Misconceptions About Evolution

Newspapers, TV programs, and other media have often inadvertently circulated inaccurate information about evolution. As a result, many myths have been established as truth in the minds of the public. To sort out fact from fiction, check out the misconceptions and corrections below:

	Misconceptions #1: Evolution is something that happened in the past and is not in play today.
	Misconception #2: The process of evolution doesn’t affect humans.
	Misconception #3: The evolutionary path always leads from simple to complex.
	Misconception #4: If you believe in evolution, you think that humans were directly descended from modern species of monkeys, chimpanzees, or gorillas.
	Misconception #5: The only proof for evolution is the fossil record, which has “gaps” in it, so evolution must be incorrect.
	Misconception #6: Evolution is just a theory, just as intelligent design and creationism are theories.
	Misconception #7: If you accept evolution to be a well-supported theory, you can’t believe in God.

1. Misconception: Evolution is something that happened in the past and is not in play today.
   
   Answer: False. Scientists continue to find evolution at work today among contemporary species. Examples are changes over time in dog breeds, and even in us. For example, there has been a marked increase in the overall height and a reduction in size of the pinky toe of Homo sapiens in the past thousand years, traits that are thought to be heritable (passed to the next generation).
   
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2. Misconception: The process of evolution doesn’t affect humans.
   
   Answer: False. Scientists have been able to trace the evolution of Homo sapiens from a hominid ancestor. Certain physical characteristics of the human body are thought to bear witness to our evolutionary past, such as the placement of our shoulder-blades behind the ribcage, our wisdom teeth, goose bumps (caused by muscles once used for raising hair), and our vestigial tailbone.
   
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3. Misconception: The evolutionary path always leads from simple to complex.
   
   Answer: False. Scientists have documented examples of evolutionary pathways that have resulted in a species showing physical features that are simpler than those of their ancestors. For example, the eyes may be greatly reduced or lost in cave-living fish and amphibians, while certain gut-living parasites may lose their own digestive tracts.
   
   Over the course of the 3.8 billion year history of life on Earth, evolution has produced complex organisms and structures (e.g., mammalian eye and brain), yet at the same time exceedingly simple organisms such as bacteria, fungi, and yeast, coexist and thrive. Simple organisms play an important role in maintaining the stability in ecosystems.
   
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4. Misconception: If you believe in evolution, you think that humans were directly descended from modern species of monkeys, chimpanzees, or gorillas.
   
   Answer: False. Scientists have demonstrated that our hominid ancestors share with chimpanzees and bonobos a common ancestor that lived at least 8 million years ago.
   
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5. Misconception: The only proof for evolution is the fossil record, which has “gaps” in it, so evolution must be incorrect.
   
   Answer: False. Given the extremely rare occurrence of fossilization, gaps in the record are only to be expected. While the fossil record on its own is not enough to demonstrate the forces of evolution at work, scientists also have at their disposal other lines of evidence supporting the theory of evolution, such as genetic analysis, biochemistry, developmental biology, and comparative anatomy. Spotty as it is, the fossil record documents steps of transition (e.g., feathered dinosaurs and the origin of birds).
   
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6. Misconception: Evolution is just a theory, just as intelligent design and creationism are theories.
   
   Answer: False. Evolution is a scientific theory based on the scientific method, which involves systematic data collection of observable phenomena and scientific experiments that can be accurately replicated. Intelligent design and creationism are faith-based belief systems—not testable scientific theories—that offer non-scientific explanations for life’s origins and the diversity of life forms.
   
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7. Misconception: If you accept evolution to be a well-supported theory, you can’t believe in God.
   
   Answer: False. Many scientists who accept evolution as a well-supported theory have religious beliefs that are perfectly compatible with their work as scientists. Science and religion are not mutually exclusive.
   
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