What is Independent evolution?

Independent evolution is when two or more groups change over time in their own special way, without helping each other.

Imagine you have two toy cars, one red and one blue. They both start on the same track, but they don’t talk to each other or share parts. The red car decides it wants bigger wheels so it can go faster. The blue car thinks smaller wheels will help it zoom around corners better. Over time, they become very different, not because they copied each other, but because they made their own choices.

It's like two kids growing up in the same neighborhood but going to different schools. One kid learns to play soccer every day and becomes really fast on the field. The other kid practices drawing every night and gets really good at making pictures. They both got better, but in their own special way, without helping each other.

That’s independent evolution! Each group or person changes over time based on what they need, not because of what others are doing.