SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCES

OF NATURAL SELECTION
Scientific Evidences of Natural Selection

Evolution by natural selection is one of the best substantiated

theories in the history of science, supported by evidence from
a wide variety of scientific disciplines, including paleontology,
geology, genetics and developmental biology.
 Peppered Moths (Industrial Melanism)

The evolution of the peppered moth has been studied in

detail over the last 150 years. At first, almost all of the
moths were light coloured. This gave them camouflage
against the light-coloured trees and lichens where they
rested during the day.
As pollution increased during the Industrial Revolution in
England, many of the lichens died out. The trees
became blackened by soot, and most of the light-
coloured moths, or typica, became rare.
At the same time, the dark-coloured, or melanic, moths,
carbonaria, flourished. This change took place because the
best camouflaged moths survived better.[1] The term
industrial melanism refers to the genetic darkening of
species in response to pollutants.
BACTERIA ARE EVERYWHERE
• Bacteria are single-celled organisms that grow in
populations called colonies.
• Many different kinds of bacteria can grow together in
similar environments.
• Demo showing growth of bacteria from various sources.
Pictures taken with an electron microscope
 NATURAL ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE
• Mutations allowing for bacteria to grow in the
presence of antibiotics already exists in the
bacterial population.
• Not all bacterial cells within a population are
identical
• Like a population of humans, they
all contain slight differences in their
DNA
Why do you think this may be a good
idea for the bacteria?
-survival of the fittest
WHAT ARE ANTIBIOTICS?

• Powerful medicines that treat

bacterial infections
• They work by either killing bacteria or preventing
growth and reproduction of bacteria
HOW DO BACTERIA BECOME RESISTANT?

• A gene encodes a protein that allows them

to avoid the harmful effects of the antibiotic
• Genes for resistance can emerge in a
bacterial population spontaneously (genetic
mutation), they can obtain them from other
bacteria (sharing DNA), or scientists can put
genes into bacteria.