Is evolution already a fact?
Scientific understanding requires both facts and theories that can explain those facts in a coherent manner. Evolution, in this context, is both a fact and a theory. It is an incontrovertible fact that organisms have changed, or evolved, during the history of life on Earth.
Perhaps the most persuasive fossil evidence for evolution is the consistency of the sequence of fossils from early to recent. Nowhere on Earth do we find, for example, mammals in Devonian (the age of fishes) strata, or human fossils coexisting with dinosaur remains.
As a result of the massive amount of evidence for biological evolution accumulated over the last two centuries, we can safely conclude that evolution has occurred and continues to occur. All life forms, including humans, evolved from earlier species, and all still living species of organisms continue to evolve today.
It is an unquestionable fact that organisms have altered or evolved over the course of the history of life on Earth. Biologists have recognized and examined mechanisms that can elucidate the chief arrangements of change.
Scientists overwhelmingly agree that humans evolved over time, and most Americans are aware that this is the case. Among scientists connected to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, 98% say they believe humans evolved over time.
The tenets of evolutionary theory are simple: Life evolved, largely under the influence of natural selection; this evolution took a rather long time; and species alive and dead can be organized on the basis of shared similarities into a tree whose branching pattern implies that every pair of living species has a common ...
Today, scientists can compare their DNA. Similar DNA sequences are the strongest evidence for evolution from a common ancestor.
Humans and monkeys are both primates. But humans are not descended from monkeys or any other primate living today. We do share a common ape ancestor with chimpanzees. It lived between 8 and 6 million years ago.
Five types of evidence for evolution are discussed in this section: ancient organism remains, fossil layers, similarities among organisms alive today, similarities in DNA, and similarities of embryos.
"Darwinian evolution relies on random mutations that are preserved by a blind, undirected process of natural selection that has no long-term 'goals. ' Such a random and undirected process tends to harm organisms and does not improve them or build complexity.
Do Christians believe in evolution?
Are faith and belief in evolution necessarily at odds? According to Pope Francis, the answer is no. Indeed, the pope recently reaffirmed the Roman Catholic Church's view that “evolution in nature is not inconsistent” with church teaching on creation, pushing the debate on human origins back into the news.
Nowhere in the Bible does it say or suggest that each species had its own creation. A view that is strongly upheld by creationists is that all living things have remained fixed over time, God created each creature the exact way that we see the organisms today.
![Is evolution already a fact? (2024)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/NS62TkYOVGQ/hq720.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEcCNAFEJQDSFXyq4qpAw4IARUAAIhCGAFwAcABBg==&rs=AOn4CLCCzU8q5EW0d5YlGvVR-VZMH2Gp6g)
It is supported by evidence from a wide variety of scientific disciplines, including genetics, which shows that different species have similarities in their DNA. There is also evidence supporting the Theory of Evolution in paleontology and geology.
Answer and Explanation:
Evolution is so widely accepted by the scientific community today that there is no longer any debate about whether or not the process exists; in fact, at least 98% of scientists report that they believe in evolution.
The most accepted theory of evolution is the synthetic theory of evolution or Neo-Darwinism, also called the modern concept. According to this theory, the origin of new species is based on the interaction of genetic variations and natural selection.
Evolution, in this context, is both a fact and a theory. It is an incontrovertible fact that organisms have changed, or evolved, during the history of life on Earth. And biologists have identified and investigated mechanisms that can explain the major patterns of change."
MISCONCEPTION: Individual organisms can evolve during a single lifespan. CORRECTION: Evolutionary change is based on changes in the genetic makeup of populations over time. Populations, not individual organisms, evolve.
Darwin's theory of evolution was controversial in his time due to conflicting religious beliefs, limited scientific understanding of genetics and inheritance, and a lack of supporting evidence.
Fatal Flaw #1: Life Does Not Arise from Non-Life
Evolution cannot start from nothing. To be coherent, evolutionists must account for the origin of life: they must explain how life began in the first place. For centuries, people thought life could just arise by happenstance.
