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Evolution is the concept of living things changing over a long period of time to adapt and survive in their environments. It involves changes in traits that can be passed down to their offspring through their genetic information.
It is basically a process of inheriting characteristics from living organisms that gradually diverged from the population driven by various mechanisms such as natural selection, mutation, and migration.
Over time, a new generation emerges with the new selected traits that will help them survive longer and be able to pass on their genes. Scientists argue that this idea is not just a theory anymore; it has been observed happening in real time and has a lot of evidence backing it up, dating back several million years.
Evolution: Fact vs. Theory
While evolution is often called a theory, scientists emphasize that it is also an undeniable fact. Organisms have changed and will continue to change over time to survive and thrive.
The “theory” part of evolution is more about the definition and explanation of how these changes occur, instead of challenging the idea that organisms changed over time. Through natural selection, mutation, and other factors, evolution has been observed across generations and is real.
Read more: Wikipedia
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Evolution in Action Around Us
When people think of evolution, sometimes they think of an event that happened millions of years ago. That is not the way we should think about this idea; rather, it is happening right now, all around us.
For example, bacteria who is known for being able to evolve and adapt to most antibiotics we introduce them to, which is why scientists always try to create new ones. Through selection and mutation, bacteria develop a defense mechanism to survive, a real-time observation of evolution.
Another example is the undeniable number of fossil evidence that we have gathered showing that life has existed for much longer than we imagine, and it has continuously changed during all that time. Fossils allowed scientists to trace the evolution of various species, including humans, and they provide concrete evidence of life undergoing continuous change over geological time.
Read more: Berkeley Education
Humans Are Still Evolving
Humans did not evolve from the modern chimpanzees that we are seeing today; however, we can trace back our lineage to show that we have a common ancestor that lived between 6 to 8 million years ago. This common ancestor eventually led to different types of lineages from humans to modern chimpanzees.
However, whether you believe it or not, humans are still evolving to this day. They are just slower than the past because of our technological advancement that allows us to deal with our problems immediately instead of changing over time to solve them.
Some examples would be lactose tolerance, the ability to digest milk after infancy, which spreads through the population, along with our resistance to multiple diseases like malaria and tuberculosis. Recent studies tell us that these are relatively new evolutionary traits that came from the last 10,000 years or a few centuries.
Read more: Business Insider
Lab Experiments Prove It
Evolution is not only visible in nature, but also in our own laboratories, where we can study and observe it directly. A good example would be the E. coli long-term evolution experiment, which started in 1988, but due to the fast changes and generation time of the bacteria, the experiment allowed researchers to observe evolution in real time across multiple generations.
Author's Final Thoughts
Evolution is not “just a theory” anymore; with all the evidence and studies we have done, scientists are confident about its existence. Additionally, it is not just a distant idea that happened millions of years ago, but is currently happening right now, and we should learn from it.
Evolution might give us the understanding necessary to fight off diseases, adapt to change, and learn how life survives and thrives, through it all.
Read more: Scientists Say We Might Merge With AI in about 20 Years — And It Could Change Humanity Forever
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