Is this evolution?

1. 61

   BuddiNsenseposted 10 years ago

   "Evolution was proposed by a guy who thought that if you practiced running and got really fast, that cells from your internal organs would travel to your testicles where they would pass to your child and insure that HE also ran really fast...because YOU practiced at it."
   This is the words of an "educated"(self - professed) person. So how many of you think this as evolution?
   How many will agree that this person is educated?
   What is evolution?

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   1. 58

      squeeknomoreposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      noun
      1 the process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the earth.
      The idea of organic evolution was proposed by some ancient Greek thinkers but was long rejected in Europe as contrary to the literal interpretation of the Bible. Lamarck proposed a theory that organisms became transformed by their efforts to respond to the demands of their environment, but he was unable to explain a mechanism for this. Lyell demonstrated that geological deposits were the cumulative product of slow processes over vast ages. This helped Darwin toward a theory of gradual evolution over a long period by the natural selection of those varieties of an organism slightly better adapted to the environment and hence more likely to produce descendants. Combined with the later discoveries of the cellular and molecular basis of genetics, Darwin's theory of evolution has, with some modification, become the dominant unifying concept of modern biology.
      2 the gradual development of something, esp. from a simple to a more complex form: the forms of written languages undergo constant evolution.
      3 Chemistry the giving off of a gaseous product, or of heat.
      4 a pattern of movements or maneuvers: silk ribbons waving in fanciful evolutions.
      5 Mathematics, dated the extraction of a root from a given quantity.
      DERIVATIVES
      evolutional |-SHənl|adjective,
      evolutionally |-(ə)lē|adverb,
      evolutionarily |ˌevəˌlo͞oSHəˈne(ə)rəlē|adverb,
      evolutionary |-ˌnerē|adjective,
      evolutive |-ˈlo͞otiv|adjective
      ORIGIN early 17th cent.: from Latin evolutio(n-) ‘unrolling,’ from the verb evolvere (see evolve). Early senses related to physical movement, first recorded in describing a tactical “wheeling” maneuver in the realignment of troops or ships. Current senses stem from a notion of “opening out” and “unfolding,” giving rise to a general sense of ‘development.’

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   2. 83

      psycheskinnerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Evolution as an idea was refined over time.  It was "invented" back when people first started deliberately choosing fit and attractive spouses.  Darwin did not believe in the inheritance of acquired traits.  Others like Lamarck did.  As per recent research about genetics and inherited fears, he wasn't completely wrong either.
      
      Evolution is primarily about genetic variation and natural selection.  But it is quite possible to disagree about the other details.

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      1. 59

         MelissaBarrettposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Darwin was very Lamarckian for quite a long period of time.  You'll see it very clearly in the last few chapters of his domestication of plants and animals work.

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         1. 83

            psycheskinnerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Yes, although with time it eventually developed into a key different between the English and French traditions.  I find it interesting that the truth is probably somewhere in between.

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            1. 59

               MelissaBarrettposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               I don't know, there's still something in me that twitches over inheritance of acquired traits. Especially direct inheritance of acquired traits. Darwin's disastrous theory of gemmule transmission aside, I just can't wrap my mind around how that would be possible, especially with behaviors.
               
               I mean from a natural selection standpoint, it would have to happen. I just can't wrap my mind around it happening within a generation or two on a genetic level. I always assumed that if an offspring displayed behavior traits acquired by their parents during their parents lifetime, that it was learned behavior. It seemed like a safe assumption.
               
               It's an interesting development but it's going to set the field of psychology on it's ear if it pans out.

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   3. 0

      Rad Manposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      It doesn't matter, he was trying to work it out. However…
      
      http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/1719 … -via-sperm

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   4. 59

      MelissaBarrettposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      That statement is completely true.
      
      Darwin did indeed propose pangenesis. Which is exactly what that scenario is an example of. So I would say the person who said that was quite a bit more educated than you... You know, since you weren't aware of it.

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      1. 61

         BuddiNsenseposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Is your favourite sport jumping to conclusion?
         The question is NOT "Is this what Darwin proposed?", the question is "is this evolution? ".

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   5. 54

      EncephaloiDeadposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      The Pangenesis idea proposed by Darwin to explain heredity was flawed and not supported with evidence or observation.

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2. 87

   Zelkiiroposted 10 years ago

   It's hilarious how people who don't believe in evolution still go out to get flu shots every year.

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3. 0

   Motown2Chitownposted 10 years ago

   All I saw in that was a belief attributed to the proposer of the theory, not a definition or explanation of the theory itself.  Did Darwin think that?  Did he ever say that?

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