Evolution vs Creationism

Outline:I. IntroductionII. Addressing "Intelligent Design"III. Evidence from DNAIV. SourcesI. IntroductionEvolution: a change in the gene pool of a population from generation to generation by processes such as mutation, natural selection, and genetic driftCreationism: The belief that the universe and living organisms originate from specific acts of divine creation, as in the biblical account, rather than by natural processes such as evolution [1].The Theory of Evolution is a theory postulated by Charles Darwin, an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist. The Theory of Evolution states that all life evolved from single-celled organisms that changed and developed through natural selection and a number of mutations over an immensely long period of time. The process of evolution, acccording to this theory, still persists to this day.Creationism, on the other hand, states that all life was created by a divine being and that humans were created from "intelligent design."II. Addressing "Intelligent Design"Intelligent Design is the belief that organisms were created by a divine source such as God, and not through the process of evolution [2].Most religions believe that man was designed in the eye of the God(s), claiming that we are "perfect" and "infallible." If intelligent design and creationism were to be true, however, humans would not possess vestigial body parts.Vestigial Organs are organs and structures that are either unnecessary or do not serve any serious function. Charles Darwin refers to vestigial organs as evidence for evolution [3]. Vestigial organs in humans include but are not limited to the: Vomeronasal Organ: The Vomeronasal organ is a non-functioning specialized sensory system on our nose. It is an olfactory system used by amphibians, reptiles, and mammals to detect chemicals by smell. Erector Pili: The Erector Pili are small muscles on our hair follicles that make them stand up. We refer to these as "goosebumps." They were previously used by animals as a reaction to fear or danger. They'd raise their hair follicles to seem larger to incite fear into enemies [4]. Appendix: The Appendix, though currently nothing more than a problem in modern times for humans, previously served as a special area to digest cellulose when the human diet consisted more of plants than animal protein. Currently, annually, more than 300,000 Americans have an appendectomy. Wisdom Teeth: Wisdom teeth, though deemed useless in modern times, were used originally when humans had to chew a lot of plants to get enough calories to survive. These extra set of molars helped in breaking down the starchy plants. Currently, only 5% of the population has a healthy set of these third molars, proving how useless molars are in this day and time [5]. III: Evidence from DNAOur genetic makeups can provide a great deal of evidence towards the Theory of Evolution.Genetic material and DNA are universal codes of our physical make-up, from our eye color to our gender. All genes and DNA consist of amino acids and proteins. Each species has specific numbers of chromosomes in a cell's nucleus. For example, humans possess 46 chromosomes for every nucleus of a cell. Through Gel Electrophoresis, we can observe the genetic make-up of each organism's Genetic composition, and make comparisons based on their similarities in DNA and the number of chromosomes they have. Humans and chimpanzees, though hard to believe, share approximately 96% of our genetic makeup [6]. Additionally, animals such as domestic cattle and buffalos share genetic make-ups, both possessing a total of 60 chromosomes per cell. Their physical differences, such as buffalos having fur while domestic cattle don't, can be attributed to the regions they're located in and the different ways both animals have to keep homeostasis. Domestic cattle don't have a need to grow fur and therefore do not have fur. However, buffalo, to conserve their body temperature for the harsh winters they may face [7].IV. Sources[1] Dictionary.com[2] http://www.intelligentdesign.org......[3] http://www.livescience.com...;[4] http://www.medicaldaily.com......[5] http://www.bloggingwv.com......[6] http://homepage.usask.ca......[7] https://prezi.com......