Tag Archives: Evolution

Top: A photograph of Charles Darwin from around 1870. Bottom: An 1845 drawing by the ornithologist John Gould illustrating the variety of finch beaks encountered by Darwin during his travels through the Galápagos Islands in 1835.
1858-1859: Unveiling the Secrets of Evolution – The Theory of Natural Selection

Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace independently formulated the theory of natural selection, explaining how [...]

Main image: A blue-footed booby, a native bird of the Galápagos Islands. Inset: A true-color image of the Galápagos Islands from space, taken in 2002 by NASA's Terra satellite
c. 5 Million BCE: The Galápagos Islands – A Hotspot of Biodiversity and Geology

The Galápagos Islands, formed by the Galápagos hotspot, are a unique geological and ecological region. [...]

Bonobos, a species of hominids closely related to chimpanzees, in their natural habitat in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa
c. 10 Million BCE: The Evolutionary Journey of Hominids

Hominids, encompassing great apes and humans, trace their origins back to about 10 million years [...]

An imprint of an Archaeopteryx fossil from around 160 million years ago, showcasing a feathered, bird-like dinosaur, a precursor to modern birds, about the size of a common raven
c. 160 Million BCE: The Evolution of Birds from Dinosaurs

Explores the evolution of birds from feathered dinosaurs during the Age of the Dinosaurs, discussing [...]

An artist's illustration showcases the impressive size and diversity of dinosaurs, with 13-foot-tall (4 meters) Diplodocus grazing in shallow waters beneath flying Pterosaurs, dominant land vertebrates for over 135 million years
c. 200-65 Million BCE: Dinosaurs – The Reign of Ancient Giants

Exploring the rise of dinosaurs post-Permian and Triassic extinctions, this article highlights their evolution from [...]

A close-up microscopic image of a small, fossilized tooth from a conodont, a jawless, eel-like vertebrate from the Triassic period.
c. 200 Million BCE: The End Triassic Extinction – A Turning Point in Earth’s History

Discusses the End Triassic mass extinction event over 200 million years ago, which led to [...]

An artist's depiction of Megazostrodon, a small, furry, shrew-like early mammal, encountering a scorpion, first appearing in the fossil record around 200 million years ago
c. 220 Million BCE: The Evolutionary Journey of Mammals

Tracing mammals' evolution, this article highlights their origins from synapsids in the Pennsylvanian period, their [...]

Based on fossil evidence, early reptiles like Hylonomus likely resembled modern lizards, as shown here
c. 320 Million BCE: The Evolutionary Journey of Reptiles

Traces the evolution of reptiles, starting 375 million years ago from amphibious tetrapods, highlighting their [...]

An artist's rendition of Ichthyostega, a 5-foot-long transitional vertebrate blending fish features like a tail and gills with amphibian traits such as a skull and limbs
c. 375 Million BCE: The Dawn of Land Animals – From Fish to Tetrapods

Explores the emergence of complex multicellular life 550 million years ago, including the first vertebrates [...]

These early land plants, resembling mosses here on these rocks, likely grew near water
c. 470 Million BCE: The Emergence of Land Plants and Their Impact on Earth

Explores the evolution of the first land plants from aquatic ancestors, their adaptations to survive [...]

This image shows male sperm and a female egg, illustrating the concept of sexual reproduction where genetic information from two parents is combined to create unique offspring. This evolutionary innovation was first introduced by early eukaryotic organisms around 1.2 billion years ago and has proven to be a highly effective evolutionary strategy.
c. 1.2 Billion BCE: The Evolutionary Leap – The Origin of Sex in Eukaryotes

Explores the transition of eukaryotes from asexual to sexual reproduction around 1.2 billion years ago, [...]