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Evolution
The scientific theory according to which populations change gradually through a process of natural selection.
5,264 Questions
Did Stephen Jay Gould say that fossil evidence completely contradicts natural selection?
Answer 1
Although Gould was often quote-mined by creationists suggesting that Gould thought that the fossil evidence did not support common descent, none of this relates in any way to natural selection, the proposed mechanism for evolution.
Answer 2
No. Stephen Jay Gould said that natural selection was the best explanation for the evolution of species. However, he differed from Charles Darwin in his understanding of the process.
Whereas Darwin appears to have expected that evolution would be a gradual, continuous process, Gould suggested a process of punctuated equilibrium. He said that species were more likely to have remained relatively unchanged for long periods until a period of rapid evolution resulted in the evolution of new species. He felt that this was more consistent with the fossil record.
Answer 3
As a palaeontologist by profession this was Gould's area of expertise. Although revered as a great scientist Gould has received some attention from creationists for parts of his comments on the nature of the fossil record. He is quote-mined as referring to the fossil record in relation to evolution in the following way:
"The absence of fossil evidence for intermediary stages between major transitions in organic design, indeed our inability, even in our imagination, to construct functional intermediates in many cases, has been a persistent and nagging problem for gradualistic accounts of evolution."
Stephen Jay Gould (Professor of Geology and Paleontology, Harvard University), 'Is a new and general theory of evolution emerging?' Paleobiology, vol.6(1), January 1980,p. 127.
"All paleontologists know that the fossil record contains precious little in the way of intermediate forms; transitions between the major groups are characteristically abrupt."
Stephen Jay Gould 'The return of hopeful monsters'. Natural History, vol. LXXXVI(6), June-July 1977, p. 24.
"The extreme rarity of transitional forms in the fossil record persists as the trade secret of paleontology. The evolutionary trees that adorn our textbooks have data only at the tips and nodes of their branches; the rest is inference, however reasonable, not the evidence of fossils. Yet Darwin was so wedded to gradualism that he wagered his entire theory on a denial of this literal record:
The geological record is (here Gould is quoting Darwin) extremely imperfect and this fact will to a large extent explain why we do not find intermediate varieties, connecting together all the extinct and existing forms of life by the finest graduated steps. He who rejects these views on the nature of the geological record will rightly reject my whole theory. (end of quote)
Darwin's argument still persists as the favored escape of most paleontologists from the embarrassment of a record that seems to show so little of evolution. In exposing its cultural and methodological roots, I wish in no way to impugn the potential validity of gradualism (for all general views have similar roots). I wish only to point out that it was never "seen" in the rocks.
Paleontologists have paid an exorbitant price for Darwin's argument. We fancy ourselves as the only true students of life's history, yet to preserve our favored account of evolution by natural selection we view our data as so bad that we never see the very process we profess to study."
Stephen Jay Gould 'Evolution's erratic pace'. Natural History, vol. LXXXVI95), May 1977, p.14.
Gould's commitment to Darwinian evolution followed from an understanding and knowledge of the fossil record that belies the literal text of the quotes lifted out of context by creationists. What the evidence shows is clear from the completestatements of Gould and many other palaeontologists in their proper context, no matter what creationists make of them.
What do creationists say about carbon-dating?
the creationist claim is actually very true, here is a chapter from my SCIENTIFIC book:
Carbon Dating
Many evolutionists believe this to be the proverbial nail in the coffin to the creation of the world, believing that this is the most solid evidence against creationists. In this section I am going into a bit of science so hold on. If this is only going to bore you and make you put down this book, by all means skip to the end, don't worry it will be under a big title labeled conclusion, you can't miss it. For those of you that have taken a chemistry class or two and want to know the intimate details, by all means, read on.
The premise:
The premise is that, cosmic rays hitting the atmosphere create speeding neutrons that collide with nitrogen atoms producing carbon 14. Further, the decay of these atoms into carbon 12 is progressing at the same rate as the creation of these atoms.
All things should absorb these atoms of carbon 14 their entire life, maintaining the same ratio of Carbon 14 to carbon 12 as the atmosphere. Once the animal/thing dies, it's carbon 14. This ratio, (1 to 1 trillion) will begin to change, the number of carbon 14 atoms diminish while the number of carbon 12 atoms remain the same. This carbon should decay at a steady rate, thus scientists can track it back like a clock, determining the approximate age of the artifact. The smaller the ratio is, the longer the animal as been dead.
