Bynumpedia — The Science & Faith Encyclopedia

An evidence-based exploration of science, history, and the cosmos.

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evolution

Genetic change creates new functions

The majority of mutations are selectively neutral—neither helpful nor harmful—and accumulate at a roughly constant rate that serves as a molecular clock for dating evolutionary divergences.

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Gene duplication, whole-genome duplication, and de novo gene birth from noncoding DNA are established mechanisms by which genomes gain new genes and functions, directly contradicting the claim that mutations cannot create new genetic information.

Genetic change creates new functions open_in_new

Boundaries between time units are formally defined by Global Boundary Stratotype Sections and Points — physical locations in rock exposures worldwide where a precise stratigraphic marker fixes the start of each division.

The geologic time scale open_in_new

Large igneous provinces, such as the Siberian Traps and Deccan Traps, released enough carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide over geological timescales to alter Earth's climate and are implicated in two of the five major mass extinction events.

Volcanoes and igneous processes open_in_new