Does the Fossil Record Document Macroevolutionary changes?

Answer 1

Evolution, both macro and micro, is 100% world-wide accepted fact, including the evolution of man.

There is ZERO evidence for a higher being causing anything. This is why people who are religious need faith, you can't see or study the actions of a deity, by definition. Evolution has ZERO faith and ALL evidence.

Scientists (real ones) have been studying and supporting evolution for over 150 years, and still nothing has pointed to creationism. There is clear links and transitional forms between everything in the fossil record to the Class-Family level, if not Genus-Species level. And this includes humans, which there are several 'missing links' which are well described and studied, people just choose to ignore this. Sure, there are still things we don't know, but that's why science is not stagnent and dead. We learn more every day, that's what happens when you keep an open mind and follow the scientific method.

There are some areas of evolution in which all of the pieces have not been found in the fossil record, but there is no counter theory that has even ONE piece of evidence outside of evolution.

Let me turn your question around, if Creationism was correct and science could definitively prove Creationism (and thus the existence of God), why would they not? That would be the greatest scientific discovery in the history of the world. No one would pass that up to maintain the 'status quo'. There is no conspiracy to hide creation evidence. Anyone who knows real scientists knows they are glory-mongers first. They love to prove others wrong to enhance their own standing. And if any scientist could prove Creation/God, it would've been done a long time ago.

Go to a museum, take a class in biology, go to reputable sites on the Internet (like AAAS: http://www.aaas.org/news/press_room/evolution ) and find out for yourself.

Answer 2

after all the excellent answers you still get someone coming in and implying all Science to do with evolution is a fraud. Usually these people are exactly the same ones who act like they are the victim if anyone responds to their abusive propaganda.

There have been fakes among the more exotic vertebrate fossils - trivial in the overall fossil record and all uncovered by scientists! There is such an abundant fossil record in so many branches of life, that "macroevolution" (both in the sense that scientists use it or in the sense that creationist propagandists redefine it) is incredibly well documented. Among the organisms for which there is the richest fossil record - weird and wonderful single-celled beasts such as foraminifera and dinocysts - "macroevolution" from species to species is utterly documented (and fascinating). Among other, still relatively abundant marine invertebrate fossils like shell-fish, species to species, or if not genus to genus "macroevolution" is completely documented. In other branches of paleontology, it depends on the richness of the fossil record and the amount of study of them, but species to species, genus to genus, or, if very rare, higher order, macroevolutionary change is documented. Every fossil found can be seen to be derived by modifications of older fossils.

'Punctuated equilibrium' is about microevolution, not macroevolution. It is simply one theory to account for the apparent sudden appearance of new species which are slight modifications of older species - ie. the abundance of macroevolution but apparent rarity of microevolution in the fossil record. The theory accounts for the pattern by hypothesising long periods of stasis and short periods of rapid evolution. But we also know that new species are more likely to arise from isolated, small populations of the previous species, and then radiate out.

Answer 3

Macroevolution is the best explanation for what we observe in the fossil record.

The fossil record does not prove macroevolution though, nor does it document changes (all we get are incomplete snapshots). Consider the unlikely possibility that a magical supernatural being dropped by periodically and created the organisms that we observe in the fossil record. *shrug*

Answer 4

Fossils have thrown considerable light on the macro level evaluation of the life,though there may be some controversy over certain issues.The sedimentary rocks formed during the different times of the geological history/time scale provides excellent opportunity to study the skeleton morphology of the fossil animals and the environment in which they lived and so on.The discipline called 'Paleontology' in geological studies give in depth information about the fossils.

Answer 5

Quite obviously, yes.

Of course, the creationists refuse to admit it. Any time you find a transitional fossil bridging the gap between two species, they just say it's a new species, and now you have two empty gaps where there used to be one.

Creationists also like to say that some hominid skulls are "clearly" humans, while others are "clearly" apes. Strangely enough, even though the distinction is so clear to them, they can't agree on where the dividing line goes. One pro-evolution debater used to have a field day by taking a bunch of plaster casts of hominid skulls with him to debates, and then asking the creationist to pick out which skulls were human and which were apes.

Answer 6

Obviously not that is why they had to come up with the whole punctuated equilibrium theory, to try to cover up the fact of the lack of transitory fossils. The fact that people can be fooled by fossils including plaster casts is amusing but it seems not just the creationists are fooled. There are plenty of cases where evolutionists in a quest to shore up support for their position have promoted their findings as proof only later to have them pr oven to be fake. Archaeorapter is one of many such examples thought to be a link between dinosaurs and birds which could fly. It turned out someone had glued a dinosaur tail to a primitive bird yet this had been promoted In national geographic in 1999. There have been many fakes being sold because there is allot of money in this and it is even reported that In the Liaoning Province in north east China there is a fake fossil factory. Finally a quote from Science digest 2. Scientists who utterly reject evolution may be one of our fastest growing controversial minorities. Many of the scientists supporting this position hold impressive credentials in science. Larry Hatfield Quote by Henri Gee chief science writer of nature magazine on evidence for human evolution." the intervals of time that separate fossils are so huge we cannot say anything definite about their possible connection through ancestry and decent". "Each fossil is an isolated point, with no knowable connection to any other given fossil, ans all float around in an overwhelming sea of gaps". "Consequently the conventional picture of human evolution is 'a completely human invention created after the fact, shaped to accord with human prejuduces". "All of the fossil evidence for human evolution between ten and five million years ago can be fitted into a small box". Thanks for the defininig macro evolution but I have known the difference for some years now. Just addressing some of the other points. And no one has suggested all science is involved in fraud, simply that all people including scientists can be victims of their own presumptions and unwittingly employ their own a priori philisophical ideals when interpreting "evidence".

Answer 7

Yes indeed, the other posters have said it all. Evolution puts the 'logical 'in biological. Put it this way, as one scientist once said, there are no 'Pre - Cambrian Rabbits' , that is ,the further up the succession you go, the more likelihood is that the fossils you find will include more recent forms.

Answer 8

Yes, the history of the Chordates is particularly well documented. We can see when the transitions between fish and amphibians, amphibians and reptiles, reptiles and mammals and reptiles and birds occured.

Answer 9

reading previous answers sounds like yes...but cant humans be a devolution of god or even a by product of a closed mind...i believe in darwin, god, santa and the tooth fairy...as pascal said 'hedge your bets'..

Answer 10

That IS the record, it is ONLY macroevolution!