new genetic variations in early ancestor populations favored new abilities to adapt to environmental change and so altered the human way of life.

Dr. Rick Potts provides a video short introduction to some of the evidence for human evolution, in the form of fossils and artifacts.

  • Climate Effects on Human Evolution
  • Survival of the Adaptable
  • Human Evolution Timeline Interactive
  • 2011 Olorgesailie Dispatches
  • 2004 Olorgesailie Dispatches
  • 1999 Olorgesailie Dispatches
  • Olorgesailie Drilling Project
  • Kanam, Kenya
  • Kanjera, Kenya
  • Ol Pejeta, Kenya
  • Olorgesailie, Kenya
  • Evolution of Human Innovation
  • Adventures in the Rift Valley: Interactive
  • 'Hobbits' on Flores, Indonesia
  • Earliest Humans in China
  • Bose, China
  • Anthropocene: The Age of Humans
  • Fossil Forensics: Interactive
  • What's Hot in Human Origins?
  • Instructions
  • Carnivore Dentition
  • Ungulate Dentition
  • Primate Behavior
  • Footprints from Koobi Fora, Kenya
  • Laetoli Footprint Trails
  • Footprints from Engare Sero, Tanzania
  • Hammerstone from Majuangou, China
  • Handaxe and Tektites from Bose, China
  • Handaxe from Europe
  • Handaxe from India
  • Oldowan Tools from Lokalalei, Kenya
  • Olduvai Chopper
  • Stone Tools from Majuangou, China
  • Middle Stone Age Tools
  • Burin from Laugerie Haute & Basse, Dordogne, France
  • La Madeleine, Dordogne, France
  • Butchered Animal Bones from Gona, Ethiopia
  • Katanda Bone Harpoon Point
  • Oldest Wooden Spear
  • Punctured Horse Shoulder Blade
  • Stone Sickle Blades
  • Projectile Point
  • Oldest Pottery
  • Pottery Fragment
  • Fire-Altered Stone Tools
  • Terra Amata Shelter
  • Qafzeh: Oldest Intentional Burial
  • Assyrian Cylinder Seal
  • Blombos Ocher Plaque
  • Ishango Bone
  • Bone and Ivory Needles
  • Carved Ivory Running Lion
  • Female torso in ivory
  • Ivory Horse Figurine
  • Ivory Horse Sculpture
  • Lady of Brassempouy
  • Lion-Man Figurine
  • Willendorf Venus
  • Ancient Shell Beads
  • Carved Bone Disc
  • Cro-Magnon Shell Bead Necklace
  • Oldest Known Shell Beads
  • Ancient Flute
  • Ancient Pigments
  • Apollo 11 Plaque
  • Carved antler baton with horses
  • Geometric incised bone rectangle
  • Tata Plaque
  • Mystery Skull Interactive
  • Shanidar 3 - Neanderthal Skeleton
  • One Species, Living Worldwide
  • Human Skin Color Variation
  • Ancient DNA and Neanderthals
  • Human Family Tree
  • Swartkrans, South Africa
  • Shanidar, Iraq
  • Walking Upright
  • Tools & Food
  • Social Life
  • Language & Symbols
  • Humans Change the World
  • Nuts and bolts classification: Arbitrary or not? (Grades 6-8)
  • Comparison of Human and Chimp Chromosomes (Grades 9-12)
  • Hominid Cranial Comparison: The "Skulls" Lab (Grades 9-12)
  • Investigating Common Descent: Formulating Explanations and Models (Grades 9-12)
  • Fossil and Migration Patterns in Early Hominids (Grades 9-12)
  • For College Students
  • Why do we get goose bumps?
  • Chickens, chimpanzees, and you - what do they have in common?
  • Grandparents are unique to humans
  • How strong are we?
  • Humans are handy!
  • Humans: the running ape
  • Our big hungry brain!
  • Our eyes say it!
  • The early human tool kit
  • The short-haired human!
  • The “Nutcracker”
  • What can lice tell us about human evolution?
  • What does gut got to do with it?
  • Why do paleoanthropologists love Lucy?
  • Why do we have wisdom teeth?
  • Human Origins Glossary
  • Teaching Evolution through Human Examples
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Recommended Books
  • Exhibit Floorplan Interactive
  • Print Floorplan PDF
  • Reconstructions of Early Humans
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  • Human Origins Do it Yourself Exhibit
  • Exhibit Field Trip Guide
  • Acknowledgments
  • Human Origins Program Team
  • Connie Bertka
  • Betty Holley
  • Nancy Howell
  • Lee Meadows
  • Jamie L. Jensen
  • David Orenstein
  • Michael Tenneson
  • Leonisa Ardizzone
  • David Haberman
  • Fred Edwords (Emeritus)
  • Elliot Dorff (Emeritus)
  • Francisca Cho (Emeritus)
  • Peter F. Ryan (Emeritus)
  • Mustansir Mir (Emeritus)
  • Randy Isaac (Emeritus)
  • Mary Evelyn Tucker (Emeritus)
  • Wentzel van Huyssteen (Emeritus)
  • Joe Watkins (Emeritus)
  • Tom Weinandy (Emeritus)
  • Members Thoughts on Science, Religion & Human Origins (video)
  • Science, Religion, Evolution and Creationism: Primer
  • The Evolution of Religious Belief: Seeking Deep Evolutionary Roots
  • Laboring for Science, Laboring for Souls:  Obstacles and Approaches to Teaching and Learning Evolution in the Southeastern United States
  • Public Event : Religious Audiences and the Topic of Evolution: Lessons from the Classroom (video)
  • Evolution and the Anthropocene: Science, Religion, and the Human Future
  • Imagining the Human Future: Ethics for the Anthropocene
  • Human Evolution and Religion: Questions and Conversations from the Hall of Human Origins
  • I Came from Where? Approaching the Science of Human Origins from Religious Perspectives
  • Religious Perspectives on the Science of Human Origins
  • Submit Your Response to "What Does It Mean To Be Human?"
  • Volunteer Opportunities
  • Submit Question
  • "Shaping Humanity: How Science, Art, and Imagination Help Us Understand Our Origins" (book by John Gurche)
  • What Does It Mean To Be Human? (book by Richard Potts and Chris Sloan)
  • Bronze Statues
  • Reconstructed Faces

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Evolution articles from across Nature Portfolio

Evolution is the process of heritable change in populations of organisms over multiple generations. Evolutionary biology is the study of this process, which can occur through mechanisms including natural selection, sexual selection and genetic drift.

essay topics on evolution

A clock for clonal organisms

Estimating age in clonal populations is exceedingly challenging, but a study proposes a molecular clock based on genome-wide fixed somatic variations as a solution.

essay topics on evolution

Problem-solving PhD students are prepared for careers in industry

PhD programmes in an industrial setting were on the rise in the 1970s, and a reflection on Darwin’s rich accomplishments, in the weekly dip into Nature ’s archive.

essay topics on evolution

Ultra-high-resolution diffusion MRI resource of chimpanzee white matter connectivity

Comparing brain connectivity between chimpanzees and humans is a means of understanding human cognition and evolution. To address the scarcity of chimpanzee neuroimaging data, we introduce a high-quality MRI resource that reveals previously unseen anatomical details, offering valuable insights into human brain evolution.

Related Subjects

  • Anthropology
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  • Chemical origin of life
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essay topics on evolution

Evidence for gene flow and trait reversal during radiation of Mexican Goodeid fish

  • Leeban H. Yusuf
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essay topics on evolution

A somatic genetic clock for clonal species

This study develops a somatic molecular clock based on the accumulation of fixed somatic genetic variation that segregates among clonally produced organisms and applies it to the eelgrass Zostera marina .

  • Jessie Renton
  • Thorsten B. H. Reusch

essay topics on evolution

Chromosome-scale genome assembly of oil-tea tree Camellia crapnelliana

  • Li-ying Feng

essay topics on evolution

Evolution of connectivity architecture in the Drosophila mushroom body

Brain evolution at the cellular level is understudied. Here, the authors compare olfactory circuits from three Drosophila species, finding species-specific connectivity patterns associated with food odours and suggesting that more connectivity may be related to learning performance.

  • Kaitlyn Elizabeth Ellis
  • Sven Bervoets
  • Sophie Jeanne Cécile Caron

essay topics on evolution

Mapping and annotating genomic loci to prioritize genes and implicate distinct polygenic adaptations for skin color

Here, the authors perform a large GWAS for objectively quantified skin color in an East Asian population (N = 48,433), identifying potential causal genes, polygenic adaptations, and interaction between genetic variants and sun-exposure at polygenic level.

  • Dan Say Kim
  • Hong-Hee Won

essay topics on evolution

The role of promiscuous molecular recognition in the evolution of RNase-based self-incompatibility in plants

Self-incompatibility evolved to avoid self-fertilization among hermaphroditic plants, yet it remains murky how this compatibility recognition evolved. This study constructs a theoretical framework incorporating promiscuous molecular recognition into the evolutionary model of incompatibility.

