Darwin’s theory of evolution
by The Open University
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Course Description
Victorian naturalist Charles Darwin unveiled his theory of evolution by natural selection in 1859. He wasn’t the first person to observe that livings things evolve or change over time. However, Darwin’s main and essential contribution was to work out how evolutionary change occurs.
In this fascinating audio and video rich learning pathway, you’ll get to grips with Darwin’s theory, now often summarised as ‘survival of the fittest’.
Follow Darwin’s voyage of discovery to the Galapagos islands and learn how the weird and wonderful species he saw there became catalysts for his theory about evolution. Then delve deeper into the science of evolution and learn about some of the puzzles Darwin faced, before reaching an understanding about his work on artificial selection and the interbreeding of animals.
Knowledge of artificial selection and interbreeding of animals naturally leads us to the topic of inheritance, and you will find out how Darwin’s theory was the basis for the discovery of DNA, which gave us a much more sophisticated view of inherited traits. Darwin’s theory of evolution is as fascinating today as it was more than 150 years ago.
| Name | Description | Time | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darwin’s theory of evolution - video introduction | -- | -- | Free | View In iTunes |
| 2 | Darwin's Arrival on the Galapagos Islands | An Introduction to the Galapagos and Darwin's first experience on the islands on 8th October 1835. | 2:13 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 3 | Darwin's thoughts on the Marine Iguanas | How the iguanas have evolved as swimmers to eat seaweed. | 1:36 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 4 | What's that iguana eaten? | Analysing the contents of an iguana stomach . | 2:06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 5 | Evolution through natural selection | In this unit, we describe the theory of evolution by natural selection as proposed by Charles Darwin in his book, first published in 1859, On The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or The Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. We will look at natural selection as Darwin did, taking inheritance for granted, but ignoring the mechanisms underlying it. This study unit is just one of many that can be found on LearningSpace, part of OpenLearn, a collection of open educational resources from The Open University. Published in ePub 2.0.1 format, some feature such as audio, video and linked PDF are not supported by all ePub readers. | -- | Free | View In iTunes |
| 6 | Finches on Galapagos | Darwin's study of the evolution of finches on the islands. | 2:05 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 7 | Evolution: artificial selection and domestication | In the 18th and 19th century evolutionary biologists, including Darwin, emphasised the similarities between natural evolution and artificial ‘ improvement’ of livestock under domestication. They believed that studying domesticated animals and plants could illuminate the mechanisms of natural evolution. This study unit is just one of many that can be found on LearningSpace, part of OpenLearn, a collection of open educational resources from The Open University. Published in ePub 2.0.1 format, some feature such as audio, video and linked PDF are not supported by all ePub readers. | -- | Free | View In iTunes |
| 8 | Shared ancestries | Exhibits at the Natural History Museum in Tring reveal a striking shared ancestry between the hippo and the dolphin. | 4:09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 9 | Birds and breeding | Darwin's study of the bizarre results of artificial breeding of pigeons shed light on evolutionary processes. | 2:32 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 10 | Dogs and breeding | Dogs used to be bred for their ability to help humans. Now selective breeding accentuates physical features at the expense of ability to survive in the wild. | 2:23 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 11 | Sparrows and breeding | How differences in 'badge' sizes between males relates to success at finding food and rearing young. | 2:16 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 12 | Darwin's Burning Question | Darwin's Theory of Evolution lacked a credible explanation for characteristics which skipped generations. | 4:53 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 13 | Mendel and Heredity | The story of Mendel who in the 1850's observed hereditary patterns in plants such as the pea. | 4:28 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 14 | Galapagos & Nature's Variety | Darwin travels to Galapagos Islands and is confused by the variations within species such as finches. | 5:29 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 15 | Darwinism Meets Mendelian Genetics | Only in the 1930's was it realised that it is not attributes that are passed on but genes. | 6:36 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 16 | Miescher Identifies DNA | Miescher speculates that DNA could provide the missing piece of the puzzle of how the laws of inheritance worked physically. . | 6:38 | Free | View In iTunes |
| Total: 16 Episodes |
