# How does evolution work?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-evolution-work/193203>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 5, 2003, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-evolution-work/193203 "2003-08-05T21:23:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-evolution-work/193203/21 "2003-08-06T01:00:25Z")

</div>

Here are some links for you:  
[Talk Origin’s Intro to Evo](http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-intro-to-biology.html): (The grand-daddy evo site).  
[How Stuff Works evo page.](http://www.howstuffworks.com/evolution1.htm):(to tell the truth, I’m not entirely pleased by their presentation of evolution, but it’s a good general overview).  
[National Academies of Science, why teach evolution page](http://www.nap.edu/books/0309063647/html/index.html): (you can read it online).  
[Timeline for evolutionary thought.](http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/evotmline.html):(While not exactly keeping with the basics of the theory, it’s a good history-it’s not finished quite yet though).

_[sub]Disabled Smilies - **DrMatrix** [/sub]_

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-evolution-work/193203/22 "2003-08-06T01:05:59Z")

</div>

FTR-those ‘frowny faces’ shouldn’t be there.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Apoptosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Apoptosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apoptosis)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-evolution-work/193203/23 "2003-08-06T02:20:20Z")

</div>

Hey **friedo** :

> [@](#):
>
> Most mutations are bad – it’s only a very few that cause interesting new things to happen.

This is a common misconception. As **AndrewL** indicated, most mutations are totally neutral with regards to the survival of the oraganism. If, instead of mutation, you meant “mutation that results in a new phenotype that has _some_ impact on survival,” I’d agree with you.

-Apoptosis

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![owlofcreamcheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@owlofcreamcheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlofcreamcheese)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-evolution-work/193203/24 "2003-08-06T02:40:14Z")

</div>

simple answer:

you look alot like your dad, if your dad didn’t die before you were born then there are more people in the world that look like your dad, if someone has lots of kids that don’t die then lots of people look like your dad

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-evolution-work/193203/25 "2003-08-06T11:32:28Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by owlofcreamcheese \*  
> \*\*simple answer:
> 
> you look alot like your dad, if your dad didn’t die before you were born then there are more people in the world that look like your dad, if someone has lots of kids that don’t die then lots of people look like your dad \*\*

Spluh? Maybe that’s a little _too_ simple becuase I can’t make head or tail out of it.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-evolution-work/193203.md?page=1)