  • Amit Jangid
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These Neanderthal fire pits offer an extraordinarily precise snapshot of ancient life

Researchers used traces of Earth’s changing magnetic field in sediments to identify the activity of ancient humans.

  • Ewen Callaway

essay topics on evolution

Musical instruments, tools, language and genetic data reveal ancient hunter-gatherer networks

Central Africa is home to the greatest number of hunter-gatherers remaining in the world, but the origins of their culture remain unclear. We compiled a dataset of Central African hunter-gatherer musical instruments, subsistence tools, specialized vocabulary and genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism data, which revealed ancient networks of cultural and linguistic exchange that spanned thousands of kilometres.

essay topics on evolution

Biggest genome ever found belongs to this odd little plant

The gigantic genome of a type of fork fern smashes the human one in terms of size.

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essay topics on evolution

Evolution Research Paper Topics

Academic Writing Service

Writing an anthropology research paper? This list of evolution research paper topics provides some ideas for narrowing down your topic to a successful and manageable one. This page also outlines the various models of evolution that have been proposed, including the Darwinian theory and the most popular alternatives. It then outlines the early development of ideas about how life could have developed, including the Lamarckian theory of the inheritance of acquired characteristics. The development and publication of Darwin’s theory is described, along with the controversies following its publication. Efforts to promote alternative theories in the late nineteenth century are described and the implications of the various theories for ideas about human origins and social evolution noted. The article concludes with the emergence of modern Darwinism and later debates such as those arising from sociobiology and evolutionary developmental biology. Browse other anthropology research paper topics for more inspiration.

Ape biogeography Aquatic ape hypothesis Arboreal hypothesis Arc of evolution Australopithecines Biological adaptation Biological anthropology Biological anthropology and neo-Darwinism Catastrophism Charles Darwin Cladistics Creationism versus geology Darwin and Germany Darwin and India Darwin and Italy Darwinism versus Lamarckism Dinosaurian hominid Disbelief in evolution Dropithecus Dynamic integrity Evolution education controversy Evolution of primate brain Evolutionary anthropology Evolutionary epistemology Evolutionary ethics Evolutionary ontology Evolutionary psychology Extinction Fossil record Fossils Galapagos Islands Gigantopithecus Hominid taxonomy Hominoids Homo antecessor Homo erectus Homo ergaster Homo habilis Homo sapiens Human canopy evolution Human evolution Human genetics Humans and dinosaurs India and evolution Issues in hominization Kenyanthropus platyops Kenyapithecus wickeri Lucy reconstruction models Mass extinctions Meganthropus Models of evolution Modern Darwinism Molecular evolution Monkey Trial [1925] Monogenesis versus polygenesis Morphology versus molecules in evolution Narmada man Natural selection Neandertal evidence Neandertals Neo-Darwinism Non-Darwinian evolutionary mechanisms Orangutan-human evolution Oreopithecus Organic evolution Origin of life Origin of Neo-Darwinism Primate extinction Primate genetics Primate morphology and evolution Russia and evolution Sahelanthropus tchadensis Sexual selection Social Darwinism State Darwin Museum, Moscow, Russia Theories Uniformitarianism Zinjanthropus boisei

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Evolution Research Paper Topics

Models of Evolution

The term ‘evolution’ is derived from the Latin evolutio, denoting the unrolling of a scroll. In the eighteenth century it was applied to the growth of the embryo, then often described as the mere expansion of a preformed miniature. This application was retained up to the nineteenth century, by which time it was clear that the development of the embryo consisted of the progressive appearance of more complex structures. The philosopher and sociologist Herbert Spencer generalized the term by applying it to any process of natural progressive development, thereby creating the still common but inaccurate belief that all evolution must be progressive. In particular, Spencer applied the term to the development of societies and of life on earth.

Charles Darwin did not often use the term when describing his theory of the origin of species, but by the end of the nineteenth century, this had become the most common version of ‘evolution.’ However, Darwin’s theory did not imply an inevitable progression toward complexity, and much controversy has surrounded the association between evolution and progress. Darwin’s theory of natural selection now dominates biology and is being extended to many other domains; it is but one of a number of mechanisms that have been suggested to explain evolution, each of which has its own associated implications.

The Ladder of Progress

Perhaps the most popular model of evolution, and one that reveals the link with embryology, is of a linear hierarchy of stages of development from inception to maturity. Such a model simply assumes that all change is progressive and that there is only one direction of development. When applied to societies or species, the model can be adapted by supposing that many lines of development each ascend the same hierarchy but at different rates, so that the slow developers illustrate the ancestral stages already passed through by those at the top of the scale.

Evolutionary Trees

Although the ladder model is still popularly applied to the evolution of life on earth, and was once accepted in the social sciences, biologists and sociologists now realize that there is no single goal toward which evolution is developing – neither the human race nor Western civilization can be treated as the most mature phase of development. Evolution is better represented as a tree or a bush with many branches, each of which is constantly subdividing. The end product of one branch cannot be seen as the goal toward which all the others are ascending, and it is impossible for the end product of one branch to illustrate exactly the ancestral form of another branch. The living apes are not immature humans, because even if the common ancestor from which humans and apes have evolved would be classified as an ape, it would no longer be identical to any of the living ape species. If there is progress on the branching tree-model, it has to be defined in more sophisticated terms so that there are many different ways to become more complex.

Darwin argued that branching evolution explains how we are able to classify species into groups within groups (species, genera, families, etc.). Two species descended from a common ancestor will still share many characters derived from that ancestor, and will share some characters with even more distant relatives. Darwin and his modern followers assume that each new character is developed only once, so all species exhibiting the character are descended from a common ancestor that also had the character. This assumption will be invalidated if there are cases where two lines of evolution evolve the same character independently (convergence or homoplasy). It will also be invalidated if there are even small-scale examples of ladder-like evolution, where several branches are constrained to evolve along the same pattern of development (parallelism).

The branching model had already been applied to the evolution of languages before Darwin and his followers used it to transform biology. Darwin’s key insight was that there was no natural mechanism that could force evolution along a single predetermined path. Evolution is driven not by progress but by the necessity for each species to adapt to its environment in an ever-changing world. Branching occurs because a single population can sometimes become divided by a geographical barrier, after which each isolated population will develop independently in response to the different adaptive pressures it encounters. Progress to a more complex structure is at best a by-product of adaptation and is never inevitable in any one branch; indeed, many species are the products of degenerative evolution. In the animal kingdom, two branches of evolution can seldom if ever rejoin via hybridization (although this does happen in plants). Here, there is a clear contrast with social and linguistic evolution, where mergings and borrowings are frequent.

Darwinism and Lamarckism

Two mechanisms of adaptive evolution have been suggested: natural selection (Darwinism) and the inheritance of acquired characters (Lamarckism). Darwin assumed that the species consists of a population of organisms that exhibit some degree of individual variation and that these variations are inherited – we now explain them as genetic differences produced by mutations. He argued that if the population is exposed to a new environment, some variants will by chance be able to cope better with the new conditions; they will survive and reproduce, transmitting their favorable characters to the next generation. Any that are less fitted to the environment will be unlikely to breed and may even die, so their characters are eliminated from the population. Over many generations, this process of natural selection (Spencer called it the ‘survival of the fittest’) will change the species to adapt it to the environment.

Some time before Darwin, J.B. Lamarck proposed that the inheritance of characters acquired during an organism’s lifetime could accumulate to give adaptive transmutation. An acquired character is produced by the organism’s behavior, which in the wild is usually a response to the environment. Thus, the ancestral giraffes, striving to reach the leaves of trees as an alternative source of food, were able to lengthen their necks, just as a weightlifter can acquire better developed muscles. If such characters are inherited, the next generation of giraffes would be born with longer necks and would then stretch them further. This mechanism was once popular in biology, and corresponds quite closely to how humans transmit new ideas to their descendants. However, where teaching and learning provide a natural mechanism for ideas to be transmitted, modern genetics has shown that there is no way in which acquired biological characters can be inherited. Lamarckism has been banished from biology: The giraffe got its long neck because those who by chance inherited the genes producing that trait reproduced faster than those who carried the genes for shorter necks. The genetic differences are the product of mutations that are random as far as the requirements of the species are concerned.

Nonadaptive Evolution

There are also several mechanisms of biological evolution that suppose that not all developments are adaptive. In the nineteenth century, many naturalists believed that evolution was the unfolding of a predetermined pattern, perhaps analogous to or controlled by the forces of embryological development. Such ideas gave rise to the theory of recapitulation, which supposes that the evolutionary history of the species is traced out by the development of the embryo (or ‘ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny’). This in turn suggests a model of evolution more in tune with the notion of a hierarchical ladder of development. The possibility that saltations (evolutionary jumps or macromutations) might have found new populations was once taken seriously even by geneticists. The theory of orthogenesis supposed that the species was somehow programmed to vary continuously in a particular direction, forcing groups of species to evolve in parallel. Such ideas are now largely discounted in biology, although the possibility that there might be constraints on the range of possible variation has recently been taken more seriously by the advocates of evolutionary developmental biology or ‘evo-devo.’ In the social sciences, the question of whether all cultural and social differences serve a practical purpose has been much debated, and this debate continues.

