Some thoughts on Darwin’s natural selection

It is interesting to realize that the development of all plants and animals down through the millennia has followed what Charles Darwin called “natural selection,” which is that most changes are adaptions to adjust to the evolving environment. Those that adjusted survived while others failed. This process was nature’s way to assure that a balance was maintained.

Many feel that this process was aimed at improving a species, that each new species was superior to those that went before. For example, that humans today are superior to those that had evolved in Africa. What is not taken into consideration is that each of these early species existed for millions of years well adjusted to the then-existing environment.

Another curious error considered by many is that some natural changes led to very complicated organs, for example the eye. Its intricate construction was such that many believed that this was aided in its development by some superior being. Again, science has shown that the eye developed from a simple cell that distinguished light and dark, which in many species evolved into the highly intricate object that exists today. This method is but another example of Darwin’s process of “natural selection.”

This story was originally published March 12, 2016 at 8:49 PM with the headline "Some thoughts on Darwin’s natural selection."