this post was submitted on 13 Nov 2024
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Science Memes

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To deter predators... (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 week ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago (3 children)

It bothers me how many people think that evolutionary traits are in any way chosen or designed for a specific purpose.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Same here. Evolution doesn't work that way. It's basically the opposite. Species don't evolve to solve a problem, they evolve randomly and sometimes that solves a problem for them. Or sometimes, it pushes the species into a very narrow niche where its survival is ensured as long as the current extremely precarious situation they find themselves in doesn't change.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Species don’t evolve to solve a problem, they evolve randomly and sometimes that solves a problem for them.

Eh... they mutate randomly, and then selection acts. If there is variation that solves a problem, selection will promote that variation.

Evolution is very much not random, it is a direct consequence of variation and selection. This does not mean that they evolve to solve problems, but problems often drive evolution.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

My God thank you

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago

Selected through continued survival and reproduction. Maybe a more accurate template would be something like, "Awesome, I've evolved with [trait] which deters predators!"

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

Who designed the process of evolution?

(Jk)