(November 29, 2016 at 8:34 pm)RiddledWithFear Wrote: I know this is a stupid question, but bear with me here. This is not skepticism of any kind, but a mere question.
If a cause of natural selection is mutation, how would that work, if mutation is a random process? I'm stuck here. If natural selection is adaptation, then how could genetic mutation be a part in it if it's random? Thanks in advance.
Not all mutations are even noticeable, they don't harm the important parts of a body. But sometimes, not very often, but sometimes, they have an effect. Sometimes it's positive, sometimes negative. If it's positive and gives a slightly better chance of passing on an organism's genes. A positive mutation doesn't cause a large change in a organism, just a small one. Say a zebra gets a slightly better dazzle pattern. She gets more chances to pass along that mutation. It spreads among the host's population. Eventually all the population has it. Then it's just a wait for the next positive mutation.
On the other hand, if a mutation causes a deer to be colored "Hunter's orange" he's a deader, because that's like a red cape to a fighting bull for hunters.
