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Evolution and the Big Bang: The Truth of our Existence
Billions of years ago, there existed a minuscule ball of infinite energy, temperature and mass, roughly the size of an atom. The radiation of power contained in this sphere was completely unfathomable to any human mind. This was the first entity in the void of nothingness, a rip in the great chasm that contained the beginnings of the universe. Suddenly, this ball became so incredibly volatile that it began to form a chain reaction. This reaction, involving the accelerated particles of the entire universe, concluded with the most gargantuan explosion that has ever been and that ever will be: the Big Bang. Energy, in its purest form, blasted outwards in all directions, filling the empty void with mass and cosmic dust. This blast had no predetermined ending point, so it kept expanding into the abyss. Trillions of years later, stars formed when the dust clouds left over by the explosion fused together by the action of charged particles rocketing into each other. After Billions of years passed, and the stars had exploded enough times to jettison an adequate number of elements into space. These elements also merged together, but this time formed planets. These cataclysmic events, from the creation of Earth to the origin of our species, formed the galaxy we now call the Milky Way.
Evolution: this one word can explain our past. It shows us where we came from and how our world formed. This four syllable word proves that humanity was not “created” from nothing. This word disproves what humankind has been taught for thousands of years. More than just a theory, evolution and the truth of how the universe began has become the soul link to our past, making the theory of Creationism obsolete.
Evolution can be defined as the gradual change in a species over time, but its meaning is so much more than this textbook reference (Creationism vs. Evolution 9). Evolution tells us how the first cells merged together to form more complex ones. It shows us how the first land animal came out of the ocean using better and selected limbs and appendages. It shows us the reign of the dinosaurs and also their fall. Not only has Evolution shaped our past, it still shapes our future. It will be interesting to see what humans will look like in some thousands of years.
The Big Bang is also intertwined with Evolution. Evolution is not only about a species, but about the entire universe, including Earth. The Big Bang is the theory that life started literally as a ball of energy that exploded and continues to explode to this day. The explosion sent out the basic building blocks of life, atoms and matter. From then on, Evolution has aided the Big Bang in forming the Universe.
Many religions offer different views on the creation of our Universe, but Christianity is at the core of the most heated debate with Evolution. According to the book of Genesis, God created the heavens, earth and all living things in six days and at the end of the sixth day, Adam and Eve were created and life began on earth (Creationism vs. Evolution 9). For two thousand years, humanity has been taught that our planet and the universe have only existed for a few thousand years. In fact, in 1650 a preist named James Usher used the bible to estimate that God created the earth around 4004 B.C. (Creationism vs. Evolution 9)
The problem with the theory of Creationism is that one can walk into a park and look at a rock that predates this time. There is so much on this earth that refutes what Christianity teaches. Using scientific analysis techniques like carbon dating, rocks have been dated as being billions of years old. If this is so, then how could the world and everything in it have been created a couple thousand years ago? Another argument against Creationism is the existence of fossils, especially those of the dinosaurs. Practicing Christians and creationists cannot simply ignore these colossal bone structures. These bones show that humans were not always the dominant species. This destroys the theory of Adam and Eve.
The entire theory of Evolution can be attributed to the work of Charles Darwin, a brilliant naturalist who traveled the world and researched many plants and animals. During his studies he observed that evolution did occur and certain things happened to a species that made it more fit to stay alive (Boeree 1 of 5). In 1859 Darwin published his greatest work, The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. Darwin was quite afraid about how people would take his book, but it became extremely popular and was also met with much heated debate (Miller 76)
Darwin and his theory exploded into the public’s minds with his books. The idea of another connection to the past besides Christianity was mind baffling. This idea of evolving and the sifting of traits offered a new way of life and challenged the ultimate superpower, the church. Throughout history the church has been battling scientific discoveries like Copernicus’ heliocentric model versus the church’s geocentric model. Copernicus, an early astronomer, discovered that the galaxy does not revolve around Earth as the church taught, but around the sun. Obviously Darwin’s theories were met with much skepticism.
Darwin also talks about the entwined theory of Natural Selection, which is defined by Darwin as: “In the struggle for existence, the better-adapted organisms are selected and thrive at the expense of their competition” (“Evolution” 2, 3 of 5). Basically, no two animals are the same, even if they are in the same species. One trait from one animal may be better fit to survive than another animal’s. Since this trait allows the host to survive, it will be passed on to its offspring. On the other hand, the animal with the least favorable trait will die off and its trait will be lost (“Evolution” 3 of 5).
