Chapter 2 of the video gives a history of Darwin's work in the two decades previous to writing his book "On the Origin of Species" in 1859. His voyage to the South American Galapagos Islands is recalled, where he marveled over hundreds of specimens of plants and animals. He was particularly interested in the birds of the islands and their varying characteristics. Upon his return to England he...

• More Info

Great Danes stretch more than a meter from paw to shoulder and can easily weigh more than 90 kilograms. A Chihuahua fits snugly inside a purse. Domestic dog breeds are more varied in body size and shape -- not to mention coat color and fur length -- than any other land-based mammal. Yet, according to a new study, a mere two to six regions in doggy DNA account for most of this diversity.

• More Info

This article describes the first truly photosynthetic animal reported; the Green Sea Slug. Cells in its digestive tract hijacks chloroplasts from algae it feeds on, preserve functionality of these chloroplasts in slug cells, and produce food by photosynthesis. Moreover, some genes important for maintaining photosynthetic function of these hijacked chloroplasts are believed to have transferred...

• More Info

This website introduces background knowledge of phylogenetic trees, and then provide a guideline for tree construction. Then, by following the guideline, it gives an example of tree construction. This website further demonstrates how to use phylogenetic trees. Description from the website: In this tutorial, we'll cover: 1. How to read an evolutionary tree 2. How to classify...

• More Info

The Tree of Life Web Project is a collection of information about biodiversity compiled collaboratively by hundreds of expert and amateur contributors. Its goal is to contain a page with pictures, text, and other information for every species and for each group of organisms, living or extinct. Connections between Tree of Life web pages follow phylogenetic branching patterns between groups of...

• More Info