EVOLUTION - Complete NEET Guide
20-Year NEET Trends Analysis + NCERT Based PYQs (2004-2024)
🦖 3 MUST-KNOW FACTS FOR NEET 2025
🔍 EVIDENCES OF EVOLUTION - NEET NCERT Highlights
| Evidence Type | Key Concept | NEET Example |
|---|---|---|
| Paleontology | Fossil records show progression | Archaeopteryx (NEET 2019) |
| Comparative Anatomy | Homologous vs Analogous organs | Forelimbs of whale & bat (NEET 2021) |
| Embryology | Similar embryonic development | Gill slits in embryos (NEET 2017) |
| Molecular Evidence | DNA/Protein sequence similarities | Cytochrome c comparison (NEET 2020) |
NEET 2025 Tip: Homologous organs (same origin, different function) vs Analogous organs (different origin, same function) - Asked 9 times in last decade
🧬 Darwin's Contribution
- Origin of Species (1859): Natural selection as mechanism
- Key Concepts: Struggle for existence, Survival of fittest
- NEET Focus: Darwin's finches (NEET 2016, 2022)
- Limitation: Couldn't explain source of variation
🧪 Modern Synthetic Theory
- Combines: Genetics with Darwin's theory
- Five Factors: Mutation, Recombination, Natural selection, Gene flow, Genetic drift
- NEET Favorite: Mutation as raw material (NEET 2018, 2021, 2023)
- Population Genetics: Focus on gene pools
⚙️ MECHANISMS OF EVOLUTION - NEET Must-Know
Natural Selection - NEET Priority
- Stabilizing: Favors average (Human birth weight)
- Directional: Favors one extreme (Peppered moth)
- Disruptive: Favors both extremes (Darwin's finches)
Genetic Variations - NEET Examples
- Mutation: Random DNA changes (Sickle cell anemia)
- Recombination: Crossing over in meiosis
- Gene Flow: Migration between populations
- Genetic Drift: Founder effect, Bottleneck
NEET Special: Hardy-Weinberg Principle - p² + 2pq + q² = 1 (Asked 5 times in last 7 years)
🦍 HUMAN EVOLUTION & ADAPTIVE RADIATION
Human Evolution Timeline:
- Dryopithecus: Ape-like (15 mya)
- Ramapithecus: More man-like (8 mya)
- Australopithecus: Bipedal (4 mya)
- Homo habilis: Tool maker (2 mya)
- Homo erectus: Fire user (1.5 mya)
- Homo sapiens: Modern human (0.1 mya)
Adaptive Radiation - NEET Pattern:
- Diversification from common ancestor
- Examples: Darwin's finches, Australian marsupials
- NEET Favorite: Placental vs Marsupial radiation (NEET 2020)
NEET Must-Know: Homo neanderthalensis vs Homo sapiens - Differences asked 3 times in last 5 years
📜 NEET PYQ TRENDS (2014-2024)
2023: Which is NOT a correct match in human evolution?
Homo habilis - Buried their dead (Correct Answer)
2021: Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium assumes?
No mutations, random mating, large population (NCERT based)
2019: Analogous organs result from?
Convergent evolution (Direct NCERT line)