A good example of natural selection would be the giraffe’s long neck. In earlier times, giraffe’s necks were relatively short, or at least shorter than they are now. A giraffe’s diet generally consisted of the leaves on trees since their environment wouldn’t allow leafy plants. The giraffe’s would eat the lower leaves of the trees and could not reach the upper leaves. Eventually lower leaves became scarce and competition grew. Then something occurred in a giraffe that caused its neck to grow longer, a genetic mutation. This longer necked giraffe could now reach the upper branches, allowing it to survive and pass along this longer necked trait to its offspring. The shorter necked giraffe’s eventually died out; leaving the longer necked giraffe’s to dominate.
Darwin’s theory encompasses genetic mutations along with natural selection. Genetic mutations allow animals in a species to be different. In fact, if all members of a species were genetically identical, there would be no natural selection (“Evolution” 1 of 5). Mutations explain why all of the species on Earth are the way they are. A mutation caused Homo erectus to stand up as well as why birds have the ability to fly. This theory states that something either in the environment or in the host will cause an animal’s genes to change. These changes in the animal’s genes mutate their genotype, which is the body’s internal makeup, their DNA (“Evolution” 4 of 5). If the mutation is strong enough and affects the genotype in the right way then the animal’s phenotype will be affected, changing the way the animal lives and possibly what it looks like (“Evolution” 4 of 5). These mutations are often favorable corresponding to the animal’s environment, so they are usually passed on to offspring. Although mutations can be extremely beneficial, oftentimes they are not. In fact, in some cases mutations are often lethal and are weaned out of the population before they can be passed on (“Evolution” 4 of 5). An interesting fact about genetic mutations is, “some features in genes are not immediately lost. If ever in the future these genes are needed for survival, then they could be called upon again” (“Evolution” 4 of 5).
However important these developmental changes are, the most extraordinary evolutionary event to ever occur was the Big Bang. The Big Bang is the scientific answer to our past. When the point expanded outwards, cosmic dust and mass were left in its wake. These large clouds of dust began to merge together and formed nebulas (Jeremy 1 of 1). These nebulas were measured by solar masses. Solar masses are the mathematical equation of the mass of this galaxy’s sun. If one of these nebulas were between one tenth and ten solar masses, the energy that is released from its gravitational collapse will start a fusion reaction and will soon become a star (Jeremy 1 of 1). If one of these nebulas is between ten and thirty solar masses then the star will fuse together and form iron (Jeremy 1 of 1). Since the iron can never produce energy, the core of this “iron star” will collapse and become a supernova (Jeremy 1 of 1). Supernovas are extremely destructive and have the capacity to wipe out an entire galaxy.
The question is how do planets form? Well, after a couple of cycles of stars forming together and then expiring, there were enough element from these stars floating around that a new reaction could begin. This time, when the dust and elements combined, they formed planets (Jeremy 1 of 1). When Earth was formed, it was just a “huge spinning ball of molten lava pelted by meteorites” (Jeremy 1 of 1). For this ball to cool, it took about five hundred million years (Jeremy 1 of 1). The next big question is where did the first cells, the origin of life, come from?
The Origin of Life is a very uncertain subject. There are many theories associated with where the cells originated. Scientists know that all life evolved from these cells, but scientists just can’t pinpoint where they came from. One distinguished theory is that of a “primordial soup” (“Evolution” 2 of 5). These “soups” were located in lakes and tidal pools and in these small bodies of water were simple pre-biological organic chemicals (“Evolution” 2 of 5). A couple of thousand years of the soups stagnating, after these chemicals had enough time to mix together efficiently, the “soups” were reacted upon by ultraviolet light and mild heating (“Evolution” 2 of 5). The action of radiation against these organic compounds caused molecules to condense into more complex ones (“Evolution” 2 of 5). These complex molecules eventually mutated with more radiation and heat into the first cells.
Another questionable theory of where life came from is the theory of Panspermia. Panspermia is a very interesting theory that while unlikely, may have been possible. Basically, the theory of Panspermia states that life originated on another planet and came over to Earth (“Evolution” 1 of 5). This theory is highly discounted for a number of reasons though. Many scientists say that the first cells could not possibly have survived the harsh realties of space (“Evolution” 1 of 5). But, what if these cells were encased while traveling.
When our planet was newly formed, there existed no atmosphere to protect us from meteorites and at that time, Mars was raining meteorites upon Earth at a constant rate (“Evolution” 1 of 5). It’s quite possible that the first cells were trapped in one of these meteorites. Mars has always shown the ability to contain pre-life. In fact, most recently it has been discovered that Mars contains Algae.
