Evolution “tinkers”

“Today modern humans, us, are the only surviving homo species.”

Living things are highly organized and structured, following a hierarchy that can be examined on a scale from small to large.

• The atom is the smallest and most fundamental unit of matter. It consists of a nucleus surrounded by electrons.
• Atoms form molecules which are chemical structures consisting of at least two atoms held together by one or more chemical bonds.
• Many molecules that are biologically important are macromolecules, large molecules that are typically formed by polymerization (a polymer is a large molecule that is made by combining smaller units called monomers, which are simpler than macromolecules).
• An example of a macromolecule is deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), which contains the instructions for the structure and functioning of all living organisms.

Most biology textbooks introduce the notion of ‘form follows function’, a paradigm of design first articulated by the American architect Louis Sullivan (1856–1924). (e.g. use windows to provide natural light inside a building)

However, Evolution is not design of a structure for a purpose, the rational behind Sullivan’s dictum. Rather, evolution is design by trial and error. Evolution does not…