what is divergent evolution?
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Divergent evolution is the process by which initially similar gene copies diverge to perform different functions as they lose the selective pressure initially present on them. New selective pressures then take over to evolve the genes towards totally different functions. Note that these gene products may have common structural aspects and may involve the same step mechanistically. However, the reaction involved will be widely different.\n\nIn a broader sense this is speciation. Two animals may originally have the exact same set of genes, but due to divergent evolution, they may give rise to entirely different species. For example, tigers and lions share the common lineage of the cat. Divergent evolution of one set of genes gave one stripes.\n\nDivergent and Convergent Evolution Adaptive radiation is one example of divergent evolution. Divergent evolution is the process of two or more related species becoming more and more dissimilar. The red fox and the kit fox provide and example of two species that have undergone divergent evolution. The red fox lives in mixed farmlands and forests, where its red color helps it blend in with surrounding trees. The kit fox lives on the plains and in the deserts, where its sandy color helps conceal it from prey and predators. The ears of the kit fox are larger than those of the red fox. The kit fox's large ears are an adaptation to its desert environment. The enlarged surface area of its ears helps the fox get rid of excess body heat. Similarities in structure indicate that the red fox and the kit fox had a common ancestor. As they adapted to different environments, the appearance of the two species diverged.\n\nIn convergent evolution, on the other hand, unrelated species become more and more similar in appearance as they adapt to the same kind of environment. The two unrelated types of plants in the picture above have adapted to desert environments. Notice the resemblance of the cactus, which grows in the American desert, to the euphorbia, which grows in the African deserts. Both have fleshy stems armed with spines. These adaptations help the plants store water and ward off predators.
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Microevolution is a change in a population's alleles over a period of time.\n\nIt is very difficult to detect changes that occur on the microscopic level. These changes must manifest themselves in the organisms phenotype. Since individuals do not evolve, one must keep a close eye on the individuals population to detect any change in genotypic modification. Biologists have a way to help them detect such changes; it is called the Hardy -Weinberg theorem.   This idea was developed to determine if a population was evolving. The authors of the theorem set up a series of parameters, which do not exist in nature, to be followed when determining the allele frequencies of any population. These guide lines are as follows:\nThe population must be very large in size.\nIt must be isolated from other populations. ( no gene flow)\nNo mutations.\nRandom mating.\nNo natural selection.\nAs one can see, these characteristics cannot be eliminated from nature. \n\nThere are 5 basic causes of microevolution:\n1. Genetic Drift: This represents random changes in small gene pools due to sampling errors in propagation of alleles. The bottleneck effect and founder effect are prime examples of genetic drift. In either case the number of individuals in a population is drastically reduced distorting the original allelic frequencies.\n2. Gene Flow: The movement of alleles into and out of a gene pool. Migration of an organism into different areas can cause the allelic frequencies of that population to increase. Most populations are not isolated, which is contrary to the Hardy-Weinberg Theorem.\n3. Mutations: These changes in the genome of an organism are an important source of natural selection.\n4. Nonrandom mating: Inbreeding is a popular form of nonrandom mating. Individuals will mate more frequently with close individuals than more distant ones. Assortive mating, is another form of nonrandom mating. Here the individuals will mate with partners that closely resemble themselves in certain characteristics.\n5. Natural Selection: Populations vary in the types of individuals and their reproductive success. Those individuals who leave more offspring behind than others, pass on more of their alleles and have a better success rate in dominating the population.\n\nMacroevolution can be defined simply as evolution above the species level, and its subject matter includes the origins and fates of major novelties such as tetrapod limbs and insect wings, the waxing and waning of multi-species lineages over long time-scales, and the impact of continental drift and other physical processes on the evolutionary process. \nFossils: any preserved remnant or impression left by organisms that lived in the past.\nThese remnants of the past are only meaningful in the context of macroevolution only if their vintages relative to other fossils can be determined by methods we shall now discuss.\n \nGeological Time Scale:\n \nRelative dating: Superimposition of sedimentary rocks tells the relative age of fossils. The fossils in each layer are a local sampling of the organisms that existed when that sediment was deposited. Younger strata are superimposed on the top of older ones , and the succession of fossil species is a story of macroevolution that can be read by paleobiologists.\n \nAbsolute dating: This does not mean errorless dating. The age is given in years and not in relative terms such as early , before , and after. Radioactive dating is the method often used to determine the age of the fossils and rocks . Fossils contain isotopes of elements accumulated in the organism when they were alive. Because each radioactive isotope has a fixed rate of decay, half-life, it can be used to date the species. Half-life is unaffected by pressure, temperature, or other environmental variables.\n \nExamples of half-life:\n\nPotassium 40 -- 1.3 x 109\nRubidium 87 -- 4.9 x 1010\nUranium 238 -- 4.5 x 109\nCarbon 14 -- 5.7 x 103\n \nAnother form of dating is called the "clock". Am
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Molecular fusion occurs all the time in places where the pressure is great enough, such as the core of the sun.\nI do not know what you refer to evolution for.
