The Facts of Evolution

"Let me lay my cards on the table. If I were to give an award for the single best idea anyone has ever had, I'd give it to Darwin, ahead of Newton and Einstein and everyone else." - Daniel Dennett

Creationists, when they complain about the theory of evolution, do not really do either of those things. Either they misunderstand the theory when they try to comprehend it or they grouse without even trying to comprehend. Every time the creationists complain against the theory, it is very obvious that they have no idea of what they are talking about. Here, I am going to show 9 sheer facts of the theory of evolution, which definitely could help a rational person to defend the theory while a creationist would whine against it.

Why are the creationists so angry and aggressive toward the theory of evolution? In simple words, because it debunks their religious fairy tale. Even though the theory has not got anything to do with the existence of an almighty God, it debunks the revelations like “and God only says ‘be’ and it becomes”. Earth was not created within just a few days or a second. There are many evidences of EARTH is about 4.5 billion years old. That is totally consistent with the theory of evolution but not with creationism, because evolution requires a pretty long time to happen (especially macro-evolution). Also, some non-creationists think that the theory of evolution degrades human beings by comparing us with the monkeys and hence, they join the creationists to scatter propaganda against the theory!

Theory of evolution is not a mere theory. It is a scientific theory which helps us to comprehend the complex diversity among the species of our planet. It teaches us how living organisms on our planet have changed throughout the history, why they have changed and in which condition they have changed. A proper scientific definition of the theory would be: “Evolution is a process that results in heritable changes in a population spread over many generations.” The heritable changes come from the mutation in the nucleotide (found in the master molecule DNA). Nucleotides constitute the four letters of the genetic code. Mutations are random changes in the nucleotide and most of them result in dire consequences. So, it is not necessary that every time a species would transit into a better species. It depends on the new accommodated environment and how better they can survive there. There is no other alternative theory in the field of science that can be better and more precise than the theory of evolution in explaining to us the complexity and diversity among the species on the planet. Since the time of Darwin, for more than 150 years, the theory of evolution has gotten more evidence and support so that it is now quite impossible to prove this theory as false, which obviously no one could ever do. This is no exaggeration but a FACT.

Now let’s see the 9 facts of the theory:

1. Evolution is not just a theory

As I said above, the theory of evolution is not just a theory. It is a scientific theory which is backed by evidence. On the one hand, a hypothesis is an idea which has not been proved yet; on the other, a scientific theory can be proved by observations, evidences and facts and is beyond just an explanation. A scientific theory is "a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that can incorporate facts, laws, inferences, and tested hypotheses," according to the National Academy of Science (NAS). Hence, the process for a hypothesis to become a theory in science could be like this:

i. Make a hypothesis from an observation which has not yet been proven.

ii. Collect data and evidence based on observations and experiments.

iii. Use them to support the hypothesis. If they are enough to support the hypothesis then move to the next step.

iv. Call the hypothesis a theory (a valid scientific explanation).

Some also say that there is already the word theory out there in the name of the evolution theory, so it must be a theory only. That is ludicrous. Just because evolution is called a theory that does not mean it is a hoax or just a hypothesis. There are plenty of other theories, like: the theory of gravity, the theory of big bang, string theories, the atomic theory or the theory of relativity, which are not only mere theories. Any scientific theory can be proven either by direct or indirect evidence, for example: Physicists cannot see subatomic particles directly, so they have to rely on an indirect observation. The evolution theory also can be proved by both direct and indirect evidence. But the theory of evolution is not immune to inconstancy and is ready to be changed if it is required and the facts in the theory remain constant. It is obviously not possible to disprove the theory just by saying that “theory of evolution is just a theory”. We need facts and evidence.

2. Artificial selection is right here

How did Darwin really perceive that animals evolve? He had few fossils but not as many as we have today and he did not know much about the modern genetic theory of natural selection. There is actually a more convincing fact that Darwin used as an evidence for evolution—artificial selection. What is that? Artificial selection is all around us. What we consume today (farm products like vegetables, fruits, dairy, wool, domesticated animals, etc.) were actually not same thousands of years ago when there was no farm of human beings or when people did not start to domesticate animals and plants yet. Our ancestors started to domesticate animals and plants for their own benefits and that led to the rapid genetic changes. For example, cattle used to produce few hundred cubic centimeters of milk before domestication and now they produce a million cubic centimeters. CARL SAGAN wrote in Cosmos that “If artificial selection can make such major changes in so short a period of time, what must natural selection, working over billions of years, be capable of?” This very clear evidence of artificial selection can also prove to us that mutation -- sudden changes in heredity -- can create new information.

3. The fossils matter

One of the biggest evidences of the theory of evolution is the FOSSIL RECORDS. There are so many extinct animals that we today find as fossils underneath our lands and mountains. They had so many distinguished characteristics and the further we go back in the records of the fossils, the more the species become distinct. For example, Deinocheirus, Trilobites, Giant sloths, Deinotherium etc. are all extinct species with diverse characteristics. All those fossils show us the simple transitions of one species into another more complex or beautiful species through the mechanism of Evolution -- NATURAL SELECTION. What really could explain the existence of those fossils in this planet other than the theory of evolution? You can gain more information on the fossil record here.

