How does one "test" the theory of evolution?

Question

Seriously, I've read repeatedly that a scientific theory is "falsifiable"...that is, it may be tested, and found accurate.

Just how does one go about testing to see whether or not an animal...something simple, say...a worm...will mutate into an arthropod?
Even the simplest mutations, we are told, take millions...even billions...of years. Which is quite convenient, I suppose, since nobody will live long enough to see the outcome of the experiment...

Answer 1

The "Theory of Evolution" can be reproduced in the lab, but the results are far from satisfying as one never observes major phenotypic changes that leads to species divergence as time does not allow it. Most mutations prove fatal to the species, thus calling into question the impact the theory of evolution has had on the development of life. The fossil record has major gaps that I have yet to hear a satisfying explanation for such phenomenon. The majority of fossils claimed to be "transitional forms" are more artistic sculptures than they are sound science.

There has yet to be a major breakthrough showing a significant change by the process of speciation. All lab reproductions involve natural selection of a phenotypic quality that had already existed in the DNA of the organsim. I want consistent, reproducable proof of DNA mutation due to environmental changes. The fruit fly experiment is not convincing to me at all for such a experience is not reproducable in the field and furthermore, there are no significant changes that indicate speciaton, although I do recognize the time limitation factor

Another question I have is how can life be a result of random processes when the proposed ages of the universe make such a phenomenon statistically impossible? I could accept random processes as being the mechanism for life if the universe was infinite, but the laws of thermodynamics contradict an infinite age. Not to mention the question of how you get to the present if there is no beginning?

In the end, I have found it easier to believe in an ultimate causual factor explaining origins. God.

So many questions, so few answers.

Answer 2

genetic mutaion,

if u notice, everyone is extremly different form one another, but simmilar enough to still be the same species. genetic mutations are actual mutations in the genes that are passed on, they can also appear. a genetic mutation can be hidden, or may appear and affect a species by allowing it to adapt better to its environment.

a worm cannot physically change into a spider overnight, and a single organism cannot pysically change, it has to pass on a stronger trait or a mutation to change its offspring
http://www.rit.edu/~rhrsbi/GalapagosPages/DarwinFinch.html
the galapagos finches were studied by darwin, he was a scientist that came up with the first ideas of evolution. you see a group of birds somehow made their way to the galapagos islands, probably blown over from a storm. since finches stay close to land, they had to adapt and survive. th finches were all slightly different, so some had beaks that would be easier to eat. for example a finch with a big strong beak can easily crack open nuts, but a finch with a pointier longer beak would work better for picking insects.

evolution is true, but you have to understand we only know what fossils tell us.

and how dare you say it is impossible when all you know is that a worm turned into a spider, and it happened majically overnight

i belive in evolution, and i am a christian.

in an average environment, there are plants, water, rocks, dirt, and animals (obviously more, and varries on location) plants have no thought process, they have no actual mind, but they are alive. a virus is not alive at all, but it still manages to affect living things. in my opinion, there has to be some kind of puppetier to make unliving objects fill out a role in life. science is very broad, and unending, we will never truly know anything, we just have to belive. but you just can belive that evolution is wrong, think again, science changes dramatically over time, what you learned a while ago, has changed a lot. you have to know what exactly you are tring to prove wrong, and have a good arguement before you claim somthing as false, or you just look like and idiot

and it is called fossils, also animals have a much shorter life than us. also not everything you read is true, if you think so, you are just a baffoon

Answer 3

Some claim that the infamous "fruitfly" experiments provided evidence for the theory of evolution.

The problem is... They were able produce fruitflies with genetic defects, but in the end, they were just fruit flies with genetic defects... Most defective fruitflies were sterile, and of course, unable to reproduce.

Any changes in the characteristics of a kind are horizontal and are limited. For example.. There are many breeds of dogs, but in the end no matter how many breeds are produced either naturally or intentionally you still end up with a dog.

There are no examples of a vertical changes, that is one kind evolving vertically until it becomes another kind. That is why we have no links, living or dead that prove that one kind is in transition and evolving into another kind.

