- by nohsemperlux
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Evolution is a process through which an organism develops novel traits to boost its chance for survival. Evolutionary synthesis of any previously unseen characteristics often require significant passage of time. One of the most influential biological theories ever introduced to the humanity, Charles Darwin’s natural selection sheds light on how the Earth has come to be inhabited by such a large portfolio of species.
What Is Natural Selection?
As the site states, natural selection is a mechanism of evolution. The framework is, all traits arise as a consequence of random changes in hereditary materials, or DNA. DNA is composed of bases, and it can be thought of as a text where each base corresponds to an alphabet. Therefore, an organism with 300 bases can be said to have, in terms of DNA, a text composed of 300 letters. Any change in any letter of this 300 letters long text can lead to the invention of new characteristics.
Now, let’s say that there are two giraffes, A and B. A and B both have 5000 letters long texts (an arbitrarily chosen number for providing an example), but the two are not the same, having slight differences originating from totally random, unpredictable events.
If A has a trait that improves the chance for survival, for instance a long neck, A will survive and B will die, because A will use its long neck to consume all the necessary nutrient while B will starve to death. This will make A more likely to leave descendants, allowing the text possessed by A to survive the test of time and get passed onto later generations of giraffes. Over time, giraffes with A’s text, or A’s DNA will be a majority.
The main reason that I decided to write this post is because there is a very common misunderstanding surrounding Darwin’s theory.
Does Natural Selection Mean That Mouse Or Monkey Can, Over Time, Become A Human Being?
The answer is, NO. Darwin never said that, and that will not occur.
The main reason for this misunderstanding is, people often confuse the concept of a common ancestor with the aforementioned nonsensical change of one species into another. It is true that we share a common ancestor with monkeys and mice, but that doesn’t mean that a mouse or a monkey can become a human being over time.
Let me give you a simple example. Let’s say that a man Noah gave birth to two brothers, Sam and Jack. Sam and Jack eventually left their home and settled at two different cities, very distant from each other. They never saw each other again after the separation. A long, long time passed and Sam and Jack’s descendants, 300 generations away, are now here. Would the descendants closely resemble each other?
Unlikely. It’s not even clear whether the two group of descendants will share a same culture or language. However, this doesn’t negate the fact that the two groups share a common ancestor: Noah.
Evolution on the Earth has been going on for a very, very long time that makes the time necessary for 300 generations to pass seem an instant. Therefore, monkeys and rats look and behave in ways very different from us. However, that doesn’t negate the fact that we share a common ancestor.
Rats and monkeys cannot become human beings because in order to do so, they will first have to retreat along the evolutionary route to become the common ancestor. If the common ancestor was a single-celled organism, rats and monkeys will somehow have to reduce themselves into a single-celled creature, and follow the evolutionary steps the humanity has taken for over millions of years to finally become humans. Is this possible? Very, Very unlikely. Probably impossible.
What Does Evolution Have To Do With Us?
While evolution might seem like a research topic reserved for history maniacs, the theory is very pertinent to everyone living in the 21st century. Part of the reason is that many aspects of human cognition and physical characteristics have been shaped by the road of evolution we have passed through.
For instance, human perception of beauty has been determined, at least partially, by evolution. The field that attempts to explain cognitive traits and preferences using the framework of evolution is called evolutionary psychology, and I previously wrote this post, explaining how beauty standards are related to evolution.
Conclusion
I hope that this post will help you with expanding your understanding of natural selection. Thanks for reading and see you later!