From the time a fetus developes to an adult male/female be considered evolution?

Question

From the time a fetus developes to an adult male/female be considered evolution?

Answer 1

No, evolution works on an entire population, not on individuals.  An individual may exhibit mutations that could be helpful and be passed on to the population at large, but that creature didn't evolve; it mutated.  However, that trait that it passed on to the population contributes to the evolution of the species as a whole.

Answer 2

No.  Evolution is the respondent abberation or change of an entire population over time in response to it's environment or the need to adapt to changing hunter / prey imbalances. THe time-span for these evolutionary changes can take tens and even hundreds of thousands of years.

However, were you aware that from fetus to final growth as an adult, takes 25 years.  That's right, - the average human being does not fully develope until age 25, and while that's a long time, (most people think nine months in mom's tummy and yo're done - not so), evolution of a species is not something that takes place in the span of an individual's life.

Answer 3

No, you already said the word that describes that process. Development.

Development can be influenced by the environment, but it is generally a pre-determined path, on a pre-determined time scale. Your genes tell your body to grow up and have ten fingers, two arms, things like that. Development works on an individual.

Evolution works on a population. It is generally influenced by the environment, but it is not working on a pre-determined path. The time involved for evolution to act in any recognizable manner is quite long.

Of course, our evolutionary history has a large role in how our development works, but development is more of a trait, while evolution is more of a process.

Answer 4

No. The organism is not changing its genetics. Evolution occurs over time.

Answer 5

What u r describing is called ontogeny.

Answer 6

No, that is ontology, otherwise known as development.

Answer 7

Nope, that's just growth or physical maturing.  Evolution has to do with the genetics of a creature furthering itself, generally to adapt to something.  An actual change of DNA, not just growing up.

Answer 8

metaphorically, sure.. =)

but in the scientific sense of the word "evolution", no..

interesting thought though =)