biology

Science, Evolution, and Creationism

Science, Evolution, and Creationism is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Science, Evolution, and Creationism rather than just read about it. In short: Science, Evolution, and Creationism is a publication by the United States National Academy of Sciences. The book's authors intended to provide a current and comprehensive explanation of evolution and "its importance in the science classroom".

Key takeaways

Science, Evolution, and Creationism belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Science, Evolution, and Creationism to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Science, Evolution, and Creationism from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Science, Evolution, and Creationism is a publication by the United States National Academy of Sciences. The book's authors intended to provide a current and comprehensive explanation of evolution and "its importance in the science classroom". It was "intended for use by scientists, teachers, parents, and school board members who wanted to engage in more constructive conversations with others who remain uncertain about evolution and its place in the public school curriculum." The book, published on January 3, 2008, is available as a free PDF file on the National Academies Press website. Science, Evolution, and Creationism differs from prior National Academy of Sciences publications regarding creation and evolution in public education and the creation–evolution controversy; it is intended "specifically for the lay public", devoting much of its space to "explaining the differences between science and religion, and asserting that acceptance of evolution does not require abandoning belief in God." The book provides statements from notable biologists and clergy members to support the claim that "attempts to pit science and religion against each other create controversy where none needs to exist." The authors of Science, Evolution, and Creationism, who include Francisco J. Ayala and Bruce Alberts, highlight developments in evolutionary biology and its relevance to the study of emerging infectious diseases, the 2006 discovery of the transitional fossil Tiktaalik, and the application of evolutionary theory in many areas of science and engineering beyond biology. The book was released as several states, particularly Texas and Florida, considered revisions in state science standards. A study at Arizona State University used the book as part of a two-week module, within an introductory biology course, focusing on science, evolution, and religion. The percentage of students who held the view that there was a conflict between religion and evolution was reduced by about half.

Critical response In an interview on NBC, Glenn Branch, deputy director of the National Center for Science Education, called the publication "a definitive statement from a leading scientific authority about the scientific bankruptcy of intelligent design creationism." Praise for the publication was received from Lawrence Krauss and editorials in Nature, New Scientist, and several newspapers.

References

External links Science, Evolution, and Creationism full text online from the National Academies Press

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Science, Evolution, and Creationism

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Science, Evolution, and Creationism claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Science, Evolution, and Creationism before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Science, Evolution, and Creationism ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Science, Evolution, and Creationism

In research: Science, Evolution, and Creationism appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Science, Evolution, and Creationism in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Science, Evolution, and Creationism is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2008 in science, 2008 non-fiction books, Books about evolution, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Science, Evolution, and Creationism outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Science, Evolution, and Creationism in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Science, Evolution, and Creationism means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Science, Evolution, and Creationism out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Science, Evolution, and Creationism in simple terms?

Why does Science, Evolution, and Creationism matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Science, Evolution, and Creationism?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Science, Evolution, and Creationism.