Genetic Drift,Phylogenetics,Evo-Devo

Evolution

Explore the process of change in living organisms through interactive simulations

What is Evolution?

Evolution is the process of change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It explains how species adapt to their environments, how new species arise, and how all life on Earth shares common ancestry.

Evolution occurs through mechanisms such as natural selection, genetic drift, mutation, and gene flow. These processes work together to shape the genetic composition of populations over time, leading to the incredible diversity of life we observe today.

Common Ancestry Natural Selection Genetic Variation Speciation Deep Time
Medical Applications

Evolutionary principles guide understanding of disease, antibiotic resistance, and vaccine development.

Antibiotic Resistance Virus Evolution Immune System
  • Tracking evolution of pathogens and disease vectors
  • Developing strategies to combat antibiotic resistance
  • Designing vaccines that account for viral evolution
  • Understanding cancer as an evolutionary process
  • Predicting emergence of new infectious diseases
Conservation Biology

Evolutionary principles inform species preservation, ecosystem management, and biodiversity conservation.

Biodiversity Endangered Species Ecosystems
  • Managing genetic diversity in captive breeding programs
  • Restoring degraded ecosystems using evolutionary principles
  • Protecting evolutionary hotspots and centers of diversity
  • Developing climate change adaptation strategies
  • Controlling invasive species through biological understanding

Evolution Topics

Explore fundamental and advanced concepts in evolution

Basic Evolution Topics

Natural Selection

Learn about Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection and how advantageous traits become more common.

Survival Reproduction Fitness

Genetic Drift

Study random changes in allele frequencies and how chance events affect evolutionary processes.

Population Size Bottlenecks Founder Effect

Speciation

Understand how new species arise through reproductive isolation and evolutionary divergence.

Reproductive Isolation Geographic Divergence

Phylogenetics

Explore evolutionary relationships and construct family trees showing common ancestry.

Common Ancestry Cladograms Molecular Clocks

Adaptive Radiation

Study how species rapidly diversify to fill various ecological niches and habitats.

Ecological Niches Rapid Diversification Island Biogeography

Human Evolution

Learn about the evolutionary history of humans and our primate relatives through fossil evidence.

Fossil Record Migration Cultural Evolution

Advanced Evolution Topics

Co-evolution

Study how closely associated species influence each other's evolution through mutual interactions.

Mutualism Parasitism Arms Race

Population Genetics

Examine genetic variation within populations, Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, and evolutionary forces.

Allele Frequency Hardy-Weinberg Selection Coefficients

Molecular Evolution

Investigate evolution at the molecular level, including protein evolution and molecular clocks.

Protein Evolution Substitution Rates Molecular Clocks

Sexual Selection

Explore how mate choice and competition for mates drive evolutionary change and sexual dimorphism.

Mate Choice Sexual Ornaments Sexual Dimorphism

Mass Extinctions

In-depth analysis of major extinction events and their role in shaping evolutionary history.

K-T Boundary Recovery Adaptive Radiations