AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Darwin proposed that species can change over time, that new species come from pre-existing species, and that all species share a common ancestor. In this model, each species has its own unique set of heritable (genetic) differences from the common ancestor, which have accumulated gradually over very long time periods.

Detailed explanation-2: -Darwin believed all the life on Earth developed gradually over millions of years from a few common ancestors. The Darwin mission will survey 1000 of the closest stars, looking for small, rocky planets which are the most likely places for life to develop-at least as we know it.

Detailed explanation-3: -Like Lamarck, Darwin assumed that species can change over time. The fossils he found helped convince him of that. From Lyell, Darwin saw that Earth and its life were very old. Thus, there had been enough time for evolution to produce the great diversity of life that Darwin had observed.

Detailed explanation-4: -NARRATOR: Darwin realized that variation must be the starting point for change in nature. In any generation, the animals in a litter are never quite the same. And in the wild, such a tiny variation might make all the difference between life and death.

Detailed explanation-5: -Another benefit of Charles Darwin’s work was his teachings on the power of natural selection and mutations. He discovered that mutations can prove as beneficial to a society by allowing a species to adapt to environmental changes.