The most compelling evidence against evolutionism is the irreducible complexity factor. Recent studies of animal cells have proven that even cells bear the imprint of an intelligent designer. The cell membrane alone is so complex that if it were not fully developed it would not be able to function. It would be completely useless.

I predict that evolutionism will soon go the way of the failed "spontaneous generation" theory, flat earth theory, and blood letting as a remedy for infection.

Yes, we know that sterile leeches can be helpful in cleaning infected wounds.. But this is site cleaning not blood letting when as much as 2 or 3 quarts of blood might be drained from the poor patients body.. This is probably what killed George Washington....

Answer 4

The simlest test is with micro-organisms, since they have a short life span, and therefore, relatively speaking, evolve quickly. Good cases in point are the new antibiotic resistant strains of viruses now appearing, such as streptococcus and TB, where standard antibiotics have no effect because the new strains have evolved a complete resistance to them, forcing the use of "last resort" antibiotics. Should those eventually fail, evolution of those viruses would seem to dictate that we'd be subject to a widespread epidemic, forcing a rapid mobilization of resources to develop new antiviral medicines, or face massive worldwide epidemics.

Answer 5

It cannot be proven one way or the other, therefore, it is only a theory, regardless of your belief, your faith. It is total faith for or against creationism.

The scientific evidence has never created one iota of life without having life to start. Science cannot change species as evolution tells us happened. Science cannot make a living tree into an amoeba or any such thing.

Cells reproduce over and over again after their own species. They say everything was once one thing and changed. If it happened ever, it would still be happening. When have you been out and saw a half man-half monkey? It does not exist and what recreates itself continues to recreate itself.

Fossil record proves the splitting of the species? Fossils are the results of animals God created many moons ago. Just because they do not exist today, does not mean they didn't ever exist. Fossils prove nothing except the earth is older than some naive people say it is. It proves nothing else. Adam and Eve could have been in the garden of Eden for billions of years. We are not told that part. It is a sin for a Christian to bind things the Bible does not bind. We are not given the leeway to make our own decisions about what happened.

Why are people so stupid to think there is only one type of evolution like the survival of the fittest against a Big Bang theory. We all know all living things mature and since it takes to to create life, that life is changed. The species DNA stays within the same species eternally with experiments.

Answer 6

Tests for the theory of evolution (more specifically natural selection):
- convince everyone in your kids' class to take only half of their antibiotic for strep throat
- under apply herbicide or pesticide on your lawn
- don't require vaccinations with the new cervical cancer vaccine.

Under utilization of antibiotics or poisons can create new strains of weeds, insects, or viruses that are resistant to the solution being used to alleviate them.

The new cervical cancer vaccine will not be as successful as the polio or small pox vaccines if it is less widely administered because we will not establish a circumstance of "herd immunity" which is a low incidence of the virus in our society. The greater incidence of the virus in society will increase the likelihood of a vaccine resistant strain mutation and that will be the end of a great chance for our daughters to not get cervical cancer. Too bad, women loose again in western culture.

Answer 7

1) You test the model against the fossil record
2) You observe transformations to ecosystems on a shorter scale.
3) You make predictions on the kinds of life forms that will be found in certain habitats given geography and the surrounding species.

As far as the scientific community is concerned, this debate has been over for a long time. Creationists typically get laughed right off university campuses and scientific publications.

Answer 8

First you would have to show that gene pools don't change over time. This has already been observed, so you won't likely do this. Next, you would have to find mechanism that would limit the deviation a gene pool can make over time. In other words, take gene pool x, then let it start to change. then prove that there is a certain amount of changes from gene pool x that can happen, then a mechanism stops any more from happening. This has never been done.

Answer 9

Take a large population of fruit flies. Split them into two smaller populations. Put them under different selective pressures (for example, keep one "control group" and put the other under extreme water stress. Wait a few months, combine the populations. See if any members of the first population are capable of breeding with the second. If not, you've proven that speciation happens.

Answer 10

The best way is to look intently into a mirror, and then avoid looking into any mirror for a week. At the end of the week, look into the mirror and observe evolution. Now you can deny what you see and insist that no change occurred, but then you must ask yourself what causes you to deny the obvious? And that will be fear. A natural fear of the "Unknown" within yourself that your brain will never be able to perceive.

Peace