evolution

ev·o·lu·tion

E0256400 (ĕv′ə-lo͞o′shən, ē′və-)n.1. a. A gradual process in which something changes into a different and usually more complex or better form.b. A result of this process; a development: Judo is an evolution of an earlier martial art.2. Biology a. Change in the genetic composition of a population during successive generations, often resulting in the development of new species. The mechanisms of evolution include natural selection acting on the genetic variation among individuals, mutation, migration, and genetic drift.b. The historical development of a related group of organisms; phylogeny.3. Astronomy Change in the structure, chemical composition, or dynamical properties of a celestial object or system such as a planetary system, star, or galaxy. Evolution often changes the observable or measurable characteristics of the object or system.4. A movement that is part of a set of ordered movements: naval evolutions in preparation for battle.5. Mathematics The extraction of a root of a quantity.

[Latin ēvolūtiō, ēvolūtiōn-, from ēvolūtus, past participle of ēvolvere, to unroll; see evolve.]

ev′o·lu′tion·al, ev′o·lu′tion·ar′y (-shə-nĕr′ē) adj.ev′o·lu′tion·ar′i·ly adv.

evolution

(ˌiːvəˈluːʃən) n1. (Biology) biology a gradual change in the characteristics of a population of animals or plants over successive generations: accounts for the origin of existing species from ancestors unlike them. See also natural selection2. a gradual development, esp to a more complex form: the evolution of modern art. 3. (Chemistry) the act of throwing off, as heat, gas, vapour, etc4. a pattern formed by a series of movements or something similar5. (Mathematics) an algebraic operation in which the root of a number, expression, etc, is extracted. Compare involution⁶6. (Military) military an exercise carried out in accordance with a set procedure or plan[C17: from Latin ēvolūtiō an unrolling, from ēvolvere to evolve] ˌevoˈlutionary, ˌevoˈlutional adj

ev•o•lu•tion

(ˌɛv əˈlu ʃən; esp. Brit. ˌi və-)

n. 1. any process of formation or growth; development: the evolution of the drama. 2. a product of development; something evolved. 3. Biol. a. change in the gene pool of a population from generation to generation by such processes as mutation, natural selection, and genetic drift. b. the development of a species or other group of organisms; phylogeny. c. the theory that all existing organisms developed from earlier forms by natural selection; Darwinism. 4. a process of gradual, progressive change and development, as in a social or economic structure. 5. a motion incomplete in itself, but combining with coordinated motions to produce a single action, as in a machine. 6. a pattern formed by a series of movements: the evolutions of a figure skater. 7. Math. the extraction of a root from a quantity. 8. a military training exercise. 9. a movement executed by troops in formation. ev`o•lu′tion•al, ev•o•lu′tion•ar′y, adj. ev`o•lu′tion•al•ly, ev`o•lu`tion•ar′i•ly, adv.

ev·o·lu·tion

(ĕv′ə-lo͞o′shən) The process by which species of organisms arise from earlier life forms and undergo change over a long period of time through natural selection. The genetic makeup of populations of organisms can be traced using fossils and recent advances in DNA technology to determine the relationships between members of a given species. See also natural selection. See Note at Darwin.Did You Know? Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection assumed that tiny adaptations occur in organisms constantly over exceptionally long periods of time. Gradually, a new species develops that is distinct from its ancestors. In the 1970s, however, biologists Niles Eldredge and Stephen Jay Gould proposed that evolution by natural selection was a far more bumpy road. Based on types of fossils that exist around the world, they said that evolution is better described through punctuated equilibrium. That is, for long periods of time, species in fact remain virtually unchanged, not even gradually adapting. They are in equilibrium, in a balance with the environment. But when confronted with environmental challenges—sudden climate change, for example—organisms adapt quite quickly, perhaps in only a few thousand years. These active periods are punctuations, after which a new equilibrium exists and species remain stable until the next punctuation.

