How old is the theory of evolution?

Answer 1

The first systematic presentation of evolution was put forth by the French scientist Jean Baptiste de Lamarck (1774-1829) in 1809. Lamarck described a mechanism by which he believed evolution could occur. This mechanism was known as "the inheritance of acquired characteristics."

From: http://bioweb.cs.earlham.edu/9-12/evolution/HTML/theory.html

Answer 2

Evolutionary concepts appeared in some early Greek writings, e.g., in the works of Thales, Empedocles, Anaximander, and Aristotle. Under the restraining influence of the Church, no evolutionary theories developed during some 15 centuries of the Christian era to challenge the belief in special creation and the literal interpretation of the first part of Genesis; however, much data was accumulated that was to be utilized by later theorists. With the growth of scientific observation and experimentation, there began to appear from about the middle of the 16th cent. glimpses of the theory of evolution that emerged in the mid 19th cent. The invention of the microscope, making possible the study of reproductive cells and the growth of the science of embryology, was a factor in overthrowing hampering theories founded in false ideas of the reproductive process; studies in classification (taxonomy or systematics) and anatomy, based on dissection, were also influential.

Linnaeus, in his later years, showed an inclination toward belief in the mutability of species as a result of his observations of the many variations among species. Buffon, on the basis of his work in comparative anatomy, suggested the influence of use and disuse in molding the organs of vertebrate animals. Lamarck was the first to present a clearly stated evolutionary theory, but because it included the inheritance of acquired characteristics as the operative force of evolution, his whole theory was ridiculed and discredited for many years.

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Answer 3

In biology, evolution is the process in which a population's inherited traits change in frequency over successive generations, usually measured in terms of the genes that encode the competing traits (known as alleles). As differences in and between populations accumulate over time, speciation, the development of new species from existing ones, can occur. All known organisms, living or dead, are related by common descent through numerous speciation events starting from a single ancestor.
Mutation of the genes, migration between populations, and the reshuffling of genes during sexual reproduction creates variation in organisms. While a certain random component, known as genetic drift is involved, the variation is also acted on by natural selection, in which organisms with random traits that help them to survive and reproduce will have more offspring, passing these beneficial traits on to the next generation. This leads to advantageous traits becoming more common in each generation, while disadvantageous traits become rarer. neutral t Given enough time, this passive process can result in varied adaptations to changing environmental conditions.
The theory of evolution by natural selection was first put forth in detail in Charles Darwin's 1859 book On the Origin of Species. In the 1930s, Darwinian natural selection was combined with Mendelian inheritance to form the modern evolutionary synthesis. With its enormous explanatory and predictive power, this theory has become the central organizing principle of modern biology, providing a unifying explanation for the diversity of life on Earth

Answer 4

About 150 years.

Answer 5

Evolution? At least 2500 years.
Evolution by natural selection? About 150.

Answer 6

Charles Darwin came up with it in the mid 1800's. Check out this website.

Answer 7

Darwin first published his still unproven theory in 1858.

Answer 8

Don't you mean the theory of Natural Selection? It's 148 years old, more or less.

Evolution is not the theory. Evolution is the fact. Natural selection is the theory that explains the fact. There appears to be a lot of confusion about that.

Answer 9

God created evolution before He created the earth, so evolution is at least 4 billion years old.

Answer 10

As a formalized theory or as a hypothesis?