1
Essay 1: Evolution
Christopher Zator
Metro State University
ANTH 101-50
Dr. Alejandra Estrin
February 10, 2014
2
Evolution is a phenomenon of the natural world that describes the change and
development of life forms, often over long periods of time, to more complex forms. The changes
that take place happen when offspring are formed, at which point their physiological structure is
determined. This structure is a combination of characteristics from both parents, and can result in
physical characteristics that match one or both of the parents, such as hair color, or can result in
differing physical characteristics from the parents, such as height. These characteristics are
ultimately determined by the specific chemical make-up of parts of the parents’ cells called
genes. Genes are passed from parent to offspring, and, along with them, the characteristics that
they are responsible for creating (Larsen, 2011).
So how do the changes that define evolution occur? There are four forces that cause
evolution, and together they account for the development of life forms from one generation to the
