Basics of Evolution

What are the three major properties a system needs to have in order to evolve?

Still, it needs to be said that the light of evolution is just that—a means of seeing better. It is not a description of all things human, nor is it a clear prediction of what will happen next.

—Melvin Konner, The Tangled Wing [Konner, 2003, p. xviii]

The purpose of the theory of evolution is to explain the wide array of life forms on Earth. Knowledge about the origin of species allows us to better understand why...