Evolution

See also biology; change; growth; improvement.
Darwinismthe theory of evolution by natural selection of those species best adapted to survive the struggle for existence. — Darwinian, n., ad).evolutionisma principle or theory of evolution. — evolutionist, n., adj.Lamarckismthe theory of organic evolution advanced by the French naturalist Lamarck that characteristics acquired by habit, diseases, or adaptations to change in environment may be inherited. — Lamarckian, n., adj.Neo-Darwinismthe theory that maintains natural selection to be the major factor in plant and animal evolution and denies the possibility of inheriting acquired characteristics. — Neo-Darwinist, n., adj. — Neo-Darwinian, n., adj.Neo-Lamarckisma modern theory based on Lamarckism that states that acquired characteristics are inherited. — Neo-Lamarckian, n., adj.orthogenesisprogressive evolution, leading to the development of a new form, as can be seen through successive generations. See also society. — orthogenetic, adj.pangenesisthe theory advanced by Darwin, now rejected, that each part of the body is represented in each cell by gemmules, which are the basic units of hereditary transmission. — pangenetic, adj.phylogenythe history of the development of a plant, animal, or racial type. — phylogenist, n. — phylogenetic, adj.primordialisma devotion to the conditions which existed at the beginning of creation.transformismthe ability of one species to change into another. — transformist, n.tychism1. the theory that chance is involved in evolution and that variation within a species is accidental.
2. the belief that chance rather than mere determinism operates in the cosmos. Cf. uniformitarianism.uniformitarianism1. Philosophy. a doctrine that the universe is governed only by rigid, unexceptionable law.
2. Geology. the concept that current geological processes explain all past geological occurrences. — uniformitarian, n., adj.

evolution

Change in the characteristics of a population of organisms over time.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	evolution - a process in which something passes by degrees to a different stage (especially a more advanced or mature stage); "the development of his ideas took many years"; "the evolution of Greek civilization"; "the slow development of her skill as a writer"developmentphysical process, process - a sustained phenomenon or one marked by gradual changes through a series of states; "events now in process"; "the process of calcification begins later for boys than for girls"assibilation - the development of a consonant phoneme into a sibilantdeepening - a process of becoming deeper and more profoundgrowth - a progression from simpler to more complex forms; "the growth of culture"unfolding, flowering - a developmental process; "the flowering of antebellum culture"degeneration, devolution - the process of declining from a higher to a lower level of effective power or vitality or essential quality
	2.	evolution - (biology) the sequence of events involved in the evolutionary development of a species or taxonomic group of organismsorganic evolution, phylogenesis, phylogenyScopes trial - a highly publicized trial in 1925 when John Thomas Scopes violated a Tennessee state law by teaching evolution in high school; Scopes was prosecuted by William Jennings Bryan and defended by Clarence Darrow; Scopes was convicted but the verdict was later reversedbiological science, biology - the science that studies living organismsanamorphism, anamorphosis - the evolution of one type of organism from another by a long series of gradual changesanthropogenesis, anthropogeny - the evolution or genesis of the human raceemergent evolution - the appearance of entirely new properties at certain critical stages in the course of evolutionmacroevolution - evolution on a large scale extending over geologic era and resulting in the formation of new taxonomic groupsmicroevolution - evolution resulting from small specific genetic changes that can lead to a new subspeciesbiological process, organic process - a process occurring in living organismsspeciation - the evolution of a biological species

evolution

noun1. development, adaptation, natural selection, Darwinism, survival of the fittest, evolvement the evolution of plants and animals2. development, growth, advance, progress, working out, expansion, extension, unfolding, progression, enlargement, maturation, unrolling a crucial period in the evolution of modern physics

evolution

noun1. A progression from a simple form to a more complex one:development, evolvement, growth, progress, unfolding.2. A calculated change in position:maneuver, move, movement, turn.

