More biology majors (70.5%) than nonmajors (55.6%) appreciated the factual explanations evolution provides about the origin of life (Sign test two-tail P value = 0.056) but significantly more nonmajors (17.2%) than majors (7.2%) did not know enough to assess this topic (Sign test two-tail P value ≤ 0.01).
Scadding ([1981]) did not deny the factual basis of evolution but nonetheless argued, contrary to Darwin, that vestigial organs provide no special evidence for evolution because "it is difficult, if not impossible, to unambiguously identify organs totally lacking in function".
Social and religious objections notwithstanding, no legitimate evidence contradicts the factual nature of evolution.
The problem is not just that they make factual errors about evolution; even more significant are their conceptual errors about the nature of evolutionary biology and about science.
Twenty years of teaching have taught me that some students who acknowledge the factual nature of evolution hold misconceptions from what they have heard, read, or been mistaught (McComas 1997).
Factual understanding of evolution N = 15 α = .833 α = .837 Humans share a majority of their genes with chimpanzees.b Humans share more than half of their genes with mice.b Ordinary tomatoes do not have genes, whereas genetically modified tomatoes do.
If Venter is successful in creating such a cell via synthetic biology, it will offer factual data to counter evolution's critics and add another major nail to the coffin of divine creation.
Questions focus on factual information related to evolution, for example understanding the age of the Earth or identifying the core concepts associated with natural selection (Rutledge and Warden 2000).
During analysis, researchers sought in the first instance to provide factual descriptions of the evolution of the institute over time, including mapping financial and staffing trends, and conducting an institutional analysis of organizational structure, governance and leadership.
A model was created for each scale that dealt directly with evolution (Social Objections, Factual Understanding, and Relevance).
