Since no one has ever directly observed evolution happening, so how do you know it's true?

Question

ADDITION:
It is claimed that scorpions and cockroaches have existed for a million years. Yet they have remained the same. . . . scorpions and cockroaches!! How about that!!

Answer 1

Since no one observed you writing this silly question, why should we answer?

Irreducible complexity was knocked out of the ballpark by freshmen engineering students within minutes of Behe's lie hitting the bookshelves. I hear he's come up with a new term since he was humiliated at the Dover Panda Trial.

And even creationists are abandoning the disingenuous term "intelligent design". The new cheap tuxedo they have rented for their junk science is called "Sudden Emergence". Get ready to lose in court, again. Dr. Barbara Forrest is ready.

Answer 2

There are many different pieces of evidence for evolution. A few are:

1. The fossil record
Scientists can date fossils and put them in order, and in doing so observe changes that have occurred to the species' characteristics overtime. Transitional fossils are links between species because they show characterisitics of both. For example, seed ferns resemble ferns in structure and appearance but produce seeds not spores, like gymnosperms. Some people use the gaps in the fossil record to try and de-valuate the theory of evolution but it can be explained simply by the fact that scientists haven't yet found all existing fossils OR in a newer adapted theory of evolution from Darwin's gradual model which is called 'Punctuated Equilibrium'. This explains basically, that species evolve rapidly in response to sudden changes in their environment.

2. Comparative anatomy
If you look at the wing of a bat, the fin of a whale, the leg of a frog, the leg of a dog and the arm of a human, one can identify a common 'pentadactyl limb', or a five fingered common basic structure. The explanation for this is that all animals had a common ancestor and have evolved and diversified to better suit their environments.

3. Comparative embryology
If you compare the embryos of a chicken, turtle, human, chimpanzee, fish and lizard, they are almost indistinguishable! They all have gill slits even though only the fish retain them once they develop into foetuses. This is further evidence for the idea of a common ancestor.

4. Biogeography
The study of the distribution of species over the earth has lead to furhter evidence of evolution as there are groups of similar species that have common features. Their differences are explained by their adaptations to different environments as they became isolated in various locations around the world due to continental drift. A common example used is the flightless birds of the world: emus in Australia, kiwis in New Zealand, elepahnt birds in Madagascar and Ostriches in America.

5. Biochemistry
A) DNA Hybridistaion
Laboratory scientists can test the genetic similarily of 2 organisms by taking a sample of their DNA, breaking apart the 2 stranded double helix with heat, and allowing them to form hydrogen bonds with eachother upon cooling. The greater the number of hydrogen bonds, the more closely related they are genetically.


I think there's another biochemistry method they use, but i have forgotten what it's called and what it involves. I hope i have helped you!....To me the evidence in indeniable.

P.S. TO THAT IDIOT WHO 'ANSWERED' BELOW ME: DID GOD JUST CREATE A NEW SPECIES EVERTIME THE ENVRIONMENT CHANGED...BECAUSE IN YOUR BELOVED BIBLE IT SAYS THAT HE CRATED ANIMALS ONCE IN THOSE 7 DAYS.

Answer 3

Evolution HAS been observed, many times. As for animals which have not changed over a long period, that's simply because there is no evolutionary pressure on them to change, they are doing very well in their biological niche.
You really ought to read up on evolution, and I don't mean Chick tracts.

Answer 4

Nobody has directly measured the speed of light. How do we know that the measurement is true?

Nobody has directly measured the Mariana trench. How do we know that it is there?

Nobody has been to Pluto to see how big it is. How do we know?

No-one has directly seen an atomic reaction. How do we know they occur?

No-one has directly seen you jump out of a 24th floor window. How do we know that you wouldn't fly?

No-one has directly observed electricity, space, time, sperm entering eggs, babies growing in the womb, the digestive process, internal combustion, plate techtonics, in fact any number of things that we know.

You're question WOULD have been a good question if it was a QUESTION. There is a whole branch of philosophy devoted to trying to answer just this thing. But it wasn't a question was it, it was a RHETORICAL DEVICE. You aren't interested in the answer, you're just indulging in Bullshit.

Answer 5

Because there are fossilised records that show a change in form and others that, paradoxically, show how some species change very little or not at all, which is a way to show evolution by negative evolution.

You can actually directly watch evolution at work by studying the adaptions (just another word for evolution) that bacterium undergo.

Answer 6

Can you define what you think evolution is, so we can then correct you, or do you just want us to tell you instances of observed speciation so that you can move the goalposts and say "Well, no one ever saw a dog turn into a rat!!1!!"? Help us out here.

By the way, rapid speciation has been observed in Lake Washington. This is observed within our lifetime, and is evidence of evolution.

Answer 7

Sure they have, there have been years of field studies in the Galapagos and in the lab, evolution is an ongoing thing and nature is constantly evolving... some creatures like flies or to a lesser extent birds evolve faster than others due to their short lifespan and quick generational turnover and adaptive evolutionary changes have certainly been recorded.

Answer 8

It is possible to observe evolution happening, by looking at the fossils of past animals and then looking at what they have evolved into today.

If you live in the UK, try going to the Natural History Museum to learn about this.

Answer 9

But people have:

they take creatures that breed quickly and put them into an environment that makes them change - and they do.

It has also been observed that cod have changed their form to survive, they are evolving to become bottom feeders so they avoid the nets.

Their is a speeches of butterfly which has changed its markings to cope with polution on trees

Answer 10

I reject your premise, and your question born of ignorance.

Macro evolution can be observed in real time, in the lab, silkworm research et al proves observable evolution...

Evolution is a fact, the scientific community does not dispute this base fact. Theories of evolution come about explaining HOW evolution occurs, not if...