evolutionnatural selectiontraitsorganismsvariationgenetic driftpopulationreproductionanthropologyinheritancegenesgeneticinheritedprocessesspeciesindianasurvivalontariogenerationsoffspringenvironmentrareancestorheredityvariantsfinancial servicescommoninheritableheir apparentbusinessdelawarenorth americaconsanguinitywashingtonsocial mobilityunclevermontindonesiapublic schoolcredit repairwashington dctexasarkansaslawyers and law firmsen us inheritance oggchangeutahpatrilinealityiowanuclear familysouth dakotatrusts and estatescertified financial plannersdisownmentpedigree chartinheritnews and medianew jerseyeconomicsipa chart for englishdeath dutyhusbandphiliacomputingprimogeniturebritish columbiainheritanceshawaiiregionalnew hampshireuniversity preparatory schoolservicesdigital inheritancefraternitycultural capitalfinancial planningisraeliteheirloombeneficiaryultimogeniturestorgeagapequarterly journal of economicswyomingscots law legal phraseserosoklahomaunited statescoloradocomplex familygovernment fundedaustralianew york timessocial classthomas shapiroevolutionaryjurisdictionbrother in lawislamic inheritance jurisprudencearizonahereditaryroyal successionsororityfamily nameson in lawprivate schoolattributetestamentfather in lawgavelkindnevadaivy leaguematrilinealitynew yorkfamily treecaliforniapatrilinealestate planning and probatesouth carolinaauntadoptiontennesseeoregondebtkentuckymarylandmainemother in lawcousinhouseholdintestacysociologysubclasssumatrabirger jarlweblogsinheritance taxfictive kinshipwisconsinorganizationsfamily lawthe american journal of sociologyinheritormichiganoceaniatrust lawproductsestatealabamasuperclasspubillarhode islandohiomost recent common ancestorconceptsister in lawfortune 500west virginialouisianabilateral descentnew mexicominnesotamatrilinealvirginiafilial pietyusa todaydivorceminangkabauboarding schoolpartible inheritancegeorgiaextended familymassachusettsaffinitygalicianebraskalegal informationdaughter in lawspaingenealogyquranwills and trustsdecedentsocietykinshipdebt settlementmarriageestate planning and administrationalaskaparalegal servicesdysfunctional familytransformative assetdebt consolidationsocial hierarchyvulgar latinfloridaresidential segregationfideicommissumobligationirelanddaughterjournal of economic perspectivesgovernmentfilesampa chart for englishpennsylvaniaestate planningpreheritanceold moneyeuropesiblingmissouricanadaelder lawsoftwaresuccession ordernorth carolinakansasillinoisvenerationunited kingdomconnecticutco parcenersold french languagegrandparent

Evolution is change in populations of organisms over generations. Offspring differ from their parents in various ways. When these differences are helpful, the offspring have a greater chance of surviving and reproducing, making the differences more common in the next generation. In this way, differences can accumulate over time, leading to major changes in a population.

The scientific theory of evolution—the explanation for how evolution occurs—states that all living things are descended, at some point in the distant past, from a single common ancestor. This is called common descent. Since the beginning of life, evolution has transformed the first species into more and more different species as life has found a variety of ways to survive and flourish. This has resulted in the many diverse forms of life that exist today.

Sourced

• The antagonism between science and religion, about which we hear so much, appears to me to be purely factitious–fabricated, on the one hand, by short-sighted religious people who confound a certain branch of science, theology, with religion; and, on the other, by equally short-sighted scientific people who forget that science takes for its province only that which is susceptible of clear intellectual comprehension; and that, outside the boundaries of that province, they must be content with imagination, with hope, and with ignorance.
  • Thomas Huxley, The interpreters of Genesis and the interpreters of Nature (1885)

• Anthropological, biological, and genetic evidence all put the origin of modern humans at between 200,000 and 100,000 years ago, probably in Africa. There is also much data that show an outburst of cultural behavior occurring around 50,000-40,000 years ago in Europe. That's when archaeologists date the oldest evidence of burial ceremonies, body ornaments, and cave paintings.
  • William J. Cromie, Facing up to Modern Man; Harvard Gazette

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Sat Jul 31 07:50:22 2010