Proof Of Evolution Essay Research Paper

Proof Of Evolution Essay, Research Paper

Proof of Evolution

Evolution is a fairly simple idea. A broad definition of it is .Species change over

time.. Evolutionary theory is supported by a huge body of evidence, including the fossil

record and observation of organisms alive today. That is the reason it is embraced by

most mainstream scientists. Theologists, whose arguments are based totally on faith,

base their theories on fiction not proven fact. Faith, being belief that isn’t based on

evidence, is the principal vice of any religion. And who, looking at Northern Ireland or

the Middle East, can be confident that faith is not exceedingly dangerous. One of the

stories told to the young Muslim suicide bombers is that martyrdom is the quickest way

to heaven. Given the dangers of faith, and considering the accomplishments of reason

and observation in the activity called science, it is ironic that a person could argue, “Of

course, your science is just a religion like ours. Fundamentally, science just comes

down to faith, doesn’t it.” Science is not religion and it doesn’t just come down to faith.

Although it has many of religion’s virtues, it has none of its vices. Science is based

upon verifiable evidence. Religious faith not only lacks evidence, its independence

from evidence is its pride and joy, shouted from the rooftops.

Considered the father of evolution, Charles Darwin has been the most respected

and reviled figures in history. While still a young man, he set sail aboard the Beagle to

see the world before returning to England to become, as planned, a parson (The Origin

of Species, vii). Legend holds that Darwin happened upon one of science.s most

important theories during his travels on the Beagle, through his unbiased observation

of nature. In fact, Darwin devised no great theory until his return to England, and was

not the first person to propose evolution. Evolution was widely discussed, at least in

scientific circles, long before Darwin published any of his theories. The question was,

How did evolution occur. The reason Darwin is a household name is because he

proposed a viable mechanism for evolution, natural selection.

Here is how natural selection works: In any population there will be variations.

Individuals born with certain characteristics like strong legs, keen eyesight, or

camouflage, will enjoy an advantage over their peers. If these individuals can pass

these traits on to their offspring, their offspring will enjoy the same advantages. If the

surrounding environment gradually changes, it may come to pass that the new

characteristics are more favorable than the old, for instance, a new color will make a

better camouflage. As the environment changes, individuals with the new

characteristics will fare better, live longer, and produce more offspring until eventually

the population looks totally different form the original version (Descent of Man, 210+).

When the population changes enough to satisfy some taxonomist, it will be classified

as a new species. In other words, new species arise when the environment favors new

characteristics over old ones (The Origin Of Species, 107+).

What sounds pretty simple was in fact very controversial for Darwin.s time, and

still is in many parts of the Western world. What his theory basically stated is that life

on earth is simply the result of billions of years of adaptations to changing

environments. What this theory implied, and what Darwin stated more clearly in his

book The Descent of Man, is that humans, like every organism on earth, were the result

of evolution (5-25).

When animals that live in fresh or salt water die, their remains settle to the

bottom. After a period of time, these remains can be covered by mud and sediment.

After many thousands or even millions of years these remains can become fossilized.

The space they occupied in the sedimentary layers that form through history become

filled with dissolved minerals that harden into fossils.

Since different types of fossils are found at different layers of sedimentary rock,

their presence at specific depths indicates the period in which the animals lived. The

fact that certain species are found in certain layers is taken as evidence for evolution.

In the 1870’s, the paleontologist O.C. Marsh published a description of newly

discovered horse fossils form North America. At the time, very few transitional fossils

were known apart from Archeopteryx. The sequence of horse fossils that Marsh

described was a striking example of evolution taking place in a single lineage. Here

one could see the fossil species Eohippus transformed into an almost totally

different-looking, and very familiar descendent, Equus, through a series of clear

intermediates. Some years later, the American Museum of Natural History assembled

a famous exhibit of these fossil horses, designed to show gradual evolution from

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