Is the Darwinian theory of Evolution true?

Answer 1

Evolution Evolution is the gradual change in the genetic composition of a population during successive generations, and over time, even millions of years.

Evolution does not necessarily have to be a closed, solitary theory - one can believe in god and evolution, or different takes on creationism, or evolution in the realms of intelligent design.

You can choose to accept microevolution or macroevolution.

You can choose to believe that God is behind any and all changes or, you can look at the data on the origins of the world and decide to take a completely fact-driven approach based on existing records void of any spirituality - that's cool too. You can accept each theory independently or in various combinations.

One key point remains. There is so much evidence that most scientists no longer feel the need to defend the theory of evolution. To decide for yourself if evolution is "true," begin reviewing the evidence that supports the theory, and educate yourself about the subject.

After all, the existence of God is much harder to prove than the theory of evolution, which is based on science. Just looking at evolution through the eyes of a scientist, evolution appears to be correct.

Evolution is NOT abiogenesis or the big bang theory. The theory of evolution explains how organisms change and become more complex and diverse. It explains the creation of a separate species, not the origin of life or the universe.

Answer 2

The example of the peppered moth and the finch are best evidence I can think of to support natural selection. Industrial melanism is a phenomenon that affected over 70 species of moths in England. It has been best studied in the peppered moth, Biston betularia. Prior to 1800, the typical moth of the species had a light pattern. Dark colored or melanic moths were rare and were therefore collectors' items. During the Industrial Revolution, soot and other industrial wastes darkened tree trunks and killed off lichens. The light-colored morph of the moth became rare and the dark morph became abundant. In 1819, the first melanic morph was seen; by 1886, it was far more common; illustrating rapid evolutionary change. Eventually light morphs were common in only a few locales, far from industrial areas. The cause of this change was thought to be selective predation by birds, which favored camouflage coloration in the moth. In the 1950's, the biologist Kettlewell did release-recapture experiments using both morphs. A brief summary of his results are shown below. By observing bird predation from blinds, he could confirm that conspicuousness of moth greatly influenced the chance it would be eaten. Galapagos finches are the famous example from Darwin's voyage. Some of the finches had beaks adapted for eating large seeds, others for small seeds, some had parrot-like beaks for feeding on buds and fruits, and some had slender beaks for feeding on small insects One used a thorn to probe for insect larvae in wood, like some woodpeckers do. (Six were ground-dwellers, and eight were tree finches.) To Darwin, it appeared that each was slightly modified from an original colonist, probably the finch on the mainland of South America, some 600 miles to the east. It is probable that adaptive radiation led to the formation of so many species because other birds were few or absent, leaving empty niches to fill; and because the numerous islands of the Galapagos provided ample opportunity for geographic isolation. References Kettlewell, H. B. (1973). The Evolution of Melanism: The study of a recurring necessity.. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. University of Michigan (2005). Evolution and Natural Selection. Retrieved September 16, 2008, from www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange1/current/lectures/selection/selection.html

Answer 3

natural selection is a mechanism of evolution.

Charles Darwin proved that and wrote a book called " Origin of species"

evolution istheprocess by which species come to possess genetic adaptations to the environment

Answer 4

Some true statements about evolution: * Evolution is the best explanation we have for the origin of species

* Evolution is accepted by scientists as fact

* The Theory of Evolution has contributed enormously to the understanding of Biology

* The Theory of Evolution has been used successfully to predict the discovery of an ancient species

Answer 5

As so simply stated in the question, evolution is a theory. The only way this could happen was if there was an enormous multitude of reliable evidence supporting it, none against, that it fits all current related facts and that it could make successful predictions (which it does, does not, does and did, respectively).

It is therefore in the scientific sense entirely 'true', regardless of the false "proofs" against it which have been so pointedly debunked hundreds of times yet repeated in the hope they would stick.

In general, scientific theories are not regarded as true. They are false when disproved, but accepted provisionally otherwise. It is always possible some better explanation might be developed to account for the observed phenomenon.

