Evolutionsvetenskap

Evolutionsvetenskap, or evolutionary science, is the scientific study of the origin, development, and diversification of life on Earth, focusing on evolutionary processes that generate heritable variation and produce changes in populations over time. It spans subfields such as evolutionary biology, population genetics, phylogenetics, paleontology, and evo-devo.

The central mechanism is natural selection acting on heritable variation, but other mechanisms such as genetic drift, mutation, gene flow, and recombination also contribute to evolution. Evolution can occur on short timescales in populations or across deep time in lineages.

Evidence for evolution comes from the fossil record, comparative anatomy and embryology, biogeography, and molecular genetics. Techniques include mathematical population genetics, phylogenetic reconstruction, comparative genomics, and experimental evolution; dating methods such as radiometric dating and molecular clocks help place events on a timescale.

Historically, ideas about evolution emerged in the 19th century with Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace. The modern synthesis in the mid-20th century integrated Darwinian natural selection with Mendelian genetics, and subsequent developments include evo-devo, neutral theory, and studies of adaptation and constraint.

Evolutionsvetenskap informs diverse applications, including understanding pathogen evolution, resistance to drugs, crop improvement, and conservation biology. Ongoing debates concern the relative importance of selection versus drift, the tempo of evolution, and the influence of developmental constraints and epigenetics.