Pre-Darwinian Evolutionism

Darwin’s was not the first theory of evolution, although the publication of his Origin of Species in 1859 triggered the conversion of most scientists to evolutionism. Several earlier versions of the idea were proposed, and although rejected by conservative thinkers and most scientists, they did much to prepare the way for the reception of Darwinism (Bowler, 1989c).

Creation and Design

The early Church Fathers did not take the Genesis story of creation in the Bible literally, and it was the Protestant theologians of the seventeenth century who established the worldview that survives in modern ‘young earth’ creationism. Archbishop James Ussher published his much ridiculed calculation that the earth was created in 4004 BC. In such a climate of opinion, a form of natural theology flourished in which it could be argued that God had designed and created all the modern species just as we see them today, each with the structures and instincts appropriate for its intended habitat. John Ray and many other naturalists stressed the adaptation of species to their environment, and argued that similarities could be used to classify species because they expressed the rational order of God’s plan of creation – a view adopted by Carolus Linnaeus, who founded the modern system of biological classification (Greene, 1959). Others exploited the ancient concept of the ‘chain of being,’ in which the plan of creation was a linear hierarchy, with the human species at the top of the animal series. This was promoted without any sense of progression through time, although the influence of the chain was retained in some of the early theories of progressive evolution.

Evolution in the Enlightenment

The more radical thinkers of the eighteenth-century Enlightenment recognized that the Earth was much older than Ussher’s estimate and that the planet had changed considerably in the course of its history. Some explored the possibility that life had been produced by spontaneous generation from nonliving matter, and began to doubt that species remained unchanged through time. The French naturalist Georges Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, was especially influential in this respect, as were the materialist philosophers Denis Diderot and Baron d’Holbach (Roger, 1998).

Toward the end of the eighteenth century, Erasmus Darwin (grandfather of Charles) published a theory of transmutation in his Zoonomia, arguing that all living things were derived from a simple origin and had become more complex through their striving to adapt to the environment. These views were echoed in a more sophisticated form in J.B. Lamarck’s Zoological Philosophy of 1809. Lamarck accepted that there was a basic progressive force driving living things to ascend the chain of being over many generations, but he accepted that no linear pattern is visible in the present animal and plant kingdoms, explaining the divergence as a consequence of life’s constant need to adapt to an ever-changing environment. He invoked the inheritance of acquired characters (described above) to explain this process, and his name has been associated with that mechanism ever since (Corsi, 1988).

The Fossil Record

Historians used to think that Lamarck was marginalized by his great rival, Georges Cuvier, who pioneered the study of fossil bones to reconstruct the history of life. Cuvier showed that there was a succession of populations in the course of the earth’s history but insisted that species disappear abruptly from the record through the action of geological catastrophes. He rejected transmutation but did not openly endorse the idea of divine creation – although the theory of a succession of creations was popularized by Cuvier’s British followers, including William Buckland. Although they had extended the Earth’s history, Cuvier and Buckland were convinced that the human race was a recent creation. Their work thus endorsed a view of human history in which there was no time for social evolution, many scholars still believing that language and the arts of civilization were taught to the earliest humans by their Creator.

Later historical work has shown that although the theory of successive creations was endorsed by the scientific establishment, more radical thinkers in both France and Britain were attracted to Lamarck’s theory (Desmond, 1989). Darwin, who developed his theory in the 1830s, concealed it for fear of being associated with this radical movement. Historians also now recognize that there was an alternative non-Darwinian theory of evolution emerging in Germany among the followers of J.F. Blumenbach. This stressed the model of preordained development and invoked the parallel with embryological development. The situation in Britain changed significantly following the anonymous publication of Robert Chambers’ Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation in 1844 (Secord, 2000). Chambers argued that an ideology of progress was just what the middle class needed to support its demands for reform, and provided a scientific foundation for this ideology based on the idea of progressive evolution. Although he presented evolution as the unfolding of a divine plan, his book’s open recognition that humans are transformed animals, and that the mind is a product of the expansion of the brain, caused an outcry from conservative thinkers. Over the following decade, however, Vestiges popularized the idea of progressive evolution, creating a space in which Darwin’s more scientific theory could have an impact.

The Development of Darwin’s Theory

Charles Darwin was converted to evolutionism by his discoveries on the voyage of HMS Beagle (1831–36) and returned to England determined to understand how the process worked. He soon discovered the mechanism of natural selection and continued to work on the various aspects of his theory in relative secrecy. Much controversy has surrounded Darwin’s discovery, because in addition to the many scientific factors influencing his thinking, he acknowledged the impact of Thomas Malthus’ principle of population, a product of the ideology of laissez-faire economics.

Scientific Influences

While studying at Cambridge, Darwin was attracted to William Paley’s Natural Theology of 1802, which restated the argument that species are adapted to their environment through the wisdom and benevolence of the Creator. On the voyage of the Beagle, his observations of South American geology converted him to Charles Lyell’s uniformitarian position, which accounted for all geological change in terms of the action of observable forces over vast periods of time. Biogeographical studies, especially those of the birds of the Galapagos Islands, forced him to rethink the idea of Divine Creation, because he saw that individual islands had each acquired a distinct species of immigrant families, such as the finches. On his return to England, he soon accepted a complete evolutionary philosophy and began to search for a mechanism (Browne, 1995).

Darwin saw that evolution must be a branching process and that the ultimate cause was the adaptation of isolated populations to different environments. He studied animal breeding and realized that breeders produce new varieties by selecting out individual animals with the required character and breeding only from these. Artificial selection draws on the natural and largely random variability of the population and allows only individuals with a selected character to breed, thereby enhancing that character in future generations. Darwin was soon looking for a natural equivalent of this process.

Malthus and Population

A vital step in Darwin’s thinking came when he read Malthus’ Essay on Population, which argued that populations breed so rapidly that they outstrip their food supply. Drawing on hints in Malthus, Darwin realized that population pressure must generate a struggle for existence in which many individuals die He was now able to argue that any better adapted variant would be more successful in the struggle and would be more likely to survive and reproduce, while poorly adapted variants would die, thus establishing the theory of natural selection described in Section Darwinism and Lamarckism. This gave Darwin the basis on which to erect a comprehensive account of evolution. The role played by Malthus’ ideologically loaded principle has, however, led to frequent charges that Darwin’s theory is itself a projection of laissez-faire values on to nature, with the consequence that the theory would be used to justify the competitive ethos of Victorian capitalism (Young, 1985). Much controversy also surrounds the degree of Darwin’s commitment to the idea of progress. Although the selection theory undermines the ladder model of progress, historians now accept that Darwin’s thinking was influenced by the assumption that competition is the driving force of a more general form of progress. However, it is clear that Darwin’s commitment to branching evolution went far beyond the conventional social values later linked to his theory, while his application of the population principle undermined Malthus’ own ideology, which was an attempt to discredit the optimism of social progressionists.

Darwin let only a few close contacts know of his theory, while continuing to work on exploring its scientific implications. He came to appreciate that, even in a stable environment, specialization would allow natural selection to continue the process of divergence by which species separate from close relatives. Eventually, he began to write up his ideas for publication but was interrupted in 1858 by the arrival of a paper by Alfred Russel Wallace describing a similar (although not identical) theory. The joint Darwin–Wallace papers were published in that year, while Darwin rushed to complete the Origin of Species (Browne, 2002).

Darwinism in Biology

The Origin of Species sparked an intense debate that soon led to the conversion of most scientists and educated people to evolutionism (Hull, 1973; Ruse, 1979). Despite initial opposition by conservative thinkers, the belief that the human race was the outcome of a progressive trend built into nature was accepted. In science, too, creationism was replaced by the expectation that all living species are the products of natural processes, and here, too, there was a widespread assumption that such processes guaranteed progress, even if superimposed on a branching model of development. The success of Darwinism needs to be assessed with care because the popularity of this developmental model of evolution meant that the more radical implications of Darwin’s thinking were evaded (Bowler, 1988). Far from welcoming the theory of natural selection, most nineteenth-century scientists, including some of Darwin’s leading supporters, were lukewarm about it. Opposition grew toward the end of the century, with many alternative mechanisms of evolution being tried out.

