Editing Mechanisms of Evolution (section)

== <span style="color: #FFFFFF;">Applying</span> ==
'''Modeling 'Genetic Drift' (The Random Walk):'''
<syntaxhighlight lang="python">
import random

def simulate_drift(population_size, initial_freq, generations):
    """
    Shows how 'Random Chance' can wipe out a gene in small groups.
    """
    freq = initial_freq
    for gen in range(generations):
        # Flipping coins to see who survives/mates
        # Binomial sampling
        offspring = [random.random() < freq for _ in range(population_size)]
        freq = sum(offspring) / population_size
        print(f"Gen {gen+1:02}: Frequency of 'Blue Eyes' = {freq:.2f}")
        if freq == 0 or freq == 1:
            break
            
    return freq

# A tiny island of 20 lizards
print(f"Final State: {simulate_drift(20, 0.5, 50)}")
# Note how easily a gene can vanish (0.0) or 'fix' (1.0) 
# purely by luck in a small group.
</syntaxhighlight>

; Evolutionary Landmarks
: '''The Peppered Moth''' → The classic example of "Natural Selection" in action during the Industrial Revolution.
: '''Antibiotic Resistance''' → Evolution happening in "Fast Forward"; bacteria evolving to survive our drugs in just a few years.
: '''The Cheetah Bottleneck''' → 10,000 years ago, cheetahs nearly went extinct. The few survivors had almost identical genes, which is why today's cheetahs have health problems.
: '''Darwin's Finches''' → Showing how one original bird species branched into 13 different ones based on the food available on different islands.
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