You asked for proof of evolution?

Question

So many people on here have asked for some proof of evolution. Since they seem to like ignoring the fossil record for one reason or another, let's go in a different direction - after all, there's a lot of evidence to work with!

A retrovirus is a sneaky kind of virus which infects it's host by inserting it's own DNA into the DNA of it's host. It just sticks itself in somewhere at random, and everytime that DNA strand is replicated inside the host, the virus gets copied as well - so the host is basically producing the virus that's making it sick. In addition, that virus, which is now part of the DNA, is passed on to any offspring the host may have.

DNA is really really long - and a retrovirus can stick itself in there anywhere at random. Therefore, you would expect people with the same infect ancestor to have the virus in the same place in their DNA chain, but people without common ancestors to have it in different places.

Here's the cool thing - apes and humans have some of the same retroviruses - in the same exact place on the DNA strand! If they didn't share a common ancestor with that retrovirus, the chances of them having it in the same place are infintesimally small!

So what do you think about that? Does that count as good evidence of common ancestory?

One of the many sources:

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=479102

jc and germainer - you don't appear to have understood what I posted - you may want to re-read it. In addition, dirt doesn't have DNA.

Answer 1

Bravo Eri, for championing the evolutionary cause. Though I fear that your explanations and attempts at education are falling on deaf ears. Most of the answers here reflect closed, unthinking minds that refuse to consider anything other than what they already know.

I am frequently puzzled by people who believe that God created all animals whole and complete, based solely on faith and lacking any concrete evidence or locigal argument. Especially when there is so much evidence of evolution around us, if you bother to look.

You can find good examples of evolution in disease-causing micro-organisms. Bacteria that cause disease evolve frequently due to selection pressures caused by the medications and anti-biotics that people take, and are evolving into new more resistant strains all the time. Viruses, while strictly non-living, possess DNA, which mutates and evolves due to the selection pressures of vaccinations and medicine as well. Why do you think people still get the flu even after they've been vaccinated? Because the virus is constantly evolving.

If you accept that evolution can occur on a small scale, why not large scale? Most people accept microevolution but cannot wrap their brains around macroevolution. If you believe Man descended from primitive hominids, why is it hard to believe that we share a common ancestor with other primates? Evolution occurs, it is just that the effects can only be seen over an extremely long period of time, a period which exceeds a human life span.

As for a lack of fossil evidence, that is not a case against evolution. Fossilisation is, after all, a chance occurance. The conditions have to just right for the bones of an organism to be preserved perfectly, rock type, weather conditions, temperature and even the structure of the organism itself.

I applaud your efforts, Eri. Know that you have at least one supporter out here.

Answer 2

There can't possibly be any "evidence" in favor of evolution, no matter how irrefutable it may appear, because the one vital piece of information you are overlooking is this:

God did it.

Can't argue with that, now, can you? That's the beauty of the Young Earth theory - it is not based on logic, so it can't possibly be refuted by logic. The only way to dispell the belief that God created the universe 6,000 years ago would be if God Himself parted the heavens and called out, in a booming voice that made mountains tremble, "I DID NOT DO IT". So you see the problem with providing evidence to support evolution.


It's a very elegant proof, btw, and you're awesome :)

Answer 3

Setting aside the fossil record, which is questionable as it depends on a dating method that has not possible way to independently confirm its conclusions, consider the human brain.

Studies, such as the one done by the U of Michigan, the Amazing Life of the Human Brain, shows that while awake, our brains are absorbing 10MBs of data a second. At night, and only under conditions similar to night, all that data is sorted and stored. We have the capacity to store data that will last over 10,000 years. What evolutionary pressure would create such a capacity in humans, but not in animals? Did humans once live for over 10,000 years, if so, why did they de-evolve?

Answer 4

The Bible clearly says that God created the other animals, and that would include apes, before creating humans, so it's no surprise to me that apes and people have a lot in common. The fossil records confirm the Bible, but many preachers deny it because of their own arrogance.
God created evolution...

Answer 5

That still doesn't prove anything. I admit our differences in skin color, eye color, and texture of hair may have changed as people spread all over the world, but coming from apes I don't know. I know viruses change and everything but we are much more complex than some virus. You should listen to that little voice inside that says that we were indeed created by God from nothing and our bodies and minds are too complex to be an accident of nature!

Answer 6

I've known about this for a while, but I couldn't find a way to cull the information to a readable couple of paragraphs. Good for you for succinct writing and a compelling piece of information.

Answer 7

That's a nice article. I prefer
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=360608&tools=bot
since I worked with amylase extensively. I am adding yours to my bookmarks.

Answer 8

Every living organism has DNA,I am a believer in God,what you have written is not proof of evolution.Certain plants have some of our DNA,God said we were created from the dirt,therefore of course we will have even some of dirt's DNA.Thus explaining how an APE may have some DNA of human beings they eat and survive off the same food chain as we do.Be Blessed and love

Answer 9

If humans evolved from monkeys than why do we lock them up in the zoo or use them as experiments? The world was really "Planet of the Apes?" That's absurd. I guess Cornelius was a great physician of our time them...

Answer 10

Interesting. How about a source?