The History of Life

Much of the first generation of evolutionists’ efforts focused on reconstructing the course of the history of life on earth from anatomical, embryological, biogeographical, and fossil evidence (Bowler, 1996). Darwin himself treated this project with caution, but under the influence of the German biologist Ernst Haeckel, a whole generation of evolutionists strove to complete it. They had some successes, but the problems were much greater than they had anticipated and the project was sidelined by new developments in biology at the beginning of the twentieth century. Darwin had stressed the imperfection of the fossil record, but in a few important areas new discoveries helped to show how the major steps in evolution had taken place. Elsewhere, anatomical and embryological evidence was used to reconstruct evolutionary relationships. Darwin’s theory implied that it would be unlikely for the same character to develop independently in different lines of evolution, so similarity of underlying structure could be taken as evidence of common descent. Some non-Darwinian theories, however, postulated predetermined trends that might generate similar structures independently. In embryology, Darwin’s assumption that early stages of development would illustrate affinities was overtaken by Haeckel’s recapitulation theory, according to which earlier stages could actually illustrate ancestral adult forms. This way of thinking was a product of the progressionist way of thought, presupposing a privileged line of development toward maturity. Only in biogeography did it become clear that evolution was a highly irregular process, depending on the hazards of migration in a world where geological forces were constantly remolding the topography.

Natural Selection and the Alternatives

Historians have focused on the debates over natural selection, but this is more a product of our modern preoccupation with that mechanism than of its significance in late nineteenth-century biology. One much discussed theme centers on Darwin’s concept of heredity, which was quite unlike the model of unit character inheritance promoted by Mendelian genetics. It has even been argued that, without the concept of non-blending unit characters, natural selection was fatally flawed. It is true that Darwin was much concerned by Fleeming Jenkins’ 1867 review, which argued that if male and female parental characters blend in the offspring, the advantages of a well-favored ‘sport’ or mutation would be diluted rapidly. However, as A.R. Wallace pointed out, this objection is irrelevant if there is a continuous range of variation in the population, which is the case for most characters (Gayon, 1998).

In fact, many of the objections to natural selection were intended only to show that evolution must be a more purposeful process than any mechanism based on random variation would allow. One major alternative that now became popular was the Lamarckian theory of the inheritance of acquired characters, in which the animals’ own behavior directs their variation. Some objections to natural selection were aimed at the whole idea of adaptive evolution and were intended to show that some internally driven force directed the organisms’ variation. These were very much a product of the rival developmental tradition that had become popular earlier in the century, especially in Germany. The theory of orthogenesis supposed that variation was controlled by internal developmental forces that generated linear evolutionary trends, while the theory of saltations assumed that macromutations could somehow find new breeding populations (Bowler, 1983).

Human Origins and Social Evolution

Many religious thinkers objected to the idea that the human soul was the product of evolution from an animal ancestry. Much of this initial opposition was overcome by stressing the purposeful nature of evolution, allowing the appearance of humanity to be presented as the culmination of a divine plan (Moore, 1979). Darwin’s theory of evolution threatened this assumption, and in his Descent of Man of 1871, he argued that humans had evolved from African apes, which had stood upright as an adaptation to a new lifestyle on the open plains. Most late nineteenth-century accounts of human evolution, however, stressed the expansion of the brain as the main driving force of the process. At the same time, the idea of progressive evolution was applied to the history of human cultures and societies. Some evolutionists, including Spencer, stressed competition as the driving force of progress, leading to the charge that they were promoting a ‘social Darwinism’ designed to legitimize capitalist values. While Darwin’s theory was certainly associated with this movement, it was by no means the only scientific justification offered.

Cultural Evolutionism

Coincidentally with the Darwinian revolution, archaeologists undermined the belief that the human race was a recent creation, and exposed a vast period of prehistory in which our ancestors had used only stone tools. It was this initiative rather than any influence from Darwinism that led anthropologists such as Edward B. Tylor to equate modern ‘savages’ (i.e., people with relatively unsophisticated technology) with the ancestral stages through which civilized humans had passed in prehistoric times on their march toward a more mature culture. Cultural evolutionism was a product of the nineteenth-century developmental viewpoint, based on the ladder model of progress (Bowler, 1989a). Tylor himself did not accept that humans had evolved from apes, but other cultural evolutionists, especially John Lubbock, linked the two modes of evolution and argued that ‘savages’ were biologically as well as culturally primitive – living examples of the earlier stages in human biological and mental evolution. Herbert Spencer’s model of social evolution, while stressing ostensibly the divergent nature of evolution, still presented ‘lower’ races as surviving primitives incapable of matching the mental powers of the Anglo-Saxons.

Social Darwinism

Spencer is most often remembered, however, as the social philosopher who linked the idea of progress to the ideology of free enterprise individualism. As an exponent of laissez-faire, and the coiner of the term ‘survival of the fittest,’ it has been easy for critics to portray Spencer’s enthusiasm for struggle as the motor of progress as a direct application of the Darwinian selection theory to society, hence the image of him as the founder of ‘Social Darwinism.’ Spencer worried about the elimination of the unfit, but in biology he defended Lamarckism, and his enthusiasm for struggle came more from a conviction that competition would stimulate individual self-improvement (which in a Lamarckian scheme could be passed on to future generations). Darwin’s theory is thus only one of the scientific factors that stimulated the ideology of ‘progress through struggle’ – remembered preferentially because natural selection has now become the only mechanism by which that metaphor can be put into practice in biology (Bannister, 1979). In the later nineteenth century, there was more emphasis on the struggle between nations and races, which bypasses the central feature of natural selection within populations.

Modern Darwinism

By the end of the nineteenth century, the attempt to reconstruct the courses of biological and social evolution had run out of steam. The social sciences abandoned the evolutionary model and any suggestion that human behavior is predetermined by biological factors. Biologists began to study the actual processes of heredity and variation, leading to the emergence of Mendelian genetics. The geneticists destroyed Lamarckism, and although at first hostile to the selection theory, they were eventually convinced that genetic mutation was the source of the random variation that is the raw material of natural selection. By the mid-twentieth century, the ‘Modern Synthesis’ of Darwinism and genetics had come to dominate biology but remained controversial elsewhere.

The Modern Darwinian Synthesis

In the last decade of the nineteenth century, the statistician Karl Pearson developed a mathematical model of natural selection acting on the variations in a wild population (Gayon, 1998). Many biologists were now exploring the idea that new species were produced by saltations or macromutations, and it was partly from this tradition that the ‘rediscovery’ of Gregor Mendel’s laws of particulate inheritance emerged. Ignored since the 1860s, these laws postulated the existence of unit characters transmitted unchanged from one generation to the next. In 1900, Mendel’s laws were proclaimed as the basis for a new science of heredity, which William Bateson soon called ‘genetics.’ However, Pearson was already hostile to Bateson’s saltationism, while Bateson rejected Pearson’s commitment to continuity and adaptation. Genetics was thus perceived as a new alternative to Darwinism, although it destroyed the credibility of Lamarckism by suggesting that there is no plausible way in which acquired characters can affect the gene (Bowler, 1989b).

T.H. Morgan’s studies of genetic mutations showed that most macromutations are fatal, while small mutations simply add to the genetic variation in the population. Soon, Morgan conceded that natural selection would affect the reproductive success of the various genes. In the 1920s and 1930s, R.A. Fisher, J.B.S. Haldane, and Sewall Wright brought together the statistical study of populations with the new genetics to create a science of population genetics based on the genetic theory of natural selection (Provine, 1971; Mayr, 1982). Naturalists such as Julian Huxley and Ernst Mayr now recognized that the adaptation of local populations to their environment was the most likely explanation of how species originate. The new selection theory was integrated with these wider developments to create what Huxley called the ‘Modern Synthesis.’

Later Developments

The Darwinian synthesis has dominated biology since the mid-twentieth century, although there have been numerous developments within it and some efforts to limit its applicability. Some modern thinkers now argue that the concept of natural selection can be applied to almost all areas where change is observed, sweeping away the whole idea of a universe that is the product of divine purpose. Conversely, the emergence of evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo) has renewed interest in the role of embryological factors in the creation of new characters and has thereby reinstated some topics that were central to the non-Darwinian programs of the nineteenth century (Amundson, 2005).

Perhaps the most controversial applications of modern biology are efforts to apply the theory of natural selection to human beings, especially in the area of social behavior. The science of sociobiology has been successful in explaining the social behavior of animals in terms of genetics and reproductive success, via the concept of the ‘selfish gene’ (Dawkins, 1976). However, E.O. Wilson’s efforts to apply sociobiology to human behavior by suggesting that we are driven by instincts implanted by natural selection have been greeted with much suspicion by social scientists and have also been dismissed as a revived ‘social Darwinism’ by the political left (Segerstrale, 2000). In more recent decades, sociobiology has been replaced by evolutionary psychology, which postulates that human behavior is shaped by inbuilt behavioral constraints evolved originally to deal with the environment in which the earliest modern humans evolved (Barkow et al., 1992). This approach depicts the mind as a collection of more or less independent modules controlling behavior, rather than as a generalized information processor. It is opposed by rival methodologies including human behavioral ecology and a new form of cultural evolutionism, both of which focus on the malleability of behavior and our ability to respond to current environmental and social pressures. The question of how much evolutionary biology can tell us about operations of the human mind thus remains controversial.

