Posted as a public service, so that each new evolution debate doesn’t have to start at ground zero. This list has been evolving since November 1999. Please inform us about dead links.
Clickable Index (Links to the List-O-Links)
ESSENTIAL INFORMATION ABOUT SCIENCE
WHAT IS EVOLUTION?
TONS OF EVIDENCE OF EVOLUTION
NOT JUST FOSSILS … EVIDENCE OF OBSERVED SPECIATION
DOES EVOLUTION MAKE TESTABLE PREDICTIONS?
DOES EVOLUTION THEORY HAVE ANY PRACTICAL VALUE?
THE SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE
IS EVOLUTION THEORY IN CRISIS?
ISN’T “INTELLIGENT DESIGN” SUPERSEDING EVOLUTION?
IF “INTELLIGENT DESIGN” ISN’T SCIENCE, WHAT IS IT?
THE UNIFICATION CHURCH-INTELLIGENT DESIGN ALLIANCE
THE INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC-CREATIONISM ALLIANCE
WHAT ABOUT SCIENTISTS QUOTED AS OPPOSING EVOLUTION?
WASN’T DARWIN’S THEORY SUPERSEDED BY PUNCTUATED EQUILIBRIUM?
BUT DIDN’T DARWIN HIMSELF REJECT EVOLUTION?
GENUINE SCIENTISTS ALMOST UNANIMOUSLY ACCEPT EVOLUTION
WHAT ABOUT THE CAMBRIAN “EXPLOSION”?
HOW ABOUT ALL THOSE EVOLUTIONIST FRAUDS?
HOW ABOUT THESE CREATIONIST FAILURES?
BUT WEREN’T HITLER AND STALIN EVOLUTIONISTS?
BUT DIDN’T DARWIN’S THEORY CAUSE THE EUGENICS MOVEMENT?
WELL, MAYBE MICRO-EVOLUTION, BUT NOT MACRO-EVOLUTION
BUT AREN’T ALL MUTATIONS HARMFUL?
WHAT IS THE FOSSIL RECORD?
WHY DOESN’T THE FOSSIL RECORD SHOW SMOOTH TRANSITIONS?
ISN’T THE FOSSIL RECORD THE RESULT OF NOAH’S FLOOD?
LINKS DEBUNKING “YOUNG EARTH” BELIEFS
EDUCATION ISSUES
LITIGATION
RELIGION ISSUES
WHAT’S WRONG WITH CREATIONISM?
SOME INCORRECT (BUT COMMON) CREATIONIST ARGUMENTS
GALILEO LINKS
ORIGIN OF LIFE
EPISTEMOLOGICAL ISSUES
STRANGE (BUT SOMEHOW APPROPRIATE) LINKS
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
ESSENTIAL INFORMATION ABOUT SCIENCE
Understanding Science. By UC Berkeley.
An Introduction to Science: Scientific Thinking and the Scientific Method. By a geologist.
The scientific method. Wikipedia article. Exhaustive discussion.
But it’s “JUST a THEORY” . You really must read this.
The scientific method. Definitions of “theory,” “hypothesis,” etc.
What’s a Scientific Theory? Encyclopedia article.
History of Science. Ignore the website’s background color scheme.
What is Evolution? Resolves confusion about precise definitions of biological evolution.
Welcome to Evolution 101! What is evolution and how does it work?
The Theory of Evolution. Excellent introductory encyclopedia article.
Science and Creationism: from the National Academy of Sciences, 2nd Ed..
Evolution Resources From the National Academies. Online books, position statements, and additional resources.
Introduction to Evolutionary Biology. Another good introduction.
The Pocket Darwin. Very good, easily readable summary (pdf file).
Is Evolution Science? It certainly is. Here’s why.
Evolution and the Nature of Science. Excellent discussion.
Evolution as Fact and Theory by Stephen Jay Gould.
Five Major Misconceptions about Evolution. On point and well-written.
Understanding Evolution. Univ. of California.
The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. The site is searchable.
DARWIN, Full Text of his Books. The original ee-voe-lou-shunist.
Complete collection of Darwin’s work . Books, letters, journals, etc.
The Darwin Digital Library of Evolution. It’s got everything!
The Tree of Life Web Project. All life is related by common descent.
