Science Common Sense

1445 - How did the diversity of life on Earth come about through evolution.

Imagine life on Earth started with just one tiny living thing, like a single-celled organism. Over time, this little creature made copies of itself, but sometimes mistakes happened when the copies were made. These mistakes, or 'mutations,' could create new features or traits.

If a mutation helped the creature survive better in its environment, like stronger fins for swimming, it would be more likely to have babies and pass on that trait to them. This process is called 'natural selection.'

As time went on, different groups of creatures evolved different traits to help them live in different environments. This led to new species forming. If a group of birds moved to an island with tall trees, for example, the birds with longer beaks would have an easier time reaching food in those trees and would be more likely to have babies. Over time, this group of birds would evolve into a new species with longer beaks.

After millions and millions of years, all these small changes added up, and many different species developed, from plants to animals, creating the diversity of life on Earth that we see today.