Human Evolution Foundations
In this section, we will use an interdisciplinary framework to look at our species through a biological lens - in order to more thoroughly understand our interconnection with the greater natural living world.
Evolution Overview
Evolution, through natural selection, occurs when organisms with traits most suitable and adapted for their environment have a higher chance of surviving and reproducing - passing along these traits that offer a higher chance of surviving to their offspring. These traits can be categorized into structural or behavioral adaptations.
Structural Adaptations: Physical features of an organism, such as a bear’s fur, a turtle’s webbed feet, or a human's opposable thumbs.
Behavioral Adaptations: Behaviors or things an organism does to survive, such as birds migrating seasonally, a snake finding warm rocks to increase its body temperature on sunny days, or a human's ability to learn and cooperate in social groups.
TASK: For a brief overview of the process of evolution, please watch the following short videos: