h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Why do people alwways bring anything and everything back to evolution?!?!?! Ignoring the fact that I'm not entirely convinced by the *theory* of evolution, there are other reasons for stuff happening.

Is it "evolution" in the darwinian sense or is it just a huge change in our society?

150 years ago, we didn't have all the technology that we have today. More people did manual jobs where they were active for longer. People also could not afford to be buying "luxury" food items like sweets and chocolate. Also kids were so much more active. They were amused by playing with skipping ropes, hoops and tig. Now, kids have computer games, 500 channels on their TV sets, and access to whatever snacks they want.

I'll never forget one Chruistmas when I worked in a local supermarket. A couple came to the till witrh their shopping. They had about 30 litres of cola. Making small-talk I asked if they were stocking up for Christmas. They said they'd be through it all by the end of the week. I thought they were joking. They said in all seriousness "We've three kids you know". I was terrified. Not that I'm against allowing kids fizzy drinks, but there's a limit surely.

Because apart from a few backward really stupid people everyone understands that evolution is happening on a daily basis. It is part and parcel of the world around us.

Well ok, define "evolution" and give me the daily examples. We're not turning into X-Men or anything here, and I've seen no sign of other species evolving in the same way that humans have.

You mean "daily evolution" as in an improving of our minds or what?

''Why do people alwways bring anything and everything back to evolution?!?!?''

Do they? If they do then either they don't understand the theory of evolution or they are being lazy in either their thinking or their expression of their thinking.

Why do you have doubts about the theory of evolution?

OK, I get natural selection in that the environment can change, and some cope with these changes better than others.

Like the example we always got given in school of some wee moths that were white and matched some trees and so didn't get eaten and the rarer mutant black ones did. When industry made the trees in some areas sooty, the black ones blended in and it was the white ones that got eaten, so the black ones multiplied in these areas.

But I just find some other things hard to get. Like:

-I've always heard that it's a random process taking life from goo, to single celled things, to fish, to land, etc. So if it *is* random chance gene mutation, that required not only one fish to flop on shore with lungs that could cope with air, but *two*, and they can't both be male. You see what I mean?

-You'll agree that while humans share lots of DNA and stuff with other species, we're also quite different? How come then other species haven't evolved in the same way? We're supposed to be ape decendants, but there aren't any species like us that came from lizzards or cats or anything. That make sense? Also, on the same theme, birds and lizzards are supposed to have dinosaur ancestors, but there ain't no more dinos.

I think the main thing I struggle with is that any time I've heard evolution taught in school and uni, it was taught as such a definate thing, like we *know* this happened. I've never heard anything to make me totally believe it.

Hi,not panicing yet

Take a look at the wikipedia entry for evolution. Make sure you go to the time line as part of your reading. (I just did a search on evolution - the wiki entry was the first one.)

Thanks. Will do.