Evolution Defined

"Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution." — Theodosius Dobzhansky

Darwin's original Theory of Evolution has been constantly refined in the light of new knowledge. That's how science works! However, the basic concepts of variation, natural selection and common descent are very strongly explanative concerning the millions of data points across multiple fields of study, including biology, paleontology, chemistry, and even geology.


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Evolution is the observed change in allele frequencies in populations over time. The Theory of Evolution explains the mechanisms of evolution, including mutation, variation, natural selection, sexual selection, genetic drift, speciation, hybridization, contingency, common descent, etc. The primary areas of evidence are as follows:

* The nested hierarchy of extant life.
* The nested hierarchy in time of extinct life.
* The nested hierarchy of embryonic development.
* The nested hierarchy of biochemistry.
* The nested hierarchy of biogeography.
* The discovery that heredity is chemistry (Watson & Crick, 1953).
* Observation of genetic mutation.
* Observation of natural and artificial selection and their effects.
* Observation of genetic drift and fixation.
* Observation of speciation in the wild and in the lab.
* Observation of hybridization in the wild and in the lab.
* The recently discovered nested hierarchy of genomes (including endogenous retroviruses and pseudo-genes).
* Direct manipulation of the genomes.

NATIONAL ACADEMY of SCIENCES: "The theory of evolution has become the central unifying concept of biology and is a critical component of many related scientific disciplines. In contrast, the claims of creation science lack empirical support and cannot be meaningfully tested."