1. What is Evolution?
Biological evolution refers to the cumulative changes that occur in a population over time. These changes are produced at the genetic level as organisms' genes mutate and/or recombine in different ways during reproduction and are passed on to future generations. Sometimes, individuals inherit new characteristics that give them a survival and reproductive advantage in their local environments; these characteristics tend to increase in frequency in the population, while those that are disadvantageous decrease in frequency. This process of differential survival and reproduction is known as natural selection. Non-genetic changes that occur during an organism's life span, such as increases in muscle mass due to exercise and diet, cannot be passed on to the next generation and are not examples of evolution.

2. What do Genes have to do with Evolution?
Genes are the portions of an organism's DNA that carry the code responsible for building that organism in a very specific way. Genes -- and, thus, the traits they code for -- are passed from parent to offspring. From generation to generation, well-understood molecular mechanisms reshuffle, duplicate, and alter genes in a way that produces genetic variation. This variation is the raw material for evolution.

3. What Role does Sex play in Evolution?
Sexual reproduction allows an organism to combine half of its genes with half of another individual's genes, which means new combinations of genes are produced every generation. In addition, when eggs and sperm are produced, genetic material is shuffled and recombined in ways that produce new combinations of genes. Sexual reproduction thus increases genetic variation, which increases the raw material on which natural selection operates. Genetic variation within a species -- also known as genetic diversity -- increases a species' opportunity for change over successive generations.

4. Are Evolution and "Survival of the Fittest" the same thing?
Evolution and "survival of the fittest" are not the same thing. Evolution refers to the cumulative changes in a population or species through time. "Survival of the fittest" is a popular term that refers to the process of natural selection, a mechanism that drives evolutionary change. Natural selection works by giving individuals who are better adapted to a given set of environmental conditions an advantage over those that are not as well adapted. Survival of the fittest usually makes one think of the biggest, strongest, or smartest individuals being the winners, but in a biological sense, evolutionary fitness refers to the ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment. Popular interpretations of "survival of the fittest" typically ignore the importance of both reproduction and cooperation. To survive but not pass on one's genes to the next generation is to be biologically unfit. And many organisms are the "fittest" because they cooperate with other organisms, rather than competing with them.

5. Are all Species Related?
Yes. Just as the tree of life illustrates, all organisms, both living and extinct, are related. Every branch of the tree represents a species, and every fork separating one species from another represents the common ancestor shared by these species. While the tree's countless forks and far-reaching branches clearly show that relatedness among species varies greatly, it is also easy to see that every pair of species share a common ancestor from some point in evolutionary history. For example, scientists estimate that the common ancestor shared by humans and chimpanzees lived some 5 to 8 million years ago. Humans and bacteria obviously share a much more distant common ancestor, but our relationship to these single-celled organisms is no less real. Indeed, DNA analyses show that although humans share far more genetic material with our fellow primates than we do with single-celled organisms, we still have more than 200 genes in common with bacteria.

It is important to realize that describing organisms as relatives does not mean that one of those organisms is an ancestor of the other, or, for that matter, that any living species is the ancestor of any other living species. A person may be related to blood relatives, such as cousins, aunts, and uncles, because she shares with them one or more common ancestors, such as a grandparent, or great-grandparent. But those cousins, aunts, and uncles are not her ancestors. In the same way, humans and other living primates are related, but none of these living relatives is a human ancestor.

6. Did we Evolve from Monkeys?
Humans did not evolve from monkeys. Humans are more closely related to modern apes than to monkeys, but we didn't evolve from apes, either. Humans share a common ancestor with modern African apes, like gorillas and chimpanzees. Scientists believe this common ancestor existed 5 to 8 million years ago. Shortly thereafter, the species diverged into two separate lineages. One of these lineages ultimately evolved into gorillas and chimps, and the other evolved into early human ancestors called hominids.

7. How did Humans Evolve?
Since the earliest hominid species diverged from the ancestor we share with modern African apes, 5 to 8 million years ago, there have been at least a dozen different species of these humanlike creatures. Many of these hominid species are close relatives, but not human ancestors. Most went extinct without giving rise to other species. Some of the extinct hominids known today, however, are almost certainly direct ancestors of Homo sapiens. While the total number of species that existed and the relationships among them is still unknown, the picture becomes clearer as new fossils are found. Humans evolved through the same biological processes that govern the evolution of all life on Earth.

