A Look at the Evolution Model

I readily admit that the following on evolution may be a bit dry but I tried to present the evolutionary model as fairly as possible and, as such, have used material from web sites which present evolution.

The Evolution Model

After doing a Google search of more than 200 entries on the internet, looking for a precise definition of the evolutionary model, I came up with only two sites that somewhat explain the evolutionary theory. They can be found at psychcentral.com/psypsych/Evolution#Scientific_theory and wiki.cotch.net/index.php/Evolutionary_theory. Both sites really only take in a segment of the whole evolutionary theory and do not lay out the entire theory in a nutshell. Many of the sites were defending their theories whether evolution or creation with a lot of rhetoric. Many other sites went through the history of the evolutionary theory quoting from Aristotle to Lamarck to Darwin to current refinements of the evolutionary theories. Evolutionists define evolution as a change in life forms all of which have a common ancestor. Most rest on Darwin's theories which have these elements in common.

Mutations. A change in genetic code known as a mutation consists of changes in the hereditary instructions contained within a gene. A mutation, the ultimate source of all genetic variation, must occur in reproductive cells to cause genetic change in offspring. The process of mutation involves random genetic change primarily due to chemical factors and ionizing radiation.

Gene Flow. The movement of genes from one population to another, describes the process of the loss or gain of genes in a population due to the emigration or immigration of fertile individuals, or the transfer of gametes, between populations. This process introduces new genes into a population resulting in populations becoming more similar to one another.

Genetic Drift. The process of genetic drift, dealing with chance preservation or extinction of particular genes, may be defined as a variation in the gene pool, a change in allele frequency, in a small population due to chance.

Natural Selection. The process of natural selection refers to the differential survival and reproduction of organisms as a result of their biological characteristics.

(The above was taken from www.bibarch.com/concepts/Origins/evolution.htm) To put all this into a simple package, life forms change with time because of mutations (which is a change or error in the genetic code), gene flow (where new genes are introduced into a different gene pool), genetic drift (where genes, by chance, disappear as in losing the master document and relying on photocopies of photocopies until much of the original information cannot be seen anymore), and natural selection (which is similar to survival of the fittest, where the thing which adapts the easiest to a new situation will survive) The above theory, as mentioned before, only takes in a portion of the whole evolutionary theory. It looks at only the portion that deals with living organisms. But where did the living organisms begin? Where did the Universe begin? To answer this we need to go to the Big Bang theory.

The Big Bang Theory

Presentation of the universe according to inflationary cosmology.

The Big Bang Theory is the dominant scientific theory about the origin of the universe. According to the big bang, the universe was created sometime between 10 billion and 20 billion years ago from a cosmic explosion that hurled matter and in all directions.

In 1927, the Belgian priest Georges Lemaitre was the first to propose that the universe began with the explosion of a primeval atom. His proposal came after observing the red shift in distant nebulas by astronomers to a model of the universe based on relativity. Years later, Edwin Hubble found experimental evidence to help justify Lemaitre's theory. He found that distant galaxies in every direction are going away from us with speeds proportional to their distance.

The big bang was initially suggested because it explains why distant galaxies are travelling away from us at great speeds. The theory also predicts the existence of cosmic background radiation (the glow left over from the explosion itself). The Big Bang Theory received its strongest confirmation when this radiation was discovered in 1964 by Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson, who later won the Nobel Prize for this discovery.

Although the Big Bang Theory is widely accepted, it probably will never be proved; consequentially, leaving a number of tough, unanswered questions.

Updated December 2, 1997. Contacts

To put this into simpler form, a "primeval atom" exploded which sent debris from the explosion out into the vastness of space from which all the stars, planets, and galaxies evolved from. As to where this "primeval atom" came from we will look at later. This theory may explain the origins of the universe but it does not explain the origin of life. One of the key natural laws is the law of biogenesis or, simply put, the law which states that life can only come from life. Obviously in a big bang situation life was not present. To answer this problem, evolutionists believe that in one instance, and one instance only, life came or began from non life. This is called the theory of abiogenesis or, in other words, outside of the law that life comes from life. The evolutionists believe that conditions existed on early planet earth where amino acids were created which then evolved into single cell organisms, which evolved progressively into higher and higher organisms through mutations, gene flows, gene drifts, and natural selection

Macro Evolution vs. Micro Evolution

Two terms of evolution need to be clarified. The evolution model contains both macro and micro evolution while the creation model only contains micro evolution. Macro evolution refers to a jump from one kind to another such as a reptile becoming a bird. Micro evolution, on the other hand, deals with changes within the same species. This can be explained by the various dog varieties or other animal varieties that have changed in appearance but are still the same species. There is no hard evidence that macro evolution has occurred, is occurring, or will occur.

Animal Evolution

Classification

More scientists have started to base evolutionary studies more on genetics, botanists and zoologists classified organisms into different categories based on their physical characteristics. This ordering of organisms into groups based on similarities and differences is called classification. In the 18th and 19th centuries leading naturalists identified and named newly discovered plants and animals. These European biologists believed that plants and animals including humans had been created in their present form so they did not seek explanations for the patterns of similarities...