1.
The Origin of Species
 Although
we now accept the idea that DNA is responsible for our
biological structure, it used to be unthinkable that
a chemical molecule could hold enough information to
build a human. In the early 1800s the leading scientists
and philosophers believed that plants and animals had
been specifically designed by a creator. Living things
were just too complicated to have arisen by chance.
Charles
Darwin is famous for challenging this view. In 1859
he published 'The Origin of Species', expressing that
living things might appear to be designed, but were
actually the result of natural selection. Darwin showed
that living creatures evolve over several generations
through a series of small changes. If the change helps
that creature, it is likely to have many offspring with
the same benefit. If the change harms the creature it
may die before having any children of its own. Over
time this produces plants and animals which are remarkably
well adapted to their environments.
In
the 1860s Darwin's ideas were supported when genetics
was discovered by Gregor Mendel. He found that genes
determine the characteristics a living thing will take.
The genes are passed on to later generations, with a
child taking genes from both its parents.
The
great mystery was where and how is this information
stored?
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