Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

What is Evolutionary History?

What is Evolutionary History?

Scientists record evolutionary history by analyzing fossil, morphological, and genetic data. The fossil record documents the history of life on Earth and provides evidence for evolution. However, both fossil and living organisms offer evidence that outlines Earth’s evolutionary history.

The Evidence for Evolution

The Evidence for Evolution

Genetic variations accumulating within populations over generations give rise to biological evolution. Evolutionary changes can result in the formation of novel varieties and entire new species. These changes are responsible for the diverse forms of life inhabiting the planet. The evidence for evolution suggests that all living organisms descended from common ancestors.

Phylogeny

Phylogeny

Phylogeny is concerned with the evolutionary diversification of organisms or groups of organisms. A group of organisms with a name is called a taxon (singular). Taxa (plural) can span different levels of the evolutionary hierarchy. For instance, the group containing all birds is a taxon (comprising the class Aves), and the group of all species of daisies (the genus Bellis) is a taxon. Phylogenies can likewise include just one genus (i.e., depict species relationships) or span an entire kingdom.

Eukaryotic Evolution

Eukaryotic Evolution

The endosymbiont theory is the most widely accepted theory of eukaryotic evolution; however, its progression is still somewhat debated. According to the nucleus-first hypothesis, the ancestral prokaryote first evolved a membrane to enclose DNA and form the nucleus. Conversely, the mitochondria-first hypothesis suggests that the nucleus was formed after endosymbiosis of mitochondria.
Contrary to the endosymbiont theory, the eukaryote-first hypothesis proposes that the simpler prokaryotic and...

Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?

Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?

Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?

Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?

The genomes of eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of sequence which do not code for proteins or RNAs. Although some of these regions do contain crucial regulatory sequences, the vast majority of this DNA serves no known function. Typically, these regions of the genome are the ones in which the fastest change, in evolutionary terms, is observed, because there is typically little to no selection pressure acting on these regions to preserve their sequences.
In contrast, regions which code...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Large language models instantiate evolutionarily robust strategies of cooperation.

PNAS nexus·2026

Same author

The chemistry of habitable oceans in the Solar system.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Age distinguishes selection from causation in cancer genomes.

Nature genetics·2026

Same author

Repeated snowball-hothouse cycles within the Neoproterozoic Sturtian glaciation.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Same author

Abiotic CO<sub>2</sub> reduction promoted by carbonate and phyllosilicate minerals on the primitive seafloor.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Reply to Sacco: Complete spaces as outcomes of evolutionary optimization.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Same journal

Taphonomic analysis at Liang Bua reveals the behavioral and technological capabilities of <i>Homo floresiensis</i>.

Science advances·2026

Same journal

Targeting granule initiation and amyloplast structure to create giant starch granules in wheat.

Science advances·2026

Same journal

A meta-analysis of carbon losses and gains from tropical moist forest degradation and regeneration.

Science advances·2026

Same journal

Ancient DNA reveals elite dynastic rule among Iron Age Eurasian Steppe nomads.

Science advances·2026

Same journal

Targeting astrocytic Dp71 attenuates BBB disruption after traumatic brain injury through WTAP-associated m<sup>6</sup>A regulation of MMP2.

Science advances·2026

Same journal

Pancreatic α cells are required for nutrient homeostasis by regulating dynamic β cell networks in islets.

Science advances·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 1, 2026

Resurrection of Dormant Daphnia magna: Protocol and Applications

Resurrection of Dormant Daphnia magna: Protocol and Applications

Published on: January 19, 2018

The timetable of evolution.

Andrew H Knoll¹, Martin A Nowak²

¹Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.

Science Advances

|June 1, 2017

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Earth's evolutionary pace is primarily driven by planetary changes, with key oxygenation events shaping life. Later, biological factors influenced evolutionary innovations, especially during environmental shifts like mass extinctions.

Keywords:

Earth history evolution evolutionary theory geochronology

More Related Videos

Isotropic Light-Sheet Microscopy and Automated Cell Lineage Analyses to Catalogue Caenorhabditis elegans Embryogenesis with Subcellular Resolution

Isotropic Light-Sheet Microscopy and Automated Cell Lineage Analyses to Catalogue Caenorhabditis elegans Embryogenesis with Subcellular Resolution

Published on: June 6, 2019

Using Generative Art to Convey Past and Future Climate Transitions

Using Generative Art to Convey Past and Future Climate Transitions

Published on: March 31, 2023

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 1, 2026

Resurrection of Dormant Daphnia magna: Protocol and Applications

Resurrection of Dormant Daphnia magna: Protocol and Applications

Published on: January 19, 2018

Isotropic Light-Sheet Microscopy and Automated Cell Lineage Analyses to Catalogue Caenorhabditis elegans Embryogenesis with Subcellular Resolution

Isotropic Light-Sheet Microscopy and Automated Cell Lineage Analyses to Catalogue Caenorhabditis elegans Embryogenesis with Subcellular Resolution

Published on: June 6, 2019

Using Generative Art to Convey Past and Future Climate Transitions

Using Generative Art to Convey Past and Future Climate Transitions

Published on: March 31, 2023

Area of Science:

Evolutionary biology
Geochemistry
Paleontology

Background:

Earth's evolutionary history is increasingly understood through fossils, phylogeny, and geochronology.
Early life evolved in an anoxic atmosphere for over a billion years.
Two major oxygenation events (GOE and NOE) significantly altered atmospheric and oceanic conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

To examine the interplay between planetary changes and evolutionary dynamics.
To understand the role of oxygenation events in shaping life's complexity.
To investigate factors influencing the timing of evolutionary innovations.

Main Methods:

Integration of fossil records.
Phylogenetic analyses.
Geochronological dating.

Main Results:

The Great Oxygenation Event (GOE) facilitated eukaryote emergence.
The Neoproterozoic Oxygenation Event (NOE) supported complex multicellular life.
Planetary physical changes largely dictate evolutionary pace over geological time.
Biological interactions and environmental perturbations also influence evolutionary innovation and adaptation rates.

Conclusions:

The GOE and NOE acted as critical pacemakers for evolution.
Evolutionary dynamics are a complex interplay of geological and biological factors.
Environmental perturbations, like mass extinctions, can limit evolutionary rates due to genetic accommodation constraints.