Evolutionary Compromise

I was reminded recently in biology class of a post I wrote earlier in year entitled "Fitting Facts with Faith."  In it, I described how the notions of creationism and evolution by natural selection are not mutually exclusive.  Indeed, they are potentially synergistic.  Though this dichotomy was briefly discussed in my science class, far more interesting to me was another example of compromise: evolution itself.

Natural selection is often understood to be a magical process by which the weak are all weeded out overnight.  Instead, evolution has its drawbacks that prevent the creation of a "perfect species."  As both my biology book and some recent research from the University of Michigan demonstrate, the evolutionary process is inherently one of compromise.  Creatures must be adapt to be able to live -- and survive -- in a variety of different environments, perform a variety of different tasks, and handle a variety of different situations.  The perfect creature would not be agile enough to outlast a change in the weather or available prey.  

The very thesis of evolution is that out of a primordial stew of mutations and genetic code formed an increasingly developed series of life forms.  This very fundamentally involved compromise -- between different DNA sequences with genetic information (called "genotypes") and different potential expressions of that information ("phenotypes").  Penguins, for instance, while good swimmers, have more difficultly moving on land.  Alternatively, animals that could blend in with a forest scene would look remarkably out of place upon the outset of a snowy winter.  

In some respects, it is comforting that no "perfect" creature can ever be created through natural selection.  On the other hand, it is sobering to remember that humans were created by attempting to minimize the impact of hundreds upon hundreds of little flaws that date back to the first unicellular organism.  Evolutionary compromise has been the only way that species survive, and the results are the rich web of life we call...(N/n)ature.  But more on that later.