The Evolution Essays

Welcome to the Evolution Page!

This site provides a directory for;

Links: Other Web Sites about evolution, evolution/creation debate, background, source data etc.

New Model of Evolution: A new theory that can better explain step changes in the fossil record, novelties such as sex, large-scale changes, evolutionary saturation, and human evolution.

I have added some math, which expresses the general idea. See Equations

Or see the PDF file at model

The "Smart Gene" Hypothesis: This is not about race, intelligence or IQ. It is a theory about how early evolved, orthologous gene sets avoid genetic death by expressing homologous traits in a variety of species.

Theory of Options: A new theory of human evolution and behavior.

History of Evolution Theory: Diagram of how evolution theory developed.

The Quotations Page which people might find interesting.

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Quick Guide

This site provides background information on the Theory of Evolution. However, unlike other sites about evolution, this site provides a slightly more complex theory than currently used in textbooks. The reasons the new theory is more complex will be explained, but it has to do with accounting for;

Large step changes in the fossil record
A new model of large-scale gene flow
Evolution of major novelties such as sex
An effect called evolutionary saturation
Human evolution.

Note that the Theory of Options uses this newer theory of evolution. For most simple adaptations (including human evolution, at least its biological part) the new model is indistinguishable from neo-Darwinism. However, for very large-scale changes, such as the evolution of new phyla, or major radiation and diversity, the new theory differs in certain respects, which will be explained.

The arguments leading to the new model are involved. But in evolution organisms facing expulsion from a niche increase complexity if it enhances survival. Only each increase in complexity bears a high evolutionary cost, such that there is a total limit to how much complexity is obtainable for the evolutionary cost that can be born to reach it. Successful adaptations are those that can increase complexity by best utilizing already perfected evolutionary designs. For example, the human brain is larger and more versatile than a chimp one, but it uses no more genes or complex neural circuits to achieve this, than does a chimp. But as critics will quickly add, a large evolutionary effort would still be required for the birth process to allow such a large brain to egress the womb! Generally though, primate evolution had already reached the upper limit of how much evolutionary cost could be borne, for any further increase in biological complexity. Humans then, had to evolve increased complexity to survive, but under conditions of evolutionary saturation, where no major biological change was possible, outside of simple adaptations of the basic primate biology. Again, like the birth process, not every hominid adaptation was so simple, so the argument needs to be carefully researched.

Yet, although the new model is used primarily to assist in explaining human evolution, many of the mechanisms extend to all evolution. An outline of the new theory is given in "new model of evolution".

New Model of Evolution

Main Articles

1.0 The Theory of Large Changes 2.0 The Theory of Complex Accumulations

3.0 The "Peripheral Niche" Mechanism 4.0 The Theory of Phylogenic Evolution

5.0 The "Smart Gene" Hypothesis 6.0 A 'Two-Axis' Model of Evolution

Ancillary Articles

Large Scale Changes Use of Terms Primitive Life Stepped Changes "Behavior First" Complex Time