Percent 14C Remaining
Percent 12C Remaining
Ratio
Number of Half-Lives
Years Dead(Age of Fossil)
100
100
1 to 1T
0
0
50
100
1 to 2T
1
5,730
25
100
1 to 4T
2
11,460
12.5
100
1 to 8T
3
17,190
6.25
100
1 to 16T
4
22,920
3.125
100
1 to 32T
5
28,650
T = Trillion
The Problem
Dr. Willard Libby first experimented with carbon 14, assuming that the ratio of one carbon 14 to one trillion carbon 12 atoms has always been the same. This "assumption" was based on the fact that the earth has been billions of years old. As any REAL non-bias scientist will tell you, all the calculations can be right, but if they are based on a wrong assumption then the product will be wrong. And as my chem. 3a teacher always said, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
In Dr. Libby's original work, he noted that the atmosphere did not appear to be in equilibrium. This was a troubling idea for Dr. Libby since he believed the world was billions of years old and enough time had passed to achieve equilibrium. Dr. Libby's calculations showed that if the earth started with no 14C in the atmosphere, it would take up to 30,000 years to build up to a steady state (equilibrium).
If the cosmic radiation has remained at its present intensity for 20,000 or 30,000 years, and if the carbon reservoir has not changed appreciably in this time, then there exists at the present time a complete balance between the rate of disintegration of radiocarbon atoms and the rate of assimilation of new radiocarbon atoms for all material in the life cycle.2
Dr. Libby chose to ignore this discrepancy (nonequilibrium state), and he attributed it to experimental error. However, the discrepancy has turned out to be very real indeed, as the ratio of carbon 14 and carbon 12 is not constant.
The first problem with this is that the magnetic field around the earth is weakening, (don't worry it always has been, recycling your water bottle won't help) allowing more cosmic rays into the atmosphere, and producing more c14 than in the past. Also, volcanoes, floods, decaying plants from floods,( and if the bible is true, there was a big one), can all greatly increase the carbon 14 in the atmosphere, ruining any chance of getting an "accurate ratio".
In the 1990's a group known as the RATE group was put together to determine the age of the earth. This team included:
- Larry Vardiman, PhD Atmospheric Science
- Russell Humphreys, PhD Physics
- Eugene Chaffin, PhD Physics
- John Baumgardner, PhD Geophysics
- Donald DeYoung, PhD Physics
- Steven Austin, PhD Geology
- Andrew Snelling, PhD Geology
- Steven Boyd, PhD Hebraic and Cognate Studies
This team's purpose was to collect "censored evidence" that evolutionists had been hiding/covering up. These men took ten coal samples, each from a different strata that had been labeled to be millions of billions of years old. Since coal is made from compressed living plants etc. you would think it would be perfect for the job.
Careful not to contaminate the samples, the carbon dating found the coal to have a significant amount of carbon 14. This was a significant discovery, because half life of carbon 14 is relatively short, (5,730 yrs old). There should be no carbon 14 in these samples after about 100,000 years. The average age of these samples, according to evolutionist "science" only came to 50,000 years. However using a creationist pre-flood ratio of carbon 14 to carbon 12 reduces the age to 5,000 years, just about dead on the the biblical age of the earth.
Conclusion: Yes you just saw the words "dead on to the biblical etc." don't panic, you should have read along, now look at what you've missed. For the scientists now asleep, we had a beautiful read without you. Please turn the page for the summary.
Okay, we just learned that since you need a starting ratio for carbon dating, and since nobody knows what the starting ratio was, probably because there weren't any scientists around 6 thousand to several billion years ago. And the best you can do with this technology of carbon dating, is operate it on an assumption, an assumption that if wrong, badly distorts the outcome, thus carbon dating is pointless, unless you want an inaccurate age of a recent item, like whether or not the 1980's magazine you got is original.
Depending on the animal or thing you are referring to, deformation can mean many different things, such as an alteration of shape, as by pressure or stress, or an alteration of form for the worse. Overall it means the act or process of deforming.
Bonsai trees/plants are a G-R-E-A-T example of purposeful deformation. Find pictures of the Bristlecone Pine Trees: they are "twisted out of shape" by the forces of nature. They are truly gnarly.
The phase you're referring to is called cleavage, which occurs during the early stages of embryonic development. Cleavage involves rapid cell divisions without growth in between, resulting in smaller cells with each division.
The study of similar structures that appear during the development of different organisms is known as evolutionary developmental biology, or "evo-devo" for short. This field seeks to understand how genetic changes can lead to the evolution of new structures and functions during development.
The electron transport chain is a series of protein complexes embedded in the inner mitochondrial membrane. As electrons pass through this chain, energy is released and used to pump protons across the membrane, creating an electrochemical gradient. This gradient is then used by ATP synthase to generate ATP, the main energy source for cellular functions.
"Improvised apparatus" typically refers to makeshift equipment or tools that are created on the spot using available resources. In performance arts, such as theater or circus, improvised apparatus may include using everyday objects in unconventional ways to create unique effects or routines. It involves thinking creatively and adapting to unexpected situations during a performance.
What are resealed erythrocytes?
Resealed erythrocytes are red blood cells that have been artificially opened, loaded with a drug or therapeutic agent, and then sealed again. This process is used in drug delivery to target specific areas in the body and to enhance the therapeutic effects of the drug. Resealed erythrocytes help protect the drug from degradation, prolong its circulation time, and reduce its side effects.
