How could we explain the complexity of life by evolutionary theory? Why does the complexity of life arise?

Answer 1

There are many kinds of complexity: complexity of structure, complexity of function, behavioral complexity, and so on. Still, at the root of it all is DNA, and genetic complexity, which gives rise to all the other kinds of complexity, is pretty easy to explain. There are just four base pairs in DNA--adenine, thiamine, cytosine and guanine--but the DNA molecule can be indefinitely long, so there is an almost infinite possible variation in the way the genetic code can be sequenced, and that gives rise to complexity and variety.

Answer 2

In the beginning life was simple. There was just one kind of an organism. It was made of just one cell which was capable of doing just the most basic of the chemical reactions necessary for a living cell. It was the ancestor of all life. The most important feature of a living thing is that it has a molecule (DNA or RNA) which contains all the information about how to build and maintain a cell. This information is copied and passed on to the other cells of a kind. But sometimes errors occur in the process of copying this information. As a result, a cell that has inherited this changed information grows to be different, and passes on this different information ti its descendants.After some time more and more groups of various cells arise. This process is called evolution. So, evolution and the biological complexity of life arises from these changes (mutations) in the information molecule of life (DNA). It takes a lot of time, tens of thousands of years for DNA to change enough that it produces an inertly new species. (But Earth's got enough time to wait. :)The principle is the same for the multicellular organisms, cuz we all start out in our mother wombs as a single cell with a unique information of life.

Answer 3

You asked two questions.

For your first, I would argue that evolutionary theory doesn't try to explain complexity, it tries to explain how species in different environments adapt and eventually diverge enough from their parent stock over many generations to be considered new species. Among the mechanisms are random mutation, gene shuffling, recombining, duplication, elimination.

The seeds of 'complexity' can be seen even in chemistry. Consider the carbon atom. It is possible (and likely) to form long and longer chains, branched chains, rings, balls, tubes, and sheets just depending on conditions.

At almost any stage this skeleton can pick up solo hydrogen, hydroxyl, amide and amine groups, and even (thanks to humans) chlorine and florine groups. These groups interact with groups on other molecules, either being attracted or repelled by the strength of their covalent bonds.

As molecules become larger and larger, the number of combinations and possibilities get larger. We haven't even reached the stage of living organisms, and already it is 'complex'.

Since 'complexity' existed way before living organisms, it existed before evolution had a chance to do anything with it.

Answer 4

a million. no, biologists have consistently primary that cells are complicated, yet in addition they knew that they are created from smaller sub instruments that are actually not incompatible with evolutionary thought. certainly the incontrovertible fact that a lot of an organisms purposes seem accomplished by ability of strategies that initially did some thing else, (behe's flagellum irreducible rotary motor became out to be a metamorphosis of an ion pump). now why might a clothier who might desire to get new aspects out of the vacuum by ability of magic reuse old aspects. the incontrovertible fact that novel aspects in cells and organisms are consistently created from the substitute of old ones merely approximately unavoidably outcomes interior the top that they are the manufactured from an evolutionary technique. 2. regardless of the incontrovertible fact that anthony flew remained a deist, who rejected printed religions, he recanted on the incontrovertible fact that the evolution DNA became not a naturalistic technique. and no count how smart he became, he became a logician not a biologist. the incontrovertible fact that very virtually one hundred% of the main widespread biologists are the two atheists or agnostics tells a narrative.

Answer 5

Because natural selection produces very small but parallel changes, accumulated over huge amounts of time, this itself can produce incredible complexity.

For example, the eye is a fairly complex structure ... but it did not arise all at once ... and the parts did not evolve independently. First came the invention of photosensitive proteins (these proteins are called 'pigments' and are fairly common in nature), and then accumulation of these in photosensitive regions and specialized cells, then the concentration into eyespots, then the eyespots became more cup shaped, eventually closing off an eye-cup with a cornea and lens for better focusing on the light, better muscle control of the lens, etc. etc. All that matters is that *any* slight improvement in eyesight produces slightly better survival and thus propagates well into future generations.

But the point is not just that there are a lot of small changes, but that each one does not happen in isolation. A small improvement in one structure encourages improvements in other structures. For example, a sharper lens makes it advantageous to have a better retina, and vice versa. And these improvements to the retina encourage more connections in the optic nerve and in the visual centers of the brain and in muscle control of the lens and on and on ... for *hundreds of millions* of years and generations. The end result of all these millions of tiny improvements all happening simultaneously in dozens of different cooperating regions of the visual system all produce something we now call "complex".

These parts all work together beautifully because they all *evolved* together.

There are many other examples ... the individual structures of a cell, the way an ecosystem of a forest or a coral reef all works together, the complex systems that enable flight in a bird (it's not just wings, but the structure of feathers, the heart, the light skeleton, the structures of the muscles and nervous system, etc.) All these things, to *humans*, look like impossibly COMPLEX collections of separate parts, but as all these parts evolved *together*, it is only a human construct to consider them as separate "parts".

Couple that with the information-carrying properties of DNA. It can store an indefinite amount of information and pass it from generation to generation. Entire genes can be turned off, disappear from use, and then reappear in a later organism millions of years later that finds a new use for it. Things can get copied ... e.g. the same genes codes for a leg can be repeated to code for six legs if that is useful (and not lethal) for the organism. In other words, evolution does not have to reinvent things from scratch over and over. One or two genes can combine two simple structures to create something more complex.

So natural selection, plus time, makes complexity inevitable.

Answer 6

How when almost every animal on this planet shares the same facial features, can life be called complex. Every day is the same. Plants all do the same thing pretty much and it all happened so fast. It aint complex, your just confused.

Answer 7

The complexity of life (encoded in DNA) implies an intelligence - namely the Creator. Informaton does not spontaneously arise.

Answer 8

"Speciation is the evolutionary process by which new biological species arise" (Wikipedia)

Have a look at the link below as a starting point for your studies.

It's new species constantly evolving in response to a wide range of ever-changing environmental conditions that drives complexity, both in individual organisms and in ecosystems.

Answer 9

Complexity is only a human concept. We use to refer to things we don't readily understand. Things inherently are what they are. Even if we find them too "complex" to understand that doesn't mean they will stop doing what they are doing. Your brain doesn't stop functioning because it doesn't understand itself.
My point is nothing is intrinsically complex. We are the ones who attribute complexity to things, only because *we* don't understand them well.

Answer 10

Seriously get a life. I don't care. Im healthy i'm alive, why worry myself with dodgey calculations