The Reason Why Free Evolution Is Greater Dangerous Than You Think

The Reason Why Free Evolution Is Greater Dangerous Than You Think

What is Free Evolution?

Free evolution is the idea that natural processes can cause organisms to develop over time. This includes the appearance and development of new species.


A variety of examples have been provided of this, including different kinds of stickleback fish that can be found in salt or fresh water, as well as walking stick insect varieties that prefer specific host plants. These reversible traits do not explain the fundamental changes in basic body plans.

Evolution through Natural Selection

The development of the myriad living creatures on Earth is a mystery that has intrigued scientists for decades. Charles Darwin's natural selection theory is the best-established explanation. This process occurs when those who are better adapted survive and reproduce more than those who are less well-adapted. As time passes, a group of well adapted individuals grows and eventually creates a new species.

Natural selection is a cyclical process that involves the interaction of three factors: variation, inheritance and reproduction. Mutation and sexual reproduction increase the genetic diversity of an animal species. Inheritance is the transfer of a person's genetic traits to his or her offspring which includes both dominant and recessive alleles. Reproduction is the process of producing fertile, viable offspring. This can be done through sexual or asexual methods.

All of these variables must be in harmony to allow natural selection to take place. For instance the case where an allele that is dominant at one gene allows an organism to live and reproduce more frequently than the recessive allele the dominant allele will be more prominent within the population. If the allele confers a negative advantage to survival or decreases the fertility of the population, it will go away. This process is self-reinforcing meaning that an organism that has an adaptive trait will survive and reproduce far more effectively than those with a maladaptive feature. The more offspring an organism produces the more fit it is that is determined by its capacity to reproduce itself and live. Individuals with favorable characteristics, such as a long neck in the giraffe, or bright white patterns on male peacocks, are more likely than others to reproduce and survive which eventually leads to them becoming the majority.

Natural selection is only a force for populations, not individuals. This is a major distinction from the Lamarckian theory of evolution, which states that animals acquire traits due to use or lack of use. For instance, if the Giraffe's neck grows longer due to reaching out to catch prey, its offspring will inherit a longer neck. The difference in neck size between generations will increase until the giraffe is unable to reproduce with other giraffes.

Evolution by Genetic Drift

In the process of genetic drift, alleles at a gene may be at different frequencies in a population through random events. Eventually, only one will be fixed (become common enough to no longer be eliminated by natural selection) and the other alleles drop in frequency. In the extreme this, it leads to a single allele dominance. The other alleles are eliminated, and heterozygosity falls to zero. In a small number of people this could lead to the complete elimination of the recessive gene. This scenario is called the bottleneck effect and is typical of an evolution process that occurs when a large number individuals migrate to form a population.

A phenotypic  bottleneck may also occur when the survivors of a catastrophe such as an outbreak or mass hunting event are concentrated in a small area. The survivors will carry an dominant allele, and will share the same phenotype. This situation could be caused by earthquakes, war or even plagues. Regardless of the cause the genetically distinct population that remains could be prone to genetic drift.

Walsh Lewens and Ariew utilize a "purely outcome-oriented" definition of drift as any departure from the expected values of different fitness levels. They provide a well-known example of twins that are genetically identical and have the exact same phenotype and yet one is struck by lightning and dies, whereas the other lives and reproduces.

This type of drift can play a significant part in the evolution of an organism. It's not the only method of evolution. The main alternative is a process called natural selection, where the phenotypic variation of a population is maintained by mutation and migration.

Stephens claims that there is a major difference between treating the phenomenon of drift as a force, or an underlying cause, and treating other causes of evolution such as mutation, selection, and migration as forces or causes. He claims that a causal-process account of drift allows us distinguish it from other forces, and this differentiation is crucial. He also argues that drift is both an orientation, i.e., it tends towards eliminating heterozygosity. It also has a size which is determined by population size.

Evolution through Lamarckism

Biology students in high school are frequently introduced to Jean-Baptiste Lemarck's (1744-1829) work. His theory of evolution, also called "Lamarckism is based on the idea that simple organisms transform into more complex organisms by taking on traits that result from the use and abuse of an organism. Lamarckism is illustrated through a giraffe extending its neck to reach higher branches in the trees. This would cause giraffes to give their longer necks to offspring, who then become taller.

Lamarck, a French zoologist, presented an idea that was revolutionary in his 17 May 1802 opening lecture at the Museum of Natural History of Paris. He challenged conventional wisdom on organic transformation. According to Lamarck, living things evolved from inanimate material through a series of gradual steps. Lamarck was not the only one to suggest that this could be the case but the general consensus is that he was the one being the one who gave the subject his first comprehensive and thorough treatment.

The prevailing story is that Lamarckism was a rival to Charles Darwin's theory of evolutionary natural selection, and both theories battled it out in the 19th century. Darwinism ultimately prevailed and led to what biologists call the Modern Synthesis.  에볼루션 슬롯게임  denies acquired characteristics can be passed down and instead argues organisms evolve by the selective action of environment factors, such as Natural Selection.

While Lamarck endorsed the idea of inheritance by acquired characters and his contemporaries also spoke of this idea however, it was not a central element in any of their evolutionary theories. This is largely due to the fact that it was never validated scientifically.

However, it has been more than 200 years since Lamarck was born and in the age genomics there is a huge body of evidence supporting the heritability of acquired characteristics. This is referred to as "neo Lamarckism", or more often epigenetic inheritance. This is a variant that is just as valid as the popular neodarwinian model.

Evolution by the process of adaptation

One of the most widespread misconceptions about evolution is that it is driven by a type of struggle to survive. In reality, this notion misrepresents natural selection and ignores the other forces that drive evolution. The struggle for existence is more accurately described as a struggle to survive in a particular environment. This may include not only other organisms as well as the physical surroundings themselves.

Understanding how adaptation works is essential to comprehend evolution. Adaptation is any feature that allows living organisms to live in its environment and reproduce. It can be a physiological structure such as feathers or fur or a behavioral characteristic such as a tendency to move into the shade in the heat or leaving at night to avoid cold.

The ability of an organism to extract energy from its surroundings and interact with other organisms and their physical environments is essential to its survival. The organism needs to have the right genes to create offspring, and must be able to find enough food and other resources. The organism should be able to reproduce at an amount that is appropriate for its particular niche.

These factors, in conjunction with gene flow and mutations, can lead to an alteration in the ratio of different alleles within the gene pool of a population. As time passes, this shift in allele frequencies could lead to the emergence of new traits, and eventually new species.

Many of the features we appreciate in plants and animals are adaptations. For example, lungs or gills that draw oxygen from air feathers and fur as insulation and long legs to get away from predators and camouflage to conceal. However, a complete understanding of adaptation requires attention to the distinction between physiological and behavioral characteristics.

Physiological adaptations, like thick fur or gills, are physical traits, whereas behavioral adaptations, such as the tendency to search for companions or to move into the shade in hot weather, aren't. It is important to keep in mind that the absence of planning doesn't cause an adaptation. In fact, a failure to think about the consequences of a behavior can make it ineffective despite the fact that it may appear to be logical or even necessary.