Evolution: 2

I would explain evolution as a change over time in a species. There are many ways in which a species can evolve and it does not always mean that they are evolving to be better or worse off than their ancestors. Some species may evolve to be "fitter" than they were before, whether that means they gained or lost a specific trait. Species can also evolve to still have a trait, but the trait may not carry much significance to the species survival. From the class discussion last week, I have come to realize that there are many different aspects that go into what evolution is and the book has explained even different text books have different explanations of what evolution actually is. 

I believe that evolution is a fact because there is evidence pointing to evolution in species. There may be some theories built off of the facts because new information is always being discovered, but it is building onto the already proven facts instead of discrediting them. In class, we discussed the example of gravity and how we know there are facts about gravity. We may not know everything there is to know about gravity and we can come up with more theories to better understand gravity. I think evolution has the same sort of idea because we do not know everything about how species have evolved, but scientists are uncovering more facts and ideas about how species have changed over time. 

Comments

  1. Madison N12 September 2021 at 09:26

    Great thoughts, Allison! Especially your in-depth comparison of what we know about gravity to what we know about evolution. You're right; both have evidence-based assertations that are hard to disprove, and yet are still constantly changing as we learn more. So, in a way, they act a lot like both fact /and/ theory. Can something be both?

    I'm also going to nitpick your definition of evolution, because that's my job ;) You defined it as "a change over time in a species." Does that mean evolution includes immigration and emigration? Both cause change over time. Can part of a species evolve (change over time) without including the whole species? What might happen then? And what, exactly, does being "fitter" mean? Why evolve a trait that "may not carry much significance to the species survival"?

    These questions are just food for thought - not judgement on your thought processes or quality of post! You've raised some excellent ideas, and so I raise you some more :]

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