8. Why do some Species survive while others go Extinct?
Extinction is often caused by a change in environmental conditions. When conditions change, some species possess adaptations that allow them to survive and reproduce, while others do not. If the environment changes slowly enough, species will sometimes evolve the necessary adaptations, over many generations. If conditions change more quickly than a species can evolve, however, and if members of that species lack the traits they need to survive in the new environment, the likely result will be extinction.

9. If fish became Amphibians through the Process of Evolution, then why do fish still exist?
Fossil evidence clearly shows that amphibians descended from one group of ancient fishes whose thick, bony fins gradually evolved into limb-like appendages. Other species gave rise to the kinds of fish that inhabit oceans, lakes, and streams around the world today. Fish, like all living creatures, continue to evolve. This evolution is not toward a life on land, but instead toward successful use of the underwater environment. There are countless ecological opportunities under water, which is why fish still exist. When the earliest ancestors of modern amphibians left the water, they found many new opportunities on land. As amphibians and other land creatures diversified, however, fewer and fewer opportunities existed for newcomers.

10. Could Apes ever Evolve into some other Humanlike Creature?
It is possible that in many millions of years present day apes could evolve into some other humanlike species. It is, however, very improbable. First of all, humans did not evolve from any of the species we know as apes today. At some point 5 to 8 million years ago, the common ancestor of humans and modern apes diverged to form the two separate lineages we know today. The species at the end of these lineages are a result of a very specific combination of selection pressures and genetic mutations over millions of years. This same combination is highly unlikely to occur ever again.

11. Are Humans influencing the Process of Evolution?
Most scientists would agree unequivocally that humans have greatly affected the process of evolution, from the rise of antibiotic and pesticide resistance to the largely human-caused increase in the extinction rate. Our effect on the process of evolution even extends to our own species' evolution. Technology and culture have protected us to a great extent from the selective pressures that drive evolution, allowing many people -- especially those in developed nations who, without medical intervention, would not live to reproductive age -- to pass their genes on to the next generation. Other scientists note that technology and culture have changed but not eliminated the role of natural selection on our species. We now adapt to crowding, pollution, and new disease rather than the necessity to escape from large predators. Humans will change in the future, but are unlikely to evolve into a new, separate species because no human group is truly isolated anymore, given our transportation systems. Without genetic isolation, there is no further opportunity for speciation among humans.

12. If Humans Evolved from Apes then why are there still Apes?
Humans did not evolve from present-day apes. Rather, humans and apes share a common ancestor that gave rise to both. This common ancestor, although not identical to modern apes, was almost certainly more apelike than humanlike in appearance and behavior. At some point -- scientists estimate that between 5 and 8 million years ago -- this species diverged into two distinct lineages, one of which were the hominids, or humanlike species, and the other ultimately evolved into the African great ape species living today.

13. Is Culture the Result of Evolution?
A society's culture consists of its accumulated learned behavior. Human culture is based at least partly on social living and language, although the ability of a species to invent and use language and engage in complex social behaviors has a biological basis. Some scientists hypothesize that language developed as a means of establishing lasting social relationships. Even a form of communication as casual as gossip provides an ingenious social tool: Suddenly, we become aware of crucial information that we never would have known otherwise. We know who needs a favor; who's available; who's already taken; and who's looking for someone -- information that, from an evolutionary perspective, can mean the difference between failure and success. So, it is certainly possible that evolutionary forces have influenced the development of human capacities for social interaction and the development of culture. While scientists tend to agree about the general role of evolution in culture, there is still great disagreement about its specific contributions.

14. How can you know what Happened Millions of Years ago if no one was there to see it?
Evidence and observation are the building blocks of all scientific inquiry; evolutionary science is no different. Evidence in the form of the fossil record, geological formations, and genetics attest to change having taken place and give clues to how evolution works. The theory of evolution puts these clues together into a cohesive explanation of the diversity of living things. Like all theories, the theory of evolution relies on tangible evidence as well as inference for those things that can't be observed directly. It is important to remember that Earth itself contains evidence of life in the past, and that this evidence provides critical support for the theory of evolution.

