Holes in the Theory of Evolution?

Question

Reasons why the Theory of Evolution doesn't quite add up?

Answer 1

I usually choose not to answer these questions anymore, but here it goes...

First off, the theory of evolution doesn't say ANYTHING about how life began. It only tells us how recent lif forms came about by a process of random production of variants and natural selection. So, Lonnie P's point is unfortunately not really valid. In fact, given the theory of evolution the math adds up nicely. even more impressively, since the second part of the evolutionary mechanism, natural selection, is directed, its outcome can indeed appear as if it were designed.

Second, the old question of monkeys. Again, it's a bit of a misconception of what the theory really suggests. According to biological notions, human beings and all recent apes and monkeys have a shared ancestor. But all present primate species are very different from this ancestral species. But, even if that were not the case, the argument of unchanged species does not hold. Imagine you have a population of one species. Through geological events the population is separated into two sub populations (e.g., seismic activities cause a rift between two land masses). Now imagine further that one part of the population remains in very similar environmental conditions, while the other part is exposed to new conditions. According to the theory the selection pressure in the two populations would be different and therefore the latter pop would change while the former would stay the same. given a few hundred or thousand generations, and you have two isolated species, of which one is practically still your ancestral species.

Third, while royalties claim the right to be always in the right, Czar unfortuantely, while sharing the attitude very appropriate to his name, has not given us any logical reason why the theory should be wrong. He makes a metaphysical statement, just like scientists often do, and claims therefore that the theory is false. This is as if I were to say, evolutinary biology has shown that God does not exist. Another senseless metaphysical statement that cannot be held, only made.

Fourth, I like the point Stephanie S makes. It is a good one which shows us more than one thing. First, it shows us that not all theories of evolution are alike. Second, it actually shows that sociobiology may not hold at all. What I mean is this. What Stephanie criticizes (and I think rightfully so) is the notion of kin selection which is at the heart of sociobiology., The main problem I have with this approach is that it is genocentric and overl adaptive in thought. Her examples were good ones. But there are others to support her point. I won't get into it (would be too long). However, she also says that the main notion of the theory holds, and I agree. In fact she mentions sexual selection, which Darwin already understood to be a very important evolutionary mechanism. But Stephanie doesn't have to worry about the theory per se, since sexual selection is not, as Darwin pointed out, natural selection. And while it does produce "weird" characteristics, it nonetheless is an important aspect of evolution. It may though occasionally lead to an arms race that ends in extinction.

Finally, the real question is, with evolutionary biology being the best sceince to date to explain the existence of the diversity of species, do we have to wrory about our religious beliefs? And to answer the question we have to be very well trained in (a) evolutionary biology and (b) in the claims of our religious doctrines. Personally, I find them very reconcilable.

Sorry about the lengthy answer, but I hope we can finally find a ground for dialogue in here that is not dominated by off the cuff remarks and fierceful polemics.

Answer 2

There are many signs, proof of unknown ways of evolution. The human schematic needs now only one skeleton type from a specific age to be complete, but it isn't founded yet. Not to mention the real first human haw has appeared it's very hard to say. And there are some animals that are very young species or very old ones this makes the theory of evolution unstable. Even the way how our Earth was born and how does changes is making it very hard to say how did life appeared and how it has evolved. the Theory of evolution has many holes, because we aren't having the necessary technology to say the right age, form or energy. these are our first steps.

Answer 3

One of the mysteries, which seemed to be a hole in the theory of evolution was the existence of altruism, however, it is theorized that altruism exists mostly amongst social animals, and an organism is more altruistic to one with which he shares his genes most closely. Like a brother and sister are more likely to exhibit altruistic behavior towards one another rather than to a stranger.

This altruistic behavior then insures the survival of the family, the DNA like ones own, though not exactly ones own.

There aren't really any other parts that don't add up necessarily. I guess sexual selection is sometimes counter-intuitive to survival of harsh elements (like the peacock's long tail might keep it from running faster but it makes him very appealing to the women), and so the big feathers persist since they are sexually selected for.

Answer 4

please return to the religious section and do your cheerleading there.

It's a THEORY! A scientific theory. Not a scientific law. That means that it's our best guess at the moment. It means that we are still learning and are continually revising it. It means we have open minds - oops sorry I forgot religious zealots don't know what that is. We examine each new piece of evidence. Who knows - someday maybe we'll have EVIDENCE (hard factual evidence) that does show that the THEORY of evolution is inaccurate and we'll start all over with a new THEORY. But at least we are open to that possibility. Unlike others who beat their breast, close their minds and shout that their holy book holds all the answers and is unquestionable and everyone else is wrong.

I suppose this means I won't get best answer?

Answer 5

You're starting from a false premise. The theory of evolution adds up quite nicely based on the observed evidence.

Simple-minded answers like "If we evolved from monkeys, why are there still monkeys?" don't help anything.

Answer 6

I was reading the answers to this question. unfortunately most of people still do know nothing about evolution.
when we talk about evolution, even if we use the word "THEORY" behind it, we don't mean that we guess about it or we are not completely sure about its truth.
evolution is proved, there is no doubt about it. its a fact in biology and it explains us everything we are looking for, if we open our mind and not to cheat ourselves.

Answer 7

Sorry, dude, NOT rock solid. It is a statistical impossibility for 'life' to have developed at random, as this theory claims, then 'evolved' into the myriad number of life forms on the planet. If Darwin had studied math, he would have known beforehand he was pulling this thought out of his butt.

Answer 8

In biology, evolution is the change in the heritable traits of a population over successive generations, as determined by shifts in the allele frequencies of genes. Through the course of time, this process results in the origin of new species from existing ones (speciation). It is the source of the vast diversity of extant and extinct life in the world; all contemporary organisms are related to each other through common descent, the products of cumulative evolutionary changes over billions of years.

The basic mechanisms that produce evolutionary change are natural selection (which includes ecological, sexual, and kin selection) and genetic drift; these two mechanisms act on the genetic variation created by mutation, genetic recombination and gene flow. Natural selection is the process by which individual organisms with favorable traits are more likely to survive and reproduce. If those traits are heritable, they pass them to their offspring, with the result that beneficial heritable traits become more common in the next generation.[1][2][3] Given enough time, this passive process can result in varied adaptations to changing environmental conditions.[4]

The modern understanding of evolution is based on the theory of natural selection, which was first set out in a joint 1858 paper by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace and popularized in Darwin's 1859 book The Origin of Species. In the 1930s, Darwinian natural selection was combined with the theory of Mendelian heredity to form the modern evolutionary synthesis, also known as "Neo-Darwinism". The modern synthesis describes evolution as a change in the frequency of alleles within a population from one generation to the next.[4] This theory has become the central organizing principle of modern biology, relating directly to topics such as the origin of antibiotic resistance in bacteria, eusociality in insects, and the staggering biodiversity of the living world.

Because of its potential implications for the origins of humankind, evolutionary theory has been at the center of many social and religious controversies since its inception.

Answer 9

I believe all this theories are only theories. The only one person who knows what exactly happened is the GOD. And if u want to know the truth go after the GOD.!!
As simple as it is!

Answer 10

All living things great and small wether now or in the past had/have a living evolutionary decendant or relative, Man does not, never did and never will...

Theory BUSTED!