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Contact: Helen Paxton
paxton@andromeda.rutgers.edu
973-353-5262
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
In defense of teaching evolution: Rutgers-Newark professor leads national effort
(NEWARK) - A Rutgers-Newark biology professor who serves as president of the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) is leading a nationwide effort to defend the theory of evolution in the face of what the institute views as opposition and indifference from school boards and government entities.
Rutgers-Newark Biology Professor Judith S. Weis, president of the AIBS, a Washington, D.C.-based professional organization begun in 1947, believes that the teaching of evolution in America is being diminished and minimized by the teaching of creationism as well as an overall lack of teaching Darwin's theory of evolution in high school.
"There's nothing that requires schools to teach evolution. Sometimes teachers in high schools just leave it out. However, from the point of view of biologists, evolution is the central theory of biology upon which everything is based," said Weis. "Unfortunately, teaching evolution has become a political issue in many parts of the country and AIBS as a representative of biologists wanted to be a major force speaking out in favor of its teaching."
Weis said the institute is working together with the American Geological Institute, the National Association of Biology Teachers, and its 80-plus member organizations to address the political and legislative threats to teaching evolution.
In states challenging its teaching, the institute responds by sending letters to school boards, state legislatures, providing testimony at public meetings, and notifying members and affiliated organizations. She said a national AIBS conference, "Evolution: Understanding Life on Earth," planned for March 2002 in Arlington, Virginia, will focus more attention on the teaching of evolutionary biology in America.
The AIBS, with more than 80 member societies and 250,000 members, has established an e-mail system that enables scientists and teachers in each state, and member societies, to keep each other informed about threats to the teaching of evolution.
Darwin's theory of evolution holds that living things change and adapt to their environment and that present day species (including human beings) are descended from earlier species through modification by natural selection.
The theory has been accepted by scientists for nearly 100 years, Weis said, and has been refined, extended, and strengthened over the years by findings in paleontology and developmental biology.
Furthermore, discoveries in genetics, molecular biology, and genomics - all of which have significant benefits for human health - would not be possible without the underlying knowledge of evolution. And, Weis adds, "modern molecular biology and genomics have increased our understanding of how evolution works."
Nonetheless, evolution remains a politically, if not scientifically, controversial issue.
Weis said that this year alone, seven states have had either local or statewide efforts to water down the teaching of evolution, or "balance" it with the teaching of creationism - a religious belief that different species were created separately by a higher power, such as God. States with such efforts included Arkansas, Michigan, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Georgia, and Hawaii.
"Rarely does anyone now use the word 'creationism,' because that's too obvious," Weis said. "The current terminology is 'intelligent design.' Efforts to teach evolution as a theory, not a fact, reflect misconceptions about the nature of science. A theory in science is not just a speculation or a guess, but a concept with a large amount of information supporting it," said Weis.
"I see a core part of my field as being under attack. Polls have shown that a majority of people do not understand the theory of evolution and others show that people do not accept evolution theory because teachers do not teach it," Weis said. "When confronted with the possibility of local objections," she said, "some teachers find it easier to not teach the subject."
For information about the AIBS efforts, visit the AIBS Web site at http://www.aibs.org. The site includes resources for teaching evolution.
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