--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Darwinan evolution is limited to the…" description: "\"Darwinan evolution is limited to the biological aspect but before that happened the molecules themselves had to evolve to enable this further (biologic..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/885/jean-marie-lehn-53744_aspect_darwinan-evolution-is-limited-to-the-bio_1794766.jpg" --- # Darwinan evolution is limited to the biological aspect but… ![“Darwinan evolution is limited to the biological aspect but before that happened the molecules themselves had to evolve to enable this further (biological) evolution.” quote by Jean-Marie Lehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/885/jean-marie-lehn-53744_aspect_darwinan-evolution-is-limited-to-the-bio_1794766.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/885/jean-marie-lehn-53744_aspect_darwinan-evolution-is-limited-to-the-bio_1794766.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/885/jean-marie-lehn-53744_aspect_darwinan-evolution-is-limited-to-the-bio_1794766.jpg) > “Darwinan evolution is limited to the biological aspect but before that happened the molecules themselves had to evolve to enable this further (biological) evolution.” [Jean-Marie Lehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-marie-lehn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Evolution began at the molecular level, setting the stage for later biological complexity. **In simple terms:** Molecules evolved first, enabling life. Key Takeaway Study chemistry to understand life's origins. Themes science evolution chemistry Mood curious analytical Type scientific explanatory When to use this quote - research labs - education - philosophical Key Concepts molecular evolution complexity Questions to Reflect On - How do molecular changes translate to organismal traits? - What evidence links chemistry to biology? A Different Perspective Molecular evolution alone may not explain macro‑evolutionary jumps. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aspect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aspect/) [Biological Aspect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biological-aspect-1977498/) [Biological evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biological-evolution/) [Biology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biology/) [Darwinan Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darwinan-evolution-1977495/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Evolve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolve/) [Happened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happened/) [Limited Biological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limited-biological-1977497/) [Molecules](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/molecules/) [Molecules Evolve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/molecules-evolve-1977496/) ## Related quotes > [“Yet despite the most powerful technologies we have today, all life forms we know of remain fundamentally limited by their biological hardware.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-tegmark/yet-despite-the-most-powerful-technologies-we-have-today-all-life/) [Max Tegmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-tegmark/) > [Man has a limited biological capacity for change. When this capacity is overwhelmed, the capacity is in future shock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-toffler/man-has-a-limited-biological-capacity-for-change-when-this-capacity/) [Alvin Toffler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-toffler/) > [Ironically, we have even fewer examples of evolutionary transitions than we had in Darwin's time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-m-raup/ironically-we-have-even-fewer-examples-of-evolutionary-transitions/) [David M. Raup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-m-raup/) > [In the broadest sense, evolution is merely change, and so is all-pervasive; galaxies, languages, and political systems all evolve. Biological evolution ... is change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-j-futuyma/in-the-broadest-sense-evolution-is-merely-change-and-so-is-all/) [Douglas J. Futuyma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-j-futuyma/) > [“To compare the rate of progress of the biological evolution of intelligence to that of technological evolution, consider that the most advanced mammals have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/to-compare-the-rate-of-progress-of-the-biological-evolution-of/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [Now, humans have become a dominant force of planetary change and, thus, we may have entered an eon of post-biological evolution in which cognitive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grinspoon/now-humans-have-become-a-dominant-force-of-planetary-change-and-thus/) [David Grinspoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grinspoon/) > [“Evolution is largely a temporal phenomenon, Merrill. The environment changes, and populations in that environment change in turn, or they languish. Individual organisms don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-marusek/evolution-is-largely-a-temporal-phenomenon-merrill-the-environment/) [David Marusek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-marusek/) > [“There is a Divine Providence operating over and above the materialistic happenings of biological evolution.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-eccles/there-is-a-divine-providence-operating-over-and-above-the/) [John C. Eccles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-eccles/) > [We are the product of 4.5 billion years of fortuitous, slow biological evolution. There is no reason to think that the evolutionary process has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/we-are-the-product-of-4-5-billion-years-of-fortuitous-slow-biological/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Evolution explains our biological evolution, but human beings are very unique creatures. As the Dobzhansky said, all animals are unique; humans are the uniquest.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-johanson/evolution-explains-our-biological-evolution-but-human-beings-are-very/) [Donald Johanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-johanson/) > [My colleague Sen. Rick Santorum, Pennsylvania Republican, erroneously suggested that I support the teaching of intelligent design as an alternative to biological evolution. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/my-colleague-sen-rick-santorum-pennsylvania-republican-erroneously/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) > [The Singularity denotes an event that will take place in the material world, the inevitable next step in the evolutionary process that started with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/the-singularity-denotes-an-event-that-will-take-place-in-the-material/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [I seem to be a brief light that flashes but once in all the aeons of time a rare, complicated, and all-too-delicate organism on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/i-seem-to-be-a-brief-light-that-flashes-but-once-in-all-the-aeons-of/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [I am of course getting angry if biologists try to use the general concept 'chance' in order to explain phenomena which are so typical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-paul/i-am-of-course-getting-angry-if-biologists-try-to-use-the-general/) [Wolfgang Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-paul/) > [The most devastating thing though that biology did to Christianity was the discovery of biological evolution. Now that we know that Adam and Eve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zindler/the-most-devastating-thing-though-that-biology-did-to-christianity/) [Frank Zindler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zindler/) ## More by Jean-Marie Lehn > [Modifying ourselves