3. The organisms that survive to reproduce are best adapted to that environment as they have the variations that allowed them to survive (Survival of the fittest)
4. These favourable variations are passed onto the next generation, which become more and more common.
Some evidences of evolution include:
The Age of the Earth
Evolution can only take place over enormous periods of time. The fact the Earth has been dated 4,500 million years old which allows evolution to be possible.
Geographical Distribution
Continents that have been separated for millions of years (due to continental drift) have evolved different creatures that use similar ecological niche.
Comparative Anatomy
Similarities of body structure suggest evolutionary connections. A good example of this is how the limbs of vertebrates all seem to have a 5 digit Structure that has been modified from a common ancestor to suit different environments. This is called "Pentadactyl Limb"
Biochemical Similarities
Living things all have the same basic chemistry suggesting a common ancestry:- All made of basically C,H,O
All have DNA and/or RNA for genetic codes
All have similar Cell membrane structure
All release energy by chemical respiration (except chemosynthetic bacteria)
Jean- Baptiste Lamark lived from 1744 until 1829 and was a scientist from France. His ideas were the start of scientists thinking about evolution .He thought that animals and plants adapted to their changing surroundings in their lifetime and then passed on these changes to their offspring. The classic example that he cited was a giraffe - he said that a giraffe's neck got longer as it stretched for leaves higher up on trees. This made its neck and bit longer, so its offspring had necks a bit longer too. This theory, often called Lamarckism. We have seen through many real examples and observations that changes that occur in an animal during life are not passed on to the animal's offspring. If a dog's ears are cropped short, its puppies are still born with long ears. If someone exercises every day, runs marathons, eats well, and is generally very healthy, the fitness is not passed on and the person's children still have to work just as hard to get that fit and healthy. These and other examples show that Lamarck's theory does not explain how life formed and became the way it is.
A basic understanding of the concept of the Dreamtime or Creation period is an important part of recognizing the inextricable bond traditional Aborigines have for the land and their culture. Traditional Aborigines believe the earth, like the sky, always existed and was the home of supernatural beings. At the beginning of time the earth looked like a featureless, desolate plain. Nothing existed on the surface. The earth was covered in eternal darkness as the sun and moon were still slumbering under the earths cold crust. Only beneath the surface of the earth did life already exist in the form of thousands of supernatural beings which lay dormant, along with a vague form of human life that existed in the shape of semi-embryonic masses of half developed infants. Time began when the supernatural beings awoke and broke through the surface of the earth. After emerging from their eternal slumber, the beings moved about the earth bringing into being physical features of the landscape. The supernatural beings continued to roam until, exhausted by their effort, they fell back into their sleep and returned to the earth. But before their disappearance from the face of the earth, the sun and the moon and the rest of the earth-born celestial beings rose into the sky, and man was left to wander the earth.
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface. Then God said, Let there be light; and there was light." Thus begins one of the most famous paragraphs in the history of mankind. It goes on to talk about how God created the sun and the stars, the flora and the fauna before finally creating "Man". In my opinion I believe that God did create the earth, he created all living things which include plant and animal life. He created the Earth within a period of 6 days and on the seventh day he rested. This day was called the Sabbath Day. I also believe that he gave us our period of time to live. Example- Dinosaurs lived before us. We are being tested and trial-led with challenges here on this Earth. It is by our faith and righteousness that we may return to be with him.
In conclusion, the idea that there is a lack of evidence to prove the age of the earth and the theory of the evolution of life is simply incorrect. Some may claim that there is no proof that the earth is old, but there is no scientific evidence that it is young. There is a lot of conclusive evidence supporting the fact that earth has been here for billions of years. The evidence of the earth being so old is what gave rise to modern theories of natural selection. The major reason that this theory even exists is because the assumption was made that the earth is old. Charles Darwin was able to come up with the theory of evolution due to the assumption that evolution occurs over a long period of time. Until someone can prove his entire theory and not just some of its "sub theories" wrong, it is and will continue to be the most accurate explanation of how life on earth came to be.
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