Darwin's evolution describes a process which happens when three conditions are met:
1. Traits vary between individuals, leading to different rates of survival.
2. Traits are inherited from previous generations.
3. More individuals are born each generation than there will produce offspring. Some will not survive because they lack certain traits or have disadvantageous traits. This is generally referred to as survival of the fittest / natural selection.
Note that this does not have to apply to living beings. It applies to everything where these 3 conditions exist. A good example would be jokes.
When a joke is retold, it is often kept more-or-less to the same story, but with slight variances (condition 1 and 2). Some of these variants are funny, some are less funny. Those which are funny are often remembered and retold, those which are not will be forgotten (condition 3).
Each time a joke is retold in funnier variants, it will be remembered and retold in even funnier variants. It will of course also be retold in less funny variants, but those will forgotten, and cease to be retold. Over time, there is a bias for funnier and funnier variants of the joke. We conclude that jokes evolve to become funny.
Darwin recognized this principle. When these 3 conditions are present, it is a logical conclusion that after a few generations, individuals will be more adapted to their environment.
He also recognized that this principle can be used to explain a lot, if not all of the traits in different species of animals and living things. Traits which seem to be adapted specifically for the environment of that species, or are leftovers from previous generations when that trait might have been useful.
He concluded that the different species of life must have been evolved from common ancestor(s), and that the diversity of life could be explained by one simple principle: the theory of evolution.
1. Traits vary between individuals, leading to different rates of survival.
2. Traits are inherited from previous generations.
3. More individuals are born each generation than there will produce offspring. Some will not survive because they lack certain traits or have disadvantageous traits. This is generally referred to as survival of the fittest / natural selection.
Note that this does not have to apply to living beings. It applies to everything where these 3 conditions exist. A good example would be jokes.
When a joke is retold, it is often kept more-or-less to the same story, but with slight variances (condition 1 and 2). Some of these variants are funny, some are less funny. Those which are funny are often remembered and retold, those which are not will be forgotten (condition 3).
Each time a joke is retold in funnier variants, it will be remembered and retold in even funnier variants. It will of course also be retold in less funny variants, but those will forgotten, and cease to be retold. Over time, there is a bias for funnier and funnier variants of the joke. We conclude that jokes evolve to become funny.
Darwin recognized this principle. When these 3 conditions are present, it is a logical conclusion that after a few generations, individuals will be more adapted to their environment.
He also recognized that this principle can be used to explain a lot, if not all of the traits in different species of animals and living things. Traits which seem to be adapted specifically for the environment of that species, or are leftovers from previous generations when that trait might have been useful.
He concluded that the different species of life must have been evolved from common ancestor(s), and that the diversity of life could be explained by one simple principle: the theory of evolution.
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Natural selection; If a population with variety of forms has its conditions changed then the form with the best ability to cope with the new conditions will predominate. Over time this could change the species appearance! So a type of moth with various colors could end up being mostly gray if the plants it lives on are gray as the others are more often eaten by predators.
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