is a natural process because we are a product of nature and what we do is a product of nature. Therefore, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-marie-lehn/modifying-ourselves-is-a-natural-process-because-we-are-a-product-of/) [Jean-Marie Lehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-marie-lehn/) > [Think that you are part of a big construction called science and you are not just a chemist but you are scientist. Be modest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-marie-lehn/think-that-you-are-part-of-a-big-construction-called-science-and-you/) [Jean-Marie Lehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-marie-lehn/) > [We can look at the way of improving the key biochemical processes like photosynthesis itself. A lot of energy is lost to keep the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-marie-lehn/we-can-look-at-the-way-of-improving-the-key-biochemical-processes/) [Jean-Marie Lehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-marie-lehn/) > [The pace at which science has progressed has been too fast for human behaviour to adapt to it. As I said we are still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-marie-lehn/the-pace-at-which-science-has-progressed-has-been-too-fast-for-human/) [Jean-Marie Lehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-marie-lehn/) > [Science has nothing to do with any dogma. Science ceases to exist when there is a dogma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-marie-lehn/science-has-nothing-to-do-with-any-dogma-science-ceases-to-exist-when/) [Jean-Marie Lehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-marie-lehn/) [Explore all 6 Jean-Marie Lehn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-marie-lehn/) ## More Aspect quotes > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [It is according to the shapes that I lay the plans for victory, but the multitude does not comprehend this. Although everyone can see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/it-is-according-to-the-shapes-that-i-lay-the-plans-for-victory-but/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [I believe that simple, consistent shifts in our thinking and actions can lead to the miraculous in all aspects of our daily lives, including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-bernstein/i-believe-that-simple-consistent-shifts-in-our-thinking-and-actions/) [Gabrielle Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-bernstein/) > [There is so much temptation to hold on to my career even more now. To try to micromanage and dictate every little aspect. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-lin/there-is-so-much-temptation-to-hold-on-to-my-career-even-more-now-to/) [Jeremy Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-lin/) > [I do miss the social aspect of sitting in a pub with a pint but you know what when I get down to it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ozzy-osbourne/i-do-miss-the-social-aspect-of-sitting-in-a-pub-with-a-pint-but-you/) [Ozzy Osbourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ozzy-osbourne/) > [Some say that you should not want money at all because the desire for money is materialistic and not Spiritual. But we want you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/some-say-that-you-should-not-want-money-at-all-because-the-desire-for/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [Death is but an aspect of life, and the destruction of one material form is but a prelude to building up of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/death-is-but-an-aspect-of-life-and-the-destruction-of-one-material/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I would call myself a Gnostic. Which means, I'm interested in pursuing and understanding the spiritual nature of things. A Gnostic is somebody seeking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/i-would-call-myself-a-gnostic-which-means-i-m-interested-in-pursuing/) [Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/) > [One can be a great artist without being a great technician. There have been many famous ballet stars who did not have the ideal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-bujones/one-can-be-a-great-artist-without-being-a-great-technician-there-have/) [Fernando Bujones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-bujones/) > [I love fall because I love the whole cuddling aspect of it, and a sweater dress has that vibe of I'm going to hunker…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-chastain/i-love-fall-because-i-love-the-whole-cuddling-aspect-of-it-and-a/) [Jessica Chastain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-chastain/) > [The socially redeeming aspect of golf lies in the vast number of lawyers and bankers and managers who play it, and when you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/the-socially-redeeming-aspect-of-golf-lies-in-the-vast-number-of/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [I didnt like the Survivor shows because of the mean-spirited aspect, and women certainly were part of whatever conflict they would create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-lawrence/i-didnt-like-the-survivor-shows-because-of-the-mean-spirited-aspect/) [Sharon Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-lawrence/) > [MAC allowed me to have complete freedom on the collaborations—from the shades, the look-and-feel, to the campaign visuals. I have to admit that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-treacy/mac-allowed-me-to-have-complete-freedom-on-the-collaborations-from/) [Philip Treacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-treacy/) > [I mean family is more important than anything in life. Family is important than my crew, D-Block, my rap career anything... It's the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/styles-p/i-mean-family-is-more-important-than-anything-in-life-family-is/) [Styles P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/styles-p/) > [Wealth is measured by the level of experience in all aspects of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/wealth-is-measured-by-the-level-of-experience-in-all-aspects-of-life/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Browse all 3,171 Aspect quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aspect/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Darwinan evolution is limited to the biological aspect but before that happened the molecules themselves had to evolve to enable this further (biological) evolution.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jean-Marie Lehn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-marie-lehn/darwinan-evolution-is-limited-to-the-biological-aspect-but-before/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aspect" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-marie-lehn/darwinan-evolution-is-limited-to-the-biological-aspect-but-before/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/885/jean-marie-lehn-53744_aspect_darwinan-evolution-is-limited-to-the-bio_1794766.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/885/jean-marie-lehn-53744_aspect_darwinan-evolution-is-limited-to-the-bio_1794766.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/885/jean-marie-lehn-53744_aspect_darwinan-evolution-is-limited-to-the-bio_1794766.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Darwinan evolution is limited to the biological aspect but before that happened the molecules themselves had…” — Jean-Marie Lehn", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jean-Marie Lehn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-marie-lehn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Darwinan evolution is limited to the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-marie-lehn/darwinan-evolution-is-limited-to-the-biological-aspect-but-before/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-marie-lehn/darwinan-evolution-is-limited-to-the-biological-aspect-but-before/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```