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Evolution

The scientific theory according to which populations change gradually through a process of natural selection.

5,264 Questions

What is the best argument against evolution?

There are several arguments used against evolution; here are a few. Note that some of the material on this page is not accepted as factual by most scientists.

Opinion

There are none. There have been no viable, testable scientific alternatives to the Theory of Evolution suggested so far.

Opinion

The best argument against evolution is the one that states that if we all evolved from monkeys, why are monkeys still here. However that is only able to be stated by somebody who knows nothing about evolution because evolution does not state that we came from monkeys, merely that humans and monkeys evolved from a common ancestor.

One Answer

One set of arguments is:

1. There are no valid "missing links" either still extant or in the fossil record.

2. Genetically, a bacterium is more similar to a horse than to yeast (this is contrary to the theory of evolution).

3. Evolutionists believe it must have taken millions of years for layers of strata to form but they can also be caused by catastrophes (a huge amount of stratum was laid down at Mt. St. Helen in just five hours).

4. In the Cambrian strata (where evolutionist say only basic life forms existed) they found fossils of very complex animals.

5. Mutation never adds information to the genetic code, only subtracts from it.

6. Darwin, the founder of evolution himself, acknowledged that there were several "grave" problems with his new theory.

7. Natural selection prevents evolution from happening because the intermediate species would be unfit to survive.

8. Some mechanisms (such as the human eye) are irreducibly complex (meaning that one part could not exist without the other).

(Note: when "evolution" is mentioned it refers to macro evolution (evolving from one species to another) not micro evolution (fluctuation within species).

Another Answer:

Some say that that there is such a wide variety of animals and it is so unlikely for them to exist - there are trillions of cells in a human, and it is really unlikely for that to have happened without an intelligent creator.

Is evolution true or false reasons why?

true

Answer

The Theory of Evolution by Means of Natural Selection is accepted by most, almost all, scientists as an excellent account of how life must change and diversify and adapt across time. Evolution is considered factual and thus true by most scientists. The reason for this is the huge amount of evidence, which comes from comparative genetics, comparative genomics, comparative cytogenetics, biogeography, comparative morphology, comparative biochemistry, comparative behaviour and the fossil record.

A homologous pair is composed of two?

A homologous pair is composed of two chromosomes that have similar genes in the same order. These chromosomes are one from the mother and one from the father and are similar in size and shape. Homologous pairs line up during meiosis for genetic recombination.

Did life begin in water?

The currently held belief is that there is a good chance that life originated at the bottom of the ocean at mid-ocean ridges (where ocean crust is spreading apart) or at hydrothermal vents. Also, the photic zone in the ocean is a possibility for the birthplace of life that has not been discounted.

Divergent evolution is also known as?

Divergent evolution is also known as adaptive radiation.

The weakest concept in Darwin's theory was variation why?

Variation was not the weakest concept in Darwin's theory. In fact, variation is a key component of natural selection, as it provides the raw material for evolution to work on. Individual variations within a population allow some organisms to survive and reproduce more successfully than others, leading to changes in the gene pool over time.

What is allele fixation?

An allele present in all members of a population

The process by which several new species evolve from a single ancestor in a short period of time is?

Adaptive radiation is the process by which several new species evolve from a single ancestor in a short period of time. It occurs when a common ancestor adapts to different ecological niches, leading to the rapid diversification of species with distinct adaptations to their respective environments.

How do vestigal organs support evolution?

Vestigial organs are remnants of structures that were once functional in an organism's evolutionary past but are no longer needed. The presence of vestigial organs provides evidence for evolution by natural selection, as they demonstrate how organisms have changed over time in response to their environment. These structures support the idea that species have evolved from common ancestors and help to illustrate the concept of descent with modification.

What do you understand by the term evolution state drawims theory of evolution?

There is no " what do I understand by the term evolution. " Evolution is the change in allele frequency over time in a population of organisms. This is a observed and observable fact.

It is no longer Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection, but has had over 150 years of modification and improvement to become the modern synthesis.

A short definition of natural selection.

" The non-random survival of randomly replicating organisms. "

What is meant by fitness in darwinian evoution?

Strictly speaking, reproductive fitness is meant. The organism that has the most and best quality progeny adapted to the immediate environment will leave more representations of it's alleles in the population gene pool and the allel frequency will change over time fulfilling the definition of evolution.

How does natural selection break h-w assumptions?