Anthropology and Evolution: Facts, Concepts, and Perspectives

As the comprehensive study of evolving humankind, anthropology is that discipline that is devoted to research in those areas that are relevant to understanding and appreciating Homo sapiens sapiens within the natural world (Bollt, 2009; Hublin, 2006). These areas range from genetics, paleontology, and archaeology to sociology, psychology, and linguistics. The more anthropologists search, the more fossils and artifacts they find that shed light on the emergence of our species over several million years. Each discovery helps to complete the developing picture of hominid evolution (Birx, 1988; Shubin, 2009; Tattersall & Schwartz, 2000). Of particular significance are those discoveries in primatology that clearly show the undeniable similarities between our human species and the four great apes in terms of genetics and psychology. Research in cross-cultural studies reveals the astonishing diversity of human thought and behavior from society to society throughout history.

In paleoanthropology, three discoveries have been especially important: Ardipithecus ramidus (“Ardi”), Astralopithecus afarensis (“Lucy”), and Homo florensiensis (“Hobbit”). Although interpretations of these three hominid species vary among anthropologists, who debate specific conclusions from the fossil specimens, there is no denying the empirical evidence itself. Today, it is exciting to speculate on what remarkable fossil specimens are still in the earth waiting to be discovered by future anthropologists.

A perplexing question still haunts some anthropologists: What is the uniqueness of our species? One answer offered was that the human animal is the only toolmaker— until it was discovered that chimpanzees make and use simple tools (as do a few other animals). A second reply was that only our species has self-consciousness that allows it to communicate through language—until ape studies showed that the pongids have self-awareness and are capable of learning symbolic communication. More recently, it has been argued that only humans stand erect and walk upright with a bipedal gait; that is, only humans are capable of sustained bipedality. However, chimpanzees and bonobos are able to walk erect for short distances. It seems that the only uniqueness of our species that separates us from the other living hominoids is about 6 million years of biological evolution (Rachels, 1999). Huxley, Haeckel, and Darwin himself got it correctly back in the 19th century: Man differs merely in degree rather than in kind from the great apes.

Religious Creationism or Scientific Evolutionism

During the 19th century, two fundamental questions remained to be answered: What is the age of this planet? Have species always been fixed throughout earth history? As evidence accumulated in geology and paleontology, it became increasingly obvious to naturalists that our planet is millions (actually billions) of years old and that species have changed over time (with most species eventually becoming extinct). This emerging evolution framework held devastating consequences for all orthodox conceptions of earth, life-forms, and our species. In 1860 at the University of Oxford, England, the infamous Thomas Huxley and Samuel Wilberforce confrontation exemplified the intense conflict between the new evolution paradigm in science and an outmoded static worldview in religion.

The fact of evolution challenged not only traditional science and philosophy but also natural theology. Darwin himself was disturbed by the materialist implications of his own evolution theory for religious beliefs. In fact, his wife, Emma, even felt compelled to delete all of her husband’s views on theology and religion from his Autobiography, which was published posthumously in 1887; not until 1958 did an unexpurgated edition of Darwin’s life, written by himself in 1876, appear in print (Darwin, 1969).

In England, to reconcile evolutionary science with Christian faith, religious naturalist Philip Gosse argued that God had placed fossils in the earth in order to merely suggest that organic evolution had taken place, although in reality (so thought Gosse) species are fixed and earth had been suddenly created only about 6,000 years ago. Not surprisingly, his bizarre but provocative book Omphalos: An Attempt to Untie the Geological Knot (1857) convinced neither scientists nor theologians.

During the 20th century, reacting to the materialist ramifications of organic evolution, some religionists argued against the new dynamic outlook by first defending biblical fundamentalism and then advocating so-called scientific creationism (Isaak, 2007). Both viewpoints gave priority to beliefs rather than to facts. In 1925 at Dayton, Tennessee, the infamous John Scopes “Monkey Trial” had best represented this ongoing clash between science and religion over the factual theory of organic evolution.

In an attempt to reconcile modern science with traditional theology, some religionists now maintain that the universe in general and evolution in particular manifest an intelligent design (Petto & Godfrey, 2007). Ultimately, this is a religious position not supported by scientific evidence. Despite all the ongoing attacks, continuing research in all areas of science (from genetics to paleontology) confirms the fact of evolution and the close biological relationship between our species and the great apes. In fact, an honest examination of human history clearly shows that even complex religious beliefs and theological systems have evolved, over thousands of years, from simplistic explanations for interpreting the natural world. No doubt, exciting discoveries in the future will further strengthen the evolution framework. Finally, in light of ongoing changes in human societies and their cultures, one wonders what the religious beliefs and theological systems of human beings will look like 2,000 years from now.

Evolutionary Humanism, Transhumanism, and Posthumanism

Grounded in science, reason, and an open-ended perspective, evolutionary humanism emphasizes the ongoing development of human beings within a strictly naturalistic framework. It maintains the unity of mental activity and the organic brain, and places our species totally within biological evolution. With optimism, evolutionary humanism argues for the improvement of our species in order to increase its health, happiness, and longevity (overcoming illness, disease, and physical disability). With the advances in science and technology since the middle of the 20th century, especially in genetics, the innovative ideas and pragmatic values of this movement for human enhancement would seem increasingly plausible for guiding our evolving species.

Extending the evolutionary framework, some scientists and philosophers see the human being as an unfinished species that will continue to change as a result of implementing nanotechnology and genetic engineering (Harris, 2007; Savulescu & Bostrom, 2009; Sorgner, 2006; Young, 2006). Both the ideas and values of transhumanism (going beyond the human of today) have been put forward by several visionary thinkers: Nick Bostrom, Fereidoun M. Esfandiary, Sir Julian S. Huxley, Michel Houellebecq, and Julian Savulescu (among others). Through human intervention, these thinkers argue, our species will be improved in its biological and psychological makeup, just as Homo sapiens of today is a biopsychological advance over Homo erectus of the distant past.

Reminiscent of Friedrich Nietzsche’s conception of the overbeing, some thinkers even speculate that the transhuman will be the “missing link” between the human of today and the posthuman of the remote future. In fact, the posthuman may even be a new species far beyond both humans and the following transhumans. Of course, one cannot imagine the nature of the posthumans. It is likely that these cosmic overbeings will travel to and live among the stars.

Exobiology and Exoevolution

In 1836, during the end of his 5-year voyage on the HMS Beagle, Charles Darwin revisited the tropical Brazilian rainforest. He admired this lush environment and thought how great it would be, if it were ever possible, to experience the scenery on another planet. Therefore, at least once, the young naturalist glimpsed the forthcoming science of exobiology or astrobiology as the search for life-forms on other worlds (and if they are found, their study).

In the history of philosophy, major thinkers like Giordano Bruno (1548–1600) and Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) envisioned living beings inhabiting other planets. Today, with advances in technology, scientists are seriously scanning the heavens in hopes of detecting indisputable evidence that organisms exist elsewhere in sidereal reality (Boss, 2009; Lamb, 2001). The size and age of this material universe, with its billions of galaxies each having billions of stars, argues for the existence of countless planets. If the same physical laws and chemical elements pervade this cosmos, then it seems reasonable to assume that earthlike worlds harbor life-forms among the stars, perhaps even sentient beings similar to or even advanced beyond ourselves.

In our own solar system, the earth has those necessary natural conditions that have allowed for the origin and evolution of biological forms over the past 4 billion years. Beyond this solar system, extrasolar planets may have similar life zones that permit the existence of organisms. Thus, planetology becomes cosmology as the probability of and interest in biological evolution are extended to include this entire universe. Likewise, exobiology implies exoevolution, that is, the evolution of life-forms on different worlds, where organisms are adapting to changing habitats far different from those environments on earth (Birx, 2006b). In the distant future, both exobiology and exoevolution may offer intriguing areas for scientific research.

Even if forms of life are never found elsewhere in this universe, it does not mean that they do not exist on worlds that will remain beyond the detection of our human species (Webb, 2002). Moreover, organisms may have existed in the remote past before the formation of the present galaxies or will emerge in the distant future in new galaxies. And there may have been, are, or will be other universes with life-forms very similar to or far different from those organisms that have inhabited or are now inhabiting earth. One can only speculate on what the consequences might be if our human species ever encounters superior intelligent beings evolving among the stars.

Since the convincing writings of Charles Darwin, interpretations of organic evolution have evolved from the narrow materialism of early evolutionists to the comprehensive naturalism of modern neo-Darwinists. Advances in those special sciences that support biological evolution include ongoing discoveries in paleontology, comparative biology, anthropology, and population genetics, as well as more accurate dating techniques in geology and biochemistry. Progress in these special sciences is an increasing challenge to vitalistic, spiritualistic, and mystical interpretations of our species and organic evolution.

Two exciting and promising but controversial areas in modern evolution research are transhumanism and exoevolution. With the rapid advances in nanotechnology and genetic engineering, an increasing ability to design the DNA molecule will allow humans to alter and improve species, including our own, and to design new organisms for specific purposes both on earth and in outer space; as such, one may speak of emerging teleology in terms of human intervention and technological manipulation. The successful journey of human beings into outer space will require our species to adapt to and survive in different environments, both artificial and natural. If life-forms are discovered elsewhere in this universe, then scientists and philosophers will be able to study the evolution of organisms on other worlds.

