Tag Archives: evolution is blind

GMOs and natural selection: Nature doesn’t give a crap about you

Posted on June 12, 2017 by

Last week, I shared a meme about GMOs on my blog’s Facebook page, and several people responded by arguing that genetic engineering (GE) shouldn’t be used because “it bypasses the natural evolutionary test of fitness.” I’ve heard this argument before, … Continue reading →

Posted in GMO | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Debunking creationism: a visual comparison of “micro” and “macroevolution”

Posted on September 6, 2016 by

Creationists often like to claim that there are two fundamentally different types of evolution: microevolution and macroevolution. They argue that microevolution does actually occur, but only produces small changes within a species or “kind” of animal. For example, most creationists … Continue reading →

Posted in Science of Evolution | Tagged , , , , , | 14 Comments

10 common myths about evolution

Posted on August 31, 2015 by

Evolution is the single most important concept in all of biology. It is absolutely vital for understanding both the history of life on earth and why our modern organisms have their current traits and behaviors. Nevertheless, it is also one … Continue reading →

Posted in Science of Evolution | Tagged , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Reducing irreducible complexity

Posted on April 26, 2015 by

Irreducible complexity is the cornerstone of the intelligent design movement, and it is a popular argument among young earth creationists as well. In simplest terms, this argument states that some systems are too complex to have evolved via natural selection … Continue reading →

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Evolution doesn’t give organisms what they need

Posted on April 10, 2015 by

When I am teaching evolution, I often like to ask my students to think about why a particular feature or trait evolved. I might, for example, ask them why flying squirrels evolved a flap of skin between their legs that … Continue reading →

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Evolution is blind

Posted on March 29, 2015 by

One of the central tenets of evolutionary biology is the concept that evolution is blind. In other words, it has not foresight or goal. This principle is extremely important for understanding how evolution works, but it’s a concept that is … Continue reading →

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