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So, the theory of evolution is comprehensively described by: "allele frequencies change in a population over time"? No common ancestor for all living creatures?
The evidence points to that, but it's not a requirement of evolutionary theory.
Then why is it that all the articles seem to talk about the elusive common ancestor?
It all started with Linnaeus, (who didn't know about evolution). He discovered that living things fit nicely into a family tree as though they were descended from a common ancestor. He thought perhaps God make things that way, and was disappointed to find that minerals didn't fit into a similar tree.
Then Darwin figured out why. And then predicted intermediates in that tree began to turn up. And then genetics confirmed the tree to a very high degree of precision.
So there you are. Common descent isn't evolution. It's a consequence of evolution. And it didn't have to happen this way. It's conceivable that more than one kind could have appeared on Earth. Perhaps more kinds did. But only one kind has survived past the Precambrian.
You are patient! Well done! But your statement is confusing the definition of evolution with the theory of evolution, apparently.
Evolution is merely the change in allele frequency in a population over time. The theory of evolution has four premises, plus genetics. One is an observed phenomenon. The other is the theory that explains it.
Barbarian observes:
Nope. Sometimes, evolution simplifies things. Our jaws and shoulder joints, for example, are simpler than those of our ancestors. That's another major misconception.
You're confusing similarities with ancestry,
Nope. You're confusing homology and analogy. For example, the teeth in thylacines (carnivorous marsupial) and canids look very similar, with shearing "carnassal" teeth. But they are demonstrably analogous, having a different dental formula, while the teeth of canids and felids are homlogous (felids have a reduction in teeth, but the remaining "carnassals" in felids are homlogous with canids)
It all comes down to evidence. And the evidence shows that the "similar" canids and thylacines are not closely related, but that canids and felids are much more closely related, even if they don't look so much alike.
You're confusing similarities with ancestry. That isn't always reliable.
Yep. This is why homology matters, not analogy. I think I mentioned Old World and New World vultures. The former are evolved from raptors, and the latter from storks, even though they look quite similar.
Barbarian observes:
The CCR5-Δ32 allele became widespread in Europe a few hundred years ago. It confers resistance to bubonic plague (and apparently to HIV as well). You think that's a slight benefit?
It's a great benefit for a particular problem, but are we really going to suggest that a single change to fight a single (well, maybe two) disease(s) is more than slight in terms of our overall fitness?
The plague killed maybe a third of Europeans. Yeah, I think it was a huge increase in overall fitness. Remember "fitness" counts only in terms of environment. So that changes with the environment.
And can you really say that the change is helping overall fitness at all?
Yep. Went from negligable to maybe 25% of Europeans over just a few centuries. So no question about it.
Don't see where they claimed it wasn't. Can you show me?
What about the limits of mutations within a species
For example, another set of hands would be great for humans. However, there's apparently no way to evolve another set and meet Darwin's criteria that intermediate steps be at least neutral. On the other hand, no one has so far found a genome that has reached it's limit of variation and can have no more mutations.
the falsified and misread transitional forms
Show us one.
the observed limits of phenotypic variation
That's part of Darwin's theory.
and the thoroughly false predictions of evolutionary theory?
Among them:
"There must have been transitionals between dinosaurs and birds."
"There must have been transitionals between ungulates and whales."
"There must have been transitionals between salamanders and frogs."
"There must have been transitionals between arboreal apes and humans."
"Bacteria will evolve resistance to penicillin sooner if it's used carelessly."
"Dinosaurs should be biochemically more like birds than like lizards."
There are thousands of other verified predictions. How many would you like?
Do they show the falsehood of evolution?
They could. For example, a feathered mammal. Or a structure that was demonstrably evolved for the sole benefit of an different creature.
Does anything show the falsehood of evolution?
So far, not. One of the most striking and persuasive points is that we have a huge number of transitionals , but not a single one where the theory says there shouldn't be.
That's because they are predicted to be everywhere.
No. A lobster with bones, a gull with sacculate lungs, a whale with gills, all those would be powerful evidence against evolutionary theory.
But most of the time we DON'T find them where they are predicted to be,
That's wrong. Most of those predicted transitionals I mentioned were not verified when I was young. Now we have examples for all of them.