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Originally Posted by Hans Tucker
In Red...Evolution or Adaptation? Are these terms the same or different?
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Good question!!
Evolution is the process that involves species changing over time. It is common misunderstanding that Darwin proposed a theory of evolution. The fact is that by the time he published "Origin" evolution in the scientific community was largely an accepted fact. What he clarified was the PROCESS by which it took place. In this he proposed natural selection as a mechanism. As environments change species adapt to their changing environment by this process and that drives evolution.
So if you follow this line of reasoning you can see that adaption is the process, evolution is the result.
Evolution could be driven by lots of other processes. Before Darwin, Lamarkism was proposed, in the USSR Lysenkoism was proposed and if course it could be driven by some supernatural being. But Darwin gave us a simple easy to understand mechanism that explain it and is supported by evidence.
Malcolm