Quo vadis, Homo sapiens? In those countless centuries to come, the human being may even transform itself into a new species, Homo futurensis. Of course, designer evolution will require establishing ethical guidelines while promoting open inquiry. For now, the primary focus must be on those steps that need to be taken to ensure the continued biodiversity of life-forms on this planet, including the ongoing fulfillment of humans on this earth before they venture to the stars.

Bibliography:

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  • Birx, H. J. (2006b). Exobiology and exoevolution. In H. J. Birx (Ed.), Encyclopedia of anthropology (Vol. 2, pp. 931–934). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
  • Bollt, R. (2009). Anthropology. In H. J. Birx (Ed.), Encyclopedia of time (Vol. 1, pp. 23–30). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
  • Boss, A. (2009). The crowded universe: The search for living planets. New York: Basic Books.
  • Bowler, P.J., (1983). The Eclipse of Darwinism: Anti-Darwinian Evolution Theories in the Decades around 1900. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD.
  • Bowler, P.J., (1988). The Non-Darwinian Revolution: Reinterpreting a Historical Myth. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD.
  • Bowler, P.J., (1989a). The Invention of Progress: The Victorian and the Past. Basil Blackwell, Oxford, UK.
  • Bowler, P.J., (1989b). The Mendelian Revolution: The Emergence of Hereditarian Concepts in Modern Science and Society. Athlone, London.
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  • Gayon, J., (1998). Darwinism’s Struggle for Survival; Heredity and the Hypothesis of Natural Selection. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.
  • Greene, J.C., (1959). The Death of Adam: Evolution and Its Impact on Western Thought. Iowa State University Press, Ames, IA.
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  • Hublin, J.-J. (2006). Evolutionary anthropology. In H. J. Birx (Ed.), Encyclopedia of anthropology (Vol. 2, pp. 913–919). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
  • Hull, D.L., (1973). Darwin and His Critics: The Reception of Darwin’s Theory by the Scientific Community. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA.
  • Isaak, M. (2007). The counter-creationism handbook. Berkeley: University of California Press.
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  • Petto, A. J., & Godfrey, L. R. (Eds.). (2007). Scientists confront creationism: Intelligent design and beyond. New York: W. W. Norton.
  • Provine, W.B., (1971). The Origin of Theoretical Population Genetics. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
  • Rachels, J. (1999). Created from animals: The moral implications of Darwinism. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
  • Roger, J., (1998). The Life Sciences in Eighteenth-century French Thought. Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA.
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  • Secord, J., (2000). Victorian Sensation: The Extraordinary Publication, Reception and Secret Authorship of Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
  • Segerstrale, U., (2000). Defenders of the Truth: The Battle for Science in the Sociobiology Debate and Beyond. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.
  • Shubin, N. (2009). Your inner fish: A journey into the 3.5-billion-year history of the human body. New York: Random House.
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  • Tattersall, I., & Schwartz, J. H. (2000). Extinct humans. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
  • Webb, S. (2002). Where is everybody? Fifty solutions to the Fermi paradox and the problem of extraterrestrial life. New York: Copernicus Books.
  • Young, R.M., (1985). Darwin’s Metaphor: Nature’s Place in Victorian Culture. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.
  • Young, S. (2006). Designer evolution: A transhumanist manifesto. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books.

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Despite advances in molecular genetics, too many biologists think that natural selection is driven by random mutations

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The key to geckos’ unrivalled climbing skills isn’t sticky feet. It’s subatomic

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Far from frivolous, cuteness is a powerful – and still mysterious – force of nature

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How like the kiwi we are

To understand helpless human babies, our big brains and oddly involved dads, look to the evolution of birds not mammals

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Earth science and climate

Our Earth, shaped by life

Darwin was the first to see that all lifeforms, from worms to corals, transform the planet. What does that mean for us?

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To understand the limits of human senses, look to the wild world of animal cognition

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Symmetry rules life on Earth – but it comes with many fascinating exceptions

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There’s no one way for an insect to fly, but they’re all amazing in close up and slo-mo

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Seeing and somethingness

An evolutionary approach to consciousness can resolve the ‘hard problem’ – with radical implications for animal sentience

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Fortune favours the shrewd

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Connected-up-brains

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The split-body problem

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The web of life

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Sleep and dreams

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Spiral Galaxy type Sa-Sb or Sa/Sb in the constellation Virgo. The majestic Sombrero Galaxy Messier 104 (M104) or NGC 4594. The team took six pictures of the galaxy, stitched them together to create the final composite image. Photo from May-June 2003

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evolution , theory in biology postulating that the various types of plants, animals, and other living things on Earth have their origin in other preexisting types and that the distinguishable differences are due to modifications in successive generations. The theory of evolution is one of the fundamental keystones of modern biological theory.

The diversity of the living world is staggering. More than 2 million existing species of organisms have been named and described; many more remain to be discovered—from 10 million to 30 million, according to some estimates. What is impressive is not just the numbers but also the incredible heterogeneity in size, shape, and way of life —from lowly bacteria , measuring less than a thousandth of a millimetre in diameter, to stately sequoias, rising 100 metres (300 feet) above the ground and weighing several thousand tons; from bacteria living in hot springs at temperatures near the boiling point of water to fungi and algae thriving on the ice masses of Antarctica and in saline pools at −23 °C (−9 °F); and from giant tube worm s discovered living near hydrothermal vents on the dark ocean floor to spider s and larkspur plants existing on the slopes of Mount Everest more than 6,000 metres (19,700 feet) above sea level .

Why don't humans have tails?

The virtually infinite variations on life are the fruit of the evolutionary process. All living creatures are related by descent from common ancestors. Humans and other mammals descend from shrewlike creatures that lived more than 150 million years ago; mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fishes share as ancestors aquatic worms that lived 600 million years ago; and all plants and animals derive from bacteria-like microorganisms that originated more than 3 billion years ago. Biological evolution is a process of descent with modification. Lineages of organisms change through generations; diversity arises because the lineages that descend from common ancestors diverge through time.

The 19th-century English naturalist Charles Darwin argued that organisms come about by evolution, and he provided a scientific explanation , essentially correct but incomplete, of how evolution occurs and why it is that organisms have features—such as wings, eyes, and kidneys—clearly structured to serve specific functions. Natural selection was the fundamental concept in his explanation. Natural selection occurs because individuals having more-useful traits, such as more-acute vision or swifter legs, survive better and produce more progeny than individuals with less-favourable traits. Genetics , a science born in the 20th century, reveals in detail how natural selection works and led to the development of the modern theory of evolution. Beginning in the 1960s, a related scientific discipline , molecular biology , enormously advanced knowledge of biological evolution and made it possible to investigate detailed problems that had seemed completely out of reach only a short time previously—for example, how similar the gene s of humans and chimpanzees might be (they differ in about 1–2 percent of the units that make up the genes).

greylag. Flock of Greylag geese during their winter migration at Bosque del Apache National Refugee, New Mexico. greylag goose (Anser anser)

This article discusses evolution as it applies generally to living things. For a discussion of human evolution, see the article human evolution . For a more complete treatment of a discipline that has proved essential to the study of evolution, see the articles genetics, human and heredity . Specific aspects of evolution are discussed in the articles coloration and mimicry . Applications of evolutionary theory to plant and animal breeding are discussed in the articles plant breeding and animal breeding . An overview of the evolution of life as a major characteristic of Earth’s history is given in community ecology: Evolution of the biosphere . A detailed discussion of the life and thought of Charles Darwin is found in the article Darwin, Charles .

General overview

The evidence for evolution.

How Charles Darwin developed the theory of evolution

Darwin and other 19th-century biologists found compelling evidence for biological evolution in the comparative study of living organisms, in their geographic distribution, and in the fossil remains of extinct organisms. Since Darwin’s time, the evidence from these sources has become considerably stronger and more comprehensive , while biological disciplines that emerged more recently—genetics, biochemistry , physiology , ecology , animal behaviour (ethology), and especially molecular biology—have supplied powerful additional evidence and detailed confirmation. The amount of information about evolutionary history stored in the DNA and proteins of living things is virtually unlimited; scientists can reconstruct any detail of the evolutionary history of life by investing sufficient time and laboratory resources.

Evolutionists no longer are concerned with obtaining evidence to support the fact of evolution but rather are concerned with what sorts of knowledge can be obtained from different sources of evidence. The following sections identify the most productive of these sources and illustrate the types of information they have provided.

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Ecology and Evolution

Research topics

At the Institute of Ecology and Evolution (IEE) we study evolution in the broadest possible sense, from virtually every angle and using a great range of organisms and techniques.

Our research falls under three broad topics:

Evolutionary and Quantitative Genetics

We study fundamental and applied aspects of genetics, from theoretical population genetics to the genetics of complex traits.

