The theory of evolution states that individuals within a species show wide degrees of variation, and those individuals with characteristics best suited to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. This theory grew from studying the variations and similarities in living animals and
The study of finches led to the development of one of the most important scientific theories of all time. In December 1831 a naturalist called Charles Darwin boarded the HMS Beagle, bound on a surveying voyage of South America. Whilst the ship and crew carried out coastline surveys, Darwin was fre
Fossils are the preserved remains of an animal or plant in a rock. Many of the fossils discovered so far are the ancestors of organisms that are alive today. The study of fossils is called paleontology. Much of what we understand about evolution comes from studying fossils. When organisms die, t
When a plant or animal species that once lived stops existing entirely, we say that that species has become extinct. Why do certain species of plants and animals sometimes become extinct? According to the theory of evolution, individuals of the same species show a range of variations. Some individ
In this video you will learn how weird and wonderful animals are formed in the process of speciation and the formation of new species. Different selection pressures select for different characteristics. Over generations, the individuals with the beneficial traits will prosper, and others will die
In terms of biological classification, organisms are classified, or grouped, with other organisms that they are most closely related to. These small groups are then classified together into larger groups and so on, until we reach the top level of classification which places organisms in one of thr
In nature, all organisms compete with each other for resources in order to survive. Competition between members of the same species is what makes organisms evolve. This theory of competition and ‘survival of the fittest’ is called Natural Selection, and was originally proposed by Charles Darwin i
The way we grow and develop in the womb is controlled by our DNA. Small sections of DNA, called genes, carry the code telling the body how to build itself. Usually this works fine, but sometimes those genes carry mistakes in their code. These mistakes, known as mutations, may have no effect, they ma
All living things are grouped into 5 kingdoms. In this video we are going to look at the animal kingdom in more detail. There are thought to be over 7.5 million species of animal on planet Earth, of which 900,000 have been described. VISIT us at www.fuseschool.org, where all of our videos are care
Charles Darwin was a keen naturalist and geologist who made detailed observations about the natural world. JOIN our platform at www.fuseschool.org This video is part of 'Chemistry for All' - a Chemistry Education project by our Charity Fuse Foundation - the organisation behind FuseSchool. These vi
Fossils discovered within rocks led scientists to begin to change their ideas on the creation of life on earth. JOIN our platform at www.fuseschool.org This video is part of 'Chemistry for All' - a Chemistry Education project by our Charity Fuse Foundation - the organisation behind FuseSchool. The
Plants are extremely complex and diverse - there are thousands of species. In fact, there are probably somewhere around half a million different species. And these are just the ones we know about - there are no doubt many more that haven’t been fully discovered yet! It is estimated that 1 in 5, so
