The Making of the Fittest

Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection is still the mechanism we use to explain organismal adaptation, but the intervening 150 years since the publication of the Origin have led to many new discoveries that help us to document the precise basis of those adaptations – to see the steps of evolution. Chief among these is the sequence of an organism’s DNA , which contains a detailed record of its evolutionary history – a record of how the fittest are made. Dr. Carroll will explain how the adaptations of some amazing animals to various environments – the freezing waters of the Antarctic, lava flows, or the colorful jungle, are reflected in the DNA record of some marvelous creatures.