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4A NEWS
SCIENCE
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2009
Darwin debate remains amid festivities
The scientist's 200th birthday marks more than a century of evolution disputes
DARWIN'S INFLUENCE
1809 Charles Robert Darwin is born on Feb. 12 at The Mount in Shrewsbury, England
1827-1831
1880
1880 Social Darwinism emerges, applying Darwin's evolutionary concepts to human social behavior.
1842
1831-1836
1827-1831 Darwin enrolls at Christ's College, Cambridge University to study theology in preparation for life as a country parson.
1882
Darwin makes major natural history collections as he travels around South America as the ship's naturalist aboard the HMS Beagle.
HMS Beagle.
Charles Darwin dies and is buried in Westminster Abbey.
Darwin writes his first essay outlining his evolutionary theory.
Nov.24,1859
July 10,1925
BY KEVIN HARDY khardy@kansan.com
NOV. 24, 1859 Charles Darwin publishes 'On the Origin of Species', putting forward his theory of evolution by natural selection.
In Dayton, Tenn.
John Scopes is tried for violating state law against teaching evolution. The "Monkey Trial" lasts eight days; Scopes is convicted and
1950
Pope Pius XII states in his "Humani Generis" that there is no conflict between
1871
fined $100.
1967
Darwin's"The Descent of Man" is published, explicitly applying his theories of evolution to humans.
Catholicism and evolution, as long as there is no attempt to apply evolution to issues of faith.
Tennessee anti-
evolution law, based
on the result of
The Scopes Trial, is
repealed
Although Charles Darwin has been buried for more than 100 years, his ideas haven't rested with him.
Henry Morris founds the Institute for Creation Science as the primary voice for creation science.
1972
Feb. 12 marks the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth. This year also marks the 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin's "On the Origin of Species," in which he proposed his theory of evolution through natural selection.
Several events are scheduled at the University to celebrate Darwin's work.
Bruce Lieberman, professor of geology and curator of invertebrate paleontology at the Natural History Museum, will present the lecture "What Darwin Started; Evolution and the Fossil Record," at 7 p.m. at the Natural History Museum.
Lieberman said he would survey Darwin's work and the new discoveries that had shaped the theory of evolution since Darwin's time. He described evolution as a cornerstone to scientific knowledge.
"All scientists accept the fact that humans evolved," Lieberman said.
Despite the apparent consensus in the scientific community, creationism and intelligent design remain two popular alternatives to Darwin's theory of "descent with modification."
In a May 2008 Gallup poll, 44 percent of respondents said they believed "God created man in present form," which is the basis of creationism.
In the same poll, 36 percent of respondents said they believed "man developed, with God guiding," a
statement more in line with intelligent design. Forty-four percent of respondents said they agreed "man developed, but God had no part in the process."
These conflicting viewpoints remain present at the University.
EVOLUTION
"To put it very simply," said Leonard Kristalka, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, "Darwin established once and for all that all organisms, including humans, shared a genetic ancestor."
Kristalka said Darwin dismissed the idea that humans were a breed separate from other organisms.
"Just as Galileo discovered that the Earth was not at the center of the solar system," he said, "Darwin discovered that humans were not at the center of any kind of creation."
Kristalka said creationism and intelligent design went against all modern science, mistaking people's religious faith for scientific evidence.
"If people want to believe in creationism or intelligent design, that is fine," he said. "But to confuse that
INTELLIGENT DESIGN
with knowledge is ignorant and arrogant."
According to Natural History Magazine, intelligent design was a widely accepted explanation of the natural world until the publication of Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" in 1859. Tony Bedora, a local minister with Campus Christians, said his beliefs were most closely aligned with intelligent design, the belief that biological systems resulted from purposeful design by a creator.
"I don't think I would say that evolution isn't a possibility." Bedora said. "God could have used evolution to create living things."
Kassidy Spring, Garnett sophomore, said she agreed with microevolution, the idea that small changes occurred within species over time.
Spring said she took issue with macroevolution, however, which describes major evolutionary changes that occurred at the level of species.
She said she didn't believe humans evolved from another spe-
cities, but that evidence showed things had changed over time.
She also said she believed dinosaurs and humans coexisted at some point in time.
Jennifer Harness, Ottawa senior, described herself as a creationist. She said she took the first two books of Genesis "quite literally" and believed the world had been in existence for 18,000 to 50,000 years.
"I think the only explanation for the fact that we live in an environment that is so perfect for us, that our bodies function with near perfection, and that our natural world works in perfect order." Spring said, "Is that there had to be something that designed and created it all?"
CREATIONISM
According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, creationism, the belief that an absolute god created all living things as they now exist, wasn't a major part of the religious scene until after the Civil War.
in our thinking," she said.
Lieberman acknowledged that science and popular opinion were not exactly on the same page.
"There may even be things existin today that we think are extinct that would create a paradigm shift
Harness said her skepticism of evolution stemmed from her personal faith.
"Science is not necessarily a popularity contest," Lieberman said. "We're in a time where this debate is politically charged. Science should be and tries to be outside the realm of politics."
"In my opinion," she said, "we can't prove that all life on earth began as an accident."
In addition to the lecture, the Natural History Museum will host a birthday party for Darwin at 4 p.m. on Feb.12.
The radio drama "The Great Tennessee Monkey Trial," based on the John Scopes evolution trial will be performed tonight at the Lied Center. Hollywood's Ed Asner and John Heard highlight the show's cast.
Edited by Chris Horn
STATE Woman charged for stealing gas after fire
STATE
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A woman has been charged with stealing natural gas after a fire at an east Kansas City home.
The Kansas City Star is reporting on its Web site that 31-year-old Juanita Sykes was arrested after firefighters discovered the alleged gas theft
Kansas City Police Officer Darin Snapp says Sykes has been charged with theft of utility services in the amount of $605.08.
Snapp says firefighters determined that the fire started because the improperly installed meter had no regulator.
Tuesday morning's fire displaced eight children, including a baby who was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation. Snapp says the children were turned over to the woman's sister.
Kansas City Fire Battalion Chief Joe Vitale says the fire did about $35,000 worth of damage to the home.
Senate approves higher limit on contributions
TOPEKA — The limit on campaign contributions for State Board of Education candidates would double to $1,000 under a bill approved Tuesday by the Senate.
The 40-0 vote sent the measure to the House.
Donations to candidates for the Board of Education and the Kansas House are now capped at $500. The limit is $1,000 for Senate candidates and $2,000 for candidates for governor and other statewide offices.
Proponents noted that each of the 10 board districts consists of four Senate districts.
Sen. Steve Abrams, an Arkansas City Republican who served on the board 14 years before winning his legislative seat last year, said the $500 limit makes it difficult to raise enough money to pay for travel and advertising.
Associated Press
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