Timeline of Evolutionary Thought. It didn’t start with Darwin.
Alfred Russel Wallace: On the Tendency of Varieties to Depart Indefinitely from the Original Type. Written in 1858.
“15 Evolutionary Gems” (PDF). From Nature Magazine.
29+ Evidences for Macroevolution. Yes, macro-evolution.
Plagiarized Errors and Molecular Genetics. Anatomic similarities are confirmed by DNA similarities and copying errors.
Evidence of Evolutionary Transitions. There really is evidence out there.
Macroevolution: Evidence. Great info & links from the U. of Illinois website.
Transitional Vertebrate Fossils FAQ. Yes, transitional fossils exist.
8,000+ papers on vertabrate evolution. National Academy of Sciences.
One gene produces major changes in stickleback fish. Stunning example of evolution.
Fossil whale with legs. Land animal to whale transitional fossil.
Newly found species fills evolutionary gap between fish and land animals. Another transitional fossil.
Feathered Dinosaurs. [Dead link?]
Archaeopteryx. Reptile-to-bird transitional fossil.
Archaeopteryx: FAQS . A true transitional fossil.
All About Archaeopteryx .
Evidence for Evolution . Compilation of links.
Human Ancestors.
The Evidence for Human Evolution. For those who claim there isn’t any evidence.
Comparison of all Hominid skulls.
Early Human Phylogeny. Relationships among early human species.
NOT JUST FOSSILS … EVIDENCE OF OBSERVED SPECIATION
Observed Instances of Speciation. That’s right … observed!
Ring Species. We can observe two species and the intermediate forms connecting them.
Ensatina eschscholtzi: Speciation in Progress. A Classic Example of Darwinian Evolution.
DOES EVOLUTION MAKE TESTABLE PREDICTIONS?
(Yes, it does.)
The Predictive Power of Evolutionary Biology and the Discovery of Eusociality in the Naked Mole Rat.
All present and fossilized animals found should conform to the standard evolutionary tree. And they do.
Fossilized intermediates should appear in the “correct” chronological order on the standard tree.
Many organisms should retain vestigial structures as structural remnants of lost functions.
Species that are more closely related should share a greater portion of their DNA.. Excerpt:
[A]n hypothesis of evolutionary relationships is provided by the fossil record, which indicates when particular types of organisms evolved. In addition, by examining the anatomical structures of fossils and of modern species, we can infer how closely species are related to each other. When degree of genetic similarity is compared with our ideas of evolutionary relationships based on fossils, a close match is evident.
DOES EVOLUTION THEORY HAVE ANY PRACTICAL VALUE? (Indeed it does.)
Genetic Algorithms and Evolutionary Computation. Long, but very interesting.
Specific examples of Genetic Algorithms. Practical applications galore!
The origins of food biotechnology.
Peer review. This distinguishes science from quackery.
The Richard von Sternberg saga. The myth of the martyr who published Stephen Meyer’s paper [NOTE: that blog has been closed to uninvited visitors].
The Mirage (of creationism). The relative lack of creationist literature.
IS EVOLUTION THEORY IN CRISIS? (Only in your dreams.)
The Evolution of Man Scientifically Disproved. From 1928, with the same arguments still heard today.
Phillip Johnson’s DARWIN ON TRIAL: A Review. Devastating critique.
Review of “Nature’s Destiny”. Michael Denton has become an ‘Evolutionist’.
ISN’T “INTELLIGENT DESIGN” SUPERSEDING EVOLUTION? (No.)
SETI and Intelligent Design . SETI research offers no support for Intelligent Design.
Of Pandas and People: A Brief Critique. By Kenneth R. Miller, Professor of Biology.
Behe’s “irreducible complexity” argument is fatally flawed. Ichneumon’s post 35.
Evolution of ‘irreducible complexity’ explained. IC structures are entirely consistent with Darwinian evolution.
Inferior Design. Revealing info on ID and the Discovery Institute.
Neither intelligent nor designed. No evidence of wise, omniscient design.
Irreducible Complexity Demystified. Major debunking of ID.
The Flagellum Unspun: The Collapse of “Irreducible Complexity,” Kenneth R. Miller. Critique of Behe.
AAAS Board Resolution on Intelligent Design Theory. ID isn’t science.