Translations

演变进化发展

evolve

(iˈvolv) verb to (cause to) develop gradually. Man evolved from the apes.演变evolution (iːvəˈluːʃən) , ((American) e-) noun1. gradual working out or development. the evolution of our form of government. 发展，演变 2. the development of the higher kinds of animals (eg man), plants etc, from the lower kinds. Darwin's theory of evolution.进化evolutionary (iːvəˈluːʃənəri) , ((American) e-) adjective 进化的，发展的

evolution

→ 演变zhCN

evolution

evolution,

concept that embodies the belief that existing animals and plants developed by a process of gradual, continuous change from previously existing forms. This theory, also known as descent with modification, constitutes organic evolution. Inorganic evolution, on the other hand, is concerned with the development of the physical universe from unorganized matter. Organic evolution, as opposed to belief in the special creation of each individual species as an immutable form, conceives of life as having had its beginnings in a simple primordial protoplasmic mass (probably originating in the sea) from which, through the long eras of time, arose all subsequent living forms.

History of Evolutionary Theory

Early Theories

Evolutionary concepts appeared in some early Greek writings, e.g., in the works of Thales, Empedocles, Anaximander, and Aristotle. Under the restraining influence of the Church, no evolutionary theories developed during some 15 centuries of the Christian era to challenge the belief in special creation and the literal interpretation of the first part of Genesis; however, much data was accumulated that was to be utilized by later theorists. With the growth of scientific observation and experimentation, there began to appear from about the middle of the 16th cent. glimpses of the theory of evolution that emerged in the mid 19th cent. The invention of the microscope, making possible the study of reproductive cells and the growth of the science of embryology, was a factor in overthrowing hampering theories founded in false ideas of the reproductive process; studies in classification (taxonomy or systematics) and anatomy, based on dissection, were also influential.

Linnaeus, in his later years, showed an inclination toward belief in the mutability of species as a result of his observations of the many variations among species. Buffon, on the basis of his work in comparative anatomy, suggested the influence of use and disuse in molding the organs of vertebrate animals. Lamarck was the first to present a clearly stated evolutionary theory, but because it included the inheritance of acquired characteristicsacquired characteristics,
modifications produced in an individual plant or animal as a result of mutilation, disease, use and disuse, or any distinctly environmental influence. Some examples are docking of tails, malformation caused by disease, and muscle atrophy.
..... Click the link for more information. as the operative force of evolution, his whole theory was ridiculed and discredited for many years.

Darwinism

Although special creation of each species was the prevalent belief even among scientists in the first half of the 19th cent., the evidence in favor of evolution had by that time been uncovered. It remained for someone to assemble and interpret the evidence and to formulate a scientifically credible theory. This was accomplished simultaneously by A. R. WallaceWallace, Alfred Russel,
1823–1913, English naturalist. From his study of comparative biology in Brazil and in the East Indies, he evolved a concept of evolution similar to that of Charles Darwin.
..... Click the link for more information. and Charles Robert DarwinDarwin, Charles Robert,
1809–82, English naturalist, b. Shrewsbury; grandson of Erasmus Darwin and of Josiah Wedgwood. He firmly established the theory of organic evolution known as Darwinism.
..... Click the link for more information. , who set forth the concepts that came to be known as DarwinismDarwinism,
concept of evolution developed in the mid-19th cent. by Charles Robert Darwin. Darwin's meticulously documented observations led him to question the then current belief in special creation of each species.
..... Click the link for more information. . In 1859 appeared the first edition of Darwin's Origin of Species. The influence of this evolutionary theory upon scientific thought and experimentation cannot be overestimated. In the years following the promulgation of Darwin's theory of evolution, many accepted and many denied its validity.