One big Hardy-Weinberg assumption is that there is no mutation taking place in the population of interest. Mutation and selection lead to evolution, which the Hardy-Weinberg assumption also does not allow in a population. So, if there is the variation brought about by mutation then there is a chance of natural selection happening and this violates Hardy-Weinberg assumptions.

What does natural selection over long periods of time lead to?

Natural selection over long periods of time leads to the gradual evolution of species, as individuals with advantageous traits are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing on those beneficial traits to future generations. This can result in the emergence of new species or changes within existing species to better adapt to their environment.

What 4 things do scientists study to find out if organisms are related?

1. DNA- test the similarity in DNA

2. Fossil Records

3. Embryology- study of embryos during development shows the traits ancestors of humans once had such as gills and post anal tails.

4. vestigal structures- structures no longer in use can show what ancestors of the organism needed

Main points of darwin's theory of evolution?

Darwin's theory of evolution is based on the concept of natural selection, where individuals that are better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. Over time, this process leads to the accumulation of beneficial traits within a population, resulting in the gradual change of species. Additionally, Darwin's theory highlights the importance of variation within a population, genetic inheritance, and the gradual divergence of species over long periods of time.

Legal battle over teaching evolution that pitted modern science?

The legal battle over teaching evolution, such as the Scopes Monkey Trial in 1925, was a showdown between modern science and religious beliefs. These conflicts often revolved around the separation of church and state, with proponents of evolution arguing for the teaching of scientific principles in schools without religious interference. The outcomes of these legal battles have shaped the modern education system and continue to influence discussions around science literacy and religious freedom.

When allele frequencies are not changing it is called?

Bottleneck
That is a condition of the Hardy-Weinberg law and the population is said to be in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium , but it is an idealization that never happens in nature.

What phrase did Darwin use instead of evolution?

Darwin used the phrase "descent with modification" in his book "On the Origin of Species" instead of the word "evolution." He used this phrase to describe the process by which species change over time through natural selection.

What of Mendels conclusions is a necessary foundation for Darwins theory of natural selection?

Mendel's conclusion on the segregation and independent assortment of traits laid the groundwork for Darwin's theory of natural selection by providing a mechanism for how variation is passed down from one generation to the next. This understanding of how traits are inherited allowed Darwin to propose that natural selection acts on this variation to drive the evolution of populations.

What is the theory of eveolution?

The theory of evolution by natural selection. Evolution is a fact explained by the theory. Short explanation.

Natural selection is the nonrandom survival and reproductive success of randomly varying individuals.

What are three types of evidence for biological evolution?

Evidence from paleontology, molecular cell biology, genetics, biochemistry, geology, evolutionary biology, evolutionary development (evo devo ), embryology and a host of other disciplines, such as anthropology.

These show that alleles frequencies change over tim in populations of organisms.

These show that all organisms on earth are related in morphology and function.

Developmentally organisms are related. Vestigial evidences of relatedness.

Biogeographically evidences

What is a change in the frequency of a particular gene in one direction in a population called?

A change in the frequency of a particular gene in one direction in a population is called genetic drift. Genetic drift refers to the random fluctuation of allele frequencies in a population over time, leading to a change in the genetic composition of the population.

Is selective breeding used in nature to provide change over time?

Selective breeding, also known as artificial selection, is a process carried out by humans to develop desirable traits in plants and animals. In nature, natural selection is the driving force for change over time, where organisms with advantageous traits have a better chance of survival and reproduction, leading to those traits becoming more common in a population. While similar in principle, natural selection occurs without human intervention, unlike selective breeding.

How are genetics involved in the theory of evolution?

Finding out how exactly traits are passed on to offspring - with variation - filled in a gap in the understanding of evolution that Darwin pioneered. Darwin did not know or understand how it could come to be that traits propagated through the generations with only minor variations, without blending. He could only assume that there was some mechanism that facilitated this propagation. His fear was that further research into genetics would show that sexual reproduction blends traits. Had that been the case, then evolutionary theory would have been falsified. In stead, what we learned about genetics - starting with Mendel, and culminating in the findings of Watson and Crick - confirmed what we'd learned about evolution in great detail.

What is the Random change in a populations allele frequency is known?

Genetic drift is the random change in allele frequencies in a population. It is caused by chance events and has more pronounced effects in small populations where genetic diversity is lower. Over time, genetic drift can lead to the loss of certain alleles or fixation of others in a population.