WARNING: This is not the place to discuss any alleged controversy or opinion about evolution and its related subjects. This page is for discussing improvements to the article, which is about evolution (not creation science, not creationism, and not intelligent design to name a few), and what has been presented in peer-reviewed scientific literature about it. See Wikipedia:No original research and Wikipedia:Talk page guidelines. Some common points of argument are addressed in the FAQ above, which represents the consensus of editors here. If you are interested in discussing or debating over evolution itself, you may want to visit talk.origins or elsewhere.

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See my addition. I've read the previous physics and "philosophical" paper that is easier to digest, but I've so far only read the abstract for this newest paper. I didn't even know there were any serious doubts (now resolved?) about evolution's compatibility with quantum theory..

I thought of making Constructor theory of Life a redirect. Should it or Constructor theory be added here under See also (or in main text)? This page is locked and very important, I do want some opinions on this theory before proceding.. I'm only a physics amateur (and interested in biology). comp.arch (talk) 12:01, 26 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Uh, no. Can you cite oh say 50 to 100 peer reviewed articles from the biological and especially evolutionary literature that have themselves cited Constructor Theory of Life? Given the tens of thousands of articles in biology published every year, this should be an easy task... Otherwise, my appraisal is that what seems to intrigue you is probably without merit and almost certainly not significant.173.189.73.230 (talk) 21:09, 26 November 2014 (UTC)[reply]

According to that Wikipedia article's lede:"... horizontal gene transfer is a highly significant phenomenon and among single-celled organisms perhaps the dominant form of genetic transfer." I think it needs to be given much more prominence here. The VAST majority of organisms on Earth are single celled. If hgt is dominant there, then it is THE dominant transfer mechanism, Q.E.D. I am not sure about the transfer of genetic information (DNA & RNA) from viruses being as significant, but clearly based on the estimates I've seen, viral genetic information comprises a significant part of our DNA and probably should also be mentioned (separately). I understand that this is a fairly "new" area of understanding, but treating Evolution, while ignoring almost completely very important genetic processes seems to be putting our heads in the sand. I'd say that epigenetic phenotype modifications (specifically methylation of DNA/gene silencing) also should be prominently mentioned because both of these things, along with germ cell mutations and somatic variation of the DNA between cells in multicellular organisms (we're all chimera) ADD to, and subtly change, the idea that what we are (genetically) is the product of (only) our parent's DNA.173.189.73.230 (talk) 21:31, 26 November 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Please clarify which type of evolution the author is referring to. There is speciation (which we observe) and macro-evolution (change of kinds, which is not observed). Often, writers put them together as if they are the same, but many have been confused on this issue. This change would take place upon the first two sentences in the article; perhaps it could be changed to "Evolution is of two essential definitions: speciation and macro-evolution. Speciation (which we see today) is variation within a family, while macro-evolution (not observed today) is the change from one kind of organism to another (e.g. cat to dog ... whale to cow.)." It could be something along those lines. If it is scientifically inaccurate, please don't post it, but if it is, please edit the article. 24.57.225.109 (talk) 00:43, 28 November 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Read Q6 of the FAQ at the top of this talk page. Stickee (talk) 08:13, 28 November 2014 (UTC)[reply]

I wonder if I might suggest a small shift of emphasis.

The 'theory of evolution' and 'Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection' are often used as synonyms but they are really two different things. Evolution is indisputable fact, Darwin's theory is about the mechanism of evolution by natural selection: it is (slightly) less certain than evolution itself and can thus be argued against. I always try and carefully distinguish between the two lest anyone who thinks they have found a flaw in Darwin's theory think they have also found a flaw in the theory of evolution. Cassandra 2.96.13.183 (talk) 11:18, 5 December 2014 (UTC)[reply]

I think Darwin's first version, and the modern standard versions are distinguished in the article? Could you clarify what needs clarifying? You seem to emphasize a concern with the term "natural selection", but the concept of selection (which is actually a word being used metaphorically in biology) is still standard?--Andrew Lancaster (talk) 12:21, 5 December 2014 (UTC)[reply]

