Evolution
A look at the theory of evolution and
Natural Selection
How Did Life Begin?
Extra terrestrial
origin
Life originated
from other planets
outside our solar
system
How Did Life Begin?
Creation
Life was put here by
divine forces
Cannot be explained
or tested by science
or the scientific
method
How Did Life Begin?
Creation Chant – the Kumulipo
 Life started with kahuli,
a huge movement in au
(a Big Bang in time-space)
 Simple plants were 1st living
things
 Ancient Hawaiian science
is based on observation
and spiritual beliefs
How Did Life Begin?
Origin from nonliving matter
Presence of oxygen,
nitrogen, hydrogen
and carbon in the
atmosphere
Random events
cause these atoms
to combine randomly
to create first stable
molecules of life
Charles Darwin
Father of evolution
Collected and cataloged
specimen of various
organisms on his travels
Came up with the theory of
Natural Selection
Published his findings in a
book titled The Origin of the
Species
Charles Darwin
Suggests that the
environment shapes the
organisms
Those who cannot
adapt to the
environment will die
Those who can adapt
are able to reproduce
and create more of
themselves
Charles Darwin
Theory
wasn’t well
received by
public
Blasphemous
Darwin’s Findings
Darwin took detailed observations of
the organisms he saw
Came up with a theory that explained
how they came into being
Concluded that certain organisms had
traits that made them better suited to
the environment
They had an advantage
Darwin’s Finches
Finches found on
the Galapagos
islands
All looked
somewhat similar
Came up with an
explanation
Darwin’s Finches
An ancestral finch
came to the island
by accident
Some offspring were
capable of certain
things
They had the
advantage
 DNA
Evidence of Evolution
 All organisms on the planet has DNA made the exact same
way
 Similar structures
 Similar skeletal structures shared among many organisms
Evolution in Hawai‘i
Ideal place to study
Natural Selection
From one ancestral
bird, a HUGE
population came
into being!
The Hawaiian
honey creeper is a
classic example of
Natural Selection
Related Science Careers
Bird Scientists in Hawai‘i Nei
 Study avian disease
(to prevent bird flu, etc.)
 Many work in outreach
and conservation
 Many work for USGS,
Hawai‘i Endangered Bird
Conservation, Audubon
Society, Humane Society
and universities
Bibliography
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www.scihi.hawaii.edu
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http://www.micro.utexas.edu/courses/levin/bio304/evolution/honeycreepers.gif, Access Date: Dec.
5, 2006
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/images/history/finches.gif, Access Date: Dec. 5, 2006
http://www.pa.msu.edu/people/horvatin/Images/Planets/mars/Mars.jpg, Access Date: Dec. 5,
2006
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Date: Dec. 5, 2006
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Access Date: Dec. 6, 2006