Integral writes:
The only thing that i cannot quite get my head round is that fact that you are using these very small scale examples and multiply there impact over millions of years to explain the existence of the life on this planet.
My background is in physics, programming, and running simulations. I think it's what has helped me understand the nature of evolution. In the past, I've literally left my computer running a computation for a simulation for days at a time. Each result adds a minute (very very very small) change to the system. After several days, I looked at the simulation and it looked nothing like what I started out with.
It helps to think of it like walking. A step doesn't get you very far. 2 steps doesn't get you very far. But given enough time and enough steps, you could potentially end up a thousand miles away. That's what evolution is. Evolution is just a change in allele frequency of a population over time. Given enough time and changes through mutation and natural selection, the changes could add up to quite a bit.
Now, remember that we are talking about a population here. The most common mistake individuals make is trying to visualize an individual organism evolving. That's not how it works. In fact, I've heard a few ministers and preachers try to pass this off. It's nothing more than a lie. The smallest unit that can evolve is a population.
And yes you are right my knowledge of the general theory of evolution is basic, but i hope to change that.
I must also point out that if it were as simple as you getting more than the very basic knowledge of biological evolution through reading these boards, we wouldn't have a need for schools. These are subjects that take a life time to study. I remember how stressful it was when I took the biology classes in college, and I wasn't even a biology major.
Nothing bothers me more than to have a person ask me "ok, explain to me what Kepler's laws of planetary motion are and how they work." I brought up Kepler's laws because they are, frankly, quite simple and yet I don't think anyone can adequately explain them in a few sentences. Now, imagine someone asking me to explain relativity or quantum mechanics.
The point is don't expect people to be giving you a college education on biological evolution in a few posts and don't expect yourself to learn anything but the very basics from here.