15. Is Evolution Happening Now?
Evolution is always happening, though often at rates far too slow to be observed in a matter of days, weeks, or even years. The effects of evolution can be felt in almost every aspect of our daily lives, though, from medical and agricultural dilemmas to the process of choosing a good mate. In medicine, there's the question of how long the antibiotics we take now will remain effective, given the relatively fast rate at which bacteria can evolve resistance to drugs. In agriculture, the need to protect this year's crops is pitted against the concern that doing so will set the stage for insects to evolve pesticide resistance. For all of us, there is the issue of decreasing biodiversity, as most scientists believe that life on Earth is currently undergoing a mass extinction in which 50 percent or more of species will die out. These are just a few examples of ways in which evolutionary processes affect our daily lives.

16. How does Evolution Affect me in my Daily Life?
We can and do experience the indirect effects of evolution nearly every day. One of the more important evolutionary concerns facing humans today is the continual evolution of antibiotic-resistance in bacteria. The successful medical battle we have waged against bacteria for the last 50 years is now an even race, according to some scientists. Similarly, the use of pesticides in agriculture has driven the evolution of resistant insects, requiring the use of harsher chemicals in greater quantity to kill them.

17. What is "Intelligent Design," and is it Science?
"Intelligent design theory" is built on the belief that evolution does not sufficiently explain the complexity that exists in life on Earth and that science should recognize the existence of an "intelligent designer." Proponents assert that their criticism of evolution is scientific, not religious. But the various aspects of intelligent design theory have not yet been subjected to the normal process of scientific experimentation and debate, nor have they been accepted by the scientific community. No research supporting the claims of intelligent design has ever been published in any recognized, professional, peer-reviewed scientific journal. Finally, the question of whether there is an intelligent designer is untestable using the methods of science, and therefore is not a scientific claim.

18. What is "Creation Science"? Is it a real Science?
Proponents of "creation science" hold that special creationism -- the conviction that God created the universe, including humans and other living things, at one time in the relatively recent past -- can be supported using the methods and theory of science. Scientists from many fields have examined these ideas, however, and have found them to be scientifically insupportable. For example, evidence for a very young Earth is incompatible with many different methods of establishing the age of fossils and geological formations. Furthermore, because the basic proposals of creation science are not subject to test and falsification, these ideas do not meet the criteria for science.

19. Wouldn't it be Fair to teach Evolution and "Creation Science" and/or "Intelligent Design" in Public Schools?
The Federal courts have ruled that creation science is not science at all, but a religious concept. Therefore it is not appropriate content for a science classroom. More to the point, evolution studies, like other sciences, are founded on a growing body of observable, reproducible evidence in the natural world, whereas "creation science" is based on accounts written in the Bible and "intelligent design" is not yet supported by scientific evidence. Teaching evolution alongside these other approaches would imply that creation science and intelligent design theory are as rigorously tested as evolution, and they are not.

20. Who was Charles Darwin?
Charles Darwin was born on February 12, 1809, in Shrewsbury, England. His father, Robert Darwin, was a physician, the son of Erasmus Darwin, a poet, philosopher, and naturalist. Charles's mother, Susannah Wedgwood Darwin, died when he was eight years old.

At age 16, Darwin left Shrewsbury to study medicine at Edinburgh University. He later enrolled in Cambridge University to prepare for a career as a clergyman in the Church of England. After receiving his degrees in 1831, Darwin accepted an invitation to serve as an unpaid naturalist on a five-year scientific expedition to South America aboard the HMS Beagle. This voyage and Darwin's later research formed the basis for his theory of evolution by means of natural selection, detailed in his book On the Origin of Species, published in 1859.

Darwin continued throughout most of the rest of his life to publish his research and writings on biology. In his later years, Darwin was plagued by fatigue and intestinal sickness, thought by some historians to have been caused by Chagas' disease, contracted during his travels in South America. He died on April 19, 1882, and lies buried in Westminster Abbey.

21. Why was Darwin's idea Considered Dangerous?
Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection was considered dangerous in 19th-century England because it threatened the prevailing views of the Anglican Church and society at large. If extrapolated beyond its role as a scientific theory, it seemed to run counter to the notion of humankind's supremacy and God's hand in the world order. The same fear exists today. Evolution can seem to be in direct conflict with deeply held belief systems of how life came to exist on Earth.

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