The next step toward skynet

[Zouji]

From the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary:
Main Entry:
evo·lu·tion
Pronunciation:
\ˌe-və-ˈlü-shən, ˌē-və-\
Function:
noun
Etymology:
Latin evolution-, evolutio unrolling, from evolvere
Date:
1622
1: one of a set of prescribed movements
2 (a) a process of change in a certain direction : unfolding (b) the action or an instance of forming and giving something off : emission (c1): a process of continuous change from a lower, simpler, or worse to a higher, more complex, or better state : growth (c2): a process of gradual and relatively peaceful social, political, and economic advance d: something evolved
3: the process of working out or developing
4 (a) the historical development of a biological group (as a race or species) : phylogeny (b) a theory that the various types of animals and plants have their origin in other preexisting types and that the distinguishable differences are due to modifications in successive generations ; also : the process described by this theory
5: the extraction of a mathematical root
6: a process in which the whole universe is a progression of interrelated phenomena


From the American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition:
ev·o·lu·tion (v-lshn, v-)
n.
1. A gradual process in which something changes into a different and usually more complex or better form. See Synonyms at development.
2. (a) The process of developing. (b) Gradual development.
3. Biology - (a) Change in the genetic composition of a population during successive generations, as a result of natural selection acting on the genetic variation among individuals, and resulting in the development of new species. (b) The historical development of a related group of organisms; phylogeny.
4. A movement that is part of a set of ordered movements.
5. Mathematics - The extraction of a root of a quantity.


From the Collins Essential English Dictionary 2nd Edition:
evolution
Noun
1. Biol a gradual change in the characteristics of a population of animals or plants over successive generations
2. a gradual development, esp. to a more complex form [Latin evolutio an unrolling]
evolutionary adj


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
evolution (v-lshn)
1. The process by which species of organisms arise from earlier life forms and undergo change over time through natural selection. The modern understanding of the origins of species is based on the theories of Charles Darwin combined with a modern knowledge of genetics based on the work of Gregor Mendel. Darwin observed there is a certain amount of variation of traits or characteristics among the different individuals belonging to a population. Some of these traits confer fitness; they allow the individual organism that possesses them to survive in their environment better than other individuals who do not possess them and to leave more offspring. The offspring then inherit the beneficial traits, and over time the adaptive trait spreads through the population. In twentieth century, the development of the the science of genetics helped explain the origin of the variation of the traits between individual organisms and the way in which they are passed from generation to generation. This basic model of evolution has since been further refined, and the role of genetic drift and sexual selection in the evolution of populations has been recognized.
2. A process of development and change from one state to another, as of the universe in its development through time.
A Closer Look Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection assumed that tiny adaptations occur in organisms constantly over millions of years. Gradually, a new species develops that is distinct from its ancestors. In the 1970s, however, biologists Niles Eldridge and Stephen Jay Gould proposed that evolution by natural selection may not have been such a smooth and consistent process. Based on fossils from around the world that showed the abrupt appearance of new species, Eldridge and Gould suggested that evolution is better described through punctuated equilibrium. That is, for long periods of time species remain virtually unchanged, not even gradually adapting. They are in equilibrium, in balance with the environment. But when confronted with environmental challenges -sudden climate change, for example- organisms adapt quite quickly, perhaps in only a few thousand years. These active periods are punctuations, after which a new equilibrium exists and species remain stable until the next punctuation.