Why It’s Unconstitutional to Teach “Intelligent Design” in the Public Schools. Legal argument.
The Raelian Theory. Intelligent Design finds support among the Raelians.
Does the John Templeton Foundation support intelligent design? Excerpt from an earlier (now vanished) post at the Foundation’s website:
The John Templeton Foundation does not support research or programs that deny large areas of well-documented scientific knowledge. In addition, we do not support political agendas such as movements to determine (one way or the other) what qualified educators should or should not teach in public schools. … [T]he Foundation does not support the movement known as Intelligent Design as such, as an intellectual position or as a movement.
IF “INTELLIGENT DESIGN” ISN’T SCIENCE, WHAT IS IT?
The Left’s Intelligent Design Problem. Evolution is like Adam Smith’s economics; ID is like socialism.
Is It Science Yet? Intelligent Design Creationism & the Constitution, Washington Univ. Law Quarterly.
One Nation, Under the Designer. The true goals of the ID movement.
Discovery Institute’s “Wedge Project”. Replacing science with theism.
The Wedge at Work. The Discovery Institute’s war against reason.
The “Wedge Document”: “So What?” The Discovery Institute defends the Wedge document.
THE UNIFICATION CHURCH-INTELLIGENT DESIGN ALLIANCE
Darwinism: Why I Went for a Second Ph.D. Jonathan Wells, Moonie.
Father’s words, my studies, and my prayers convinced me that I should devote my life to destroying Darwinism, just as many of my fellow Unificationists had already devoted their lives to destroying Marxism. When Father [Rev. Sun Myung Moon] chose me (along with about a dozen other seminary graduates) to enter a Ph.D. program in 1978, I welcomed the opportunity to prepare myself for battle.
Icons of Evolution, by Jonathan Wells. Wells is a Senior fellow at the Discovery Institute.
Creationism by Stealth. Critique of Icons of Evolution.
THE INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC-CREATIONISM ALLIANCE
Science Research Foundation. Inspired by the books and writings of Harun Yahya (see next link).
Harun Yahya International. Islamic creationism.
Islamic Scientific Creationism: A New Challenge in Turkey. Links between Harun Yahya and ICR’s Gish and Morris.
SRF (Science Research Foundation) Conferences US and Islamic creationists working together.
Mustafa Akyol (Turkish creationist) testifies in Kansas “Monkey Trial”. See the next link.
Why Muslims Should Support Intelligent Design, By Mustafa Akyol. He supports Harun Yahya. Exerpts:
Muslims should also note the great similarity between the arguments of the Intelligent Design Movement and Islamic sources. Hundreds of verses in the Qur’an call people to examine the natural world and see in it the evidence of God. Great Islamic scholars like Ghazali wrote large volumes about design in animals, plants, and the human body. What Intelligent Design theorists like Behe or Dembski do today is to refine the same argument with the findings of modern science.
In short, Intelligent Design is not alien to Islam. It is very much our cause, and we should do everything we can to support it.
WHAT ABOUT ALL THOSE SCIENTISTS QUOTED AS OPPOSING EVOLUTION?
Doubting Darwinism Through Creative License. Debunks a bogus list of “doubters.”
Quotations and Misquotations.What Anti- evolutionists Quote is Not Valid Evidence Against Evolution.
Online resources documenting anti- evolutionist misquotations. Dishonest, bogus, and out-of-context quotes.
The Quote Mine Project. Or, Lies, Damned Lies and Quote Mines.
The Revised Quote Book. Looking at how Creationists Quote Evolutionists.
WASN’T DARWIN’S THEORY SUPERSEDED BY PUNCTUATED EQUILIBRIUM? (No, not at all.)
Darwin and Punctuated Equilibrium. “PE” was actually predicted by Darwin.
BUT DIDN’T DARWIN HIMSELF REJECT EVOLUTION? ( No.)
The Lady Hope Story: A WidespreadFalsehood.
GENUINE SCIENTISTS ALMOST ALL ACCEPT EVOLUTION
Royal Society statement on evolution, creationism and intelligent design.
Nobel Laureates in defense of evolution.. Thirty-eight Nobel Prize winners write to Kansas Bd. Of Education.