Current research includes:

  • Viral evolution
  • Bacterial evolution
  • Methods of phylogenetic analysis
  • Molecular and genome evolution
  • Comparative genomics
  • The evolution of plant mating systems
  • The genetics of speciation
  • The analysis of quantitative trait variation
  • Population genetics

Evolutionary Ecology and Behaviour

We explore the evolutionary causes and consequences of ecological interactions and behaviour, using theoretical and empirical approaches.

  • Host-parasite coevolution
  • Evolutionary ecology of parasites
  • Evolution of immunity and immune systems
  • Social evolution
  • Sexual selection and sexual conflict
  • Reproductive allocation and life-history evolution
  • Natural selection in the wild
  • The evolution of sex differences in cognition
  • Learning and memory in the wild
  • The evolutionary biology of infectious disease

Biodiversity and Ecology

We examine biodiversity and ecological complexity, from genomes to ecosystems. Current research includes:

  • Evolutionary developmental biology
  • Metagenomics
  • Phylogeography and ecosystem construction
  • Plant conservation genetics
  • Interactions between the physical and biotic environments
  • The genomic diversity of neglected taxa

Our interdisciplinary research and teaching benefits from strong links with members of:

  • the Institute of Immunology and Infection Research ( IIIR ),
  • the Centre for Infectious Diseases ( CID ),
  • the Wellcome Trust Centre in Development for Immunity,
  • Infection and Evolution,
  • the Centre for Molecular Medicine,
  • the Life Physics Group,
  • the MRC Human Genetics Unit,
  • the Roslin Institute, and
  • the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

Many of us are joint members of IEB , IIIR , CID , and the Centre in Development.

Related Links

Institute of Immunology and Infection Research

Centre for Immunity, Infection and Evolution

Edinburgh Infectious Diseases

MRC Human Genetics Unit

MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine

Roslin Institute

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Essays on Evolution

Do you need a hand with your evolution essay? See the evolution essay samples below for more information. Word evolution derived from Latin “evolutio”, which means “unrolling”. Evolution essays describe evolution as a process of change and development of nature and society, which consists of a gradual change. Some authors of essays on evolution define it as the movement in nature and society, a slow, gradual quantitative change, leading, under certain conditions, to a qualitative change by way of a leap, a break in gradualness, a revolution. Evolution was first introduced by English scientist Charles Darwin in 1859 when he established the ideas that representatives of the same species are different, traits pass through generations, evolution is gradual and done through natural selection. Many essays on the topic explore Darwinism. Check essay samples here for inspiration!

Evolution can be defined as the process by which change is accumulated over time. The change is gradual and leads to a more complex form. Charles Darwin who is a British is said to be the father of evolution theory, his theory of natural selection brought a great revolution in...

Words: 1096

Rationality can be defined as the ability to make sound decisions depending on one’s beliefs. Rationality relates what is true and what actions to take. It provides bases for actions taken by a person (Hale, 24). Human rationality can be identified by the logic deployed in their judgment. A rational...

There has been a lot of debate on the qualification of the concept of intelligent design in the science realm. While some scientists and philosophers argue that the arguments presented in the intelligent design context cannot be observed and tested and can only exist as a quasi-religious doctrine, others hold...

Words: 1356

A Psychosocial Theory Concept Paper – AnnotatedBibliography Dissanayake, E. (2017). Ethology, Interpersonal Neurobiology, and Play: Insights into the Evolutionary Origin of the Arts. American Journal of Play, 9(2), 143-168. The article provides a deep description of the theory of human evolution and its relation to ethology, which is the study of social...

Dissanayake, E. (2017). Ethology, Interpersonal Neurobiology, and Play: Insights into the Evolutionary Origin of the Arts. American Journal of Play, 9(2), 143-168.             This article journal explores the theory of evolution tenet of ethology. Ethology is the study of behavior based on social contexts and adaptive significance. According to the author...

Words: 1815

Technology and the Evolution of Society Technology is advancing day to day following the scientist efforts and innovation skills globally. The theory of technological evolution has been clearly discussed by the various scientist who showed their interest in formulation of evolution perspectives like Gerhard Lenski, Leslie White and Alvin Toffler whom...

Words: 1384

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There is no doubt that evolution of human being is characterized by meat eating in various ways. Human’s digestive track is not obligatory. The body produces enzymes that are meant to digest meat, which aids in better physical growth and higher cephalization. Traditional practices were significantly based on the domestication...

Words: 2075

Over the decades, communication has been one of the most evolved aspect with reference to human life. Today, with the press of a button, any form of message is sent regardless of the physical location or distance form the sender of the recipient. This has been the case with today’s...

Words: 1433

Most creative people in history had their life organized around their work, but not their days.This is a paradox deemed true since they centered their life on their work but they did not have deadlines on when a job should be done. Take Einstein, for example, and he would doze...

Words: 1933

The future of humanity has been a topic of interest for most individuals as it is a mystery (Xue, online). In the past, natural selection and random mutation determined what lives and what dies such as through the cretaceous-tertiary extinction that occurred about 65 million years ago (Enriquez and Gullans,...

Words: 1305

Darwin's Theory and Controversy Darwin's theory claims that the ability of species to adapt makes it able to survive. A species can adapt in many ways like self-defense and its ability to survive under different environmental conditions. The theory was considered controversial because it ignored the role of God in creation....

Genetic Variation Genetic Variation is the differences in and among the human population, a situation where no two humans are genetically identical. The traits in human beings show significant variation between the population and sexes. A heritable trait may be acquired through genes that pass from parent to offspring, others through...

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Writing college term papers is something students have to do numerous times throughout their college careers. Instructors often give students set guidelines and topics to follow when preparing their papers. Information about species, survival and extinction are topics to include in your evolution paper. Knowing how to write a paper on evolution will help turn this writing assignment into a writing success. You instructor will tell you whether she wants you to use APA or MLA format.

Give a brief introduction about evolution. Define what evolution means. Explain how things evolve. For example, "Evolution is the frequency of certain genes when genes change over generations, such as how dinosaurs looked and how reptiles look today." Give examples of how everything is connected -- from trees to birds to humans.

Start the body of your evolution paper by informing your readers about the different types of species. Define what is a species and how they are formed. For example, "Species are creature that interbreed and, because of environmental factors, species take on different traits within the group." Give specific examples, such as differences and similarities among different birds. When explaining evolution, include a few basics topics: Darwinism, change, extinction and sex.

Go into detail about how evolution works. Explain the evolution process to your readers. Your evolution paper will include why species are similar and different. Write about how inherited genes are passed onto other generations. Explain how natural selection plays a part in evolution. Show your readers through examples of how genetic variation and genetic drift are a part of evolution. Define all evolutionary terms. Also explain how co-evolution works and how some species influence others to evolve.

Give examples. Once you have explained the evolution process, help your readers understand the topic more clearly. Start off by explaining small-scale scenarios of microevolution. For example, crickets have evolved by no longer being affected by certain pesticides, and some micro organisms are showing resistance to antibiotics. Some insects are turning into what is being called a "super bug."

Write about evolution in the big scheme of things. Teach your readers about macroevolution. Explain how things have changed over generations on a large scale. For example, instead of looking at an individual type of beetle, step back and look at the tree and see the many different species of beetles that rely on the tree as part of their survival.

Research current evolution theories and issues at the Public Broadcasting Station and Settled Science websites. List and address questions biologists are currently trying to answer about evolution. For example, biologists are researching a way to figure out whether evolution happens slowly, in quick jumps or steadily.

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  • Unvisersity of California Berkeley: Welcome to Evolution 101!

Based in San Diego County, Calif., Monica Baylor has been writing since 1995. Her articles have appeared in the “Southwestern Sun” newspaper and The NU Herald online newspaper. Baylor holds Bachelor of Arts in digital journalism from National University.

Home — Essay Samples — Science — Evolution — Evolution vs. Creationism: Science, Faith, and Educational Debates

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Evolution Vs. Creationism: Science, Faith, and Educational Debates

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Published: Jun 6, 2024

Words: 680 | Page: 1 | 4 min read

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Genetic research, fossil records, creationism: faith over empiricism, the intersection of science and belief.

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The debate between creationism and evolution has deep-rooted historical, cultural, and religious significance. While the perspectives may seem irreconcilable to some, the ongoing dialogue between science and religion continues [...]

Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection has been a cornerstone of evolutionary biology since its inception. Among the myriad of species that exemplify this principle, the common periwinkle snail, Littorina littorea, [...]

In the history of Christianity, the division between Puritanism and Anglicanism has been a significant source of debate and conflict. This essay will explore the origins of both movements, their key theological differences, and [...]

The Scopes Monkey Trial, also known as the State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes, was a landmark legal case that took place in 1925 in Dayton, Tennessee. The trial centered around the teaching of evolution in public schools, [...]

Women’s fashion in the 1920s changed the way women lived. It also changed how people saw women. Women’s clothing has changed a lot throughout the years (Hearst Media, LLC). Flappers in the 1920s cropped their hair, made up their [...]

