DOCUMENTS
Theory of Evolution - version 0.5
---------------------------------
* Evolution (the theory)
* Theory of biological evolution
* Evolutionary theory
- A scientific theory that attempts to explain the mechanism of biological evolution. See Evolutionary biology.
In Biology: A theory that explains the evolution of the inherited traits of a natural population from One
generation to the next.
Characteristics:
- Was first established as a scientific theory by Charles Darwin in his book "The Origin of Species".
- Formalizes One of the most important concepts in Biology: evolution.
- Is One of the most important scientific theories of all times. Has been considered the main explanation for all relevant
observations regarding the development of terrestrial Life.
Based on the following hypotheses:
Note: All of these are well-established facts among scientists. There is plenty of historical evidence for each.
Biological evolution: Changes in animal and plant species happen over Time, and thus populations evolve.
Common descent: All terrestrial organisms are linked via descent to a common ancestor. The simplest Life forms, through
the mechanisms of evolution, have been shaped into every living species on the planet.
Based on the following principles:
Genetic variation: It's well known by scientists that considerable genetic variation is present in natural populations.
Based on the following mechanisms:
- The mechanical processes behind evolution.
Natural selection: The change brought about by a DNA mutation is either beneficial, harmful or neutral for the
survival of a species. In the long run of the evolution of a species, bad mutations are culled and good mutations
spread, and this results in notable changes of a species.
Genetic drift: Changes in the gene frequencies of a population from One generation to the next due to improbable
phenomenons (chance) such as natural disasters. Certain alleles (variants of a gene) may be carried forward while
others can disappear. This mechanism is specially important for small populations and, in this case, may override
natural selection. Some people have even argued that genetic drift is more important than natural selection in evolving
new species.
Genetic mutation: When organisms reproduce, random DNA mutations during Cell division cause minute changes that are
introduced in the offspring. These changes can affect the offspring immediately or manifest several generations later.
These mutations generate diversity in the gene pool of a population and this manifests as individuals with different
sets of traits.
Genetic recombination:
Gene flow:
Types:
Modern:
* Modern Synthesis
* Modern Evolutionary Synthesis
* Neo-Darwinian
- The 20th century version of this theory that incorporates genetics, particularly population genetics.
It drew together ideas from several other branches of biology. Recognizes several new mechanisms of
evolution in addition to natural selection.
- Explained for the first Time how diverse sets of traits appear on the individuals of a population.
In 2007 AD:
- Is still accepted as a consistent explanation for the origin of every species of Life on the planet.
- According to evolutionists, it still has a vast body of supporting evidence.
Has been attacked and refuted from the early 20th century onward:
- Teaching it in public schools gave birth to a contentious issue, specially in the United States, where followers of
Creationism have tried to eliminate it from the high school curriculum.
- "Evolution is in absolute chaos today and has been especially for this decade of the '80's. The '80's has been extremely
bad for Evolution. Every major pillar of Evolution has crumbled in the decade of the '80's." - D. James Kennedy on "The
John Ankerberg Show", 1987
Contrary arguments:
Claim #1: There are not enough transitional fossils, the so-called "missing links", in relation to the known
terminal forms. Instead, the fossil records suggest abrupt transitions that can't be explained by this theory.
This suggest that biological evolution happens in sudden leaps and not in a smooth continuum as the theory
suggests. We see long periods where species do not change, and then there are systematic gaps between the
changes. Humanity has collected an immensely rich fossil record, but failed to produce the expected transitional
forms.
Rebuttal #1:
- Fossils are not the only way to prove the Theory of Evolution. There are other kinds of evidence.
- The Line between what can be considered "transitional" and "terminal" is not very well defined. You can't really
say that the fossil record is entirely lacking transitional forms.
- An "insufficient" Number of transitional fossils is something inevitable to some extent. This is due to the
rarity of conditions favorable to fossilization. There will always be gaps in the fossil record, but in no way
does this invalidates the Existence of transitional sequences. Still, there are many instances where excellent
sequences of transitional fossils have been found. Also, scientists don't need every single fossil in a lineage
to determine the validity of natural evolution. In most cases, a few fossils are more than sufficient for them
to draw the connections. See Paleontology.
- The Theory of Evolution does not deny that the common trend in evolution could be that transitions occur
relatively quickly and in relatively small areas, thus making the job of finding transitional fossils harder.
It's well known that species can undergo rapid evolution in isolated areas.
Claim #2:
- There must be some kind of divine intervention that could violate the second law of thermodynamics, because there
is no way that living things could increase in complexity over Time and evolve toward higher degrees of order, when
Entropy
, a law that applies to the entire Universe, states that the disorder of a System can only increase over Time.
Without intervention, natural laws alone could not have produced the precise complexity we see.
- "Any theory claiming to describe how organisms originate and continue to exist by natural causes must be compatible
with the first and second laws of thermodynamics." - Donald Haynie
Rebuttal #2:
- The 2nd law of thermodynamics is misinterpreted here, because it does not state that all things invariably
progress from order to disorder in all places at all times. It only says that there is an overall "net" increase
of Entropy within the cosmos. Life on Earth is an open System that receives Energy from the sun in the form of
sunlight, which in turn powers local decreases in Entropy. These pockets of lower Entropy manifest as evolving
Life.
- In relation to the 2nd law of thermodynamics, the Theory of Evolution comes from an entirely different background
of analysis. Most observations regarding the theory are considered factual by scientific standards, and they happen
regardless of how Entropy is interfering with the process or not. It's not that they are incompatible.
Proposal #2:
- For all matters, the sun is so important to Life on Earth, that it has been made into a divine symbol
by many cultures. The Energy levels of this body are so beyond normal human experience, that it's almost
unfathomable for the human Mind how that it could not be directly related to, or even possess, a supernatural
intelligence. For most people, no amount of objective information about the formation of stars seems to exert
an effect on this belief. In fact, the incredible amount of resistence displayed by faith might very well be
the only "proof" that anyone will ever have regarding religious belief. Therefore, considering sunlight as the
product of a star that represents divine power and intelligence, then sunlight can also be considered as an
"intelligent energy". In this scenario, the evolution of Life not only depends on higher intelligence, but also
occurs without violating any natural laws.
Relationships:
Intelligent Design:
Evolutionary biologist: Specialists that helped developing the Theory of Evolution.
Creationist: This term generally refers to a person that tends to disregard and/or attack the Theory of Evolution in public,
sometimes even suggesting that it should be overthrown.
Evolutionist: A person who believes in or supports the Theory of Evolution.
Evolutionism: The Theory of Evolution supplies most of the principles defended by this ideological movement.
References
----------
Morton, G. R. "The Imminent Demise of Evolution: The Longest Running Falsehood in Creationism". < http://home.entouch.net/dmd/moreandmore.htm >.
The TalkOrigins Archive. < http://www.talkorigins.org >.
Theobald, Douglas L. "29+ Evidences for Macroevolution: The Scientific Case for Common Descent". The TalkOrigins Archive.
2004. 19 Jul 2008 < http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/comdesc >.
-------------------
