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Evolution

Evolution is a term with numerous meanings and uses. It can be used to mean anything as general and pervasive as basic "change over time" to something as specific as particular mechanisms of evolution (such as Darwinian, epigenetic, transfer, etc.). Evolution is also used to describe theories of cosmic, chemical and biological development. Below are listed several common definitions of evolution.

1. Evolution as change over time

2. Evolution as history of nature

3. Evolution as any sequence of events in nature

4. Evolution as development

5. Evolution as changes in the frequencies of alleles in the gene pool of a population.

6. Evolution as limited common descent: the idea that particular groups of organisms have descended from a common ancestor.

7. The mechanisms of evolution responsible for the change required to produce limited descent with modification, chiefly natural selection acting on random variations or mutations.

8. Evolution as universal common descent: the idea that all organisms have descended from a single common ancestor.

9. “Blind watchmaker” thesis: the idea that all organisms have descended from common ancestors solely through an unguided, unintelligent, purposeless, material processes such as natural selection acting on random variations or mutations; that the mechanisms of natural selection, random variation and mutation, and perhaps other similarly naturalistic mechanisms, are completely sufficient to account for the appearance of design in living organisms.

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