Why Evolution Is True

Why Evolution is True

Thomas Albanese

Saint Leo University

Chapter One

The Evolution Theory is the concept that all life is related and that all life descended from a common ancestor. Darwin’s theory suggest that life formed from non- life and took a natural direction depending on genetic modifications. His theory suggests that more complex species evolved from a more simplistic species over time. Essentially stating that random beneficial genetic mutations survived securing the survival of future generations. 

“One general law, leading to the advancement of all organic beings, namely, multiply, vary, let the strongest live and the weakest die.”― Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species

Natural Selection. Even though Darwins theory of Evolution is a fairly new concept, the notion of evolution goes back to Ancient Greece. Greek philosopher Anaximander proposed the theory of life from no life and suggested that man descended from animals. Natural selection was a new concept Darwin brought to the table. He theorized that over time minor genetic mutations that held a survival advantage would be passed on to future generations. For example, if a member of a species grew leg buds and was able to prop themselves up for a “better view”, its offspring could be given that function also. The non-leg bud members would eventually die out leaving the superior species..

 “Natural selection is not a master engineer, but a tinkerer. It doesn't produce the absolute perfection achievable by a designer starting from scratch, but merely the best it can do with what is has to work with.” ― Jerry A. Coyne, Why Evolution Is True

Chapter Two

The Evidence. Fossil records provide evidence of the past and paints a picture of evolutionary change over time. This is not a perfect or complete picture but proves that life has changed over time. The process of making a fossil is not easy or common. When a plant or animal dies the remains usually rot away or are scattered by scavengers. If the conditions are just right the remains can be buried quickly and may be fossilized. The main way a fossil is formed is by having the animal sink to the sea floor after dying, once buried, the softer parts of the body rot away leaving the skeleton. A river bed is an ideal place for fossils to develop which is why most fossils are of marine life. Once the animal is buried the skeleton is dissolved by ground water leaving a void in the shape of the skeleton. Minerals from the surrounding water fill the voids creating a mold. For various reasons millions of years later, the rock covering the mold rises to the Earth's surface exposing the fossil.

Process of Aging. Geologists are able to determine the age of rocks by using radioactive elements. Those radioactive elements decay at a set rate enabling one to calculate how many years ago a rock formed. The most reliable element for dating back to 4 billion years is Potassium-Argon. The radioactive isotope of Potassium is Potassium -40 which decays to Argon as Argon -40. The Geologist can compare the portion of Potassium -40 to Argon-40 in a sample and by knowing the decay rate, can determine the date the rock formed.

Perfect Examples. (The Grand Canyon and Trilobites).  The best way to prove the old Earth theory is with Radioisotope dating.  The Grand Canyon was eroded by the Colorado River over a 70 million year time span.  What was revealed by the end of that time was “Evolution”, the simplest organisms at the bottom and more complex at the top. Trilobites, a group of early arthropods are a great example of evidence.  Trilobites are well represented by centipedes, crustaceans, insects and the most closet relative, the horseshoe crab. Trilobites lived in the Cambrian and Ordovician periods approximately 550 to 450 million years ago and because their exoskeleton were easily fossilized, they left an extensive fossil record.

Transitional Forms Are species showing an intermediate or transitional state between an ancestral form and a descendent. There are many “transitional” fossils on record supplying an enormous amount of evidence for change over a period of time.

Coyne explains in his book "Why Evolution is True," how life leapt from one universal ancestor to more than 7 million species living today. “Life on Earth evolved gradually, beginning with one primitive species -- perhaps a self-replicating molecule -- that lived more than 3.5 billion years ago; then it branched out over time, throwing off many new and diverse species; and the mechanism for most (but not all) of evolutionary change is natural selection."

Tiktaalik roseae was probably one of the most famous and significant sea to land fossils ever found to date. It had features that suggested that it was a transitional species between fish and tetrapods. Discovered in 2004, Shubin describes Tiktaalik as a, “lobed-finned fish with a broad flat head and sharp teeth, looking like a cross between a fish and a crocodile. It had gills, scales and fins, but also had tetrapod-like features such as a mobile neck, robust ribcage and primitive lungs. In particular, its large fore fins had shoulders, elbows and partial wrists, which allowed it to support itself on ground.” Dr. Shubin said Tiktaalik was “still on the fish end of things, but it neatly fills a morphological gap and helps to resolve the relative timing of this complex transition.”

Chapter 3

Imperfect Design. To design an object or a machine, the designer would want little to no defects. You would want to design something that is simple, logical and easy to fix while eliminating any unnecessary components

Examples of Imperfect Design. In the male is the Prostate gland. It is approximately the size of a Walnut, secreting a clear liquid comprising of about ten to thirty percent of the volume of semen. It is crucial organ for reproduction and a perfect example of an imperfect design. The Urethra passes through it, so if the prostrate becomes enlarged it could restrict the flow of urine The Laryngeal Nerve is another prime example. The function of this nerve is to supply function to the larynx. It takes a round about trip down to the Heart around an artery then back up to the Larynx. In a perfect design, why would this nerve take such a route? The same nerve in a Giraffe travels 15 feet out of its way. If there was a “Designer” it would make more sense for the nerve to take a direct route from the brain to the larynx. In the Woman, a fertilized egg could implant into the Fallopian tube instead of the Uterus due to an imperfect design. This is called an Ectopic pregnancy. Luckily modern medicine is able to fix most human design flaws.