Is Evolution “just” a Theory? John Donovan Director, Microanalytical Facility CAMCOR (Center for Materials Characterization in Oregon) (541)

Who’s to blame for humans being classified as primates? Not Charles Darwin. Carolus Linneaus: the father of modern scientific classifcation, and a creationist “Deus creavit; Linneaus disposuit” Not Charles Darwin. Carolus Linneaus: the father of modern scientific classifcation, and a creationist “Deus creavit; Linneaus disposuit” X It does not please (you) that I've placed man among the Anthropomorpha but man learns to know himself. Let's not quibble over words. It will be the same to me whatever name we apply. But I seek from you and from the whole world a generic difference between man and simian that [follows] from the principles of Natural History. I absolutely know of none. If only someone might tell me a single one!

“Just” a Theory? Cobb County Disclaimer: This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered. Cobb County Disclaimer: This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered. Accurate An Accurate Disclaimer: This textbook contains material on science. Science is built around theories, which are strongly supported by factual evidence. Everything in science should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered. Accurate An Accurate Disclaimer: This textbook contains material on science. Science is built around theories, which are strongly supported by factual evidence. Everything in science should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered.

Is the theory of aerodynamics “just” a theory? “Just” a Theory? Evolution is both a theory and a fact! Is the germ theory of disease “just” a theory? Do you “just” love your children? Evolution, i.e., change over time) has occurred (fact). Evolution, by natural selection, is the explanation (theory).

In biology, evolution is change in the genetic material of a population of organisms from one generation to the next. Though the changes produced in any one generation are small, differences accumulate with each generation and can, over time, cause substantial changes in the organisms. This process can culminate in the emergence of new species... Evolution is the non-random survival of randomly varying replicators... Evolution Definition:

No Transitional Forms? “How many different transitional species were required to bridge (this) gap... we don’t know. But we do know that no such transitional species have been recovered.”

Ichthyostega Eusthenopteron Land Vertebrates Fish “...no such transitional species have been recovered.” A unbridgeable “gap” between fish and amphibians? Reality: The “gap” is part of a well-understood evolutionary transition. Let’s look closely at just one part of the transition

Where to look? Tiktaalik Evolution predicts morphology & age Ellesmere Island (375 myr rocks) “One of the most vivid transitional fossils ever discovered.” Scales on its back - like a fish Webbed fins - like a fish Flat head, eyes on top (amphibian) Limbs to support body (amphibian)

Example: the Evolutionary Hypothesis of Common Ancestry Chromosome Numbers in the great apes: 46 human (Homo)46 chimpanzee (Pan)48 gorilla (Gorilla)48 orangutan (Pogo)48 Testable prediction: If these organisms share a common ancestor, that ancestor had either 48 chromosomes (24 pairs) or 46 (23 pairs).

Chromosome Numbers in the great apes (Hominidae): human (Homo)46 chimpanzee (Pan)48 gorilla (Gorilla)48 orangutan (Pogo)48 Testable prediction: Testable prediction: Common ancestor had 48 chromosomes (24 pairs) and humans carry a fused chromosome; or ancestor had 23 pairs, and apes carry a split chromosome. Centromere Telomere Ancestral Chromosomes Fusion Homo sapiens Inactivated centromere Telomere sequences

“Chromosome 2 is unique to the human lineage of evolution, having emerged as a result of head-to- head fusion of two acrocentric chromosomes that remained separate in other primates. The precise fusion site has been located in 2q13–2q14.1 (ref. 2; hg 16: – ), where our analysis confirmed the presence of multiple subtelomeric duplications to chromosomes 1, 5, 8, 9, 10, 12, 19, 21 and 22 (Fig. 3; Supplementary Fig. 3a, region A). During the formation of human chromosome 2, one of the two centromeres became inactivated (2q21, which corresponds to the centromere from chimp chromosome 13) and the centromeric structure quickly deterioriated (42).” Homo sapiens Inactivated centromere Telomere sequences Hillier et al (2005) “Generation and Annotation of the DNA sequences of human chromosomes 2 and 4,” Nature 434: 724 – 731. Human Chromosome #2 shows the exact point at which this fusion took place

