I've recently come to the conclusion that there is no god. I'm trying to learn more about evolution and such but it seems very confusing. So can someone help me understand it, explain it to me like I'm an idiot.
once upon a time we were monkeys, then we got smart and grew thumbs through genetic mutations and it stuck. now were walking upright and shaving our hairy selves on our own
Things more suited to the environment live to reproduce more often, therefore their characteristics become more common. Mutations provide differences between organisms, and when one is advantageous, it becomes more common, and the species evolves. Might be confusing.
This may help ya... I'm a creationist because I don't understand evolution, please explain it like I'm 5 : explainlikeimfive It's the "Explain it like I'm 5" subreddit on Reddit, a thread about evolution.
I am not an authority on the issue, but I work closely with those that are. Biology and anatomy are subjects I have always been interested in, both as a personal hobby and as a subset of my current discipline. I'd be happy to help you answer any questions you have, offer readings and point you towards useful resources. I'd offer this as a good starting point. UC Berkeley maintains a public portal on biological evolution. It's easy to access, easy to read, and won't overload you: Evolution 101: An Introduction to Evolution If you're interest in cuddling up with a book, maybe start here: Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin is a very approachable and informative read.
Survival of the fittest.the mutations that were most vital to our survival lived on and over millions of years this is what we have
Its probably similar to Darwin's finches. These finches were living just fine, but their food source slowly changed over time. In order to survive, the finches adapted their beaks to the food as it evolved so that they could survive. Because of that it can be said that the finches evolved over time as the food source changed so that they did not become extinct. Pretty much to evolve is to adapt to the environment around you so that you can continue to survive which is what his finches did.
Thanks I'm starting to understand a little better but what exactly kick starts evolution. I mean what exactly tells the body it must change to evolve so it can survive?
Also I never understood why a fish decided to get on land one day. I mean a fish didn't have to come on land to survive did he? Plus how did the fish get there I mean did it just keep going on land every once and a while till it grew legs. This stuff is mind boggling but I'm sure smeone could explain it on here.
Yup. That, coupled with the following video = Probable. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KurTiX4FDuQ]Amazing animals - Mudskipper - YouTube[/ame]
Came in here to post this originally Nothing does. Genetic mutations are just mistakes and differences that occur over time. Sometimes these traits that are different are more suited to the environment they're in to help them survive. They survive, while people without that trait don't. Eventually, over a long period of time, you're left with organisms that have changed so much they aren't even the same species anymore.
There are a few explanations and the truth is probably a hybrid of them. I'd definitely encourage you to read that Neil Shubin book, because it directly addresses this question. The origins of life on our planet was in the early oceans. For a long while, all animals were marine animals. Competition was fierce in the marine environment, and as the oxygen levels in the atmosphere rose (thanks to cyanobacteria), and terrestrial plant life began to proliferate (during the Silurian period) there was suddenly a new ecological niche that was available for to be taken advantage of. Contrary to popular belief, these early terrestrial fish were not the first terrestrial animals. Arthropods and other invertebrates had made the jump to land long before vertebrates (during the Devonian period) and likely actively preyed on these early adapters. The likeliest answer to this was probably concerning a vertebrate fish species which was attempting to gain access to the resource-rich tide pools of the early Earth. These early adapters probably started launching themselves short distances from oceans waters into these tide pools, knowing their locations from high tide. Those species which successfully reached these tide pools suddenly found themselves with a great advantage in food resources and likely increased their protection from marine predators. They more able they were to reach these pools, the more likely they were to be reproductively successful. As time went on, they likely began to slide along slick rock surfaces in addition to merely leaping from the water, using their fins to push themselves when stuck and exposed to the atmosphere, driving natural selection to favour those who had beneficial genetic adaptions of possessing more bony and muscular fins Shubin outlines the fossil evidence for this transition and extant species who still practice this survival strategy and currently fill that ecological niche. The BBC documentary series Walking With Monsters is available on youtube and outlines this in the early episodes.
Check out the sea robin. It's a fish who has "legs". They use them to sift through shit on the sea floor. They were once part of their fins and one day mutated to be separate and more than likely allowed them to better survive. Strong traits survive.
Ok I saw this thread so I thought I would just ask. Does the theory of evolution contain that we all started as some organism and then evolved and evolved and yada yada yada then fish monkeys and now here we are? Or is it simply the theory that the best traits survive and the others dont.. whats it called natural selection? survival of the fittest?
I was just abbout to bring up another fish. I belive the name is the snakehead fish. Whatever the name its a deadly fish that can come up on land and stay on land for a long time. Could other fish like this exist long ago. Also how can bacteria evolve so fast