Statements from Scientific and Scholarly Organizations. Sixty statements, all supporting evolution.
Statement on the Teaching of Evolution. By the American Astronomical Society.
Letter from Bruce Alberts on March 4, 2005. President of the National Academy of Sciences.
Botanical Society of America’s Statement on Evolution. Excellent statement.
Project Steve. Nat’l Center for Science Education: the overwhelming number of genuine scientists supporting evolution.
Project Steve update. Now over 800 Steves.
The National Association of Biology Teachers’ Statement on Teaching Evolution. Over 9,000 members.
WHAT ABOUT THE CAMBRIAN “EXPLOSION”?
(It’s no big deal.)
The Cambrian Period. The “explosion” was over 50 million years long.
THE EARLIEST LIFE. There are numerous ancestral Precambrian fossils.
The Precambrian Fossil Record. A Precambrian Time Line.
HOW ABOUT ALL THOSE EVOLUTIONIST FRAUDS?
(None of them amounts to anything.)
Piltdown Man. Science (not creationism) uncovered the fraud.
Nebraska Man. Also: Nebraska Man in Textbooks? It wasn’t much of a fraud.
Peppered Moths. Another non-issue.
Haeckel’s Embryos. Yet another.
Archaeopteryx. Despite howls from creationists, it’s not a fake.
Archaeoraptor. A crude fake, publicised by Nat’l Geographic, then quickly exposed.
Lucy. The “fraud” claim is actually a creationist fraud.
HOW ABOUT THESE CREATIONIST FAILURES?
(“Failure” is a diplomatic word choice.)
Creationist Lies and Blunders. A tiny sample of what’s out there.
The Imminent Demise of Evolution. Failed predictions of the end of evolution.
The Imminent Demise of Evolution: The Longest Running Falsehood in Creationism. Updated version.
BUT WEREN’T HITLER AND STALIN EVOLUTIONISTS?
(No, they weren’t.)
Creationists, Hitler and Evolution. Hitler was most likely a creationist.
Adolf Hitler’s Religion. Text at note 32 is pure creationism.
Trofim Denisovich Lysenko. Stalin’s biologist, definitely an anti-Darwinian.
Darwin’s Influence on Ruthless Laissez Faire Capitalism. ICR links Darwin to good ol’ capitalism.
BUT DIDN’T DARWIN’S THEORY CAUSE THE EUGENICS MOVEMENT? (No, it existed long before Darwin.)
Greek warrior Spartan civilization. Weakling infants were left in the mountains to die.
The Republic, Book 5, Section 1. Plato recommended state-supervised selective breeding of children.
WELL, MAYBE MICRO-EVOLUTION HAPPENS, BUT NOT MACRO- EVOLUTION
Macroevolution: Its Definition, Philosophy and History. From TalkOrigins.
HOW MAJOR CHANGES IN BODY SHAPES OCCURRED DURING EARLY ANIMAL EVOLUTION.
Zeno’s Paradox. The micro/macro issue is a sad revival of an ancient fallacy.
BUT AREN’T ALL MUTATIONS HARMFUL? (No, they’re not.)
Examples of Beneficial Mutations and Natural Selection.
Examples of Beneficial Mutations in Humans.
Taxonomy, Transitional Forms, and the Fossil Record. What the fossil record is all about.
The Fossil Record: Evolution or “Scientific Creation” by Cuffey. Great collection of information.
Cladograms: what they are, how to read them. Ichneumon’s post 230.
The history of life as revealed by the fossil record. Combines the fossil record with continental drift.
WHY DOESN’T THE FOSSIL RECORD SHOW SMOOTH TRANSITIONS?
The Origin of Species, by Darwin: Chapter 9 – On the Imperfection of the Geological Record.
Smooth Change in the Fossil Record. Smooth transitions are sometimes found, usually in the sea floor.
BUT ISN’T THE FOSSIL RECORD THE RESULT OF NOAH’S FLOOD? (No, it isn’t.)
What Would We Expect to Find if the World had Flooded?
Problems with a Global Flood.
The Geologic Column and its Implications for the Flood. By a former creationist.
SOME LINKS DEBUNKING “YOUNG EARTH” BELIEFS
International Planetarium Society Official Statement on the Ancient Age of the Earth and Universe
Evidence for the Big Bang. From Talk.Origins.
