Evolution in our own backyards.

First ... for those who don't know what evolution is. Yes I'm taking a crack at the creationist's

/onnvr

In the life sciences, evolution is a change in the traits of living organisms over generations, including the emergence of new species. Since the development of modern genetics in the 1940s, evolution has been defined more specifically as a change in the frequency of alleles in a population from one generation to the next.In other fields evolution is used more generally to refer to any process of change over time.
en.wikipedia.org...

Ok, so with that out of the way... On to the article!

dsc.discovery.com...

Feb. 22, 2006 — Don't look now, but your backyard is evolving. It's no joke. There's a growing body of evidence that evolution is no longer something only seen either in this year's flu virus or Cretaceous tyrannosaur bones. It's happening everywhere, right now, and charging full-steam ahead.

It's rather neat how we can observe evolution happening in such a quick timescale. Now only if human's could evolve out of the need for writing everything off to a higher power simply because they don't understand or comprehend something complex, such as a universe.

Don't know why they are calling this evolution... it is just simple adaptation. If a species of frog became a species of snake.. that would be evolution.

For example, the different races of humans are classified as environmental adaptations. The progression from home erectus to homo sapien was evolution.

Perhaps you missed the definition? I'll post it again just in case. There's also a good wikipedia article if your still having trouble comprehending what evolution is.

/onnvr

In the life sciences, evolution is a change in the traits of living organisms over generations, including the emergence of new species. Since the development of modern genetics in the 1940s, evolution has been defined more specifically as a change in the frequency of alleles in a population from one generation to the next.In other fields evolution is used more generally to refer to any process of change over time.
en.wikipedia.org...

Exactly why I posted this in the first place. It's sad how it just goes ignored tho

Perhaps abit more would help?

From same link

1) The change in life over time by adaptation, variation, over-reproduction, and differential survival/reproduction, a process referred to by Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace as natural selection. 2) Descent with modification.
www.emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/BIOBK/BioBookglossE.html

The process by which all forms of plant and animal life change slowly over time because of slight variations in the genes that one generation passes down to the next.
ehrweb.aaas.org/ehr/books/glossary.html

The change in the genetic make-up of a population of organisms over time.This process of change is driven by natural selection.
www.thetech.org/exhibits/online/robotzoo/guide/glossary.html

The long-term process through which a population of organisms accumulates genetic changes that enable its members to successfully adapt to environmental conditions and to better exploit food resources
www.accessexcellence.org/AE/AEPC/WWC/1994/glossary.html

Really it's all the same thing. Just worded differently. Hope this helps ya!

[edit on 23-2-2006 by Produkt]

hmm...

dictionary.reference.com...
ev·o·lu·tion Audio pronunciation of "evolution" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (v-lshn, v-)
n.
...
3. Biology.

1. Change in the genetic composition of a population during successive generations, as a result of natural selection acting on the genetic variation among individuals, and resulting in the development of new species.

Sorry if I'm not exactly a fan of... Wikis...

perhap's you just can't comprehend result in a new species over time? It's not like a chimp is going to give birth to a happy healthy blond hair blue eyed human baby all of a sudden.

I know I know... hard concept to understand. Must hurt huh?

You're new here... you need to calm down.

Perhaps you missed the definition? I'll post it again just in case.

dictionary.reference.com...

ev·o·lu·tion Audio pronunciation of "evolution" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (v-lshn, v-)
n.
...
3. Biology.

1. Change in the genetic composition of a population during successive generations, as a result of natural selection acting on the genetic variation among individuals, and resulting in the development of new species.

That's from the Dictionary, in case you missed the URL.

Adaptations over time are STEPS in the process of evolution.

Just as the compression stroke of an engine piston is a STEP of internal combustion. But that one step is not the entire process, is it?

Nor is a simple adaptation the entire process of evolution.

Hard concept to understand?

Holy crap are you serious?

So just because we're witnessing just one step of evolution (which you just agreed with) we can call that actual step evolution?

Evolution is a MUCH broader theory then the dictionary posting you seem to love so much. Evolution is not one specie's magically giving birth to a new species after a one night stand. Evolution does encompess the process of adaptation and natural selection which over the course of succesive generation's can lead to a different species. So yes, the article is discussing evolution.

Man, go back to skool kiddo.

Alrighty then.

See you in gym.