Evolution

Genetic variation is important because it allows for diversity within a population, which increases the chances of survival in changing environments. Natural selection acts on this variation, favoring traits that increase an organism's fitness and leading to adaptation and evolution over time.

Darwin's greatest contribution is the theory of evolution by natural selection. This theory explains how species adapt to their environment over time through the process of struggle for existence, variation, and differential reproductive success. His work laid the foundation for modern evolutionary biology.

Evolution is based on the principle of natural selection, so in order to see what science has come up with as "evidence", you must understand natural selection. Briefly, natural selection is when a group of organisms detect a change in their habitat and start spontaneous changes in their anatomy or behaviour through generations. Scientists have made research on a certain insect that used to feed off of hay, this type of insect lived off of hay around the world, so it wasn't a specific case. A couple of years later, farmers have noticed that those insects have now started to feed off of apples. After scientists got involved and started studying the insects, they tracked the whole change of behaviour down to a small farm in America. This farm used to be filled with cows and the farmer then sold all his cows to a milk company, so he got rid of the insect-infested hay that was the cows' food. The farmer then started planting apple trees instead, and he had a lot of those insects in his area so after a while the insects correctly "adapted" to the fact that hay wasn't available and apples were, so that was proof for natural selection. That was proof for evolution.

With regard to 'facts' this is still a very subjective question. That some form of evolution occurs there is no doubt. However, there are still many unanswered questions about the natureof evolution. There are similar problems, for example, over gravity; we know gravity exists but the mechanism by which it works is still not completely understood. There are theories about gravity 'particles', 'waves', and, of course, the warping of spacetime as postulated by Einstein. But, despite all these theories having a great deal of merit, the exact 'factual' means by which gravity works is still not fully understood. In the same way, evolution, though evidence supports its existence, is still not fully understood, and until it is, facts about it cannot be cited without some doubt. The word 'fact' can be either irrefutable mathematical evidence (eg 2 + 2 = 4) but can also mean an idea for which there is overwhelming evidence - until something else comes along and improves or modifies it, that is! As an example, Newton's laws of motion were 'fact' for hundreds of years until Einstein realised that they break down at speeds near the speed of light. This is not to say Newton was wrong - only limited. In the same way, we are still groping with Darwin and, although it is unlikely that Darwin will be 'proved' wrong, it is almost certain that the current 'facts' will be modified as new evidence comes along. With regard to Darwinian 'facts', there are two extremes, both of which are rather untenable. Firstly there are those, like Richard Dawkins, who accept Darwin as irrefutable fact. He once stated "Evolution is as much a fact as the heat of the sun. It is not a theory, and for pity's sake, let's stop confusing the philosophically naive by calling it so. Evolution is a fact.'Whilst he may be eventually shown to be correct, there are many questions about evolution that Darwin simply does not answer at the moment, and so such a statement by Dawkins is rather foolish and cavalier. There are some intermediary species that havebeen found, but, considering the multitude of different creatures that have existed since life began, there simply aren't nearly enough, even if we discovered many, many more. Also, rather than a gradual process of evolution as suggested by Darwin, the records suggest that it happened, in some cases, in leaps and bounds. Why? There are also many unanswered questions such as the unlikelihood of complex structures like the eye or the feather being formed by chance, and the great improbability of a complex code like DNA being formed also by chance, even in the most primitive of bacteria. While these unanswered problems and others like them, may eventually be solved, to stick ones neck out and claim that evolution, at this moment, is irrefutable, is as silly as Fred Hoyle's insistence in the Steady State Universe, until Wilson and Penzias came along and discovered the background radiation from the Big Bang, causing Hoyle's Steady State to be shelved overnight. Secondly there are those who deny evolution totally and who insist on an earth that is just a few thousand years old, where all species were created together. Creationists have formulated their own explanations of life's formation surrounding the 'falsified' evidence of Darwinism, and usually rely on scripture to dispute Darwin's theories out of hand. This rigid approach is equally untenable as there is clear evidence of the immense age of the earth, and clear, and overwhelming, evidence that some form of evolution through natural selection does actually take place. Creationists seem, also, to forget that the Darwin they demonise, despite some wobbly episodes, lived and died a Christian. He was once famously quoted as saying he had never been an atheist in the sense of denying the existence of a God. Even his Origin of Species ends with the words "There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed by the Creator into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved. " In truth, then when asking about the 'facts' of evolution it is very presumptuous to either accept evolution as irrefurtable or deny it out of hand. It seems the truth lies somewhere in between. Until more evidence comes to light, until more theories and speculations come and go and until scientists and naturalists understand much (much) more about the workings of DNA, the facts about evolution will still be rather nebulous and controversial.

Mudkip evolves into Marshtomp at level 16, and then into Swampert at level 36. No evolution item is required for Mudkip's evolution.

Evidence for evolution includes the fossil record showing transitional forms, comparative anatomy showing similarities in structures among different species, genetic similarities among different species, and observed instances of natural selection leading to changes in populations over time.

