why does evolution occur?

Question

well i'm a Christian and i'm just researching so no need for nasty comments, anyway why does evolution occur? i mean why did we "have a common ancestor" that made us into humans? is there a reason for it? i don't see why things would change without a reason

alright cool, so i'm getting a lot of answers that it's so we survive...and to make things better and whatnot, so now to the current issue, global warming is occuring, has occured, why are you atheists worried, we'll just evolve into something to survive right?

what a relief eh?

Answer 1

'Christian' read Genesis, we were created. If you don't believe that, re-examine yourself. Adam was our common ancestor. Things haven't change we are still humans -no extra arms, eyes, etc.

Micro evolution is animals does occur. But no leap from rock to bird!

Answer 2

How Does Evolution Occur

Answer 3

DNA copying is not perfect, so progeny don't have exactly the same genome as their parents. the genes can affect the outward form of the organism so there will be variation in a population (for instance some will be taller than others or have better eyesight, etc). some variants will be better at survival and reproduction than others in the environment the organism finds itself in, so over many generations they will increase in the population, until the population as a whole consists of individuals that are wholly unlike those at earlier times.

so there can be many reasons for change. perhaps the environment is changing, or the organisms are migrating from one environment to another (which is effectively the same thing, from a gene's point of view). change doesn't have to be adaptive, either.

re: global warming, the fossil record indicates that most species that ever existed are now extinct, and left no descendant species. most of these extinctions are probably due to rapid changes that couldn't be adapted to - meteor strikes being the obvious example. global warming might also be such an event (although probably not on the scale of previous catastrophes, the difference is that we can do something about it).

Answer 4

Did you want serious answers?


There is no "reason" in the sense that some sentient thing willed it to be so. The reason is a product of natural selection and ecology. Mutations bring about variation. Natural selection chooses those organisms that perform the best in the population's specific ecological context. Abiotic factors in environments change, and the organisms also change through natural selection, and the two processes feedback through changing ecological interactions.

In response to the person above me (and to your global warming statement):
Extinction is common when environments change rapidly; over 99.99% of all species that have ever lived are extinct. Also, keep in mind that because evolution is always occuring, every single fossil that has ever been found was a transitional species.

Answer 5

Belief in evolution does not require a disbelief in Christianity. Evolution is changes that occur over time to ensure the survival of a species by modifying that species until it is the fittest. That is the reason that the changes occur. Species that are ill adapted to survive die off and leave the fitter species.

Answer 6

It's really rather simple, but you're trying to look at it backwards.

Simply put: Our biological ancestors, somewhere along the line, developed a better-functioning brain. This gave them a slightly better advantage of survival (and thus reproduced more) over their brethren. The ones that managed to survive better produced more children, who passed the same improved traits to their children. Over many, many generations, the improvements built on one another.

Why does evolution occur? Environmental pressure and natural selection. The environment places specific requirements on the life forms living in it to survive. Those who adapt survive. Those who don't die out. Perhaps not immediately, but inevitably.

In our particular niche, we developed from creatures that were relatively small and weak and needed to outthink their predators, who adopted scanveger and omniverous capabilites, and whose brains steadily improved better processing power.

We're not done evolving. Nothing is. We just have far fewer environmental pressures on us nowdays. We have developed our brains to be able to come up with ways to alter our environment to our needs. A major environmental change could force us to adapt yet again in some way...or die out.

Answer 7

things change because of mutations in genes and if those make the animal survive better those with the mutation live on. thats how the human race gradually came into existence.

about the global warming thing you mentioned, no, that's not how it works. evolution doesnt occur TO survive, it is the result of surviving.

Answer 8

The reason is natural selection. It acts on random variation. That's why it occurs.

Answer 9

Every minute, 1 million of your red blood cells die and are replaced by new ones. Otherwise parts of your body would break down often. You are constantly changing. You are never the same as you were a minute ago. Common ancestry is a calculated guess, no one knows for sure.

Answer 10

dude who gives a **** we evolve to be better like pokemons asians were smart to make that game at age 7 I knew what evolution does makes u better!

P.s I think I'm gonna go to some ******* monestery couse I don't want to have to deal and see the **** people do with our planet

P.ss I combined evolution and Catholicismismism I think god made sun or only one or two things and then **** just happened... and the watched on like dominos (not pizza) the only thing I don't like wut he did was races... I think we should all color our skins green

Answer 11

Nature and the law of science allow us to be here...we didn't chose to be here it was Natural selection and mutation that turned our ancestor into Homo Sapiens. The reason is up to you to create.