How does evolution happen? How does life improve on itself automatically?

Question

My question is this:

I realize that species develop skills, abilities or phyical changes in response to a need in the environment. I want to know what "tells" the genes (?) or DNA (?) that this change needs to happen in the next living being? How do the genes (?) "know" to make this change?

Answer 1

The answer appears to be the process of natural selection.

Nothing has to "tell" genes anything, and the genes don't have to "know" anything.

There is a lot of natural variation in all species ... (e.g. some members might be hairier than others). If some gene conveys some slight advantage (e.g. the gene that makes some members hairier, allows them to survive winters better), enough that some members live slightly longer and make more babies, then that gene will propagate more through the species (the species will, over time, change to become hairier).

Sometimes, if that gene allows somes members to explore different environments (e.g. it allows the hairier members to travel further north), and some become isolated from the other members of the species, then over time these new pioneers can eventually become a separate species (i.e. once isolated for long enough, they first lose the intinct, and eventually the ability to mate with each other).

Answer 2

Short answer, it doesn't. Most mutations are complete failures. Mother nature has a built in 'fuzziness' in her designs that allow for variations of greater or lesser degree to happen. This is why the children of a given set of parents aren't all identical copies of each other. This fuzziness is also why almost no diseases are 100% fatal; there's always a few people with natural immunity. When there is environmental pressure, say, a change in climate, varying degrees of coping ability are already built into the gene pool of a given population. The ones in the group with naturally better coping ability will thrive while others won't. They won't all die off, just not do as well, and over time this pushes the gene pool in the direction of the more able group. This is Natural Selection. Our DNA has all sorts of potentials that won't necessarily come to the fore until/unless they are needed. In prehistoric times, good eyesight was an essential survival tool. There were still people with varying degrees of vision born, but the ones with poor sight tended to get 'weeded' out. This kept that part of the population low.Now that we have glasses/contacts etc and aren't being stalked by predators, the evolutionary pressure on vision is gone and poor eyesight becomes common. There may come a time when survival depends on being highly attuned to the emotional staes of others, maybe even psychic. You can bet that potential is there and crops up occasionally in the human race, it just hasn't been 'selected' yet.

Answer 3

The short answer. They don't. There are variations in all genetic code. It's why some people have blue eyes, some brown. Why some people are born with 5 fingers on their right hand. Some with 6. Or none.

What happens is that every so often a trait comes out which "benefits" that individual or group of individuals. If reproductive rights were assigned by hierachy of video game scores, after a milllenia you would be left with a breed of people with extremely quick hand eye coordination, maybe coupled with a low pulse rate, and the ability to stay immobile for days at a time without food and water or movement. You get the idea? It's NOT the trait, it's what that specific trait "benefits" in the course of 'the survival of the species' ie., You may reproduce more, yopu are less likely to die, and your young are likely to live and reproduce.
And that gives us, over time, separate species through evolution.

Answer 4

The genes do not "know". Mutations happen randomly, among other things because of cosmic radiation. Sometimes such a mutation is "adaptive", which means that the trait gives the individual a better chance at survival under the existing environment and circumstances. Thus he/she has an increased chance to breed and to perpetuate the adaptive gene.
Of course there are millions of mutations that are not adaptive and these tend to disappear, but the few adaptive ones remain, at least until the environment changes and the trait ceases to be adaptive. Obviously in a changing environment, new traits become adaptive and so on.

Answer 5

Nothing happens "automatically."
Due to radiation or chemical processes, or heredity,
the DNA which makes up our genes changes or mutates.
Since this is random, most mutations are deadly.
Some are not, but are not good for the individual's survival, so don't pass on.
Some very few are pro-survival, and give the individual a chance to survive and thrive better than others. These get passed on and multiply.
Over long periods these mutations cause great changes.
Theory of Evolution. Charles Darwin. "The Origin of the Species."

Answer 6

nothing tells the genes to change, it is generally some chemical or radioactivity that mutates the genes and makes them different, the changes that are for the better get passed on, and the others are either lost, or do not develop fully. Its not that the genes are good or bad, just that some are beneficial to the species and are passed on and some are not beneficial, and the creature does not survive to pass its genes on to the next generation. it isthe species that is most able to adapt to new surroundings that survive the longest.

Answer 7

Life doesn't just change in an instant. This happens over millions to billions of years, one small step at a time. Nothing tells the genes to change it changes because of small mistakes copying the DNA. If that change in DNA gives the organism a slight advantage then it passes that advantage to the next generation, so on a so forth. This occurs over many many generations.

Answer 8

This is a topic on adaptibility. But as to how adaptaion happens, it encompasses changes at different levels, from gross skills to mutations at the molecular level. You do realize that species develop skills. This is based on their observation of what they need to survive, and from this perception of their need, they process that information in their brain and eventually come up with something to answer their needs. Physical changes, on the other hand, may begin with phenotypic mutaion. By the way, there are 2 kinds of mutations, phenotypic and genotypic. The first one is reversible and superficial...for example, when you expose your skin to sun, it produces melanin to protect your skin from UV rays, grossly evident as getting dark. This is phenotypic mutation. Genotypic mutaion may happen either from direct insult to your genes, i.e., carcinogens from food, tobacco, drugs, etc., or from a long standing phenotypic mutation. But the latter takes generations of phenotypic changes in order to be evident. That's why, (I thought, and I hope I don't offend anyone here coz anyway this is just my own theory) that Africans have a dark complexion and thicker layers of skin as a result of generations of phenotypic mutations. They were exposed to harsh environmental condition in Africa that their adaptation to their environment becomes a genotypic mutation, that in present times, even if they are born outside Africa or in temperate locations, they still carry that genes for dark complexion.

I REALLY HOPE THAT THIS DOES NOT INCITE ANY RACIAL ISSUES, THIS IS JUST MY WAY OF THINKING AND I DON'T WANT TO CAUSE ANY MISUNDERSTANDING. I AM SO SORRY IF THERE IS ANY OFFENSE TAKEN. MY SINCEREST APOLOGIES.

Answer 9

Genes don't KNOW...mutations occur; good and bad, The good mutations enable the next generation to survive better, while the bad mutations kill the subject..

Answer 10

mutations occur spontaneously in the DNA. If these mutations should cause an animal to better survive its surroundings, the mutation itself would be able to spread as well ( survival of the fittest).