There's quite a bit of misunderstanding flying around about evolution and this is largely due to the language used to explain it. Say, for example, we're talking about how the giraffe got its neck. It wouldn't be outrageous to say something like "the giraffe evolved a long neck to reach the tops of the trees", but this is not quite right. The giraffes didn't do it on purpose. Evolution by natural selection isn't as "goal oriented" as it can sometimes be represented. A better way of looking at our long-neck friends is to say that "giraffes with the random genetic mutation for long necks were more likely to survive, reproduce and pass it on". The genetic mutations for evolution don't respond to the needs of the organism, but rather, the tiny amount of random mutations that happen to be beneficial are the ones that stick around and eventually saturate the population; the ones that are harmful aren't usually passed on and die out with the individual. It's a tiny detail, but it's so important for understanding how evolution works. Oh, and do feel free to let everyone know in the comments how many of these you already knew. Want to write for What Culture Science? Click here to find out how you could get paid to write about what you love.Who doesn't love some science tingles in their brain box? Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for your next fix.
