Tech Research Supports Darwin Theory

Some Georgia Tech biologists believe Charles Darwin was right.

Scientists from the university have published strong evidence to support an evolutionary theory Darwin wrote more than 150 years ago in his book "The Origin of Species."

In a study published June 14, Tech biologists present research that supports Darwin's hypothesis that competition is greater between closely-related species than species that aren't so much alike. 

In other words, species that are similar must fight harder to stay alive.

"We found that species extinction occurred more frequently and more rapidly between species of micro-organisms that were more closely related, providing strong support for Darwin's theory," Lin Jiang, an assistant professor in Tech's School of Biology, said in a press release. 

While the theory is generally accepted, Tech's study provides the strongest evidence to date, says the university. The National Science Foundation helped fund the research. 

Jiang and a team of scientists used micro-organisms for the experiment. They discovered similar mouth size to be a factor that increased competition between species. 

Read more about the experiment here.