How Old is the Earth. A Response to “Scientific” Creationism.
Galaxy observations show no change in fundamental fine structure constant. Unchanged for 7 billion years.
The Age of the Universe and SN1987A. The universe isn’t young and light speed has been constant.
Errors in “Tired Light” Cosmology. Light hasn’t been slowing down.
The Decay of c-decay. Article debunking Setterfield, with some good links.
Antievolutionism and Creationism in the United States. Great summary of the issues.
Political Challenges to the Teaching of Evolution. American Geological Institute. Interactive map.
American Ass’n for the Advancement of Science. Evolution in the classroom.
Kitzmiller et al. v Dover Area School District et al..
Eight Significant Court Decisions.
The Evolution Controversy. Scopes trial and some Supreme Court cases.
Clarence Darrow’s Examination of William Jennings Bryan. From the Scopes trial transcript.
Freiler v Tangipahoa Parish Board of Education. Louisiana school’s evolution disclaimer decision.
Tangipahoa Parish Board of Education v. Freiler. US Sup Ct denied certiorari, Scalia & Thomas dissenting.
Selman v. Cobb County School District. The Georgia textbook sticker case.
McLean v. Arkansas Board of Education (1982). Arkansas statute for “balanced treatment” of “creation-science” & “evolution-science” is unConstitutional. In that decision (found at 529 F. Supp. 1255), the court distinguished between science and creationism, noting:
[T]he essential characteristics of science are:
(1) It is guided by natural law;
(2) It has to be explanatory by reference to nature law;
(3) It is testable against the empirical world;
(4) Its conclusions are tentative, i.e. are not necessarily the final word; and
(5) Its is falsifiable.
[Bad link?] Saint Augustine. “Now, it is a disgraceful and dangerous thing for an infidel to hear a Christian … talking nonsense …”
Augustine’s Commentary on the Biblical Book of Genesis. A larger context of the above work.
The “Clergy Letter Project”. 11,000 clergymen endorse evolution.
Faith and the Human Genome. By the director of the Human Genome Project, a Christian. Excerpt:
I think scientist-believers are the most fortunate. We have the opportunity to explore the natural world at a time in history where mysteries are being revealed almost on a daily basis. We have the opportunity to perceive the unraveling of those mysteries in a special perspective that is an uncovering of God’s grandeur. This is a particularly wonderful form of worship.
Darwin, Design, and the Catholic Faith. By Kenneth R. Miller.
Statements from Religious Organizations. In favor of evolution.
Faith can never conflict with reason. The Pope’s statement on Galileo and science/scripture conflicts.. An excerpt:
In fact, the Bible does not concern itself with the details of the physical world, the understanding of which is the competence of human experience and reasoning. There exist two realms of knowledge, one which has its source in Revelation and one which reason can discover by its own power. To the latter belong especially the experimental sciences and philosophy. The distinction between the two realms of knowledge ought not to be understood as opposition.
The Pope’s 1996 statement on evolution. Physical evolution is not in conflict with Christianity. Excerpts:
It is necessary to determine the proper sense of Scripture, while avoiding any unwarranted interpretations that make it say what it does not intend to say. In order to delineate the field of their own study, the exegete and the theologian must keep informed about the results achieved by the natural sciences.
Today, almost half a century after the publication of the Encyclical [see link & excerpt below], fresh knowledge has led to the recognition that evolution is more than a hypothesis. It is indeed remarkable that this theory has been progressively accepted by researchers, following a series of discoveries in various fields of knowledge. The convergence, neither sought nor fabricated, of the results of work that was conducted independently is in itself a significant argument in favour of this theory.
Pope Pius XII’s 1950 Encyclical, Humani Generis. Referred to in the 1996 statement. Excerpt:
… the Teaching Authority of the Church does not forbid that, in conformity with the present state of human sciences and sacred theology, research and discussions, on the part of men experienced in both fields, take place with regard to the doctrine of evolution, in as far as it inquires into the origin of the human body as coming from pre-existent and living matter – for the Catholic faith obliges us to hold that souls are immediately created by God.
Communion and Stewardship: Human Persons Created in the Image of God. Church document on science.