“I also don’t think that there is really a theory of intelligent design at the present time to propose as a comparable alternative to the Darwinian theory, which is, whatever errors it might contain, a fully worked out scheme. There is no intelligent design theory that’s comparable. Working out a positive theory is the job of the scientific people that we have affiliated with the movement. Some of them are quite convinced that it’s doable, but that’s for them to prove… No product is ready for competition in the educational world.” Phillip Johnson in the Berkeley Science Review, Spring 2006 “I also don’t think that there is really a theory of intelligent design at the present time to propose as a comparable alternative to the Darwinian theory, which is, whatever errors it might contain, a fully worked out scheme. There is no intelligent design theory that’s comparable. Working out a positive theory is the job of the scientific people that we have affiliated with the movement. Some of them are quite convinced that it’s doable, but that’s for them to prove… No product is ready for competition in the educational world.” Phillip Johnson in the Berkeley Science Review, Spring 2006 Even its Advocates admit that ID is a scientific failure “There is no intelligent design theory that’s comparable.... No product is ready for competition in the educational world.”

Issuing Rebuke, Judge Rejects Teaching of Intelligent Design By LAURIE GOODSTEIN Published: December 21, 2005 A federal judge ruled on Tuesday that it was unconstitutional for a Pennsylvania school district to present intelligent design as an alternative to evolution in high school biology courses because it is a religious viewpoint that advances ''a particular version of Christianity.'' In the nation's first case to test the legal merits of intelligent design, the judge, John E. Jones III, issued a broad, stinging rebuke to its advocates and provided strong support for scientists who have fought to bar intelligent design from the science curriculum. Judge Jones also excoriated members of the Dover, Pa., school board, who he said lied to cover up their religious motives, made a decision of ''breathtaking inanity'' and ''dragged'' their community into ''this legal maelstrom with its resulting utter waste of monetary and personal resources.'’ Issuing Rebuke, Judge Rejects Teaching of Intelligent Design By LAURIE GOODSTEIN Published: December 21, 2005 A federal judge ruled on Tuesday that it was unconstitutional for a Pennsylvania school district to present intelligent design as an alternative to evolution in high school biology courses because it is a religious viewpoint that advances ''a particular version of Christianity.'' In the nation's first case to test the legal merits of intelligent design, the judge, John E. Jones III, issued a broad, stinging rebuke to its advocates and provided strong support for scientists who have fought to bar intelligent design from the science curriculum. Judge Jones also excoriated members of the Dover, Pa., school board, who he said lied to cover up their religious motives, made a decision of ''breathtaking inanity'' and ''dragged'' their community into ''this legal maelstrom with its resulting utter waste of monetary and personal resources.'’ Judge Jones, a Republican appointed by President Bush, concluded that intelligent design was not science, and that in order to claim that it is, its proponents admit they must change the very definition of science to include supernatural explanations.

But ID remains a public relations success story Jon D. Miller, Eugenie C. Scott, Shinji Okamoto (2006) Public Acceptance of Evolution. Science 313: 765. The United States is near the bottom in public acceptance of evolution

“Science is a process of separating the demonstrably false, from the probably true.” - Michael Zimmerman “All things are possible- but having said that, some things are less likely than others” -Bertrand Russell “The biggest cause of trouble in the world today is that the stupid people are so sure about things and the intelligent folks are so full of doubts.” - Bertrand Russell “A wise man proportions his beliefs to the evidence” -David Hume

“The work we found most interesting was the process of science because…I had never thought of science as a process. After reviewing your worksheets, I applied the concepts to the study of breast cancer and hormone replacement therapy. Now I have a better understanding of why recommended treatments are constantly changing.” Comment from a parent:

Justified belief or belief based on evidence Scientific Knowledge as “Uncommon Sense” Useful (science, technology, medicine, etc.) Fruitful (improved understanding, insight, avoidance of undesirable outcomes) Valuable (advantage of information, get paid for your knowledge) Beautiful (complexity of universe, diversity of life, interconnectedness of systems)