I believe evolution is factual but it is a theory and it should be stated that it is merely a theory for neutrality and factual reasons. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Brodieshady496 (talk • contribs) 23:34, 6 December 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Please read the FAQ at the top of the page. Specifically Q3. Thanks. --McSly (talk) 23:42, 6 December 2014 (UTC)[reply]

If the theory of evolution is merely a theory then how can evolution be a fact. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.145.40.184 (talk) 23:50, 6 December 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Please read Evolution as theory and fact. --McSly (talk) 23:54, 6 December 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Yes you are correct. Thanks for the information! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.145.40.184 (talk) 00:03, 7 December 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Evolution be changed to The Theory of Evolution, as this may be taught in schools, but is still not accepted as fact. 2601:E:8280:7EE:7863:DE0:419A:FF6E (talk) 10:21, 9 December 2014 (UTC)[reply]

 Not done - Unsurprisingly, this has been suggested before, but consensus is very clearly against you - please see the archives - all 65 of them.
For a summary. please also see the FAQs at the top of this page - particularly No 3 - Arjayay (talk) 10:39, 9 December 2014 (UTC)[reply]

I think that the structure for the article does not allow the reader to link holistically the concepts of evolutionary theory. As an example of a better structure, I might suggest the Spanish version of the article. I would propose a new index in order to improve the organization of the article and allow for a better understanding of evolutionary theory. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 161.111.163.115 (talk) 13:12, 13 December 2014 (UTC)[reply]

I agree that the organization and clarity of this article could be improved. The Spanish version of the Evolution article does have better organization.

Translation of Evolution article (Spanish version):

1 Evolution as documented fact

1.1 Evidence of the evolutionary process

1.2 The origin of life

1.3 The evolution of life on Earth

2 Scientific theories about evolution

2.1 History of evolutionary thought

2.2 Darwinism

2.3 Neo-Darwinism

2.4 Modern evolutionary synthesis

2.5 Expansion of the modern synthesis

3 Modern evolutionary synthesis

3.1 Variability

3.1.1 Mutation

3.1.2 Genetic recombination

3.1.3 Population genetics

3.1.4 Gene Flow

3.2 Mechanisms of evolution

3.2.1 Natural Selection

3.2.2 Genetic Drift

3.3 Consequences of evolution

3.3.1 Adaptation

3.3.2 Coevolution

3.3.3 Speciation

3.3.4 Extinction

3.4 Microevolution and macroevolution

4 Expansion of the modern synthesis

4.1 Paleobiology and evolutionary rates

4.2 Environmental causes of mass extinctions

4.3 Sexual selection and altruism

4.4 Macroevolution, promising monsters and punctuated equilibrium

4.5 Synthesis of developmental biology and evolutionary theory

4.6 Microbiology and horizontal gene transfer

4.7 Endosymbiosis and origin of eukaryotic cells

4.8 Changes in the expression of genes involved in the inheritance

5 Experiments and studies on the evolutionary process

5.1 Direct observation of the evolutionary process in bacteria

5.2 Computer simulation of the process of biological evolution

6 Impacts of the theory of evolution

6.1 Evolution and religion

6.2 Other theories of evolution and scientific reviews of the synthetic theory

6.2.1 Other minority hypothesis

7 See also

8 References

9 Further reading

10 External links

Please consider the organization of the following source:

Understanding Evolution Website 2014. Understanding evolution: your one-stop source for information on evolution. Collaborative project of University of California Museum of Paleontology and the National Center for Science Education. Accessed 13-Dec-2014.

Evolution 101

1 An introduction to evolution

2 The history of life: looking at the patterns

• The family tree

• Understanding phylogenies

• Building the tree

• Homologies and analogies

• Using the tree for classification

• Adding time to the tree

• How we know what happened when

• Important events in the history of life

3 Mechanisms: the processes of evolution

• Descent with modification

• Mechanisms of change

• Genetic variation

• Mutations

• The causes of mutations

• Gene flow

• Sex and genetic shuffling

• Development

• Genetic drift

• Natural selection

• What about fitness?

