nPeace
Veteran Member
Can you explain what you mean by, "Small changes just happen"?Again you just miss the truth. New generations are very much like their forebears, but not identical to them. You are not identical to your parents, but in most important ways, you almost are. The processes that maintain your life are just about exactly the same as theirs.
However, very minor differences, caused by nothing but small variations in genetic makeup, can provide real benefits. For example, the production of enzymes that can metabolize lactose gives a lot of people, north of the equator, a much enlarged menu to choose nourishment from. 80% of people south of the equator are lactose intolerant, while only 20% north of the equator are. So dairy, including all cheeses (yum yum) are on the diet of many in the north, few in the south.
Natural selection doesn't drive adaptation. Small changes just happen, but when they are beneficial (in terms of survival to reproduce) they are selected for, and will thus form an increasing part of the population, until the population is better adapted to the environment it inhabits.
Can you also explain what you mean by "when they are beneficial (in terms of survival to reproduce) they are selected for"?