What Year Did Evolution Start?

[Gregory Thompson]

What year did evolution start?

when sin started and began mutating genetic structures.

 

[SelfSim]

Depending on how it's answered, one can give what appears to be a meaningless question a meaningful point.

The question demonstrates a lack of forethought, yet you expect others to compensate for that?

 

[Gene2memE]

Biological evolution started the first time life was generated from simpler precursors and then underwent descent with variation.

On Earth, this started at least 3.8 billion years ago (as evidenced by stromatolite fossils) and potentially as far back as 4.1 billion years (as evidenced by precipitates from undersea vents and various genomic studies).

However, there's always the potential the Earth is not the only place in the universe with life that undergoes biological evolution.

It's hypothesised that some kind of life was theoretically possible within the first 15 million years since the Big Bang, and that life as we know it (at least, in the form of carbon based self replicators) could be possible within about the first 65-70 million years.

Those are very low probability cases though.

It's much more likely that life in the rest of the universe wouldn't have come about until the second generation of stars was formed (likely about 500 to 600 million years after the Big Bang). Of those, you need a subset with a certain stellar mass, stability and luminosity (conditions which it is estimated would take another 100 to 200 million years to achieve). Of those stars, you then need a subset with earth like planets (or at least, planets with liquid water) with a relatively stable orbit (within the habitable zone) and that have cooled sufficiently to allow self-replication to take place (likely taking another 200 million years, possibly up to 800 million).

So, given the universe is ~13.77 billion years old, the earliest life was likely to come about (and therefore evolution would have started) is somewhere between 13 billion to 12.2 billion years ago.

From this, we get a minimum lower bound of when evolution started of 3.8 billion years ago and an upper bound of 13 billion years.

 

[AV1611VET]

The question demonstrates a lack of forethought, yet you expect others to compensate for that?

Am I expecting too much?

 

[Shemjaza]

What year did evolution start?

Was it a deliberate choice not to have the most common scientific based opinion listed?

There was no evolution on Earth without life... and life appears to have begun less than 4 billion years ago.

 

[IceJad]

What year did evolution start?

The year which English speaking people started using the term evolve which is borrowed from the Latin evolvere.

The year is unknown despite my effort to google it.

 

[IceJad]

The question demonstrates a lack of forethought, yet you expect others to compensate for that?

If the question is lacking in analytical QA, what does that make the person who replied foreknowing his/her own conclusion to it?

 

[SelfSim]

If the question is lacking in analytical QA, what does that make the person who replied foreknowing his/her own conclusion to it?

An active thinker, at least.

 

[IceJad]

An active thinker, at least.

Unfortunately I humbly beg to differ. Your initial reply to the OP's question also lacks what by your own assessment forethought. You merit it as meaningless and proposition it by saying when did change start. You replied to a question with a question where the underlying meaning have to be derived from the person reading.

In essence you gave no opinion on the question thus leaving it to whomever reads. In the same line of argument, you're expecting others to compensate for your lack of a proper reply.

 

[SelfSim]

Unfortunately I humbly beg to differ. Your initial reply to the OP's question also lacks what by your own assessment forethought. You merit it as meaningless and proposition it by saying when did change start. You replied to a question with a question where the underlying meaning have to be derived from the person reading.

That's right .. just as the OP question was missing an appropriately constrained context.

What you're obviously missing is the preamble/buildup to the OP post in this thread {Edit}: .. in which I may have been directly involved .. (not entirely sure 'bout though?).

In essence you gave no opinion on the question thus leaving it to whomever reads. In the same line of argument, you're expecting others to compensate for your lack of a proper reply.

I'm not asking for responses to my Post#17 from others, am I?

I shall respond to the OP with the benefit of your observations, nonetheless:
@AV1611VET: Do you see yet where contextless questions lead? .. I'll give you a hint: How long is a piece of thread?

 

[Bungle_Bear]

Wow! Do you grade science papers?

No.

If so, you must have a lot of friends!

You obviously have no idea what I was talking about. Perhaps, if you think about what both @SelfSim and I have said, you may be able to work it out.

 

[AV1611VET]

No.
You obviously have no idea what I was talking about. Perhaps, if you think about what both @SelfSim and I have said, you may be able to work it out.

Or perhaps if you and Sim would think about what I'm asking, you would realize there's nothing to talk about?

 

[Bungle_Bear]

Or perhaps if you and Sim would think about what I'm asking, you would realize there's nothing to talk about?

The problem is that you don't know what you asked. I suspect you didn't mean to ask the question you actually asked, therefore you don't understand the answers you are being given.

 

[AV1611VET]

The problem is that you don't know what you asked.

How did I answer it then?

I think the fact is, YOU don't know what I asked.

I suspect you didn't mean to ask the question you actually asked,

I absolutely do mean to; and the question stands as asked.

... therefore you don't understand the answers you are being given.

I'd rather have votes, than technobabble.

 

[Bungle_Bear]

I think the fact is, YOU don't know what I asked.

I most certainly do understand what you asked, that's why I gave the answer which you do not comprehend.

I absolutely do mean to; and the question stands as asked.

The evidence indicates you did not mean to ask the question as it stands (I'm pretty sure I know what the question you meant to ask was), and I am still not convinced you understand the problem.

 

[AV1611VET]

The evidence indicates you did not mean to ask the question as it stands (I'm pretty sure I know what the question you meant to ask was), and I am still not convinced you understand the problem.

Twelve votes say otherwise.

 

[essentialsaltes]

On Earth? Roughly 4 billion years ago.

 

[Bungle_Bear]

Twelve votes say otherwise.

No, twelve votes say people have answered a question. I suspect most have answered the question you meant to ask, not the poorly formatted question you actually asked.

 

[Yttrium]

Assuming we're talking about biologic evolution on Earth, I'd say (rounding off to the nearest billion) 4 billion years ago.

 

[SelfSim]

The evidence indicates you did not mean to ask the question as it stands (I'm pretty sure I know what the question you meant to ask was), and I am still not convinced you understand the problem.

Twelve votes say otherwise.

@AV1611VET's answer (as well as his undeclared intent behind his creation of this thread), is completely irrelevant.

The principle of evolution can be applied beyond just biological systems. This is why your question is meaningless unless you constrain its context.

Psychological, computer based and chemical systems are all examples of non-biological systems presenting evidence of the principles of evolution.

Now apply your question of: 'What year did Evolution start?' and ask how many of your 12 respondents can make any sense of their own answers beyond just earth-biology, thus far.