Evolution isn't predictable, and randomness is key in determining how things change. But that's not the same as saying life evolves by chance. That's because while the cause of evolution is random (mutations in our genes) the processes of evolution (selection) is not.
Why are there still apes if we evolved?
We evolved and descended from the common ancestor of apes, which lived and died in the distant past. This means that we are related to other apes and that we are apes ourselves. And alongside us, the other living ape species have also evolved from that same common ancestor, and exist today in the wild and zoos.
Modern humans originated in Africa within the past 200,000 years and evolved from their most likely recent common ancestor, hom*o erectus, which means 'upright man' in Latin. hom*o erectus is an extinct species of human that lived between 1.9 million and 135,000 years ago.
All living people share exactly the same set of ancestors before the Identical Ancestors Point, all the way to the very first single-celled organism. However, people will vary widely in how much ancestry and genes they inherit from each ancestor, which will cause them to have very different genotypes and phenotypes.
Some Muslims around the world believe "humans and other living things have evolved over time", yet some others believe they have "always existed in present form". Some Muslims believe that the processes of life on Earth started from one single point of species with a mixture of water and a viscous clay-like substance.
Broadly speaking, evolution simply means the gradual change in the genetics of a population over time. From that standpoint, human beings are constantly evolving and will continue to do so long as we continue to successfully reproduce. What has changed, however, are the conditions through which that change occurs.
References
- https://www.palomar.edu/anthro/evolve/evolve_3.htm
- https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1588954530/tracyk12caus/r3a8mnbj52vpu0du9st5/CokerEnhBiologyAcadWeek4and5distancelearningEvolution2020.pdf
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8697660/
- https://truthstory.org/blog/five-fatal-flaws-with-biological-evolution/
- https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/2017/09/26/why-are-there-still-apes/
- https://www.businessinsider.com/scientific-weaknesses-of-evolution-2012-9
- https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/human-origins/understanding-our-past/living-primates
- https://homework.study.com/explanation/is-evolution-a-proven-fact-or-theory-explain-answer.html
- https://www.alabasterco.com/blogs/education/what-does-the-bible-say-about-creativity
- https://byjus.com/question-answer/discuss-the-most-accepted-theory-of-evolution/
- https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/evolution/darwin-never-knew.html
- https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2019/02/11/darwin-day/
- https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-01-12-mn-17886-story.html
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zg3vxfr/revision/1
- https://www.livescience.com/474-controversy-evolution-works.html
- https://www.toppr.com/ask/question/which-of-the-following-are-the-objections-to-darwins-theory-of-natural-selection/
- https://homework.study.com/explanation/what-is-the-difference-between-evolution-and-evolutionism.html
- https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/charles-darwin/
- https://letstalkscience.ca/educational-resources/stem-explained/why-scientists-believe-in-evolution
- https://www.marca.com/en/lifestyle/2022/11/05/6366c061ca4741d11d8b4575.html
- https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/evolution
- https://wtamu.edu/~cbaird/sq/2013/09/26/when-did-humans-stop-evolving/
- https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-the-words-creation-and-creativity
- https://www.businessinsider.com/examples-of-evolution-happening-right-now-2015-2
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehovah
- https://www.forbes.com/2009/02/12/evolution-creation-proof-opinions-darwin_0212_jerry_coyne.html
- https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/educators/course/session3/explain_a.html
- https://www.vintageisthenewold.com/game-pedia/how-old-is-god-in-2023
- https://www.occolondon.com/blogs/learn/is-creative-person-born-or-made
- https://evolution.berkeley.edu/teach-evolution/misconceptions-about-evolution/
- https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/faq/cat01.html
- https://quizlet.com/272856361/darwins-theory-of-evolution-flash-cards/
- https://homework.study.com/explanation/the-piece-of-evidence-that-charles-darwin-was-missing-when-he-developed-the-theory-of-natural-selection-was-that-a-only-particular-traits-could-be-acted-upon-by-natural-selection-b-natural-selection-is-referred-to-as-the-survival-of-the-fittest-c-t.html
