How is evolution not random?

Question

Mutations are completely random. Stop making excuses.

Answer 1

Mutations occur in the context of natural selection. Natural selection is not random. The natural selectors are the forces of the environment, the physical laws (which do not change), the weather (which operate in patterns), the land and water (which generally remain constant for the lifespan of most living things). For a mutation to be selected it must enhance the ability of the living thing to survive in the environment better than any other of the same species. Therefore, if it is random in a negative way, such that it doesn't improve their ability to survive and have offspring, it won't likely survive to reproduce. So, you would never really know about the bad mutations. Conversely, if it enhances the ability to survive and reproduce in the environment, it will be more likely to be seen because it enabling that living thing to do better in the environment and therefore is helping that living thing's next generation do the same. The most important feature a good trait is to have is the ability to recur consistently for generations. A feature that only helps one generation isn't as good as one that helps every subsequent generation. This mean the trait of limiting what can mutate is a preferred trait and the ability to limit what can mutate randomly to non-critical areas of one's biology is fundamental to any living thing.

So, there you have it in a nutshell, but if you really wanted the scientific answer you would have asked in the biology section.

Answer 2

"The theory of evolution says that evolution proceeds by random chance."

There is probably no other statement which is a better indication that the arguer doesn't understand evolution. Chance certainly plays a large part in evolution, but this argument completely ignores the fundamental role of natural selection, and selection is the very opposite of chance. Chance, in the form of mutations, provides genetic variation, which is the raw material that natural selection has to work with. From there, natural selection sorts out certain variations. Those variations which give greater reproductive success to their possessors (and chance ensures that such beneficial mutations will be inevitable) are retained, and less successful variations are weeded out. When the environment changes, or when organisms move to a different environment, different variations are selected, leading eventually to different species. Harmful mutations usually die out quickly, so they don't interfere with the process of beneficial mutations accumulating.

Answer 3

Mutations may be random, but that doesn't mean that the combination of their occurrences (evolution) is.

Take the example of darts thrown at a dartboard. The distance from the bullseye with each dart is random, but if you throw a thousand darts at the board and then plot the distances from the bullseye, you will inevitably get a bell curve distribution for them. If you look at evolution with the same logic, then a lot of the 'randomness' of the system actually goes away. Evolution is not one genetic mutatiuon, but a whole series of them within a system.

Answer 4

The mutation may be random, but the natural selection for animals possessing this mutation which causes the trait to be carried on is not random.

Answer 5

What is your question? Mutations are random and those mutations that are advantageous to survival in the environment will persist to the next generation.

Answer 6

Only the mutations that promote the survival of the organism make it. Hence, it is the opposite of random.

Your questions? Now THEY are random.

Answer 7

they are random but the mutations that persist are the ones that are helpful to the creature and thus the genes for that trait are past on because that create is benefited, has a better chance of survival and dominance amongst it's peers.

Answer 8

There are degrees of randomness. Evolution is not a completely random process.

Answer 9

Read about "Natural Selection"

You start with a sentence "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog"

And then random mutation generates a bunch of variations:
- The quick black fox jumped over the lazy dog
- Too quick black fox jumped over the lazy dog
- The jumped fox quicked black over the lazy dog
- A quick brown flop jumped over the lazy dock
- A quick brown dog flopped over the lazy clock

...Now we add Natural Selection:

With English, Natural Selection equates to people preferring one sentence over the other.
One of the best real-world examples of natural selection is advertising. Let's say you sell quick brown foxes and you want to advertise them on the Internet. You could write a paid Google advertisement (you see them running down the right side of the screen when you search) that says something like this:

= Quick Brown Fox
- Jumps Over Your Lazy Dog
- Other Colors Available too - Black, White
- www.QuickBrownFox.com

Answer 10

Mutations may be random but natural selection is not.