What is the differences in evolution and adapration?

Adaption is something that occurs in a short period of time such as a person who lived in a cold climate moving to a hot climate. This shows that they have adapted to their new climate and surroundings.

Evolution on the other hand, is something that occurs over a very long period of time. I guess evolution is something done by natural selection which isn't easily observable, and it would take a long time to see the changes of evolution. For example, they say that people with sickle cell anemia have been increasing overtime in areas such as Africa. People with sickle cell anemia has an immunity to malaria (malaria is common in Africa) and scientists believe that this may be due to evolution, but it can't be certain because we don't know that this is going to happen to a whole population or if it just the disease speading.

It's hard to explain but I hope this sort of helps

Adaptation and evolution are both observed phenomena.

Evolution is a theory (in the same sense that atomic theory is a theory) with extensive evidence.  Only the truly ignorant or the truly dishonest could think that numerous scientists are lying about the evidence, as numerous courts have affirmed there is evidence.Evolution refers to a pattern of inheritance in which the members of a population which live pass on their genes, pass on the traits which allowed them to survive and such traits a higher frequency.  Evolution includes processes that are not adaptive.

Adaptation includes processes like muscles that are used strengthening or finding new food sources when the habitual ones are depleted.  This can include traits that are not inherited.  Evolution and adaptation overlap.

The typical Creationist (the ones who don't have supporting evidence) will play word games and say things like "adaptation has been observed, and evolution has not" because they have no capacity to distinguish fact from fiction (and want other people to be as delusional).

Evolution means "heritable change in a population".  

Adaptation means "change in response to environment."  

Thus they overlap.   If the heritable traits of a species are changing in response to environment, then that is BOTH evolution AND adaptation.

People who accept the concept of adaptation, but reject evolution, are just playing games with definitions.   If a species is changing over time because of adaptation to environment, that is evolution ... by DEFINITION of the word 'evolution.'

So accepting adaptation but rejecting evolution, is like accepting the idea that objects fall to the ground, but rejecting the concept of gravity as an explanation of it because "gravity is only a theory."


And if you ever hear someone use the three words "only a theory" as a way of dismissing it ... you can be sure that the person who says those words has not earthly clue about science.   Because the word theory is used to describe everything from the theory of gravity, cell theory, atomic theory, molecular theory, the germ theory of disease, the gene theory of inheritance, the theory of relativity, quantum theory, heliocentric theory ... ALL the great ideas of science.  

That's because the word 'theory' does NOT mean "unproven fact."   The word 'theory' refers to an EXPLANATION for facts.   That is what is meant by all those other uses of the word 'theory' (theory of gravity, cell theory ... etc.)