Thursday, March 28, 2013

Why is Evolution a Theory

Introduction to evolution theory:

Evolution is the change in the traits that an organism inherits over successive generations. This has been observed in various animals. The scientifically accepted theory that explains evolution is the one put forward by Charles Darwin. We call this the "Theory of Evolution"

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Why is it a theory?

In general, a theory means a speculation, an opinion or a conjecture. However, in science, the word has a different meaning.  A scientific theory is a framework of interconnected statements that explains the phenomena behind observed facts. These statements are well supported by observed facts and calculations, and can be tested by using experiments. If the theory is falsified, that is, it fails to predict or explain any new observation, the theory is modified, or abandoned in favor of a better theory. Some examples of theories are the theory of gravitation and the theory of relativity. In this context, the theory of evolution is the framework that explains how species evolve over time.


Theory of evolution in physics:

Some of the facts that a good theory of evolution should explain are:

A lot of different species exist today of which some are very similar to each other and some are dissimilar.
There are a large number of extinct species in the fossil record.
A change in the inherited traits has been observed in the laboratory when studying species that reproduce rapidly.Please express your views of this topic Second Law of Thermodynamics Evolution by commenting on blog.
Some of the other theories that attempt to explain these facts are:

Lamarckism - Animals pass on the characteristics that they acquire during their lifetime to their offspring
Catastrophism -  Changes in species occur due to natural catastrophes like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions which change the landscape, and force animals to adapt to their new surroundings
Orthogenesis - Life progresses in a certain direction due to some internal or external driving force, and that this force is the reason for the appearance of new species.
All these theories explain some parts of the observed facts, but not all of them. Currently, the theory of evolution is the best theory that supports the observable facts, and allows us to make predictions.

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