The big take-away is that "random mutation and natural selection" (the traditional Neodarwinian/Modern Synthesis view of evolution) is *not* sufficient to explain biological change. There is no single mechanism of evolutionary change, but a plethora of different, empirically verified mechanisms (in addition to natural selection).
One important example of this is the discovery of transposable elements (so-called "jumping genes"). Genomes are modified, altered, edited all the time by "jumping genes" that can "jump" to different locations in a genome, and that can also "jump" between the genomes of different organisms (in a process known as Horizontal/Lateral "Gene"/DNA Transfer). This is a documented process that is not accidental, but occurs via normal, natural genetic/biological processes (hence, Shapiro's coined phrase "Natural Genetic Engineering").
In short, there are all kinds of molecular "scissors," and "splicers," and "copy-paste" "editing" functions/processes in cells that modify, alter, and restructure genomes. Transposable Elements (TEs) ("jumping genes") are a known way that this happens.
The subject is incredibly complex, but here's an article that gives an idea/overview of this complexity:
"Ten things you should know about transposable elements" (2018)
"Ten things you should know about transposable elements" (TEs):
(1) TEs come in many different forms and shapes
(2) TEs are not randomly distributed in the genome
(3) TEs are an extensive source of mutations and genetic polymorphisms
(4) TEs are associated with genome rearrangements and unique chromosome features
(i.e., TEs are a source of NON-accidental mutations that occur in a NON-random, normal, controlled manner that can result in genetic polymorphisms, and genome rearrangements and unique chromosome features, etc.)
(5) There is an intrinsic balance between TE expression and repression
(6) TEs are insertional mutagens in both germline and soma (i.e., these changes can be inherited)
(7) TEs can be damaging in ways that do not involve transposition
(8) A number of key coding and non-coding RNAs are derived from TEs (i.e., TEs can create new genes & new RNAs)
(9) TEs contribute cis-regulatory DNA elements and modify transcriptional networks (i.e., TEs don't just modify genes, and rearrange & restructure genomes, but can modify entire regulatory networks in genomes, too. Small changes in regulatory networks, in turn, are known to cause major changes in organisms)
(10) Analyzing TEs requires specialized tools
This topic arose in the Notes section of the forum, so I'm starting a post on it here, where the topic can be adequately addressed. "Natural Genetic Engineering" (NGE) is a phrase coined by Chicago University microbiologist/evolutionary biologist Dr. James Shapiro
Wikipedia provides a summary of the idea.
Based on volumes of evidence from microbiology and genomic studies over the past three or so decades, Shapiro concludes that:
Shapiro has a book on the subject
And numerous peer reviewed published science journal articles on the topic, some of which I have frequently referenced:
"Living Organisms Author Their Read-Write Genomes in Evolution" (2017)
" Nothing Makes Sense in Evolution Except in Light of Genomics: Read-Write Genome Evolution as an Active Biological Process" (2016)
"Biological Action in Read-Write Genome Evolution" (2017)
"How life changes itself: the Read-Write (RW) genome" (2013)
"Why the Third Way of Evolution is Necessary" (2021)
"What prevents mainstream evolutionists teaching the whole truth about how genomes evolve?" (2021)
"What we have learned about evolutionary genome change in the past 7 decades" (2022)
....
"Mobile DNA and evolution in the 21st century" (2010)
"The basic concept of the read-write genome: Mini-review on cell-mediated DNA modification" (2016)
"Genome system architecture and natural genetic engineering in evolution" (1999)