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Evolution is a fact. People, plants, animals, weather, land masses and bodies of water all evolve. The word evolve means to develop or achieve gradually. However, the theory that evolution and the big bang are the origin of life is not a fact, only a theory. The beginning of life and matter is the one most significant and extraordinary event of all time, so how it happened is likely to be similarly extraordinary story. The Bible does not say "Thou shalt not evolve", nor does it say that "nothing ever develops and changes", in fact it calls us to evolve - spiritually, socially, and mentally. The Bible teaches us that there is only one thing that never changes - God. Why is it easier to believe that all of a sudden everything blew up and here we were - oops! No, things happen on purpose more often than they do by accident. Especially extraordinary things. They say that a bunch of monkeys could type the works of Shakepeare if given enough time... but wouldn't it be more efficient and infinitely quicker to let Shakepeare do it on purpose? And isn't one of the basic principles of nature efficiency? (i.e. the path of least resistance) So, no I don't think it's difficult to believe that an organized and developed being created an organized and developed universe. Also... as a Christian, I do not believe that we were created to assuage God's boredom. I believe we were created to love God - by our own free will rather than by force.
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Evolution is the gradual change in a group of organisms based on surroundings and circumstances that make one population more favorable. Since we do not know what future events might select for homo sapiens, we cannot predict how they will evolve. For example, if we had a full out nuclear war, perhaps a small group of humans would survive that were very tolerant to radiation. There is no way to know. That being said, humans have somewhat overcome evolution because of our advanced medicine- we can let people live who would otherwise be selected against, like people with debilating diseases.
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egg the proccesses of evolution take place in the next generation of a species
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evolution is a slow moving process. too slow to observe within a lifespan or possibly even a few generations. it could take tens or hundreds of thousands of years for it to happen.
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Great stuff going on right now having to do with developmental genes (like Hox genes).  You may know this as "Evo Devo" or evolutionary developmental biology.\n\nCheck out the book "Endless Forms Most Beautiful," by Sean Carroll.  He also gives ideas for research and new fields, lots of peer-reviewed papers.\n\nI just read it this Fall, it was great.
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Species do not evolve, individuals show variation and sometimes that variation is pro reproductive, (not necessarily pro long and happy life)  In that case a pool of individuals with that trait grows and reinforces it.  Such variation tends to be absorbed in a large mobile population and cause no long term divergence, so our own mobility and global success works against a new variety of human emerging.  \n\nOne can anticipate however that our science will progress far faster then any normal evolution and in a short time a group of therapies will be available that will offer longer life, greater vitality and sexual enjoyment, improved health in general and whatever appearance is desired.  The trend to these things already exists.  The factor that will isolate this group of advantaged humans may already exist as well, since it is likely that such biological tinkering will be available only to those who can afford it.  We may see the very rich diverging as a virtual new type of human in the next fifty years, followed by the middle class in places like America.  The difference in lifespan between a wealthy nation and a third world one is now twenty five years or more, it may stretch to a century.  A pretty big issue putting wealth and experience against endless numbers...
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Yes!  Evolution is cool!
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The Egg, and a tad of evolution
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Evolution and the means to survive.
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reverse evolution\n\nit began with cain
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Evolution is still happening today, so it is observable. However, it takes many generations for any adaptation to become part of the genetic code of a species, and therefore, only in a great many generations will there be any concrete proof. Scientists do not claim to have proved it, at least, none of the scientists I've consulted on this matter. They say there is a lot of evidence to substantiate the theory of evolution and none to disprove it, which I believe to be true. Because of this, it's a theory that has ceased to be contested. However, it is still a theory, with lots of evidence in it's favor but no proof.
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Do you mean "Is evolution in contradiction to Genesis (the Biblical version)?"?  If so, they are not in competition.  You can believe in creation and evolution.  Evolution is the change in alelle frequency in a population over time.  It has nothing to do with the origin of life itself.  That is a matter for abiogenisists to worry about.  Evolution works no matter what the origin of life actually is.
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Here you go, check this out.\n\nhttp://evolution.berkeley.edu/
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Its not.\n\nThe word evolved implies evolution, the definition of evolution is any process of formation or growth; development.\nOr more specifically in biology, change in the gene pool of a population from generation to generation by such processes as mutation, natural selection, and genetic drift.\n\nHumans did not however evolve from the apes alive today, we simply share a common ancestor.