Darwin Day Questions: Is Evolution a Fact?

Richard Dawkins answers your questions about evolution in honor of Darwin Day 2015.

"...it isn’t a theory that the earth moves around the sun it’s a fact we can observe, evolution is not”

Edited by Stephanie Renee Guttormson

Copyright 2015 Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason & Science

[RzzRBladezofoccham]

I cannot observe yesterday, I guess it never happened, I cannot observe tomorrow, I bet it will never come.

[rodrigomeza]

This should be a one-second video of Dawkins looking at the camera and saying "yes"

[brodman]

Nice try, but the theory is flawed. You failed to mention the tides. They come in and then they go out. You can't explain that!

[saganworshipper]

Evidence for evolution:(this list is not exhaustive, please feel free to add anything I missed)
1 Evidence from comparative physiology and biochemistry
2 Evidence from Genetics
3 Universal biochemical organization and molecular variance patterns
4 Evidence from DNA sequencing
5 The fossil record
6 Evidence from Pseudogenes
7 Evidence from observed speciation
8 Evidence from Chromosome 2 in humans
9 Evidence from comparative anatomy
10 Nested hierarchies and classification
11 Evidence from homologous structures and divergent evolution
12 Evidence from Vestigial structures
13 Evolutionary developmental biology and embryonic development
14 Evidence from Atavisms
15 Pelvic structure of dinosaurs
16 Evidence from Arthropod appendages
17 Recurrent laryngeal nerve in giraffes
18 Evidence from Route of the vas deferens
19 Evidence from paleontology
20 Evidence from geographical distribution of animals
21 Evidence from Island biogeography
22 Evidence from Endemism
23 Evidence from Adaptive radiations
24 Evidence from Ring Species
25 Evidence from Migration and isolation of the animals
26 Evidence from observed natural selection in the lab and in the field
27 Evidence from Antibiotic and pesticide resistance
28 Lactose intolerance in humans
29 Evidence from Nylon-eating bacteria
30 Interspecies fertility or hybridization
31 Evidence from artificial selection

[FelixNielsen]

seriously, this alternating camera thing isn't working, so please stop trying. As for the rest, thumbs up as always.

[Leonelf]

Would watching bacteria mutating to overwhelm an antibiotic count as watching evolution??

[thebatmanover]

Creationist start with the conclusion and try to make the data fit their bias.
Cosmologist, geologist and biologists etc. all work opposite to the creationist method.

[kevin]

Richard Dawkins:- Explains evolution and all the facts
Creationist:- Sure, but were you there?

[lDrownded]

People not understanding what a theory is and that a theory can also be a fact has gotten old, really, really old.

[FurieMan]

The thing that annoys me about this question is that there is no "The theory of evolution". There is the fact of evolution: Species change over time. Then there are theories as to why they do this. The most common theory being "The theory of evolution by natural selection". The theory part of that being the "by natural selection" part.
During Darwings time the fact of evolution was known, tho not widely accepted. Another theory of evolution during his time was Lamarckism, that basicly worked trough "Genetic memory".

So in my mind the answer to this question is.
There is the fact of evolution: Species change over time.
And the widely accepted theory : The theory of evolution by natural selection.

Edit: Lamarckism, not tailorism. I keep getting those two words mixed up and i dont know why.

[Aanthanur]

"Is Evolution a Fact?"

spolier


yes

[atticstattic]

I can hear Ken Ham now: "Dawkins calls evolution a crime!"

[bloodsugar]

This video could have been 3 seconds long, you staring at the camera for 2 seconds, then saying yes, end video.

[scheerBOM]

I am suprised he didnt mention the fact that evolution happens faster the bigger a population is and the faster new generations get replaced. That means you can actually observe evolution and the effects of it. Mostly microorganisms but the mutation of fruitflies etc is also very impressive

[Mrchowho]

Evolutions evidence > Detectives evidence

Another amazing video. Thank you Richard.

[snakeplissken]

A lot of folks commenting and imagining their ignorance invalidates evolution.

[trashbash]

wow dawkins just blew my mind again. For a second, i understood what the questioner wrote in about how we can observe the earth revolving around the after dawkins explained that we actually can NOT in fact WATCH the earth go around the sun, it makes a lot more sense to me. Never though about it that way.

[sensorcato]

Richard Dawkins: The Earth's spinning is just a theory. *— FOX News*

[simplelife]

You can't observe a person aging but given a substantial ammount of time, change will become clear

[FutureAbe]

I’m a fan of Dawkins, but why is he saying we don’t have direct evidence of the earth spinning? We have visual evidence from satellites