Ask A Scientist General Science Archive

Question:  Is evolution a FACT or FICTION??
 burbank school

Answer 1:  Neither. Evolution is a THEORY,
one which is VERY WELL-SUPPORTED BY THE FACTS.
Other theories have not been found to be as well-supported.
prof topper

Answer 2:
Evolution is a theory.  The theory of evolution is a very delicate
subject with many pros and cons.  Your belief/disbelief in evolution
can be decided upon by rigorous research of both the good points and the
bad points.  I attended a Jesuit (Roman Catholic) institution where the
theory of evolution was not taught.  It is up to you to decide whether
or not the facts are adequately supported.
Sally

Answer 3:
The two pervious answers are correct if you are talking about the
evolution of living things based upon fossils.  However,
evolution is fact in that we can demonstrate evolution with
bacteria and other organisms.  Many experiments have successfully
shown the principles of evolution.  We hear of the evolution of
TB for example to a point where drugs that use to be effective now
are not because the organism has evolved to a organism that
is no longer effected.  Darwin's idea of natural selection is
and has been clearly demonstrated.  However, when it comes to
the evolution of Homo sapiens and other higher plants and animals,
though the evidence seems clear as to how these organisms evolved,
science never lists anything as fact unless it can be clear demonstrated.
This can not be done due to the fact that the predecessors are no
longer living to positively verify what the fossils suggest.
In other words:
The process of evolution is fact.  We can clearly demonstrate evolution
by how we define it.
The evolution of higher organisms is a theory, because the facts are
not available to be absolutely sure, but there is a growing amount of
facts that clearly suggest that evolution of all living things did
occur.
 ssample

Answer 4:  Bluntly, that is utter hogwash.
You can extract every mention of "evolution" from your
statement and insert the word "quantum mechanics" and
see the ridiculousness of such an argument. The fact that
quantum mechanics is well-suppoerted by all experiments
to date does not mean that quantum mechanics is a fact.
It is a theory, and will always be a theory, until it is
replaced by a new, better theory. However, safe money
would bet that quantum mechanics will turn out to be
a special case of any new theory (just as classical mechanics
can be thought of as being a special case of quantum mechanics,
in the limit h -> 0).

The theory of evolution is the most successful interpretive
framework we have for understanding the origin of life on
earth. We have extensive experimental evidence supporting it,
including the fact that bacterial colonies are observed to mutate
on fairly short time scales. But it is still a theory,
and a darned good one.

prof topper

Answer 5:  Hello again
Upon rereading the preceding response, I have
decided that my response was a little huffy and
uncourteous. I apologize to all if the tone was
inappropriate. But most especially, to ssample,
my humble apologies.
prof topper