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  • Subject: Do you believe in evolution?
Subject: Do you believe in evolution?

+1 for you good sir.


Posted by: WinyPit82
Posted by: Adamal123
The missing link?!?!?! :O

We've uncovered a plethora of intermediate fossils that branch that common ancestor and humans.
Dammit, you're too smart for me.

*Leaves thread in shame*

  • 12.26.2012 9:49 PM PDT

I'm a Servant of The Secret Breach, haters shall not pass!
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meh, I belive in a my own stuff.

  • 12.26.2012 9:50 PM PDT
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13.72 billion years in the making.

On December 1st, 2012, I met Neil deGrasse Tyson. I shook the man's hand, and even made him laugh. Not much else to do with my life now.

Posted by: Gaara444
Well no, I'm not saying every environment is lethal, but if the environment poses a risk to the species would Evolution not work in that case? Does Evolution only work if the environment in not a danger to the species?

If an environment poses a threat to a species, for whatever reason, those best fitted surviving within that environment will have the greatest chance of survival. This is the process of natural selection. And yes, a key factor in evolution is pressuring a species into the necessity to evolve.

If you look at fossils, most insects haven't changed all that much. Why? Because insects were perfectly content in their forms millions of years ago, and nothing pressured them into any dramatic changes.

  • 12.26.2012 9:51 PM PDT

So it's like a test for survival? It challenges the different species with a new environment to see if they can handle it or not over a span of a certain period of time?

Posted by: WinyPit82
If an environment poses a threat to a species, for whatever reason, those best fitted surviving within that environment will have the greatest chance of survival. This is the process of natural selection. And yes, a key factor in evolution is pressuring a species into the necessity to evolve.

If you look at fossils, most insects haven't changed all that much. Why? Because insects were perfectly content in their forms millions of years ago, and nothing pressured them into any dramatic changes.


[Edited on 12.26.2012 9:53 PM PST]

  • 12.26.2012 9:52 PM PDT

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"Ignorance is a plague."

Close, but the plague killed those infected with it, and the ignorant are still alive.
I wish ignorance was a plague.

Posted by: Gaara444
Maybe someone could shed some light on the subject since I'm not very knowledgeable. If Evolution is the process of a Species changing to fit into a new environment, if the environment is to harsh, wouldn't the species just die out before the change in the species can take place?

EDIT @ Harlow: It's not entirely a fact, it's a mix between Fact and Theory*.

*I have to keep putting that damn asterisk there to make sure people know that I mean Scientific Theory when I say just Theory.


In nature, different organisms are always competing for resources (food, water, sunlight, etc.) and not all of them will succeed in reproducing and passing on their genes. Genetic mutations and -blam!- recombination (animals receive genes from both parents) cause genetic diversity within a population so that not all of the animals are the same. If the environment changes, some of the individuals will be better suited for survival and will therefore be more likely to reproduce and pass on their genes. Over time, this means that the beneficial genes will become more common in the population (evolution).

Example: In a desert with dark rocks, there are mice. Hawks migrate to the region and start hunting mice. Some of the mice are darker than others and blend in better. This means that they will be more likely to survive and pass on their genes. Because of this, more dark mice are born. Over time (many generations), almost all of the mice become dark.

One of the common misconceptions about evolution is that adaptations gained during an individuals life are passed on (ie. giraffes got their long neck because they kept stretching to reach leaves). This is totally wrong.

  • 12.26.2012 9:54 PM PDT
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13.72 billion years in the making.

On December 1st, 2012, I met Neil deGrasse Tyson. I shook the man's hand, and even made him laugh. Not much else to do with my life now.

Posted by: Gaara444
So it's like a test for survival? It challenges the different species to see if they can handle it or not over a span of a certain period of time?

If your species isn't in trouble, you're not going to evolve through natural selection. But evolution is not some entity that purposefully "challenges" the organisms of Earth. It all just happens, and evolution is the result.

  • 12.26.2012 9:55 PM PDT
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I don't. Many top biologists also don't. The problem is that the only other competing theory is creationism, so many achademics are just inclined to believe nothing at all.

  • 12.26.2012 9:55 PM PDT

Your average nice guy on The Flood.... D: ..... WAIT A MINUTE....


Posted by: Gaara444
Well no, I'm not saying every environment is lethal, but if the environment poses a risk to the species would Evolution not work in that case? Does Evolution only work if the environment in not a danger to the species?

Posted by: WinyPit82
...What?

You're assuming that every instance of an environmental change is lethal to a species. That's not the case. Natural selection gradually picks out those best fitted to a new environment if a new environment presents itself.

Evolution works in hazardous environments too. For instance, a population of cockroaches lives in a house. The owners use a pesticide that kills the cockroaches. Two things can happen here:

1: All cockroaches are killed. If this were on the scale of species, it would be called extinction.

