Scientists rally to support, protect evolution

Krysten Jones
Opinion Editor

With the debate of evolution and creationism still at odds, scientists openly spoke out in support of evolution during a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Feb. 20.

This dialogue over the national debate and the associated religious pressure in public schools led to the formation of the Alliance for Science, an organization of scientists, scientific groups and supporters. The scientific fields are beginning to rightly fight against the assault on science from religious conservatives.

The organization will attempt to create graduate fellowships, increase funding for research, train math and science teachers and build tax incentives for research and development. A panel for the organization also outlined tactics for public school teachers and scientists to take.

Scientists are taking the appropriate steps toward protecting the years of work and research that strongly support evolution to ensure that it remains in public schools. Through these efforts, the organization is not only supporting the scientific community but is also enforcing the evidence of evolution.

In this debate, modern biology has arrived at two major principles that are thoroughly supported by evidences that are considered laws of nature.

The first concerns all biological elements and processes as being obedient to the laws of physics and chemistry. The second principle is, as natural selection states, all life has evolved by random mutation and natural selection. The evidence supporting natural selection has increased year by year and is accepted with unanimity by biologists putting it to the test.

Religious conservatives that argue in favor of biblical creationism against evolution have created an erroneous argument.

Evolution is defined as all the changes that have transformed life on Earth from its earliest beginnings to the diversity that characterizes it today. It is impossible to argue that changes in species have not occurred, especially as it is these changes that keep life intact.

What religious conservatives should truly be attacking is natural selection, as they claim that adaptations of organisms are seen to be evidence that a creator designed each and every species for a particular purpose. Yet with so much research and evidence in support of natural selection, it isn't even possible to argue against this.

The organization has also made it clear that they are not opposed to the search for intelligent design, the belief that scientific evidence cannot account for the complexity of the universe and that it must be the result of some higher power.

As should be, most scientists believe that intelligent design is supported by scientific evidence of the presence of a divine being. This scientific evidence is a key element of the culture of science; discoveries are the backbone of science.

If positive and repeatable evidence could be found for an intelligent force that guided natural selection and evolution, it would be one of the greatest scientific advancements and any researcher would want to be involved in such a gigantic breakthrough.

With the continued attacks against evolution and debates spanning across the country, scientists have been left with no choice but to protect the evidence and works of the scientific community.

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