Evolution is the idea that all living things on this earth are descendants of earlier living things. First, there were single-celled organisms, but over time they changed, and these changes occurred over billions of years. Eventually, one organism became so different from another — thanks to these accumulated changes — that a new species was formed. And this is the theory of evolution.
And yes, I said “theory.” How can scientists have such a strong belief in evolution if it is only a theory? Well, in the scientific world, a theory is an idea that has gained enormous support from data and has never been disproved. Thus, by definition, the theory of evolution has the same standing in science as the theory of gravity. So, just as scientists don’t doubt that their feet will stay firmly planted on Earth, most also don’t doubt that all living things have descended from simpler organisms.
So how do living things change over time? As we are well aware, we have inside each of our cells something called DNA, which is a code that tells our entire body how to form. It tells us to have a large nose or long legs or blond hair or brown eyes.
DNA is a long chain of nucleotides that we nickname with letters A, T, C and G. String millions of these nucleotides together, and you have one strand of DNA. When our mommies and daddies make eggs and sperm, this DNA has to be copied and packaged into those eggs and sperm, but sometimes there are mistakes in the copy, and we call these mutations. Mutations occur when the sequence changes ever so slightly, but sometimes these mutations stick. For instance, red hair is caused by a mutation in a pigment-encoding gene.
Evolution relies on this process of mutation. When new eggs and sperm are made, some have mutations, and these mutations result in slightly different features on the organism, like my red hair. But over billions of years, lots of slightly different features can accumulate into a completely different organism.
Scientists have much evidence for this phenomenon, including the fossil record, which shows organisms that are remarkably similar yet still show differences occurring over millions of years. Scientists also see “homology,” or similar features, in animals that have probably come from the same evolutionary line. For example, humans and bats, both mammals, have the same layout of arm bones, but the bones have different lengths and widths. This also adds to the evidence in favor of a common ancestor.
As a science major with strong Christian beliefs, it was challenging for me to hear the indisputable data in favor of evolution because it meant that I now had two truths.
But why can’t these both be truths? Why can’t God have worked through evolution to create us in His image? If God is incomprehensible, then it is not for us to say how He works, but we do have incontrovertible evidence giving us clues that should not be ignored.
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