2: Most cockroaches are killed, but by chance, a small portion of the cockroach population has gained a genetic mutation which makes them immune to the pesticide. As more non-immune cockroaches are killed off, the gene pool of the cockroaches become almost predominantly immune to the pesticide. The cockroaches have evolved in an otherwise lethal environment so that they can survive. Extend this process through millions of years, and you can get radically different life forms, based on the course that evolution has taken them on.

  • 12.26.2012 9:57 PM PDT
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13.72 billion years in the making.

On December 1st, 2012, I met Neil deGrasse Tyson. I shook the man's hand, and even made him laugh. Not much else to do with my life now.

Posted by: darthnilhilus97
2: Most cockroaches are killed, but by chance, a small portion of the cockroach population has gained a genetic mutation which makes them immune to the pesticide. As more non-immune cockroaches are killed off, the gene pool of the cockroaches become almost predominantly immune to the pesticide. The cockroaches have evolved in an otherwise lethal environment so that they can survive. Extend this process through millions of years, and you can get radically different life forms, based on the course that evolution has taken them on.

Excellent example.

  • 12.26.2012 9:58 PM PDT

Studies show that men think about sex every 7 seconds. I do my best to eat hotdogs in under 6, just so things don't get weird.

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You see, evolution, like any scientific theory, isn't something you believe in. The evidence just supports it for the time being. Eventually a new model for the world will be made to replace this one. Belief doesn't really play a role in it.

  • 12.26.2012 9:58 PM PDT
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13.72 billion years in the making.

On December 1st, 2012, I met Neil deGrasse Tyson. I shook the man's hand, and even made him laugh. Not much else to do with my life now.

Posted by: MyNameIsCharlie
You see, evolution, like any scientific theory, isn't something you believe in. The evidence just supports it for the time being. Eventually a new model for the world will be made to replace this one. Belief doesn't really play a role in it.

People take the term "theory" too far when they see it in front of the word "evolution." It is not some shaky, very-open-to-disproval proposition, it is a well-understood and observable aspect of nature.

  • 12.26.2012 10:00 PM PDT

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"Ignorance is a plague."

Close, but the plague killed those infected with it, and the ignorant are still alive.
I wish ignorance was a plague.

I honestly can't understand how people still don't believe in evolution. There's a huge amount of evidence for it, including:
Artificial Selection
Documented cases of evolution in action on a population
Fossils
Anatomical and genetic homologies
Convergent evolution
Vestigial structures
Comparative Embryology
and more.

Do people think that millions of scientists are just making this up?

  • 12.26.2012 10:01 PM PDT

"Your eyes are full of hate, forty-one. That's good. Hate keeps a man alive. It gives him strength"

it is not to be believed or disbelieved, it is science, therefore you agree or disagree based on evidence. In this case, the evidence is overwhelming, so anyone who disagrees is a moron

[Edited on 12.26.2012 10:02 PM PST]

  • 12.26.2012 10:01 PM PDT
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Writer's Corner
6/15/2011 11:39 PM: bobcast [2597260] issued a 3 day ban expiring on 6/18/2011 11:39 PM.
Reason: A Bungie.net Forum Moderator has banned you for violating the code of conduct and/or rules of the forum in the thread below
http://www.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=61704535
Inappropriate. Went a little to far with the butt hole tearing.

No, I don't believe in Santa either.

  • 12.26.2012 10:02 PM PDT

How fast can Evolution work on Cockroaches? Cause I'm spraying their ass with Kill on Contact pesticide and the damn things are still scurrying around into the cracks behind my refrigerators, shelves, and other nooks.

Posted by: WinyPit82
Posted by: darthnilhilus97
2: Most cockroaches are killed, but by chance, a small portion of the cockroach population has gained a genetic mutation which makes them immune to the pesticide. As more non-immune cockroaches are killed off, the gene pool of the cockroaches become almost predominantly immune to the pesticide. The cockroaches have evolved in an otherwise lethal environment so that they can survive. Extend this process through millions of years, and you can get radically different life forms, based on the course that evolution has taken them on.
Excellent example.


[Edited on 12.26.2012 10:02 PM PST]

  • 12.26.2012 10:02 PM PDT

Studies show that men think about sex every 7 seconds. I do my best to eat hotdogs in under 6, just so things don't get weird.

Please allow me to introduce Myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste
I've been around for a long, long year
Stole many a man's soul and faith


Posted by: WinyPit82
Posted by: MyNameIsCharlie
You see, evolution, like any scientific theory, isn't something you believe in. The evidence just supports it for the time being. Eventually a new model for the world will be made to replace this one. Belief doesn't really play a role in it.

