Quote:
Originally posted by Uncle Gus
Hmmm, no I'm sure that's quite right. Evolution is when a creature is born with a mutation in it's genes that causes it to have an advantage over the rest of the species. The mutation is random. Adaptation doesn't actually (usually) affect the genes. For example, just because your dad was a guitarist, does not mean you will be born with callouses on your fingertips. However, over time, these changes that are due to adaptation might cause the next generation of offspring to be born with a mutation in it's genes that creates the same change as the adaptation.
E.g. camels move into desert areas and get blinded heaps, so their eyelashes grow longer. Eventually, a camel is born with long eyelashes already and it is more successful at passing on it's genes and thus, camels are eventually all born with long eyelashes.
What I had drilled into me hard is that evolution does not have a purpose. It doesn't happen because of something, it is a random process. Adaptation is not random.
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Huh evolution is random? Isn't its purpose to make the species better adapted for survival?