4. Missing links are fathomable

When we talk about species which are extinct, we are talking about millions of them. According to a study in 2015 (“Hints of life on what was thought to be desolate early Earth”, Mindspark Interactive Network) the oldest fossil could be dated back to 4.1 billion years ago. What does that tell us? That tells that there are so many species to find and it is quite impossible to find all of their fossils. It also tells us that both fossil formation and fossil survival are rare events. (You can learn about fossils’ formation and their links to evolution here). So, missing links in the fossil will obvious arise, but they are not enough to disprove the theory of evolution. Let’s make a simple analogy to fathom that: say a family has got seven children and suddenly one of their children gets lost in a large densely wooded area when she is 8-years old and you meet that family just after the child gets lost. Now, would you tell everyone after coming back from their house that they actually have not got seven children but six? Would you tell everyone that the whole “seven children thing” is a lie just because one child was missing and you could not find the child in the wood? Surely not! Anyone could understand that the lost child was there in the family by watching the photo albums or birth certificate or the child’s used things. The case in the “missing fossil record” is also the same. There are some missing links on which there is no doubt, but that does not mean the whole theory is wrong. The links can be fathomed by comparing the precedent and subsequent links of the missing links. In essence, we have got enough fossil records to prove the process of natural selection. You can see the links of the fossil record here.

5. Micro-evolution is ok and so is macro-evolution

Both micro-evolution and macro-evolution are true and they happen. Micro-evolution means changes within a species and macro-evolution means changes that connect one species with another. Now, some so-called educated people would assert that macro-evolution cannot be seen or observed, hence, they are not true. Absurd, right? That’s why I said “so-called”. In reality, actually micro-evolution can be used as an evidence of evolution theory. Because EVOLUTION IS EVOLUTION. As micro-evolution happens, we can understand that there is macro-evolution also. For example, if we suppose A and B are two connected species, then we would observe that there are some stages of micro-evolution between them which eventually led into that macro-evolution (A-B). Besides, micro-evolution can be observed because it takes less time to happen than macro-evolution. Furthermore, it is difficult to recognize a distinctive and novice species during the speciation stage, because biologists dissent over how to define a species. Anyway, there are so many events where macro-evolution has been observed by the scientists through various special techniques. Here and here you can find some examples of macro-evolution.

6. Let’s do some physics

Sometimes the so-called educated creationists would bring out the second law of thermodynamics against the theory of evolution to disprove it. Does that law really matter? Let’s see the definition of the law first: it says, “No process is possible in which the sole result is the transfer of energy from a cooler to a hotter body.” [Atkins, 1984, The Second Law, pg. 25] In other words, it says actually that the Entropy (the energy that is no longer available to do mechanical work) of a closed system cannot decrease. Often Entropy is described as disorder, but it varies considering the context. But the deniers of the theory of evolution would misinterpret the second law by saying that things must become disordered over the time. First of all, living organisms are no closed system and secondly, the second law permits parts of a system to decrease its Entropy as long as other parts offset by increasing. In that way, our planet becomes more complex by getting heat and light from the Sun and the greater Entropy of the nuclear fusion of the Sun rebalances the scales. Similarly, simple organisms can become more complex by consuming energy from other forms of living organisms and nonliving materials.

7. Creationist scientists do not matter

Science is a huge field and there many branches of science. So, it is very normal that some creationist scientists in the field of science exist. But why would it somehow affect the theory of evolution? Are there more creationist scientists in the field of biology comparing with the other fields of science? The answer is NO. In 2007, about 515 scientists stated skepticism about the evolution theory, but less than a quarter of them were biologists. Now, the question would be: Did those scientists deny the evolution theory because they had evidences of another better theory which could defy the theory of evolution? Did any of them win a Nobel Prize for that? The answers would be NO again. In fact, the scientists admitted that their aversion toward the theory rooted from their personal beliefs, not from scientific facts. Also, there is no serious scientific research or study made to prove that the theory of evolution has got no credibility. In the recent surveys, done independently by Barbara Forrest of Southeastern Louisiana University and Lawrence M. Krauss of Case Western Reserve University, it is shown that there is almost no major scientific publication on Intelligent Design or Creationism in the field of biology. Then, after all, what is the necessity of bringing in the mumbo-jumbo of creationism whenever the topic of evolution arises?

8. We are no monkey

The most common misconception about the theory of evolution is that it says we have come from monkeys and hence, statement like this arises: “If we have come from monkeys then why are there still monkeys?” That is just blatant ignorance and nothing else. Evolution never asserts anything like that. We and apes share a common ancestor.  Think about this: you and your sibling or your cousin share a common ancestor but you did not come from your cousin or sibling. So, monkeys and other apes can be like our cousin. Also, new species do not evolve by destroying the established ones, rather they splinter off from the established ones when a portion of the organisms become isolated from the prime branch of their family and achieve enough differences to remain distinct forever. Here, the parent species do not need to become extinct, they might survive or not.

9. A watch does not imply a watchmaker

To me, this is the most disingenuous argument a theist or creationist can make: “A watch implies a watchmaker”. But guess what, they would not make the same argument when it is about God. When we talk about the theory of evolution, we do not really say that it just happens. We show logics and evidence. We can fathom that it is not any simple process and did not just happen within just few days. It takes a long period of time to happen. But why God, being a creator of the whole complex universe where there are billions of stars, planets and moons, does not require a creator of him and how he just popped out from nowhere? This is why it is said that “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence”. Furthermore, according to the evolution theory, every plant and animal has come about through a long process of trial and error. But could not God just create the animals and plants which he wants to survive at once? Why there are enormous numbers of life forms which could not adapt themselves perfectly in the environment needed to become extinct?

The theory of evolution is a beauty and without it explaining the many varieties of animals and plants and traits of the species is impossible. Without it the fossils underneath of our feet could not be explained. Without it we would never know where we, human beings, really have come from. Today, from Biology to Psychology to Anthropology, anywhere in the field of science, the theory is accepted humbly (almost 98% of the scientists believe in the evolution theory) and used to explain various scientific problems and conundrums, for example, see Evolutionary psychology. It is a shame to misinterpret the theory without even trying to understand what it states with an unbiased intention. If you are honest and intelligent enough to embrace the truth, you would never deny the theory of evolution.