• Sexual selection

• Artificial selection

• Adaptation

• Misconceptions about natural selection

• Coevolution

4 Microevolution

• Defining microevolution

• Detecting microevolutionary change

• Mechanisms of microevolution

5 Speciation

• Defining a species

• Defining speciation

• Causes of speciation

• Reproductive isolation

• Evidence for speciation

• Cospeciation

6 Macroevolution

• What is macroevolution?

• Patterns in macroevolution

7 The big issues

• The pace of evolution

• Diversity in clades

• Looking at complexity

• Trends in evolution

TheProfessor (talk) 14:48, 13 December 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Shouldn't something be said about the flaws in the theory of evolution on this page to give an unbiased view of the theory?— Preceding unsigned comment added by Dogmyth (talk • contribs)

New sections belong at the bottom, please sign your posts with four tildes (~~~~). We do not give equal validity to topics which reject and are rejected by mainstream academia. For example, our article on Earth does not pretend it is flat, hollow, and/or the center of the universe. Those blue words are links to site policies and guidelines that back up the material I discuss. Given your other edits, it's clear that you're here to push a creationist POV and may not be here to build an unbiased encyclopedia. Ian.thomson (talk) 03:48, 15 December 2014 (UTC)[reply]

These edits have been reverted by multiple users because "This article is specific to evolution in biology", and the edit "appears contentious".

This article's content is about biological evolution, and (per WP:LEDE) the intro summarizes the article. The removed content discussed a number of uses of the word "evolution" that had nothing to do with biology. Ian.thomson (talk) 00:27, 23 December 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, that page is about "biologcal evolution" and the biological evolution page REDIRECTS there! Why? That makes NO SENSE! The page is named "evolution". Not "biological evolution". Where should "evolution" be described, if the "evolution" page is to be RESERVED FOR "biological evolution" while the "biological evolution" page is left blank except for a redirect to the "evolution" page? In my opinion, that is HIDING WHAT EVOLUTION IS from the public. Is that what Wikipedia is for? To deceive the public? DonaldKronos (talk) 00:49, 23 December 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Okay, I do see the "NOTE: Please do not change the lead sentence(s) without consulting the discussion page first. This lead has been discussed and there is general consensus that this is the best one for now. Thanks." at the top now. Didn't notice it before... so yes, when my changes were deleted, it certainly looked like vandalism to me. I'll post my proposed changed here in the talk page, but really.... does it make ANY SENSE to have an "evolution" page, that is all about ONE KIND OF THING EVOLVING IN ONE SPECIFIC WAY, when everything capable of accumulating changes evolves? If there is a reason why my hard work should be thrown away, PLEASE , SOMEBODY, kindly explain it to me.

Here's the text of the first two paragraphs after the changes I had made...

Evolution in its broadest sense, is the accumulation of change. In this sense, anything in which changes accumulate, evolves. This is true of culture^[1], language^[2], computer software^[3][4], technology^[5], knowledge^[6][7], automation^[8], and so on. A quick web search for information about the evolution of any such thing should provide plenty of reference material.

Probably the most well known type of evolution, accumulation of hereditary modification^[9], also known as descent with modification, causes the accumulation of change in the inherited characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. Such evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including the biodiversity of species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.^[10]

...There's nothing off topic about any of that, nor was it poorly written, nor was it poorly references, so why was it deleted?

This is what it is being reverted to...

Evolution is the change in the inherited characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including the biodiversity of species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.^[10]

...again, that paragraph is NOT about "evolution". It is, as I stated in my additions, about "accumulation of hereditary modification". That is a SUBSET of "evolution", and should be given its own page, if it can't be seen with an actual description of what "evolution" is. DonaldKronos (talk) 00:40, 23 December 2014 (UTC)[reply]