- https://bio.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Human_Biology/Human_Biology_(Wakim_and_Grewal)/09%3A_Biological_Evolution/9.3%3A_Evidence_for_Evolution
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identical_ancestors_point
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/02/210205210627.htm
- https://studymind.co.uk/questions/why-was-charles-darwin-s-theory-of-evolution-by-natural-selection-not-accepted-at-the-time/
- https://darwin200.christs.cam.ac.uk/who-was-charles-darwin
- https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/06/1/l_061_01.html
- https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-weakest-evidence-for-evolution-1
- https://homework.study.com/explanation/what-percent-of-scientists-believe-in-evolution.html
- https://www.queensu.ca/academia/forsdyke/speciat5.htm
- https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2014/10/30/5-facts-about-evolution-and-religion/
- https://bigthink.com/the-future/how-will-humans-change-next-10000-years/
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41437-019-0289-9
- https://hmnh.harvard.edu/event/who-discovered-evolution
- https://www.thetech.org/ask-a-geneticist/articles/2005/ask150/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3246855/
- https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2015.00055
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_astronomy
- https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/faq/cat04.html
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/06/27/dear-science-why-arent-apes-evolving-into-humans/
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200317215626.htm
- https://www.scienzaefilosofia.com/2022/01/05/the-theoretical-strenghts-of-charles-darwins-argument-in-the-origin-of-species/
- http://humanorigins.si.edu/education/frequently-asked-questions
- https://www.britannica.com/science/missing-link
- https://www.britannica.com/story/what-darwin-got-right-and-wrong-about-evolution
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17575947/
- https://necsi.edu/evidence-for-evolution
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Objections_to_evolution
- https://www.diffen.com/difference/Creationism_vs_Evolution
- https://www.goshen.edu/bio/Biol410/bsspapers02/alyssa.htm
- https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/2471-creativity-innovation-learned.html
- https://australian.museum/learn/science/human-evolution/humans-are-apes-great-apes/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_views_on_evolution
- https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/what-will-humans-look-like-in-10000-years-time
- https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/how-are-humans-still-evolving
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_unsolved_problems_in_biology
- https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/faq/
- https://renew.org/where-did-god-come-from/
- https://simple.wiktionary.org/wiki/creations
- https://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-charles-darwin
- https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/the-gilded-age/gilded-age/a/social-darwinism-in-the-gilded-age
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6428117/
- https://www.morrowcountysentinel.com/2018/07/22/pastor-column-bible-tells-truth-about-dinosaurs/
- http://humanorigins.si.edu/education/introduction-human-evolution
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution_as_fact_and_theory
- https://www.khanacademy.org/science/ap-biology/natural-selection/natural-selection-ap/a/darwin-evolution-natural-selection
- https://www.utas.edu.au/about/news-and-stories/articles/2015/22-uncovering-the-missing-link-in-darwins-theory-of-evolution
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK230201/
- https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/hagar-bible
- https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/creation
- https://www.yourgenome.org/stories/evolution-of-modern-humans/
- https://www.dioceseofleeds.org.uk/caritas/the-gift-of-life-and-creation/
- https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/science-sushi/evolution-a-game-of-chance-observations/
- https://www.nationalacademies.org/evolution/science-and-religion
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19933231/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2665839/
- https://ncse.ngo/evolution-fact-and-theory
- https://scitechdaily.com/darwins-unanswered-question-unraveling-the-secrets-of-species-abundance/
- https://home.csulb.edu/~cwallis/100/evolution/evolution_and_creationism.html
- https://homework.study.com/explanation/a-what-was-darwin-s-missing-evidence-b-why-was-it-essential-to-a-full-acceptance-of-his-theory.html
- https://www.thoughtco.com/things-darwin-didnt-know-1224480
- https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/darwins-missing-evidence/