Rachel Keranen - Evolution

Published in 2017 by Cavendish Square Publishing, LLC 243 5th Avenue, Suite 136, New York, NY 10016

Copyright 2017 by Cavendish Square Publishing, LLC

First Edition

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Keranen, Rachel, author.

Title: Evolution / Rachel Keranen.

Description: New York : Cavendish Square Publishing, [2017] | Series: Great discoveries in science | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2016003474 (print) | LCCN 2016012367 (ebook) | ISBN 9781502619518 (library bound) | ISBN 9781502619525 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Evolution (Biology)Juvenile literature. | Evolution (Biology)HistoryJuvenile literature. | Discoveries in scienceJuvenile literature.

Classification: LCC QH 367.1 .K47 2017 (print) | LCC QH 367.1 (ebook) | DDC 576.8/2--dc23

LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016003474

Editorial Director: David McNamara Editor: Caitlyn Paley Copy Editor: Michele Suchomel-Casey Art Director: Jeffrey Talbot Designer: Joseph Macri Senior Production Manager: Karol Szymczuk Photo Research: J8 Media

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I think, at a childs birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift would be curiosity.

Eleanor Roosevelt

H umans are a curious species. Our curiosity drives us to ask questions and explore the world and universe around us in search of answers. As a result of that curiosity, our species has amassed an enormous amount of collective knowledge, including how to reach outer space and the inner composition of the earth.

One of the most constant objects of curiosity has been the origins of life. How did we get here? How did life begin? How are all of the diverse species we see related?

These questions occupied the minds of the astronomers, physicists, and naturalists of the Scientific Revolution, a period that started as the Middle Ages ended. As scientists studied the earth, they found evidence of an ancient planet that held the remnants of life from millions of years ago. During voyages across the globe they found new plants and animals unlike anything they had ever seen. In the sky, scientists discovered a great and complex universe ruled by laws of physics.

Simultaneously, technological advancements were underway that aided scientists in their discoveries. Telescopes were invented and refined to allow greater studies of the form and movement of celestial bodies. Microscopes were developed, which allowed scientists to discover the existence of cells and, eventually, the minute particles within them. The scientific method flourished, and scientists became increasingly focused on observation-based, testable methodologies.

As natural scientists encountered both living plants and animals as well as fossils from across the world, it became apparent that the species that existed many years ago looked different than the species we see today. Some looked similar and were clearly related. Other, more ancient fossils were unlike anything seen on earth today.

From these revelations came the theory of evolution, or the study of how species change over time. At first, some scientists denied that species could change. Soon, however, many different theories of evolution appeared in the natural sciences. Some of the first evolutionary theorists were unsuccessful in explaining how evolution works, such as Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, a French naturalist. Others, namely English naturalist Charles Darwin, found phenomenal success. Darwin proposed the first widely accepted, comprehensive theory of evolution based on decades of observation. His most significant text,