Since the beginning of time, Humans have tried to answer the question: Where did we come from? Throughout the years, scientists have dedicated their lives to answering this age old question. Many scientists have turned to the theory of evolution as their answer. Evolution is simply defined as change over time. Through mutations, migration, natural selection, and genetic drift today's organisms show an amazing amount of similarities and differences. All of these scientists rely on other forms of science to prove this theory of evolution for example, comparative morphology, fossil records, and the biochemistry of organisms. It all started with one man, Aristotle, who during his life, immensely studied nature and the outdoors. He concluded to explain that each organism is distinct from the rest and is a continuum of organization. From this theory the Great Chain of Being was developed. The Great Chain of Being is a concept that links together all organisms. Each organism is a separate link in the Great Chain. Further down the road, Jean Baptiste Lamarck developed his theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics. He believed that during an individual's life environmental pressures and internal desires bring about permanent changes in the body which is inherited to its offspring. .
After years of trying to understand the concept of evolution, Charles Darwin, the father of evolution, came into the picture. His mission was to find evidence that would establish truth of the Biblical account of creation of the world. After studying habitats around the world like the Galapagos Islands, he began to conclude that descent with modification is possible. He realized that variations of traits affect an individual's ability to secure resources and therefore, survive and reproduce in a certain environment. After studying the different species of finches on the islands he realized a population is evolving when its heritable traits are changing through successive generations.
