"Who on this stage is anti-science?" "When you make comments that fly in the face of what 98 out of 100 climate scientists have said, when you call to question evolution, all I'm saying is that in order for the Republican Party to win, we can't run from science," Huntsman said.
At a debate in September Bloomberg warned, "When you make comments that fly in the face of what 98 out of 100 climate scientists have said, when you call to question evolution, all I'm saying is that in order for the Republican Party to win, we can't run from science".
But educators note that standards and textbooks can be overridden by teachers who themselves question evolution.
Supporters of intelligent design, who question evolution, have argued that mutations, occurring one by one, could not refold a protein into a new function, because the mutations would first unravel the protein into a useless, unfolded configuration.
In deliberations on Thursday, conservatives fought hard to keep the strengths-and-weaknesses standard, arguing that it protected the rights of students and some teachers to question evolution's underpinnings.
Nevertheless, he has alienated much of his party's right wing, which focuses on his support for civil unions for gays and lesbians or his criticism of the anti-science posture of Republicans who question evolution or global warming.
It is similar to a Louisiana law passed in 2008 that contains specific protections for teachers who want to question evolution in the classroom.
A significant component of the arguments used by creationists to question evolution has always focused on interpretations of the fossil record.
A bill that would allow Tennessee teachers to question evolution, climate change, and embryonic stem cell research under the guise of helping students learn "critical thinking skills" is one step closer to becoming law.
Professors have been known to put up signs on their office doors ridiculing those who question evolution.
