Evolution is All About Natural Selection:To What Extent Do You Agree?

“EVOLUTION IS ALL ABOUT NATURAL SELECTION.” TO WHAT EXTENT DO YOU AGREE?
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“Evolution is All about Natural Selection.” To What Extent Do You Agree?
Introduction
Evolution is a concept that has led to many debates with people challenging its credibility and others basing their dissent of the phenomenon on religious beliefs, cultural inclinations, and other theories. The phenomenon of evolution posits that all creatures in the world today have changed from a previous state to become more adaptable to the current state of the environment. For example, human beings have evolved from apelike creatures to their current state. Archaeological evidence supports and confirms that humans evolved from a primitive form to the current form. Such annotations have elicited mixed reactions from all sects of the populace in the world, especially from religious sects that seem to have differing beliefs in the origin of humanity. However, regardless of the dissent, sufficient evidence supports the notion that the more adaptable a species is, the more likely it will survive different environmental conditions. Therefore, provided herein is an essay that agrees with the notion that evolution is all about natural selection.
Natural Selection
There are numerous definitions of natural selection. However, all the definitions agree that the concept entails the development of features that enhance the survivability of a species. Gregory (2009, p. 156) defines the concept as “a non-random difference in reproductive output among replicating entities, often due indirectly to differences in survival in a particular environment, leading to an increase in the proportion of beneficial, heritable characteristics within a population from one generation to the next.” The idea communicated here is that a particular generation develops certain traits that are then replicated reproductively to help enhance the survivability of the next generation. The enhancement of survivability comes about through the adaptable features or traits passed down. Adaptation mainly entails the adjustments made possible through the features passed down from one generation to the next.
Evolution is about Natural Selection
The primary goal of evolution is to ensure species are differentiated enough to support their survival in the changing environmental conditions.
One aspect that supports the notion that evolution is all about natural selection is disease patterns. Diseases patterns have been affected by a lot of factors. For example, Gluckman et al. (2011) speak on the changes human beings have made to the environment and the subsequent effects. Humanity has managed to enhance its lifespan mainly through changes to its environment. However, even as these changes have resulted in their own changes, they have greatly contributed to certain patterns that have shaped human life. Today, people are more resistant to diseases than before. While a big part of this has been because of the developments in technology and medicine, the result has been a population that can withstand earlier dangers for longer. As Gluckman et al. (2011) indicate, today’s population is able to live longer, with Fogel (2004) echoing the same, noting that the life expectancy of women at birth in France has grown to more than 70. As humanity has become more adaptable through medicine and technology, the environment has become increasingly less dangerous.
Adaptability influences more than disease patterns and the survivability of the human race. For example, resource management happens to be an aspect that offers some families a prolonged lineage of wealth. This happens because of the transfer of certain behaviors and knowledge that helps shape behavior for later generations. Kaplan and Robson (2009) note that the ability of human beings to transfer both knowledge and capital continues to impact the survivability of future generations greatly. Certain aspects of life end up being transferred and thus greatly influencing survivability. In harsher conditions, some future generations are more adaptable in terms of knowledge, mannerisms, and capital. As Lee (2003) indicates, intergenerational transfers end up having a bearing on aging. Therefore, with time, longevity is a factor or aspect transferable from one generation to the next, albeit starting from the influence of knowledge and capital transfer.
Pathogens can also help understand the idea of evolution being all about natural selection. The development or discovery of antibiotics was considered a crucial wonder in the world mainly because of the anticipated boost to humanity’s immune system. However, the medical world slowly discovered that the more complex the antibiotics, the higher the resistance from pathogens. Davies and Davies (2010) note that the development of tolerance by pathogens has undermined the development of antibiotics. The discoveries made in medicine in the 19th and 20th centuries greatly influenced and enhanced healthcare in the world. Antibiotics were indeed revolutionary, and humanity’s survivability improved. However, as already indicated, the compromise of the same revolutionary feat through resistant pathogens casts doubts on the survivability of humanity. As Liu and Pop (2009) note, currently, there are thousands of potential resistant genes in bacterial genome sequences. The above statement simply captures the essence...