"Rob"  wrote in message 
news:cjepv1$1rdc$1{at}darwin.ediacara.org...
> Hi,
>
> I have a limited understanding of Evolution (A-Level), so please
> excuse me if my understanding is not correct.  I want to know if there
> is any research that discusses the direction of evolution.  Sure as we
> evolve we adapt to best suit the current environment but that isn't to
> say that evolution is a 'good thing' as it is generally assumed?  Just
> because we evolve, it doesn't mean we become a better species, just
> better able to cope with the current environment?  Is statement true?
>
> Any thoughts appreciated.
>
> Rob
>

It can be very tempting to ascribe a masterplan or scale of development to 
the evolutionary process, but it's simply not so.  Species often take a turn 
down a dead-end path and end up extinct; in fact, nearly all the millions of 
species of organisms in the past have gone extinct without passing useful 
genetic information down to subsequent generations.

Evolution is a "blind" process.  It has no tactical or strategic planning 
for the next step in it's development.  It simply happens, by "bumping into 
walls" so-to-speak.  Every generation creates a small amount of genetic 
diversity, caused by imperfections in the DNA replication process 
(mutations) which are most often a hindrance, but very rarely a benefit. 
Those "benefits" confer a survival advantage to that individual, and the 
frequency of the beneficial new genes are increased as the individual 
reproduces. Several beneficial genes are likely to combine at some point, 
and the individuals with the best combination of beneficial genes are the 
ones most likely to survive and reproduce that same successful combination 
of genes. The direction of evolutionary development is a result of this 
process, not a cause for it.

So much for the "direction" of evolution.
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