- published: 11 Jul 2013
- views: 2583948
Evolution is change in the heritable traits of biological populations over successive generations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including the levels of species, individual organisms, and molecules.
All life on Earth shares a common ancestor known as the last universal ancestor, which lived approximately 3.5–3.8 billion years ago, although a study in 2015 found "remains of biotic life" from 4.1 billion years ago in ancient rocks in Western Australia. According to one of the researchers, "If life arose relatively quickly on Earth ... then it could be common in the universe."
Repeated formation of new species (speciation), change within species (anagenesis), and loss of species (extinction) throughout the evolutionary history of life on Earth are demonstrated by shared sets of morphological and biochemical traits, including shared DNA sequences. These shared traits are more similar among species that share a more recent common ancestor, and can be used to reconstruct a biological "tree of life" based on evolutionary relationships (phylogenetics), using both existing species and fossils. The fossil record includes a progression from early biogenic graphite, to microbial mat fossils, to fossilized multicellular organisms. Existing patterns of biodiversity have been shaped both by speciation and by extinction. More than 99 percent of all species that ever lived on Earth are estimated to be extinct. Estimates of Earth's current species range from 10 to 14 million, of which about 1.2 million have been documented.
My computer is future shockin'
Download this, and you'll start talkin'
Upgraded, you're now walkin'
Compatible with all that is rockin'
Comin' on fast, it's gettin' digital
It's so huge, like a spiritual
Rippling out to every individual
This is life, it is a miracle
(Chorus)
Evolution has expontential timing
It'll be half as long 'til
The next breakthrough that blows our mind
It's up to the people to brave on with
experimentation
Move forth the species by using our imagination
But can we handle it?
Could we dismantle it?
Or should we fear the void and just be
para-paranoid?
If it's understood, it could be used for good
and would
If you will believe in all we can conceive
On the periodic table, they got it all wrong
Let me lay it down for you in this song
People want Pt, they want Au
But lemme tell you what you really ought to do
Figure out ways to master silicon
Fiber optic connectors, whatever's beyond
So many people don't even attempt to understand
The limitless possibilities of man
(Chorus)
I feel trapped, I gotta adapt
Remain calm, collected, before I get zapped
My computer is a rebel, acting all fine
And, just like that, payin' me no mind
What's up, is it's program overcome by a glitch
Is it becoming conscious and, if so, ain't that a
bitch?
I paid too much for this piece, I'll be damned
if it tries
Any funny business, it'll be the one that pays
the price
(Chorus)
Yes, can we handle it
We could we dismantle it
We should not fear the void and just be
para-paranoid
If it's understood, it could be used for good
and would