What is the difference between evolution and biological evolution?

Answer 1

When one refers to evolution, they are generally referring to evolutionary Biology (or biological evolution). They are the same thing. Evolution (in science) is essentially the study of change in organisms (adaptation, symbiosis, microevolution, marcoevolution, etc.). Evolution, put plainly, means change. If something evolves, it means it changed. We commonly refer to "evolution" as meaning something has developed further and/or better. However this is not necessarily the case. With natural selection, traits that are randomly produced either get discarded or get favored, and that gene is passed on to the next generation (should that organism reproduce). It is a very slow process, and change happens at very small levels. An organism with a certain gene isn't going to give birth to a dramatically different looking creature. That just isn't the way it works.