Is Odontochelys semitestacea evidence of evolution?
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.
What is an example of variation?
An example of variation is the different colors of flowers within a species. For instance, some roses may be red, while others are pink or white. This variation in color is influenced by factors like genetic differences and environmental conditions.
Explanation of evolution of a gas?
Gas is not alive and cannot evolve.
If you mean Gasoline, it is made of hydrocarbons found in crude oil found in the earth's crust. This came to be after plant matter decomposed and was crushed under immense heat and pressure over millions of years underground.
Gas is a state of matter like liquid or solid. Atoms that are hot enough to break the bonds holding them together become gaseous.
The evolution of a gas refers to the process by which a gas is produced or released, often through chemical reactions or changes in temperature and pressure. This can happen in various natural or industrial processes, such as the release of oxygen during photosynthesis or the production of carbon dioxide in combustion reactions.
What is the snow leopard's competitive exclusion?
Snow leopards are apex predators in their ecosystem, meaning they have few natural predators. Their main competitive exclusion may come from other large predators like tigers or wolves that share their habitat and compete for similar prey resources. However, due to their elusive nature and specialized hunting techniques, snow leopards have evolved to coexist with other predators in their range.
Gamma diversity (γ-diversity) is a measure of biodiversity. It refers to the total biodiversity over a large area or region. It is the total of α and β diversity. According to Whittaker (1972), gamma diversity is the richness in species of a range of habitats in a geographic area (e.g.,a landscape, an island) and it is consequent on the alpha diversity of the individual communities and the range of differentiation or beta diversity among them. Like alpha diversity, it is a quality which simply has magnitude, not direction and can be represented by a single number (a scalar). The internal relationship between alpha, beta and gamma diversity can be represented as
β = γ / α
Which has more volume -- a kilogram of gold or a kilogram of aluminum?
A kilogram of gold and a kilogram of aluminum have the same volume because they both weigh the same. Density is the property that determines how much space a substance occupies for a given mass, and because gold is denser than aluminum, a smaller volume of gold will weigh the same as aluminum.
What does the microscope rest on?
In compound microscopes for use for viewing thin sections at high power, specimens are mounted on a microscope slide and covered with a coverslip and are placed on the microscope stage or base plate. In stereomicroscopes the same is done however for large objects such as rocks or minerals no microscope slide is required the object to be observed is placed directly on the stage.
What is the relationship between speciation and adaptive radiation?
Adaptive radiation is a rapid form of speciation that takes place when there is a mass immigration to new ecological niches, or a mass extinction of one dominant life form opening up niches for other life forms. Darwin's finches are examples of the former, as they reached the Galapagos Islands as one species and radiated from there into many different species of birds make there living in various ways that called for morphological changes, basically in beak size and shape. The death of the dinosaurs is an example of the latter radiation event. That is when several types of small mammals radiated out into all the niches left open bu the dinosaurs.
What animal has DNA in their blood?
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is found in all living things (note though that viruses may contain RNA instead, it is not yet decided as to whether viruses are living or non living). Blood is a complex of red blood cells, white blood cells, and a straw coloured fluid. It is the blood cells that contain DNA as DNA is found in every cell of the body.
What theory of evolution did lamarck develop in 1809?
Jean Lamarck's theory of evolution is known as zoological philosophy or the inheritance of acquired characteristics, and stated that changes to an organisms phenotype (basically what it looks like) will cause changes to it's genotype (DNA). This has been disproved of by modern scientists, with natural selection as the main theory.
How are roses adapted to it's environment?
thorns for protection, bright colours to attract insects for polinization, nectar as an incentive for insects to unintentionally help with reproduction, shape of the flower to guide insect to nectar (and pollen)
Who proposed chemical evolution?
The concept of chemical evolution was proposed by Russian biochemist Alexander Oparin in the 1920s. Oparin suggested that life on Earth evolved from simple organic compounds through a series of chemical reactions in a reducing atmosphere.
The term spontaneous generation means?
Spontaneous generation is a disproven theory that life and living organisms can arise from non-living matter. It was once believed that certain conditions could lead to the sudden generation of life, but this idea has been replaced by the principle of biogenesis, which states that living organisms only come from other living organisms.
The Industrial Revolution and the Technology Age have led to increased human population, urbanization, and environmental degradation through pollution and resource exploitation. These changes could have long-term consequences on biodiversity, ecosystems, and climate, potentially altering the course of evolution for many species on Earth. Adaptation to these changing environments may become a key factor influencing the evolution of life on our planet.
How can evolution explain both the unity and diversity of life?
Simple. All of the millions of different life forms (the diversity of life) have come about by natural selection, whereby random mutations in the genes have either succeeded or failed. But all life can be traced back to a common single-celled origin. Thus we have the unity of life where we (possibly) share more than 50 % of our DNA with a crocodile.eg:analogous organs,homologous organs
