We explain what evolution is and what the theories about the evolution of species according to Darwin and religion consist of, among others.
What is Evolution?
The concept of evolution refers to the change of condition that gives rise to a new form of a certain object of study or analysis. It is important to note that Evolutions are gradual processeschanges that occur gradually and that can be observed only over time.
The term evolution It has its most basic use in the field of biology particularly to refer to the emergence of the species that inhabit the world, but it also has corresponding uses in other sciences.
biological evolution It is produced by the modification of the genetic composition derived from the need to adapt to the environment where living beings live. All natural species have evolved, and those that have not been able to carry out these processes have become extinct.
This evolutionary process It began in the primitive sea, where the first life was generated and from that the molecular compositions were altered, preserving certain similarities that allow us to account for the complete evolutionary chain.
See also: Adaptation of living beings
What are the theories that explain evolution?
Man has approached this evolution in different ways to explain it in a way that fits into his interpretation of the world. Let's look at some theories that have had more or less acceptance within societies:
- Theory of acquired characteristics. Jean-Baptiste Lamarck assumed that the characteristics acquired throughout the existence of an individual would also be characteristics of their offspring, giving a very important role to what we know as heredity. The habit, like the case of the first giraffes stretching their neck to get food, ends up predominating in the entire species.
- Mutation theory Gregor Mendel proposed a very strong theory regarding this inheritance, differentiating recessive genes from dominant ones. This is how the theory of mutations began to gain strength. This term refers to permanent changes in the genetic material of a cell, which can occur due to the action of mutagenic agents or due to errors in the copying of the genetic material during cell division processes. It was believed that mutations introduce new species, being the source par excellence of evolution.
- Religion. Religion has had a position against all evolutionary theories for centuries. The first answer has always been creationism, the direct interpretation of the Bible that explains the origin of species through God or a similar figure who creates them. As time went by and the evidence for evolution became stronger, religious scientists moved away from this categorically creationist doctrine.
- Darwin's Theory of Evolution The theory that obtained the most consensus within the scientific community was that of Charles Darwin, which speaks of natural selection among living organisms, since the majority fail to survive. The consequences of this selection are adaptation and diversification, and a constant struggle of the species in which only the strongest will survive. This position was later complemented by Wallace, who raised the question of the dynamics of these changes and of the common ancestor of all species. The combination of these two positions is, without a doubt, the one agreed upon by the majority of the scientific community today, due to how complete it is in explaining the processes that all species went through.
In the case of the human race, there is an evolutionary chain that begins, it is believed, more than 5 million years ago with the Australopithecus, and a series of hominids that are gradually abandoning the characteristics of the ape and taking those of the human being (a species known as Homo Sapiens Sapiens).
The term was extrapolated and We talk about evolution to refer to other things that are not limited to the biological among which is physics (which describes the movement of an object as the evolution in time of its place in space), psychology (which believes that evolution is the change of a behavior or attitude) or epistemology. (which attributes the concept to transformations in theories or ideas).
