Quote:
Quote by: ZNFYRH  Isherwood
rez
You both say that, but there are plenty here on VC who confuse "low-probability" with "impossible"... or who think a lack of answer for one automatically proves the other. |
The tragedy of volconvo are how many confuse "impossible" with "possible".
Getting back to the op,
this site dispells some common misconceptions about evolution.
Furthermore, natural selection happens both by chance and is in many ways predictable. Consider the butterfly example.
Assume this happens before mankind becomes industrialized.
A species of butterfly is living in a valley. This species has blue wings.
An earthquake occurs and the plant the butterflies lived on dies out as a result (too many trees fall over... new predators show up... take your pick). The butterfly searches further and further away for food. Eventually, the butterfly occupies several valleys of a region.
The butterflies inbreed and interbreed and eventually mutate. They change color.
Some are now dark blue.
Some are now light blue.
Some are now blue with white spots.
Some are now a purple-blue.
And the original blue is still there.
Well, let's say a forest fire causes a species of bird to relocate into the valleys where these butterflies live. The birds have keen vision and begin to eat the brightly colored butterflies. However, the birds have a little trouble seeing the white-spotted butterflies.
So, the other four strains of butterfly disapear (predated to extinction) while the white spotted butterfly lives (or even thrives). Given that the predator can't see one of the five species, we can predict that camoflaged species will be the one to survive.
Later on, that bird might die out and then the white dots won't really be that helpful... but the butterfly will keep them until they become a detriment.
It really all depends on the enviroment.