The theory found an opposing force in some religious creeds that declared it incompatible with their basic tenets. For a time evolution, sometimes falsely interpreted as meaning human descent from monkeys rather than descent from an ancient and extinct ancestor, became a target for attack by both church and educational authorities. Feeling ran high even as late as the time of the Scopes trialScopes trial,
Tennessee legal case involving the teaching of evolution in public schools. A statute was passed (Mar., 1925) in Tennessee that prohibited the teaching in public schools of theories contrary to accepted interpretation of the biblical account of human creation.
..... Click the link for more information. . Nevertheless, the theory of evolution became firmly entrenched as a scientific principle, and in most creeds it has been reconciled with religious teachings. Some Christian fundamentalists, however, do not accept the theory and have striven to have biblical creationism taught in the schools as an alternative theory. (For the evolution of human beings, see human evolutionhuman evolution,
theory of the origins of the human species, Homo sapiens. Modern understanding of human origins is derived largely from the findings of paleontology, anthropology, and genetics, and involves the process of natural selection (see Darwinism).
..... Click the link for more information. .)

Modern Evolutionary Theory

Evolutionary theory has undergone modification in the light of later scientific developments. As more and more information has accumulated, the facts from a number of fields of investigation have provided corroboration and mutual support. Evidence that evolution has occurred still rests substantially on the same grounds that Darwin emphasized; comparative anatomy, embryology, geographical distribution, and paleontology. But additional recent evidence has come from biochemistrybiochemistry,
science concerned chiefly with the chemistry of biological processes; it attempts to utilize the tools and concepts of chemistry, particularly organic and physical chemistry, for elucidation of the living system.
..... Click the link for more information. and molecular biology, which reveals fundamental similarities and relations in metabolism and hereditary mechanisms among disparate types of organisms. In general, both at the visible level and at the biochemical, one can detect the kinds of gradations of relatedness among organisms expected from evolution.

The chief weakness of Darwinian evolution lay in gaps in its explanations of the mechanism of evolution and of the origin of species. The Darwinian concept of natural selectionselection.
In Darwinism, the mechanism of natural selection is considered of major importance in the process of evolution. Popular formulations sometimes envisage a struggle for existence in which direct competition for mates or for various factors in the environment (e.g.
..... Click the link for more information. is that inheritable variations among the individuals of given types of organisms continually arise in nature and that some variations prove advantageous under prevailing conditions in that they enable the organism to leave relatively more surviving offspring. But how these variations initially arise or are transmitted to offspring, and hence to subsequent generations, was not understood by Darwin. The science of geneticsgenetics,
scientific study of the mechanism of heredity. While Gregor Mendel first presented his findings on the statistical laws governing the transmission of certain traits from generation to generation in 1856, it was not until the discovery and detailed study of the
..... Click the link for more information. , originating at the beginning of the 20th cent. with the recognition of the importance of the earlier work of MendelMendel, Gregor Johann
, 1822–84, Austrian monk noted for his experimental work on heredity. He entered the Augustinian monastery in Brno in 1843, taught at a local secondary school, and carried out independent scientific investigations on garden peas and other plants until
..... Click the link for more information. , provided a satisfactory explanation for the origin and transmission of variation. In 1901, de Vries presented his theory that mutationmutation,
in biology, a sudden, random change in a gene, or unit of hereditary material, that can alter an inheritable characteristic. Most mutations are not beneficial, since any change in the delicate balance of an organism having a high level of adaptation to its environment
..... Click the link for more information. , or suddenly appearing and well-defined inheritable variation (as opposed to the slight, cumulative changes stressed by Darwin), is a force in the origin and evolution of species. Mutation in genes is now accepted by most biologists as a fundamental concept in evolutionary theory. The genegene,
the structural unit of inheritance in living organisms. A gene is, in essence, a segment of DNA that has a particular purpose, i.e., that codes for (contains the chemical information necessary for the creation of) a specific enzyme or other protein.
..... Click the link for more information. is the carrier of heredity and determines the attributes of the individual; thus changes in the genes can be transmitted to the offspring and produce new or altered attributes in the new individual.

