Evolution.....?

Question

People that argue that evolution does not exist, then how do you explain the metamorphesis of a caterpillar into a butterfly. Or tadpoles into frogs. They go from strickly water creatures, into land creaters. ...
How is it not possible that we could have evolved from a more primal creature, into what we are today? Exclude text from the bible.....I already know all that! What about the evolving that is still going on?


Do you have any other examples of evolution that is happening today, other the the catterpiller?

Answer 1

"Evolution" defined as a change in the frequency of alleles in a population from one generation to the next occurs quite often today. Breeding of dogs is a good example. Breeders select dogs with desirable traits for breeding and thus alter the frequency of certain genes appearing in the entire breed population. The same is done with breeding crop plants to create better produce or prettier flowers.

In nature, this type of selection occurs more subltely since the selection pressures are often not as strong and we can't easily measure them, but they do exist.

Answer 2

'Evolution by natural selection' takes a long time to occur - many many generations. What it basically means is that characteristics which help an organism to survive will be passed on the next generation. Over time all the changes build up, usually in an isolated population of the species, and a new species arises.

Even though this takes many generation, there are still many examples of new species evolving which have been recorded by humans. There are new species of mosquito, plants, fly, and fish (see link). And of course there are things like dogs which are becoming quite different from wolves.

There is a lot of anti-evolution propaganda out there. They lie a LOT, mostly about what evolution is (some perhaps cos they don't understand it themselves). When they have mislead people about what 'evolution by natural selection' really means, then it makes it easy for them to debunk it. This is a 'straw man argument' and is desception. Fortunately, you're smart ;-)

Answer 3

I don't agree with you that tadpoles into frogs & caterpillar to butterfly are really examples of evolution. These are just, as you said, "metamorphesis."
The modern theory of evolution is explained as "a change in the gene frequency." The changes are subtle and may take a long period of time to become apparent.
Examples: DDT resistant insects, wingless flies ( off the coast of Samolia?), The peppered moth. In humans, perhaps the uselessness of wisdom teeth. Vestigial structures , such as the appendix. More.....

Answer 4

Evolution happens when a species changes through a process of natural selection. A caterpillar changing into a butterfly is not a good example of evolution. A species of moth that's wing color changed to match the color of dust on trees from pollution is an example of evolution.

Evidence of evolution is fairly easy to find though. Go to your nearest pet store and you will find dogs of a great variety of shape, form and temperment. They are like that because they have been selectively bred to enhance various genetic features.

The animal kingdom is full of evidence of animals that have adapted to changes and are adapting to changes as environments and other infulences select successful genes.

The fossil record is also evidence--though not proof--of the evolutionary process.

Whether a person chooses to accept evolution, however; does not really hinge on reason or evidence. You can demonstrate the evolutionary process to people in vivid detail and they still will not accept it.

It is because a part of our brain, the temporal lobe, sometimes gives us a sensation of a religious experience. The effect can be very strong in some people and can compell them to believe in god beyond all reason.

It is ironic that belief in god is probably the result of evolution. Those who believed in the same thing probably banded together and worked better together then those who didn't and thus spread their genes more effectively.

For some people, belief in god is compulsory--because of the state of their brain--so it is no use trying to argue people out of refuting evolution. Doing so would be a waste of time.

Answer 5

Sorry, that is not evolution, that is metamorphosis. The problem with evolution is that it does not necessarily happen on a human timescale. The fossil record is our best evidence.

Don't let people tell you about the ermine moth that evolved a dark form during the industrial revolution either. That was an example of natural selection, but it was not evolution.

Answer 6

The life cycles of the critters you mention isn't the same as evolution -- you may want to study up on the topic, especially if you intend to defend it. (Also, it's not clear to me that "evolution exists" is an intelligible to say what you're trying to get at.)

If you're really interested in what the anti-evolution crowd would say (I believe the current view among ID-ers is to distinguish "micro-evolution" from "macro-evolution") it should be easy to do an Internet search that would get you to relevant sites.

To learn more about evolution, you could start at UC Berkeley's site

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/

Also, The Blind Watchmaker by Richard Dawkins does an excellent job of explaining evolution to non-scientists.

If you're going to defend a view, it's best to first understand it.

Answer 7

I too can recommend "The Blind Watchmaker" by Richard Dawkins which blows the creationists clean out of the water.
The "Why are apes still here" statement is meaningless. It is like saying "Why haven't all fish evolved into amphibians"
As one scientist once remarked, "I will stop believing in evolution when someone finds the remains of a Pre-Cambrian Rabbit"
The latest news from the Galápagos islands may be of interest to you.

Answer 8

The Peppered Moth.

Answer 9

How about the chicken and the egg?? Clearly the egg had to be first becasue the chicken hatched from it. But who lay it?

Mason Bees curretly lay an egg in a small hole and fill it with mud. During the next 6 months that egg hatches into a grub that evolves into a new bee who eat his way out of the hole.

Answer 10

I am a supporter of Evolution. The examples you've listed here are not examples of evolution, they are examples of metamorphosis.