evolution

     So many people argue about evolution that we seem to have missed those who have never heard of it. A lot of schools handled the controversy by never mentioning evolution at all. Evolution is the theory that attempts to explain the diversity of life on planet earth--especially when combined with the theory of natural selection. Evolution means that life forms have evolved, or changed, over the course of time.  Natural selection describes how this change may have occurred. If the the creatures best adapted ( suited) to their environment were the most likely to survive and reproduce, their traits would be passed on to the next generation out of proportion to their numbers. Succeeding generations would eventually evolve to carry the more successful traits, and would lose the traits that hindered their success or survival.
      Many people find the theory of evolution controversial because it conflicts with their religious beliefs. They are usually called "creationists". Creationists believe that God created the world and that nothing in it has changed since then. Some creationists concede that species like the dinosaurs have become extinct, but they maintain that this does not prove the existence of any new species. Evolutionists would point to the sets of species, each perfectly adapted to a specific environment, such as the finches Darwin studied in the Galapagos Islands.
     The controversy becomes more intense when the evolution of human beings is discussed. People who don't claim any strong religious convictions often object to the notion that humans may have begun as slime mold, or as single-celled organisms. Scientists believe that evolution begins after the creation of the Earth. This new Earth was lifeless. Then single-celled organisms lived in the water, often called the "primordial ooze". Millions of years of evolution led to animals like the ones we see on earth today--but not to humans. Humans, according to scientists, evolved from ape-like creatures, until they became modern humans--us, in other words.
     If you would like to know more about the controversy surrounding the theory of evolution, you can watch the classic movie Inherit the Wind.  The movie dramatizes the famous Scopes trial, also known as the "monkey trial" . A biology teacher in Tennessee was arrested for teaching the theory of evolution, and the case was argued by two of the most famous men in America, one arguing for God, and one for science.