Answer 6

It is not possible to find facts that prove evolution false, but it may be possible to identify some facts that show that we do not yet fully understand the process of evolution. Perhaps the most important fact is that we have not yet uncovered sufficient material to trace the lineage of modern animals back through their ancestors to the common progenitor.

Even human ancestry is not fully determined, in spite of the large quantity of fossils that have been studied. Scientists are satisfied that Homo erectus is the immediate forerunner of our species, Homo sapiens, but differ on which species was the immediate ancestor of Homo erectus.

Answer 7

Evolution is both the theory concerning the origin of species which entails random mutation and natural selection, and the observations of these changes.

Natural selection is the differential survival of genetically inherited traits and characteristics via the environment. This may be through competition for resources--where the strongest or fastest tend to survive, or by sexual selection, in which the "most attractive" are more likely to pass on their genetic heritage.

Answer 8

In spite of creationist claims to the contrary, evolution really does tell us about the origin of species. But to answer the Question, it is first necessary to debunk some urban myths about evolution. No scientist claims that humans are descended from monkeys. But from the evidence of hundreds of fossils, they have been able to piece together a very detailed, but not yet complete, account of the evolution of man since the earliest hominids roamed Africa seven million years ago.

The almost complete skeleton of 'Lucy' is a four million year old example of the AustraIopithecus afarensis species, definitely not a modern human, but intermediate between humans and our pre-hominid ancestors. Whether AustraIopithecus afarensis is one of our direct ancestors or a branch that left no modern descendants, it is certainly evidence of the evolution of man.

To date, the identified remains of Neanderthal man represent something less than 500 individuals, and they are quite recognisably different to modern humans. Moreover, scientists have begun to map the DNA of the Neanderthals, a project that will put to rest, once and for all, the myth that Neanderthals are somehow just a little different to us.

Now some examples of early transitional species:

• Tiktaalik roseae is the name of a newly discovered lobe-finned fossil fish from the late Devonian period, that is a transitional form to amphibians. It had basic wrist bones and simple fingers, as well as the robust ribcage necessitated by existence out of water. There would be no conceivable explanation for Tiktaalik other than evolution.

• Another example of a clearly transitional species is the 380 million-year-old fossil of a primitive fish, Gogonasus. It had fins strong enough to support its weight in shallow water and propel itself along. A scan of the fossil, using a three-dimensional X-ray microscope, revealed its skeleton had several features that were more like those of a four-legged land animal, or tetrapod, than a fish. They included the structure of its middle ear and the existence of precursors of the forearm bones in its fins: the radius and ulna. Here was a fish that had already evolved to a point where it had much in common with later land animals.
• A recently discovered 220-million year old fossil, Odontochelys semitestacea, is further evidence of evolution. This new species of turtle had a fully formed shell on its underside, but only a small partial shell on its back, extending from its backbone. Scientists had long debated how the turtle shell evolved. As well as a partial shell, Odontochelys semitestaceaalso had ribs that had begun to widen, thus demonstrating that the fully developed shell of later turtles evolved from the ribs of earlier species. Odontochelys semitestacea is one more piece in the jigsaw that shows conclusively how life on Earth evolved from earlier species.

For more information on evolution and the alternatives put up by some creationists, please visit: http://christianity.answers.com/theology/the-story-of-creation

Answer 9

Some true statements about evolution:

• Evolution is the best explanation we have for the origin of species
• Evolution is accepted by scientists as fact
• The Theory of Evolution has contributed enormously to the understanding of biology
• The Theory of Evolution has been used successfully to predict the discovery of an ancient species

For more information, please visit: http://christianity.answers.com/theology/the-story-of-creation

Answer 10

Evolution is a concept or theory, and has not been proved wrong yet. There have been minor changes along the way, as more and more research has been done. So far it seems to be completely true, and opens many areas of science research up.