Abstract
Evolution is a vast subject. In this introductory text I shall discuss only a few of the major events. I am going to begin by describing a timeline of evolution and explain how this timeline is constructed. Methods are important in science because your conclusions are only as reliable as the methods used to deduce them.
Keywords
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsFurther Reading
The rise of atmospheric oxygen. L.R. Kump 2008. Nature 451:277–278. A summary of the methods used to infer changes in the composition of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Steps on the road to eukaryotes. T. Martin Embley and Tom A. Williams 2015. Nature 521: 169–170. A summary on the implications of the discovery of archaea with some features of eukaryotic membranes.
Changing ideas about eukaryotic origins. T.A. Williams and T.Martin Embley 2015. Phil. Trans. Royal Society B 370: 20140318; DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2014.0321. An introduction to a Theme Issue of the Royal Society entitled ‘Eukaryotic origins: progress and challenges’.
The energetic of genome complexity. N. Lane and W. Martin 2010. Nature 467: 929–934. This landmark paper presents the arguments for the suggestion that it was the large increase in the amount of energy available per gene made possible by mitochondria that allowed eukaryotes to become so much larger and complex than prokaryotes.
Evolution: The Whole Story. Steve Parker. Published by Thames and Hudson Ltd. 2015. ISBN 978-0-500-29173-3. A magnificently illustrated account of evolution.
Oxygen: The Molecule that Made the World. Nick Lane. Published by Oxford University Press 2002. ISBN 978-0-19-860783-0. A popular account of the role of oxygen in evolution.
The Vital Question: Why is life the way It is? Nick Lane. Published by Profile Books 2015. eISBN 978-1-84765-880-7. A stimulating discussion of the problem of the origin of eukaryotic cells.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Ellis, J. (2016). Some Major Events in Evolution. In: How Science Works: Evolution. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-7749-0_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-7749-0_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-017-7747-6
Online ISBN: 978-94-017-7749-0
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)