Why would you believe in one side of an argument when the majority of the evidence points to the other? Evolution versus Creationism has been a controversial issue for many years, and still is. Both sides have convincing arguments and good reasons why the other side's opinion is not correct, but which theory is the more probable one? Both theories have very different ideas. Creationists believe that concept and design require a Creator, and when the principals of detecting design are applied to living organisms, they find it a reasonable explanation to believe in the existence of a Creator or Designer, or in other words, a higher power. Creationists generally believe that all organisms were created as single, distinct organisms, while Evolutionists think that life started from single celled organisms such as bacteria, then evolved into complex organisms, changing over time, some even into different, distinct animals through evolution since c ontinuous evolution over a very long period of time can result in the development of new varieties and species. Creationists believe that organisms can adapt to their environment to an extent, but do not change so that over time they become completely different organisms than what they were created as. In my opinion, evolution is the most probable theory considering what evidence has been found.

There is a lot of evidence that supports evolution. One of the most prominent being the fossil record. Sedimentary rock allows scientists to study fossils in different layers of the rock, each layer holding fossils millions of years apart. Some extinct species that have been found have traits that are transitional between older species and newer organisms. In other words, the fossils show us intermediate species between the original one and the one that exists now, which supports the theory that organisms can evolve into an entirely different species.

Another reason evolution is more likely the correct theory is the similarities in all organisms on the planet, both chemically and anatomically. For example, amino acids are an example of how every living thing on earth is related. Every type of protein in every living thing is made up of the same 20 kinds of amino acids. This is true in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, showing the relationship between single celled organisms (bacteria) and multi-cellular organisms (animals), which supports evolution's idea that we evolved from single celled organisms. Another example of the unity of all living things is anatomical structure. Many animals share the same types of body and bone structures, which could only mean that they inherited it from a common ancestor. A specific example of this would be the bones in humans arms, specifically the humerus, radius and the ulna. The forelegs of cats and dogs, the flippers on whales, and the wings of birds all share these exact same bones. This would lead us to assume that they either inherited this from a common ancestor or developed them through a similar process, both supporting the theory of evolution.

The last point I will make about evidence of evolution is genetic changes in a population over time. The earth's environment is always changing. When the changes become too much for a population or species to handle, much of that species will die. Those whose characteristics allow them to live will reproduce and their traits will become more prominent in the population, and in individual species. This is also considered evolution because the thriving species has evolved.

One main argument that creationists make against evolutionists is that there are gaps in our theory, most specifically in the fossil record. But studies have shown that the gaps in the fossil record have only been due to incomplete data collection, since the more transitional fossils we find, the more we start to see the complete fossil record and fill in the gaps. For example, the fossil record connecting apes with humans because of the discovery of hundreds of transitional fossils found in Africa over the last century.

Many points can be made on either side of the argument over creationism vs. evolution, and of course there are still gaps on both sides of the argument, but when you look at the scientific evidence supporting evolution compared to that of creationism, it is clear which theory has the advantage of proof on its side. Forty percent of Americans today believe in evolution, and thirty nine percent in creationism. The other twenty one percent are unsure, or believe that evolution occurs, but is guided by a supreme being. What with all the evidence to support evolution, and with discoveries still being made about it, helping to prove its legitimacy, maybe more people will believe in evolution in years to come, and not regard it as a theory but as an accepted fact.











Bibliography

Oniel, D. (1998, February). Early theories of evolution: evidence of evolution. Retrieved from http://anthro.palomar.edu/evolve/evolve_3.htm

Ross, L. (1999, August). Theory of evolution. Retrieved from http://library.thinkquest.org/29178/crtheory.htm

McCloud, L. (2007, April 13). What is the theory of creationism, intelligent design, and evolution. Retrieved from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/195853/what_is_the_theory_of_creationism_intelligent.html