The Missing Link And The Trend Of Modern Evolution

There is no brainer to the fact that humans and other creatures evolved from a simpler life form (which has been said to have its origin at the bottom of the sea. Though there are opponents to this theory). But the fact has remained that; irrespective of the source of the first "life form"; it has evolved through billions of years to what we have now.

[Image Source]

We are all aware of the traceable evolution of man to the ancestral higher primates (Apes),  so I may not be delving into it again. But I won't have you ignorant of the fact that some areas were not adequately covered by the evolutionary tree of man; which is referred to as the "missing link"

But there is another fact; and this is the fact of common descent. At least, this was proposed by Charles Darwin (in his book Origin of Species, 1859). Reference was also made to this in the Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA). But you guessed right, there are also opponents to this theory, even with the glaring proofs of common ancestry.

Buttresses to the fact of common ancestry

• Comparative Embryology: This is one of the major pointers to the fact of common descent. This assumes that organisms, at the embryonic stage, have comparative resemblances to each other. This image below indicates this. [Image Source]. You can see the comparative resemblance in humans, fish, salamander, chicken, and tortoise at the embryonic stage.
• Fossil Records: This is an important way to estimate the developmental lineage in geological time. This is also a pointer to the common descent of living organisms. [Image Source]

Others include

• Comparative Physiology
• Comparative Anatomy
• Development of vestigial organs, etc

Is evolution a scientific fact? From the study carried out, it can be said that information was gotten from the observation and systematic reviews of relative data. Therefore, on deduction, evolution is a scientific fact which has been proven to be true at some point. But that does not rule out the fact that is can be disproved.

But since none of us lived through history as to ascertain the perfect trend of evolution, the only major sources of evolutionary history available to us is:

• Oral tradition
• Written Record, and
• Archaeology (Fossil records)

Of which the most credible is the archaeology. That being said there are some suggested hitches in the evolutionary trend:

If the "higher life form" began as "simple life form", how did the simple life form begin?

Well, scientists proposed that the beginning of life is traced to the bottom of the sea. But did it just spring out from nothing?

Does the idea of "missing link" precede the theory of evolution? No until a suitable explanation is provided for it, the trend of evolution will be foundationless (my opinion though).

But the big question is: Are we still evolving? If we’re still evolving, at which rate are we evolving?

Thanks for reading

References for further reading: Ref1, Ref2, Ref3