Blog Post Module 1: Reflection Prompt

 In my own words I would explain evolution as changes in the heritable traits of a population of organisms across successive generations (I know this might sound close to what we discussed in class but I promise I didn't look at the definition haha). Natural selection is a mechanism by which evolution functions but they are not necessarily interchangeable terms despite what many people believe. For instance, a trait such as higher muscle mass might be highly favorable and allow those individuals with that trait to survive (a.k.a. natural selection), however if that trait was acquired through diet/exercise it is not heritable and therefore does not constitute evolution. I for a time believed the two to be almost the same so this is very interesting information to me and I am glad I have already learned something new. Although evolution may be seen as a progression or "climbing of a ladder" if you will, it is not always completely linear. Random events in nature, migration, mutations, etc. can all have huge impacts that shift and change the course of evolution. Additionally, the evolutionary progress of one species/population may have a negative or positive counter-impact on the evolution of another population. This makes me consider the idea of de-evolution. Is such a thing possible? Is this something that would be common, rare, or does it depend on the circumstances? Is all change simply considered evolution despite if that state was the norm earlier on? I am excited to hopefully be able to consider these questions more thoroughly in this course. I believe this based on what I have learned previously in my science courses throughout my academic career.

I believe that evolution is a theory.  If it were fact, that would mean we have indisputable proof that this process occurs exactly as we believe it does. Unfortunately, we haven't been around for the entirety of creation's existence and therefore we cannot be one hundred percent certain of how life came to be in its current state. A theory is a system of ideas meant to explain something. That is exactly what evolution is. It is a concept describing the ever-changing nature of organisms from primitive life forms into more complex/adapted beings. The theory of evolution is based on a plethora of evidence including fossils, genetic research (genome sequencing), etc., but is hasn't been proven. There is a lot of value in this theory however if you ask me, don't get me wrong. I just believe it is important from a scientific standpoint to be able to differentiate fact from theory. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk :D

Comments

  1. Megan BSeptember 3, 2021 at 4:28 PM

    Thanks for the Ted Talk Emily! I agree with your take on evolution not being a progression. It is in the sense that it is something that shifts and changes through time but not a ladder climb. Your question about de-evolution being a thing is also interesting. There's probably a few terms and named processes that can describe it.

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