Evolution Test

  Evolution is the gradual change overtime of an organism.  The belief is that the earth was changed and caused the animals to change along with it.  It teaches that we were all once a different thing but through common ancestors we became what we are today.  Evolution uses facts such as the fossil record, DNA, natural selection, similarity in structure, and geographical evidence to support it's theory. 
  The fossil record is used to support evolution by using fossils that have been found that possibly have characteristics of two different species that could be used as a transitional fossil.  The fossil record shows that change in animals through out the years.  There are also major gaps in the fossil record that show no fossils and no evidence for evolution.  The fossil record can also be inaccurate due to natural  changes and disasters that have taken place in the earth.  Scientists use DNA evidence to show that humans and apes must have a common ancestor because they have such similar DNA.  THis is the only way that evolution can be tested today.  Although we have much of the same DNA we still have 120 million base pairs that are different.  Natural selection is used as evidence for evolution because it helps explain why evolution took place and why it was needed.  Natural selection can be used as evidence but it also is just a natural process for sustaining life and keeping population levels under control.  Similiarity in structure shows that we have some of the same bones and placements as other animals even though we may use them differently.  This shows that we changed to adapt to our needs.  Geographical evidence shows that we change to our enviornment and the food sources we have available.  Evolution uses this to explain why there are so many different species that are so different in different parts of the earth.
  Natural Selection is a very strong point in evolution because it shows survival of the fittest.  It shows that animals chnged to make themselves better able to survive in their new enviornments.  This helps scientists use evolution to show that the earth changed and caused a major disruption this helps explain extinction.  Extinction tells us that there  were species that couldn't adapt fast enough so they were either taken out by other animlas or the climate caused them to die. 
  DNA is one of the most concrete ways to show the commonalities that different species have.  Scientists like to prove evolution with DNA evidence because it is the only one that can be tested today.  DNA is very complex and people think that when we have about 90% the same DNA as something that means we are very much the same.  What the scientists don't tell use is that there are millions and millions of base pairs that aren't the same so we aren't as closely related as they would like us to believe. 
  Human evolution is the belief that we share a common ancestor with a monkey.  Human evolution is often thought of the wrong way people look at the pictures that show monkeys evolving and think we came directly from monkeys when in the real truth that isn't what evolution teaches it teaches we have a common ancestor and are not directly from monkeys. Human evolution uses many skeletal remains as proof to show how we evolved.  When reasearching the skeletal evidence I found that much of it has been changed to go along with the theory evolution presents.  I don't think it is right for someone to change the skeletal remains and then pass them on as the truth.  I don't believe in evolution for many reasons one of them being the lack of true evidence that hasn't been tampered with.  I think we would need to find the real transitional fossils to prove evolution.  I believe in the creationist viewpoint that we were created by God not in millions of years but in a matter of days.  I believe in microevolution in the fact that it says species change within themselves to become better able to survive of have certain charateristics.  I have learned so much that I didn't know about evolution practically everythin I talked about in this paper is the knowledge I have gained in the area of evolution.  I know more and I will be better able to defend my views on evolution. 

Human Evolution

  When researching human evolution I came across many interesting things.  When looking at many of the fossils that have been found, studied, and put in museums there are many fossils that have been changed to look more like what the evolutionist think the fossils should.  People have changed jaws and teeth to make them look either more human like or more ape like.  I think that it is wrong that this is being done and nothing can be done to stop it.  The skulls that have been tampered with can be seen by all people and taught in some textbooks as the truth when in fact they are far from it.  In France evolution is a big part of their economy with their museums being a big tourist attraction.  People that try to prove that the fossils are tampered with are tracked down so they don't tell anything that they have found out.  I think we need to stop trying to change fossils to how we want them to look and take them for what they are because I think we can learn a lot more from them if they are original. 

Human Evolution

 I think that the paper clip activity showing the different DNA strands was very helpful in understanding the differences in the make up of ourselves verses chimps and gorillas.  Seeing that we are only slightly connected to them helps strengthen my belief that we didn't evolve from another creature like the chimp or gorilla.  The human evolution video helped show how scientists often base their findings and results on how they think the missing links would look after what they assume and it isn't true scientific evidence.  Many scientists try to cover up evidence that goes against the belief that humans and dinosaurs existed at different times.  There are cave drawings that have been found that prove that they lived at the same time and interacted.  There are many flaws in the theroy of evoultion that scientist have tried to cover up or make less important but there is still so many problems that unless solved will always make evolution questionable. 

Evolution Questions

  When talking in class about evolution I thought of questions that evolution itself can't answer yet and may never be able to.  Why is the importance of our DNA similarities such great evidence when we have some of the same genetic make up of a banana?  Why do people not take into account natural disasters changing the layers of the earth when they consider the fossil record? How do we explain why we are the only bipedal creatures on the earth today if we are so much like so many other creatures? Some of these questions I don't think evolution can answer and that is where the questioning of evolution can easily take control.  The changes that we can see in microevolution are some of the only evidence we can see taking place today that can't be argued.  After learning about evolution I feel like I know more about it and the questions I have are more advanced research questions that I would never have had before. 

Evolution's most convincing evidence

  When researching evidence for evolution I think that the most convicing evidence would to the similarities in the DNA and the similarities in development.  When looking at the development of different animals it is easy to notice that the embryos look the same for a long period of time.  The process in development can show that they all could have been the very similar at one time and then they changed over time to adapt to changes in environment, climate, and food available.  The DNA is also convincing because it  shows how we could have had come from the same common ancestr as monkeys and chimps.  The DNA is also unreliable because we may some of the same as DNA as a monkey but we have the same as a banana as well and in evolution where is nothing saying that humans came from bananas in any way. 
   I think I have learned a lot more about evolutiona and I understand it a lot better even if it will never agree with my religion. I think that it is important to learn about evolution because it is a theory that keeps on changing and we need to be current in our studies of sciences.  Evolution will keep changing as long as new information is being found and tested out.

Evidence of Evolution

  When looking at the different evidence that scientists use when they try and prove evoultion it is easy to see they people believe in evolution.  The fossil record is the only part of the evidence that can easily be argued by those who aren't scientists because we can prove that there is no fossil of the missing links anywhere to be found and that the earth isn't always in consecutive order when it comes to the crust layers where the fossils are found.  I think that the best evidence would be natural selection because it can be seen today aqnd seeing makes things a lot easier to believe.  This was a interesting topic because I could see how we could be easily related through DNA and structure.

Natural Selection

  Natural selection is the main element when talking about evolution.  Evolution wouldn't be a believeable theory without it because there would be no change needed for the animals.  Natural selection is still something that we can see today in microevolution.  Animals that are stronger live longer and have more control of habits and the weaker ones die off and are at the bottom of the food chain.
  I think that natural selection helped me change my view in evolution in the fact that I can see where evolution comes into the picture of life.  Without natural selection there would be no population control within a species.  I think that talking through evolution has helped me understand why people believe in it.  I think that talking about evolution without religion as the base makes it easier to understand and less biased.