Knowledge at the University Scholarship: science, history, literature Medicine: disease causation, treatment, prevention (nutrition, hygiene, etc.) Law: forensics, criminal justice, social justice, political justice Life: decision making, deceit detection, advertising, propaganda, risk avoidance, survival

Impediments to teaching scholarship and critical evaluation of sources “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool” Richard P. Feynman

1. We prefer stories to statistics  We prefer anecdotal/personal information  We evaluate risk non mathematically  We relate to emotional accounts Units of deaths per billion with one hour of risk exposure: Giving This lecture: < 1 Being vaccinated: 1.3 Living where snakes are present: 3.8 Rail or bus travel in USA: 10.0 Child asleep in crib: 140 Being struck by lightning: 200 Amateur Boxing: 450 Climbing Stairs: 550 Coal Mining: 910 Hunting: 950 Automobile Travel: 1200 Air travel: 1450 Cigarette Smoking: 2600 Small boat boating: 3000 Swimming: 3650 Motorcycle riding: 6280 Serving in Vietnam: 7935 Canoeing: Motorcycle racing: Alpine Mountaineering: Professional Boxing: Giving Birth: 80000

2.We seek to confirm rather than question our beliefs Pattern seeking animals Behavioral biases “If a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other hand, he is offered something which affords a reason for acting in accordance to his instincts, he will accept it even on the slightest evidence. The origin of myths is explained in this way.” Bertrand Russell

3. Misunderstanding the role of chance and coincidence  Lottery games  Casino games  Gambler’s fallacy  National Enquirer effect

Are you paying attention?

4. Trusting the reliability of our senses  Distraction and hallucinations are common  Perception is influenced by expectation

Are squares A and B the same shade of gray?

5. We oversimplify our thinking and trust our instincts too easily...  Evolution of accurate, reliable (economical) behavior, although imperfect and fallible...  Cognition is faulty (much more than we’d like to believe)...

pareidolia a psychological phenomenon involving a vague and random stimulus (often an image or sound) being perceived as significant

6. Inability to grasp magnitudes/properties outside of evolutionary historical experience  Deep space  Deep time  Deep size

50% of American adults think that the world is around 10,000 years old! How much of an error is that? It’s like believing that the distance from New York to Los Angeles is 30 feet. Assume 13.7 billion years = 1 year, then: January 1st = Big bang 26th = first galaxies form September 1st = Solar system forms 21st = first stirrings of life November 8th = first oxygen atmosphere 30th = first sex by algae December 15th = multi-cell life 19th = algae on land 21st = land animals (millipedes) 25th = dinosaurs 30th = mammals (rodents) 31st 1:00 AM = early apes 10:30 PM = stone tools 11:54 = homo sapiens 11:59:37 = agriculture 11:59:57 = zero invented 11:59:59 = Copernicus

Quantum dots

7. We prefer bad explanations to no explanation at all Natural disasters, floods, storms, earthquakes Cosmogenic (origins) Luck, disease, insanity “Man is a credulous animal, and must believe something; in the absence of good grounds for belief, he will be satisfied with bad ones.” Bertrand Russell, Unpopular Essays (1950), "Outline of Intellectual Rubbish"

"Science is a very human form of knowledge. We are always at the brink of the known, we always feel forward for what is to be hoped. Every judgment in science stands on the edge or error, and is personal. Science is a tribute to what we can know although we are fallible. In the end the words were said by Oliver Cromwell: ‘I beseech you, in the bowels of Christ, think it possible you may be mistaken.’... We have to cure ourselves of the itch for absolute knowledge and power. We have to close the distance between the push-button order and the human act. We have to touch people. " -Jacob Bronowski, The Ascent of Man, (passage spoken at Auschwitz)

There is grandeur in this view of life; with its several powers having been originally breathed by the Creator into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most wonderful and most beautiful have been, and are being evolved.