Still prevalent misunderstandings of evolution are the beliefs that an animal or plant changes in order to better adapt to its environment—for example, that it develops an eye for the purpose of seeing—and that actual physical competition among individuals is required. Since mutation is a random process, changes can be either useful, unfavorable, or neutral to the individual's or species' survival. However, a new characteristic that is not detrimental may sometimes better enable the organism to survive or leave offspring in its environment, especially if that environment is changing, or to penetrate a new environment—such as the development of a lunglike structure that enables an aquatic animal to survive on land (see lungfishlungfish,
common name for any of a group of fish belonging to the families Ceratodontidae, Lepidosirenidae, and Protopteridae, found in the rivers of Australia, South America, and Africa, respectively.
..... Click the link for more information. ), where there may be more food and fewer predators.

Bibliography

See D. S. Bendall, Evolution from Molecules to Men (1983); P. Calow, Evolutionary Principles (1983); J. H. Birx, Theories of Evolution (1984); V. Grant, The Evolutionary Process (1985); H. Baltscheffsky et al., ed., Molecular Evolution of Life (1987); A. M. Clark, Understanding Science through Evolution (1987); F. E. Poirier, Understanding Human Evolution (1987); G. Richards, Human Evolution (1987); C. J. Avers, Process and Pattern in Evolution (1989); R. J. Berry, Evolution, Ecology, and Environmental Stress (1989); J. Weiner, The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time (1995); R. Fortey, Life (1998); A. Jolly, Lucy's Legacy (1999); S. Jones, Darwin's Ghost: "The Origin of Species" Updated (2000); E. Mayr, What Evolution Is (2001); E. J. Larson, Evolution (2004); E. C. Scott, Evolution vs. Creationism (2004); M. Ruse, The Evolution-Creation Struggle (2005); M. A. Fedonkin et al., The Rise of Animals (2008); D. Palmer, Evolution (2009); R. Stott, Darwin's Ghosts: The Secret History of Evolution (2012); H. Gee, The Accidental Species: Misunderstandings of Human Evolution (2013); N. Eldredge, Eternal Ephemera (2015).

evolution

see DARWIN, EVOLUTIONARY THEORY.

Evolution

in the broad sense, a synonym for development; in the narrower sense, one of the principal types of development —a slow, gradual, quantitative, and qualitative change—in contrast to revolution. In evolution, each new state of the object has, in comparison with the previous state, a higher level of organization and differentiation of functions. The distinction is made between individual evolution (of a certain individual object) and general evolution (of nature or life). In the process of evolution an important role is played both by internal factors and by external conditions of the object’s existence. Changes occurring in the course of evolution are diverse.

Dialectical materialism regards evolution and revolution as interconnected and reciprocally conditioned aspects of development and opposes the absolutization of one or the other.

evolution

[‚ev·ə′lü·shən] (biology) The processes of biological and organic change in organisms by which descendants come to differ from their ancestors.

evolution

1. Biology a gradual change in the characteristics of a population of animals or plants over successive generations: accounts for the origin of existing species from ancestors unlike them 2. the act of throwing off, as heat, gas, vapour, etc. 3. an algebraic operation in which the root of a number, expression, etc., is extracted

evolution

ev·o·lu·tion

evolution

ev•o•lu•tion

ev·o·lu·tion

Evolution

evolution

evolution

evolution

evolve

evolution

evolution

evolution,

History of Evolutionary Theory

Early Theories

Darwinism

Modern Evolutionary Theory

Bibliography

evolution

Evolution

evolution

evolution

evolution

evolution

ev·o·lu·tion

evolution

ev·o·lu·tion

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evolution

Patient discussion about evolution

evolution

Synonyms for evolution

noun development

Synonyms

noun development

Synonyms

Synonyms for evolution

noun a progression from a simple form to a more complex one

Synonyms

noun a calculated change in position

Synonyms

Synonyms for evolution

noun a process in which something passes by degrees to a different stage (especially a more advanced or mature stage)

Synonyms

Related Words

Antonyms

noun (biology) the sequence of events involved in the evolutionary development of a species or taxonomic group of organisms

Synonyms

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