Evolution
What is evolution?
Evolution is a crucial and fundamental element for survival on Earth. The environment of Earth is always changing, which drives organisms to evolve in order to survive. Evolution isn't always living changes, non-living evolution exists as well. Humans have made buildings that withstand earthquakes, cars that can drive longer with less fuel intake, or houses that can withstand harsh weather environments. Non-living evolution can benefit lives. Without living and non-living evolution life on Earth would've withered away millions of years ago, including man.
Evolution is also the change in a gene pool of a population from generation to generation. Processes like natural selection, mutations, gene flow, genetic drift, and non-random mating all drive evolution. Examples like the peppered moth demonstrate how environmental change can influence evolution. The peppered moth's environment changed as the industrial evolution began, the tree bark went from speckled white to black. As the environment changed natural selection drove the black moth variation to increase. Evolution can also occur on a larger scale from one species to another, such as ape to man. Evolution is the solution to the ever changing environments and conditions of Earth, and without it life now would be barren.
Evolution is also the change in a gene pool of a population from generation to generation. Processes like natural selection, mutations, gene flow, genetic drift, and non-random mating all drive evolution. Examples like the peppered moth demonstrate how environmental change can influence evolution. The peppered moth's environment changed as the industrial evolution began, the tree bark went from speckled white to black. As the environment changed natural selection drove the black moth variation to increase. Evolution can also occur on a larger scale from one species to another, such as ape to man. Evolution is the solution to the ever changing environments and conditions of Earth, and without it life now would be barren.
Is evolution real?
I believe evolution exists, including macro-evolution. Evolution explains how life on Earth has survived since the beginning. Our planet is not an easy one to live on, there have been meteoroid strikes, ice ages, plagues, droughts, earthquakes, and tsunamis. Without evolution existing life would've ceased long ago, Earth is always changing and so are its inhabitants. Evidence includes fossil records, comparative anatomy, comparative embryology, and molecular evidence. Fossil evidence is able to trace similar characteristics of any fossil to a common ancestor and shows how different groups are related to each other. Doing this can reveal how closely related an extinct species is to a living one. Comparative anatomy shows how homologous structures can trace back to a common ancestor. Embryos show the most primitive and basic genes first, so by comparing embryos we can link together relationships between species. Molecular evidence looks at the gene itself or its product, a protein. Molecular evidence is lab intensive, but shows how closely related DNA is. The theory of evolution combined with a great deal of evidence proves that evolution does truly exist.
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Survival of the Sickest
Chapter IV in survival of the sickest covered the role of G6PD, connections between two concepts, and explaining the statement "Life is such a compromise". I think the most interesting part in my chapter was the connection between capsaicin and birds/mammals.
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