The Present
Oxygenic photosynthesis accounts for virtually all of the production of organic matter from non-organic ingredients. Production is split about evenly between land and marine plants, and phytoplankton are the dominant marine producers.
The processes that have driven evolution are still operating. Well-known examples include the changes in coloration of the peppered moth over the last 200 years and the more recent appearance of pathogens that are resistant to antibiotics. There is even evidence that humans are still evolving, and possibly at an accelerating rate over the last 40,000 years.
Read more about this topic: Evolutionary History Of Life
Famous quotes containing the word present:
“There is always a present and extant life, be it better or worse, which all combine to uphold.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Angels may be very excellent sort of folk in their own way, but we, poor mortals in our present state, would probably find them precious slow company.”
—Jerome K. Jerome (1859–1927)