The morphological concept of species defines species based on physical characteristics, such as appearance and structure. In contrast, the biological concept of species defines species based on reproductive isolation - individuals that can interbreed and produce viable offspring are considered to be of the same species.

Organisms that are well adapted to their environment possess characteristics that help them thrive, reproduce, and survive in their specific conditions. They may exhibit traits such as camouflaging, efficient use of resources, specialized body structures, or behaviors that enhance their chances of success in their environment. These adaptations improve their chances of survival and reproductive success, allowing them to pass on these advantageous traits to future generations.

Survival of the fittest. Only the strongest/healthiest of a species survive and reproduce. This means that their genes are passed along to the next generation resulting in more animals with the same health/strength traits. Thus weaker animals slowly die out.

you finds a fossil of a creature from a certain timeline, then you find the same creature with some changes in a timeline later than the previous and if you have enough fossils you can see how the organism appears at its earliest place in the fossil record( some organisms only appear in the fossil record once they have evolved in a way that makes fossilization possible eg shell, jellyfish are very rare in fossils because they are mostly water) and see the organism change over time into a completely different animal through a series of consecutive glimpses of the creature.

The most likely cause of directional selection is a shift in environmental conditions that favors individuals with a particular extreme trait over others. This can lead to the gradual increase in frequency of that trait in a population over time.

Gradualism is when a change takes place over time. Punctuated equilibrium is when nothing changes for a very long time, then suddenly something new appears, after which another long period of no change occurs.

They provide the variation in organisms that other recombination methods do not. A beneficial mutation, leading to a small change in same trait, that is even marginally reproductively successful to the organism that possesses it will be selected for and passed on tho progeny thus changing the organisms population over time, regardless of how small the change. This is evolution, change in populations over time.

Fossil records show a progression of forms with different features over time, indicating evolutionary change. Genetic studies reveal similarities and differences in DNA sequences between species, providing evidence for common ancestry and evolutionary relationships. Observations of natural selection in action, such as antibiotic resistance in bacteria or color variations in moths, demonstrate how traits can change in response to environmental pressures over many generations.

Because of genetic recombination and this is done in three ways. The independent orientation of chromosomes at prometaphase, crossing over and the process of random fertilization all insure a good recombination of genetic material.

The basic theory of evolution is this:

Once upon a time, there was a population of cheetahs. There were some fast and some slow. They had to hunt, and since the slow one's couldn't catch the antelopes, many died. Then there were more faster cheetahs left and so a greater chance of two fast cheetahs mating/reproducing. This continued for a while until only fast cheetahs existed.

This is called "natural selection."

Since, as far as we can tell, humans share a common ancestry with all other life on Earth, human evolution started about 3.5 billion years ago.

The first animals evolved ca. 800 million years ago.

The first vertebrate animals ca. 530 million years ago.

The first tetrapod vertebrates ca. 400 million years ago.

The first mammalian tetrapods ca. 230 million years ago.

The first primate mammals ca. 60 million years ago.

The first ape primates ca. 30 million years ago.

The first anatomically modern human apes appeared ca. 300.000 years ago.

There are multiple theories of evolution, but two main perspectives are the theory of microevolution focusing on small genetic changes within a population over time, and the theory of macroevolution which explains broader evolutionary changes leading to the emergence of new species. These perspectives are supported by various evidence from genetics, paleontology, and other scientific disciplines.

Darwin's theory of natural selection is referred to as gradualism because it proposes that evolutionary change happens slowly and gradually over long periods of time, through the accumulation of small, incremental variations in populations. This contrasts with other theories that propose sudden and abrupt changes in species.

Change is an inherent part of life and the natural progression of things. Through change, we grow, adapt, and evolve to meet new challenges and opportunities. Embracing change allows us to learn, develop resilience, and discover new experiences in life.

DNA contains the genetic information that determines an organism's traits. Through mutations and genetic variations, DNA can change over time, leading to differences in traits among individuals within a population. This supports Darwin's theory of descent with modification, as it provides a mechanism for how species can evolve and adapt to their environment over generations.

There are no reasonable scientific alternatives to cell evolution, especially since the endosymbiotic theory is now widely accepted.

I an sure you can think of some unreasonable alternative to cell evolution.

Evolution is the change in allele frequency over time in a population of organisms. Cells could be though as organisms is unicellular especially.

A biological law is a generalization that describes a consistent and predictable relationship in living organisms. It is a statement based on repeated observations and experiments that explain a fundamental aspect of biology, such as the inheritance of genetic traits through Mendel's laws.

The theory of evolution was proposed by Charles Darwin in the 19th century after observing patterns of variation in species and studying the process of natural selection. Darwin's research on the Galapagos Islands and his publication of "On the Origin of Species" in 1859 were pivotal in establishing the concept of evolution. Over time, further scientific evidence from fields such as genetics, paleontology, and comparative anatomy has supported and expanded upon Darwin's initial ideas.