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Number_19 writes:
That's interesting,I always thought that evolution was a constant from even before life began.
compmage writes:
Evolution, as in 'things change', covers everything. The word is used many times, in many differenct theories, simply to indicate that things changed. The Theory of Evolution only deals with life, however, many people seem to think that whenever you mention evolution (change) if falls under the heading of the ToE and many then insist that the ToE must explain these things. This is not the case.
The concept of evolution via natural selection is certainly most important in terms of explaining the diversity of biotic forms, but don't sell it short. The differential reproductive success of forms is an algorithm that can be applied to contexts other than biological populations.
If you expose equal amounts of sulphur and iron to oxygen, a greater amount of iron oxide will be created than sulphur oxide, since iron oxidizes at a faster rate than sulphur. This is by no means evolution, but the atomic properties of certain elements can give them a form of selective advantage.
The exclusive optical left-handedness of amino acids used in living systems is strong evidence of an ancient selective struggle between right and left chirality in these organic compounds.
On various levels of scientific study, selection strategies have been invoked to explain phenomena that were previously assumed to be either stumbling blocks for Darwinism or evidence of intelligent design.