People take the term "theory" too far when they see it in front of the word "evolution." It is not some shaky, very-open-to-disproval proposition, it is a well-understood and observable aspect of nature.
Indeed.

Though, I hope I wasn't coming across as though I said scientific theories are flavors of the week. My point was that there isn't really any belief involved. Just w model supported by facts. When the facts change, so too does the model.

  • 12.26.2012 10:02 PM PDT

Perpetual Ninja in training.

"If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe."

DMH

Los Paranoias

Maybe not evolution....


but I can get behind a REvolution! WHOAAAA

  • 12.26.2012 10:03 PM PDT
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Posted by: KUZOKU85
it is not to be believed or disbelieved, it is science, therefore you agree or disagree based on evidence. In this case, the evidence is overwhelming, so anyone who disagrees is a moron

Science is the observation of the world around us. People observed the fact that they didn't fall off the Earth, so they thought the Earth must be flat. People also saw 7 colours and assumed that there were no others. Science is recording what you see, then making conclusions, which, though often correct, isn't always true.

  • 12.26.2012 10:04 PM PDT
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13.72 billion years in the making.

On December 1st, 2012, I met Neil deGrasse Tyson. I shook the man's hand, and even made him laugh. Not much else to do with my life now.

Posted by: Gaara444
How fast can Evolution work on Cockroaches? Cause I'm spraying their ass with Kill on Contact pesticide and the damn things are still scurrying around into the cracks behind my refrigerators, shelves, and other nooks.

Depends on how many have some form of an immunity, and how long it takes for them to reproduce. Evolution can be relatively rapid, actually. I remember reading something about a specific species of moths that was introduced to Caribbean environments by accident, and they had never once been exposes to bananas.

Now, the descendants of those "invaders" feed on bananas entirely.

  • 12.26.2012 10:04 PM PDT

Circle Jerkin' I got my wiener workin'

I believe in it but I get depressed when I think about early hominids and how we came from them.

  • 12.26.2012 10:05 PM PDT
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13.72 billion years in the making.

On December 1st, 2012, I met Neil deGrasse Tyson. I shook the man's hand, and even made him laugh. Not much else to do with my life now.

Posted by: werdnaz
Science is the observation of the world around us. People observed the fact that they didn't fall off the Earth, so they thought the Earth must be flat. People also saw 7 colours and assumed that there were no others. Science is recording what you see, then making conclusions, which, though often correct, isn't always true.

Technology and knowledge have advanced to such a degree that we don't make mistakes of such small calibers nearly as often. The evidence is as profound as the evidence that the Earth orbits the Sun.

  • 12.26.2012 10:06 PM PDT

I don't suppose it works on a single individual on the species though. Cause the ones I'm spraying with the Kill on Contact are the exact same ones that are running off in to the night immediately after I sprayed them. I see them on the damn wall, I grab my WD-40 and suddenly they're crawling at the speed of light drenched in Bug Poison.

Posted by: WinyPit82
Depends on how many have some form of an immunity, and how long it takes for them to reproduce. Evolution can be relatively rapid, actually. I remember reading something about a specific species of moths that was introduced to Caribbean environments by accident, and they had never once been exposes to bananas.

Now, the descendants of those "invaders" feed on bananas entirely.

  • 12.26.2012 10:06 PM PDT

Your average nice guy on The Flood.... D: ..... WAIT A MINUTE....

Also Gaara444, evolution can occur in non-hazardous environments also. Though since the evolutionary pressures are not as great (you're not going to die,) it typically is not a rapid or radical as evolution in a hazardous environment. For instance, peacock females are more likely to mate with peacock males which have more attractive plumage. This means that overtime, less and less pea-blam!- with undesirable plumage end up spreading their genes, and the peacock population evolves so that more individuals have desirable plumage. Those with undesirable plumage don't die, but they don't mate.

[Edited on 12.26.2012 10:12 PM PST]

  • 12.26.2012 10:09 PM PDT
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Posted by: WinyPit82
Posted by: werdnaz
Science is the observation of the world around us. People observed the fact that they didn't fall off the Earth, so they thought the Earth must be flat. People also saw 7 colours and assumed that there were no others. Science is recording what you see, then making conclusions, which, though often correct, isn't always true.

Technology and knowledge have advanced to such a degree that we don't make mistakes of such small calibers nearly as often. The evidence is as profound as the evidence that the Earth orbits the Sun.

At the end of the 19th century many people were discouraged from becoming physicists because they thought technology could not advance any further. Also I wouldn't call the discovery of radiation and that the Earth is not flat "minor mistakes"

  • 12.26.2012 10:09 PM PDT
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Posted by: Potato Joe
I believe in it but I get depressed when I think about early hominids and how we came from them.


Why would you get depressed by that?

  • 12.26.2012 10:12 PM PDT