One hundred fifty years without Darwin are enough!

Charles Darwin (1809–1882) was born two centuries ago. The Origin of Species was published in 1859, 150 yr ago. The theory of biological evolution by natural selection, as first proposed by Darwin, is the central organizing principle of biology. Indeed, as the great evolutionist Theodosius Dobzhansky asserted in 1973 in an address to the American Association of Biology Teachers, ‘‘Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution’’ (Dobzhansky 1973). Yet, in the United States, evolution is not generally accepted by the public. According to a Gallup poll of 1016 U.S. adults, taken in November 2004, 45% of those surveyed favored the statement that ‘‘God created human beings in their present form within the last 10,000 years,’’ 38% favored that ‘‘Man developed over millions of years, but God guided the process,’’ and 13% that ‘‘Man developed over millions of years from less advanced life forms.’’ Teaching creationism rather than evolution in the schools is favored by a large number of American citizens. In a CNN/USA Today Gallup poll of 1001 adults conducted in March 2005, 76% would not ‘‘be upset if public schools in [their] community taught creationism,’’ but only 63% would not ‘‘be upset if the schools taught evolution.’’ Only 22% would be upset if creationism would be taught, while 34% would be upset if evolution would be taught. Other polls yield similar statistics. In 1959, at a symposium celebrating the 100th anniversary of the publication of the Origin of Species, the eminent geneticist and Nobel Laureate H.J. Muller proclaimed ‘‘One Hundred Years without Darwin Are Enough!’’ (Muller 1959). Fifty years later, Darwin’s theory of evolution is far from universally accepted by the American public and activists throughout the country are advancing creationist or ‘‘intelligent design’’ alternatives to explain the origin, diversity, and adaptation of organisms, seeking that these ‘‘theories’’ be taught in the schools. Our educational system and society as a whole are best served when we teach science,not religious faithmasqueradingas science, in theclassrooms. It is pathetic that at this point in history we need to proclaim that 150 years without Darwin’s Origin of Species are enough.