🌍 Welcome to Evolution!

Explore the incredible story of life on Earth — how tiny bacteria, giant dinosaurs, and modern humans are all connected through one powerful idea: evolution.

You’ll learn what evolution is, how it works, the evidence for it, and how it is still shaping life today. Ready to evolve your mind? Swipe ➡️

🌍 What is Evolution?

Evolution is the process by which living organisms change over long periods of time. It explains how all life on Earth — from bacteria to humans — shares a common ancestry and how species adapt to their environments over millions of years.

Instead of being fixed and unchanging, species can gradually change, split, or even disappear as environments shift and new challenges appear.

🧬 How Does Evolution Work?

There are four main mechanisms (ways) evolution can happen:

• Natural Selection 🦁🌱 – individuals best suited to their environment survive and reproduce.
• Mutation 🧪 – random changes in DNA that introduce new traits.
• Genetic Drift 🎲 – random changes in small populations due to chance.
• Gene Flow 🔄 – movement of genes when individuals move between populations.

All of these together shape how species look, behave, and survive over time.

1️⃣ Natural Selection – “Survival of the Fittest”

Charles Darwin described natural selection as the process where organisms better suited to their environment are more likely to survive and have offspring.

👉 “Survival of the fittest” doesn’t mean the strongest or the biggest — it means most adapted.

• In a cold climate, animals with thicker fur may survive better.
• In a forest, insects that blend in (camouflage) avoid predators more easily.
• Those individuals have more babies, passing on those useful traits.

2️⃣ Mutation – DNA’s Tiny Changes

A mutation is a random change in DNA — the genetic code that builds living things.

• Most mutations do nothing noticeable.
• Some are harmful (e.g. genetic diseases).
• Some are helpful (e.g. better resistance to a disease or new colour patterns).

If a mutation helps an organism survive or reproduce, it can spread through the population over generations.

3️⃣ Genetic Drift – The Power of Chance

Genetic drift is evolution by random chance, especially in small populations.

• A storm might randomly wipe out many individuals, leaving behind a few with unusual traits.
• Those traits become more common, not because they’re “better”, but simply due to luck.

Over time, drift can make populations very different, even if they live in similar environments.

4️⃣ Gene Flow – Mixing the Gene Pool

Gene flow happens when individuals move from one population to another and breed.

• This movement brings new genes into a population.
• It increases genetic diversity (variety), which can help populations adapt to change.

Think of it as shuffling two different decks of cards together — more combinations, more possibilities.

🧠 Key Concepts in Evolution

🦖 Evidence of Evolution

• Fossils – show gradual changes over time (e.g. dinosaur-like fossils leading to modern birds).
• Comparative Anatomy – similar body structures (homologous structures) in different species: human hand, bat wing, whale flipper.
• DNA Evidence – humans share about 98.8% of their DNA with chimpanzees.
• Embryology – early embryos of many animals look alike, suggesting shared developmental origins.
• Observed Evolution – bacteria evolving antibiotic resistance in real time, insects adapting to pesticides, etc.

🧬 Evolution in Humans

Humans evolved from ape-like ancestors in Africa over millions of years.

• Walking upright (bipedalism) freed the hands to carry tools and food.
• Tool use and cooperation helped early humans hunt, build, and survive.
• Brain growth led to language, complex societies, and advanced problem-solving.

Homo sapiens (modern humans) appeared around 300,000 years ago — very recent compared to the age of life on Earth.

🚀 Evolution Is Still Happening

Evolution is not just a thing of the past — it’s happening right now.

• Bacteria evolve resistance to antibiotics, making some medicines less effective.
• Animals are changing behaviour, timing, or body traits in response to climate change.
• Humans show changes like:
  • More people able to digest lactose (milk sugar) into adulthood.
  • Some populations having natural resistance to certain diseases.
  • Wisdom teeth becoming less necessary as our jaws and diets change.

Life is constantly adapting — evolution is an ongoing process.

🎯 Get Ready to Quiz!

Now it’s time to test what you’ve learned with fun, colourful True / False questions.

You’ll get instant feedback for each answer:
✅ Correct – if your answer matches the science
❌ Not quite – if you need to rethink it

Swipe ➡️ to begin the quiz.