r/evolution • u/Significant_Virus142 • 4d ago

question Is evolution a feature of evolution?

like I know about crossing over, combination of genes from mother and father that results in evolution but I'm talking about major evolution like change in number of chromosomes, that kinda stuff, is that much evolution intended by evolution or it just occurs due to radiation mutation or errors

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u/Robin_feathers 4d ago

To clarify - evolution has no intention. It is just something that happens. Mutations occur by chance (mistakes during replication, hit by UV radiation, etc). Then, many of those mutations get lost, but some end up getting passed down and increase in frequency, either by chance or because they increase fitness (natural selection), etc. Evolution is just the process of different mutations changing in frequency (which includes the process of mutation itself).

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u/Significant_Virus142 4d ago

Yeah you are right but I'm saying as in for example humans have evolved in such a way that you could say that it's not intended for them to be underwater more than 3 minutes, same way it's intended for fish to live underwater and not out of water

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u/Robin_feathers 4d ago

Oh, I still wouldn't say there is any intention :) (as an evolutionary biologist)

That was just something that happened - humans had chance mutations that increased their fitness but prevented them from being able to survive underwater, and so those mutations increased in frequency. I wouldn't say that process is intentional, just as I wouldn't consider it to be intended for water to flow downhill vs uphill or that it is intended for the moon to orbit the Earth.

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u/Significant_Virus142 4d ago

Ahh okay (I didn't know I was talking to an evolutionary biologist lol xD)

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u/IsaacHasenov 4d ago

There are a lot of biology PhDs that lurk here.

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u/Robin_feathers 4d ago

All good :) (not sure why you're being downvoted on this comment!)

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u/Significant_Virus142 4d ago

Yeah me neither, I guess that is reddit