See especially paragraphs 67-70, affirming that “Acting indirectly through causal chains operating from the beginning of cosmic history,” leading life, to man, and the special creation of the human soul, God’s creative role may be reconciled with the Big Bang and evolution theory.
WHAT’S WRONG WITH CREATIONISM?
(Nothing, but it’s not science)
WHO ARE THE CREATION “SCIENTISTS”?. They’re not impressive.
Facts, Faith, and Fairness. Why creationism isn’t science. [Bad link.]
15 Answers to Creationist Nonsense. From Scientific American.
Creation “Science” Debunked. Why creationism is NOT science.
Frequently Asked But Never Answered Questions. A creationist nightmare!
SOME INCORRECT (BUT COMMON) CREATIONIST ARGUMENTS
An Index to Creationist Claims. From Talk.Origins. Exhaustive list.
Arguments we think creationists should NOT use From Answers in Genesis.
The Predicament of Evolution. Published 1925, the same year as the Scopes trial.
How Could An Eye Evolve? A frequently raised issue.
The 2nd law of thermodynamics, so beloved (and poorly understood) by creationists.
Entropy and the second law of thermodynamics. Please note the Evolution link.
Radiometric Dating: A Christian Perspective. A Bible- believing Christian’s viewpoint.
Radiocarbon Web Info. The radiocarbon dating method.
GALILEO LINKS
(Not evolution, but an earlier science/scripture conflict.)
Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina of Tuscany. Galileo’s opinion about science/scripture conflicts.
The Crime of Galileo: Indictment and Abjuration of 1633. The heresy confession.
Trial of Galileo Galilei in 1633.
ORIGIN OF LIFE (Not part of evolution theory)
Cold Sugar in Space Provides Clue to the Molecular Origin of Life.
Self-organization. Bonus link to “emergent properties.”
Lies, Damned Lies, Statistics, and Probability of Abiogenesis Calculations.
Spontaneous Generation and the Origin of Life. Debunking the lie that Pasteur’s work “disproves” evolution.
The Slow Death of Spontaneous Generation. Louis Pasteur’s work is irrelevant to this question.
The Probability of Abiogenesis. Not evolution, but a good discussion of life’s origins.
Are the Odds Against the Origin of Life Too Great to Accept? Answer: no. Huge site.
Why Are Scientists Confident that Complex Biological Systems Evolved Gradually?
The Forest of Rhetoric. Nowhere else to classify this one.
Morton’s Demon. Why so many have trouble with evolution.
Do You Believe in Evolution? Knowledge versus belief.
The omphalos hypothesis. The formal name for “Last-Thursdayism.”
Salem hypothesis “Scientists” favoring ID tend to have engineering degrees.
STRANGE (BUT SOMEHOW APPROPRIATE) LINKS
The Geocentric Bible web site. The Association for Biblical Astronomy.
TimeCube. Perhaps this will help.
The Crackpot Index, by John Baez. See how high you can score.
The SKEPTIC annotated bibliography. Great pseudo-science meta-site!
Kooks and Quacks of the Roman Empire. Interesting perspective.
Weird Science: A comprehensive resource on Anomalies And Alternative Science.
EvoWiki Great resource.
Evolution and Creationism: A Guide for Museum Docents. PDF file.
Life’s Big Instruction Book, or, Molecular Genetics by Analogy. Great tutorial.
Evolution Resources From the National Academies. Resources on evolution education and research.
Evolution on the Front Line. American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Defender’s Guide to Science and Creationism. Mark Vuletic’s website.
Creation and/or Evolution Oriented Links What it says. Lots of links.
Samurai Crabs, by Carl Sagan. A tale of artificial selection.
Colin Purrington’s website. Swathmore biologist’s excellent resources.
Creationism and ID Resources. National Center for Science Education. Great source.
Resources (Teaching Evolution). National Center for Science Education. More links.
Humour. The laughable side of creationism.
THE ANTI-EVOLUTION GAME. See how good you are at refuting evolution.
Prerequisites to be a Creationist. Doesn’t apply to faith-based creationists, only to creation “scientists.”
The reDiscovery Institute. Superb spoof of creationist tactics.
Frequently Encountered Criticisms in Evolution vs. Creationism.
The Sensuous Curmudgeon 