In conclusion, Leslie Norriss Blackberries are more than just a delicious fruit. They represent a journey into the world of botanical beauty, where history, cultivation, taste, and health intertwine. From their humble origins to [...]

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essay topics on evolution

A Survey of Unikernel Security: Insights and Trends from a Quantitative Analysis

  • Wollman, Alex
  • Hastings, John

Unikernels, an evolution of LibOSs, are emerging as a virtualization technology to rival those currently used by cloud providers. Unikernels combine the user and kernel space into one "uni"fied memory space and omit functionality that is not necessary for its application to run, thus drastically reducing the required resources. The removed functionality however is far-reaching and includes components that have become common security technologies such as Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR), Data Execution Prevention (DEP), and Non-executable bits (NX bits). This raises questions about the real-world security of unikernels. This research presents a quantitative methodology using TF-IDF to analyze the focus of security discussions within unikernel research literature. Based on a corpus of 33 unikernel-related papers spanning 2013-2023, our analysis found that Memory Protection Extensions and Data Execution Prevention were the least frequently occurring topics, while SGX was the most frequent topic. The findings quantify priorities and assumptions in unikernel security research, bringing to light potential risks from underexplored attack surfaces. The quantitative approach is broadly applicable for revealing trends and gaps in niche security domains.

  • Computer Science - Cryptography and Security;
  • Computer Science - Distributed;
  • and Cluster Computing;
  • Computer Science - Operating Systems;

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COMMENTS

  1. 505 Evolution Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

    The intention of this research paper is to elaborate on the influence of culture in the Hong Kong on education system and give an account of the evolution of education in Hong Kong. The Evolution of the Car Engine. France and the Great Britain reinforced the notion of the electric powered cars in the late 1800s.

  2. 120 Evolution Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

    If you're interested in exploring this complex and intriguing subject, we've compiled a list of 120 evolution essay topic ideas and examples to help spark your creativity and inspire your research. The Theory of Evolution: An Overview. Darwin's Theory of Natural Selection. The Evidence for Evolution. Evolutionary Biology: The Study of Evolution.

  3. 100 Evolution Essay Topics & Writing Guide ⚛

    100 Evolution Essay Topics + Essay Writing Guide. Albert Gordy on October 30, 2018. Essay Topics. 13 min. Readers Rating. Total: 150, Average: 2.6. Even though most of us know enough about evolution, finding a good and a unique topic can quickly become a challenge! The trick here is to determine a unique framework for your future paper, so you ...

  4. 161 Evolution Paper Topics

    161 Brilliant Evolution Paper Topics To Inspire You. Evolution paper topics focus on natural diversity and the evolution theory. Evolution refers to habitable characteristics' changes in species through several successive generations. It's a process that results in biodiversity occurrence. Thus, evolution is a process occurring in every ...

  5. 201 Evolution Essay Topics & Research Titles at StudyCorgi

    Information Systems Evolution in the Banking Industry. Evolution of Cell Phones. Evidence of the Evolution Theory. Evolution of Beauty: The Transformation of Beauty Throughout History. Charles Darwin's Evolutionary Theory. We will write a custom essay on your topic tailored to your instructions! 308 experts online.

  6. PDF How Evolution Shapes Our Lives: Essays on Biology and Society

    2. Evolution in health and disease 3. Reshaping our world 4. Evolution in the public sphere 5. Nature and nurture Many people think of evolution as a fascinating topic, but one with little relevance to our lives in the modern world. After all, most people first encounter the idea of evolution in museums, where they see the fossil-

  7. Evolution Research Paper Topics

    20 Featured Evolution Topics for a Research Paper. The stellar evolutionary theory. Evolutionary science's cultural consequences. A gene-centric perspective. Multicellular creatures' evolution. Selection based on ethnicity. Adaptive genetic system. Development of robotics. The organismal biology.

  8. Evolution Essays: Examples, Topics, & Outlines

    Evolution vs. Creationism iological evolution or evolutionary biology is genetic change in a population occurring from generation to another (O'Neill 2002). All life forms evolve and continue evolving from earlier species, and these life forms include human beings. Most biological scientists concur that the earliest life forms on earth evolved from chance natural occurrences 3 1/5 to 4 billion ...

  9. Introductory essay

    With evolution, it seems, we are always standing on the shoulders of others, our common ancestors. Primatology—the study of living primates—is only one of several approaches that biological anthropologists use to understand what makes us human. Two others, paleoanthropology (which studies human origins through the fossil record) and ...

  10. Evolution Free Essay Examples And Topic Ideas

    48 essay samples found. Evolution is a scientific theory explaining the process of natural selection and how species change over time. Essays on evolution could explore the evidence supporting evolutionary theory, its historical development, or its contrast with other theories like creationism. Discussions might also delve into human evolution ...

  11. Evidence for evolution (article)

    The evidence for evolution. In this article, we'll examine the evidence for evolution on both macro and micro scales. First, we'll look at several types of evidence (including physical and molecular features, geographical information, and fossils) that provide evidence for, and can allow us to reconstruct, macroevolutionary events.

  12. Human Evolution Essays: Examples, Topics, & Outlines

    WORDS 602. Topic Idea 1: The Role of Nature and Nurture in Human Behavior. Discuss the relative contributions of genes and environment to human traits and behaviors. Examine the interaction between genetics and upbringing, and how they shape personality, intelligence, and other characteristics.

  13. Introduction to Human Evolution

    Human evolution. Human evolution is the lengthy process of change by which people originated from apelike ancestors. Scientific evidence shows that the physical and behavioral traits shared by all people originated from apelike ancestors and evolved over a period of approximately six million years. One of the earliest defining human traits ...

  14. Evolution

    Evolution is the process of heritable change in populations of organisms over multiple generations. Evolutionary biology is the study of this process, which can occur through mechanisms including ...

  15. Evolution Research Paper Topics

    This list of evolution research paper topics provides some ideas for narrowing down your topic to a successful and manageable one. This page also outlines the various models of evolution that have been proposed, including the Darwinian theory and the most popular alternatives. ... The joint Darwin-Wallace papers were published in that year ...

  16. ≡Essays on Evolution. Free Examples of Research Paper Topics, Titles

    Choosing a good evolution essay topic is essential for crafting an engaging and impactful essay. By considering your interests, relevance, and specificity, you can narrow down your options and select a topic that will inspire your writing and captivate your readers. With these standout essay topics and creative prompts, you're well-equipped to ...

  17. Evolution Essay Topics

    Human Evolution Essay. Human Evolution When people take a look at African history in general many topics and ideas come to mind. How the people of Africa lived, how they developed civilizations and cultures, and how their oral traditions came about are just a few examples.

  18. Evolution Essay

    Title: Evolution Author: Annette Gonzalez December 9, 2014 Abstract: This paper will cover the topic of evolution of organisms. Evolution is the process of constant change from a lower, more simple to better, complex state (Merriam-Webster, 2014). In this essay, there are different philosophies that support the idea of evolution.

  19. Science

    The master-of-disguise creature whose whole life is an elaborate lie. 5 minutes. More. Science Essays from Aeon. World-leading scientists and science writers explore topics from theories of evolution to theories of consciousness, quantum physics to deep time, chemistry to cosmology.

  20. Evolution

    Darwin and other 19th-century biologists found compelling evidence for biological evolution in the comparative study of living organisms, in their geographic distribution, and in the fossil remains of extinct organisms. Since Darwin's time, the evidence from these sources has become considerably stronger and more comprehensive, while biological disciplines that emerged more recently ...

  21. Research topics

    We study fundamental and applied aspects of genetics, from theoretical population genetics to the genetics of complex traits. Current research includes: Viral evolution. Bacterial evolution. Methods of phylogenetic analysis. Molecular and genome evolution. Comparative genomics. The evolution of plant mating systems. The genetics of speciation.

  22. Free Essays on Evolution, Examples, Topics, Outlines

    Evolution was first introduced by English scientist Charles Darwin in 1859 when he established the ideas that representatives of the same species are different, traits pass through generations, evolution is gradual and done through natural selection. Many essays on the topic explore Darwinism. Check essay samples here for inspiration!

  23. How to Write a Paper on Evolution

    Step 3. Go into detail about how evolution works. Explain the evolution process to your readers. Your evolution paper will include why species are similar and different. Write about how inherited genes are passed onto other generations. Explain how natural selection plays a part in evolution. Show your readers through examples of how genetic ...

  24. Evolution vs. Creationism: Science, Faith, and ...

    The theory of evolution, first thoroughly formulated by Charles Darwin in his seminal work "On the Origin of Species," has long served as the cornerstone... read full [Essay Sample] for free

  25. A Survey of Unikernel Security: Insights and Trends from a Quantitative

    Unikernels, an evolution of LibOSs, are emerging as a virtualization technology to rival those currently used by cloud providers. ... Based on a corpus of 33 unikernel-related papers spanning 2013-2023, our analysis found that Memory Protection Extensions and Data Execution Prevention were the least frequently occurring topics, while SGX was ...