Howard Hughes Medical Institute Evolution videos by Sean Carroll

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Evolution Video Summary
In his lecture titled “Endless Forms Most Beautiful,” Sean B. Carroll, PhD, discusses Charles Darwin. Carroll starts off his lecture by discussing Darwin’s early career choices (08:14). Darwin’s greatest desire was to become a surgeon. After two years of medical school, he washed out because he could not handle the sight blood. Fearing that Darwin would amount to nothing, his father urged him to join the clergy and enter divinity school at Cambridge. However, fate intervened, and he was afforded the opportunity to voyage as a ship’s naturalist (10:28).
During his journey, Darwin read Charles Lyell’s book titled “Principles of Geology”. This book gave him a new perspective of geology. His new view of geology spurred his evolution thinking (14:04). He began to understand that landforms change – an idea that was relatively new at that time. With this understanding, Darwin established a model for the formation of coral reefs (15:17). He theorized that when volcanic islands were tossed up out of the sea, corals would grow and surround the shallow waters that surround that island
After observing that landforms change, Darwin also started to observe that species change. He then began to form his theory of life evolving (19:11). Darwin also formed his idea of common ancestry. He theorized that if pigeons can be different, but they descend from a common ancestral stock, what about natural species? Darwin also conceived the idea that natural species are connected like a tree, as well as the idea of natural selection (23:13). He went public with his theory, and in 1858; he and Wallace published the natural selection theory (26:38).
Darwin conceived the idea of Descent with Modification, which states that people all descend within their own group or class, from common parents (31:09). This was his first big idea. He also conceived the idea of Natural Selection, which is the mechanism he proposed for evolution (41:34). This was his second big idea.
In his lecture titled “Selection in Action,” David M. Kingsley, starts by explaining natural selection and artificial selection (05:04). Environmental conditions on the earth keep changing, so, animals are continually being selected for those that will survive in fluctuating en...