have we witnessed evolution

Introduction

The concept of evolution, introduced by Charles Darwin, posits that species undergo gradual changes over time through natural selection. While traditionally thought to occur over vast timescales, recent research suggests that evolution can be observed within much shorter periods, even within a human lifetime.

Key Insights

Contemporary Evolution Observed:
- Darwin lacked direct evidence of contemporary evolution, but modern examples, such as industrial melanism, demonstrate that evolution can occur within a few generations, observable within a human lifetime.
Analogous Evolution in Technology:
- The evolution of airplanes, driven by principles similar to biological evolution, shows that technological advancements can mimic natural evolutionary processes. Larger airplanes, like larger animals, are faster, more efficient, and have greater range, demonstrating a form of evolution that can be observed and predicted.

Conclusion

Recent research indicates that evolution is not only a historical process but can also be observed in real-time. Examples from both biological phenomena, such as industrial melanism, and technological advancements, like the evolution of airplanes, provide compelling evidence that evolution can occur within observable timeframes. This challenges the traditional view that evolution only happens over millennia, showing that significant evolutionary changes can happen much more rapidly.

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Have we witnessed evolution

Summary

Introduction

Key Insights

Conclusion

Sources and full results

The evolution of airplanes

Airplane evolution can be observed in our lifetime, obeying theoretical allometric rules and following animal-like design principles, such as speed, efficiency, and range.

Evidence for contemporary evolution during Darwin's lifetime

Industrial melanism, a phenomenon that occurred within Darwin's lifetime, provides evidence for contemporary evolution through natural selection.

Molecular Evolution

Molecular evolution in protein families occurs at the same frequency, with differences due to variable selection by molecular constraints and adaptation to the environment.

Is a new and general theory of evolution emerging?

A new and general evolutionary theory may emerge, emphasizing hierarchy and incorporating punctuational change at all levels, non-adaptive change, and constraints of history, development, and architecture, restoring the concept of organism.

Evolution of higher-organism DNA

Comparative biochemistry, immunology, protein sequencing, and DNA studies have greatly contributed to our understanding of evolutionary processes and molecular processes in higher-organism DNA.

Development and Evolution

Von Baer's view, that development is a continuous process, is now viewed as outdated, and the Theory of Recapitulation, which combines the adult stages of ancestors with the young stages of descendants, is now more widely accepted.

On Evolutionary Epistemology

The Darwinian paradigm has a problem explaining the mechanism of biological evolution, as it fails to explain the general direction of evolution towards greater complexity and the brain.

How Can Evolution Learn?

Evolution can learn, potentially explaining how it produces seemingly intelligent designs through incremental adaptation and cognitive learning principles.

Explanations in evolutionary theory

The theory of biological evolution is complex and multifaceted, leading to confusion in its application and testing against empirical observations.

The Croonian Lecture, 1991. Genostasis and the limits to evolution.

Lack of appropriate genetic variation may be the main cause of slow evolutionary change in most species, with rapid evolution occurring when appropriate variation is available.

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