Darwin needed his Theory of Natural Selection to
explain the strange animals and plants he found in his travels--plants and animals
which resembled those he had studied in England, yet these were equipped with
adaptations for different environments with different competitors and predators and
symbionts.
Today the whole idea that animals and plants evolve adaptations for particular habitats is
a basic assumption (the cornerstone) of ecology, physiology, genetics, anatomy,
embryology, biochemistry....
Why is evolution so controversial?
Evolution is the only scientific explanation of the biological history
of the earth. Nobody so far has proposed any other disprovable explanation
which is consistent with the evidence. The last valid scientific objections were resolved
during the 19th century. so you don't have to memorize all these
historical details. Nobody has even found scientific
evidence against evolution. And we all remember that science deals only with
hypotheses which can be disproved by experiments.
Read the first paragraph on page 412. Do you think
Freeman believes that Darwin's theory was more revolutionary than
Watson and Crick's "Central Dogma"?
According to a 1991 Gallup poll (reported in Why People Believe in Weird Things
by Michael Shermer, 1997, Freeman Publ.) what most ordinary Americans believe (second
column below) is not what most scientists believe:
What people believe about human evolution |
ordinary Americans, according to the Gallup poll |
Scientists, according to Shermer |
your home town: What's your guess? |
| God created man pretty much in his present form at one time within
the last ten thousand years. |
47% |
< 1% |
? % |
| Man has developed over millions of years from less advanced forms
of life, but God guided this process, including man's creation. |
40% |
< 1% |
? % |
| Man has developed over millions of years from less advanced forms
of life. God had no part in this process. |
9% |
99% |
? % |
| "I don't know." |
4% |
< 1% |
? % |
You should know that anti-evolution scientists are very rare. People who disrespect
evolutionary evidence simply lack credibility and respectability among scientific groups. If
this is a problem for you or if you just want to learn more, you could read Shermer's book
or look at the Bio103 Creationism web page for more
information.
back to top
How to
prepare for the quiz and test 3
and the final exam
- Use your own words to paraphrase Darwin's Theory of
Evolution.
- Why is it a theory rather than a hypothesis?
- Most scientists consider evolution to be
a] a law of nature.
b] the central theory upon which most biology is based.
c] untestable by experiment.
d] very tentative and far from certain.
- Consider this generalization: "Blondes have more fun."
Could it be a scientific hypothesis
a] no, because "fun" cannot be measured.
b] no, because it could not be disproved in an experiment.
c] no, because there's no control group.
d] no, because you can't tell whether the hair color is genetic.
e] yes.
- Good scientists today prefer disproving hypotheses over verifying hypotheses because
they
a] know that an experiment can have results which match the predictions of a false
hypothesis.
b] really don't believe in anything anyway.
c] think that searching for truth is a waste of time.
d] actually; all good scientists do verify, not falsify, their hypotheses.
- All mammals have the same bones in their arms, but the seal's bones' shapes and
sizes are different from human bones. Scientists consider this information to be
a] just a hypothesis.
b] only a theory.
c] observations or results of an experiment.
d] scientific facts.
e] both "d" and "c" above.
answers?
answers 2
it's a huge and broad concept with many applications and it has
been repeatedly tested without any hint of disproving
3b 4e 5a 6e
LINKS to WEB SITES
FOR MORE INFORMATION
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