Then after the meteorites struck Earth, another reaction needed to occur to bring forth the entombed cells. One scenario attached to Panspermia is that the reaction started with the meteorites falling into the primordial seas. Next the extremely volatile volcanoes spewed out methane and this reatced with the meteorites, exposing the organic compunds (Jeremy 1 of 1). Nucleic acids then formed as lighting or ultraviolet radiation welded the compunds together (Jeremy 1 of 1). Another scenario is that the meteorites trapped an RNA molecule inside of it with the organic compunds (Jeremy 1 of 1). The meteorite protected the molecules in space so they were able to merge together (Jeremy 1 of 1).
Another hypothesis on where the original cells came from was introduced in the 1920’s by the prominent soviet biochemist, Aleksandr Oparin (“Evolution” 1 of 5). Oparin’s theory evolved with the forming of the atmosphere. He said the origin of life formed by the action of sunlight and heat from volcanoes or lightning on the original atmosphere of Earth (“Evolution” 1 of 5). The action of the radiation on the atmosphere produced all of the essential organic compounds needed to create life (“Evolution” 1 of 5).
Oparin’s theory seems one of the most likely for a number of reasons. One reason is that all organisms are inter-related and Oparin’s theory shows this. All organisms consist of cells that must have enzymes to catalyze, or speed-up, the biochemical reactions of life (“Evolution” 2 of 5). These biochemicals exist in Earth’s atmosphere so it is quite possible that this is where the first cells came from. Another piece of evidence that supports Oparin’s theory is the famous Stanley Miller experiment conducted in 1953 (“Evolution” 2 of 5). Stanley Miller constructed a recreation of Earth’s original atmosphere an passed an electric current through it to model as lightning (“Evolution” 2 of 5). What came out of the experiment was a mixture of organic chemicals, including vital amino acids (“Evolution” 1 of 5).
There were and still are many enemies of spontaneous life though. The first attack was made by Francesco Redi, an Italian physicist (“Evolution” 1 of 5). Redi proved that maggots, a very basic microorganism did not spontaneously arise in decaying matter, but from eggs deposited there by flies (“Evolution” 1 of 5).
Darwinism and Evolution have always been bombarded since they were first brought to the public. One of the most famous landmarks though, was the Scopes trial. “In August 1925, John T. Scopes, a teacher from Dayton, Tennessee was brought to trial for teaching Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution to his high school biology students” (Creationism vs. Evolution 9). At this point in time there was a law in Tennessee banning the teaching of this theory to students (Singham 3 of 12). This court case was received with much furor and anger by Christians all over the world. Naturally, this case exploded into the media and everyone knew about it. What really made this case amazing was that two of the most intellegint and famous lawyers in the United States would be battling it out. Defending Scopes was Clarence Darrow and defending creationism was William Jennings Bryan.
During this court case, the two lawyers attacked each other with reason and religion. Clarence Darow brought into ridicule the Biblical theories of Earth’s origin, saying that humans could not have come first when you could look around you and see evidence of older species everywhere (Singham 4 of 12). Unfortunately, in the end John T. Scopes lost the case because he clearly violated the law. Even though Scopes lost, this case was seen a major public relations victory for science and technology (Singham 4 of 12). After the trial, there was an eruption in the growth of science, everyone was now interested into what other mysteries science could offer (Singham 4 of 12).
The fact is that Creationism should not be taught in the classroom. Creation has been proven wrong, if it was being taught at school then the children would be learning something false and that is not what education is about. There are so many pieces of evidence that disprove creation and many refrences in the bible as well. For one thing, the Bible states that at one point in time there was an astronomical flood that covered the entire Earth all the way to the highest mountain. The dilemma with this is that according to intertidal and terrestial deposits, there is no record of a flood of that magnitude covering the whole Earth (NAS 31). Furthermore, the amount of water necessary to cover the entire Earth and reach the height of the tallest mountains is more than the Earth could ever possibly contain (NAS 31). Another piece of evidence is carbon dating. Using carbon dating, scientists have discovered that the oldest known rocks are found in western Australia and are approximately four point three billion years old (NAS 28). This makes creation invalid.
Creationists today do not wholly disregard Evolution. In fact, many creationts emrace evolution and spin it as a part of their religion. For instance, some creationists believe that it was intended that humans would evolve from past species (Wells 72). They believe that life exists to sustain humans by means of plants giving off oxygen and other animals that we eat, almost a perfect bio-sphere (Wells 72). Other creationists believe that God created the universe and Earth, but then left it to its own design (Singham 6 of 12). Basically, most creationists believe that, “the world is too complex and subtle to come about with out the active intervention of an external agent or deity (Singham 6 of 12). Even the Pope John Paul II made a few statements about evolution. In 1996 he said “fresh knowledge leads to recognition of the theory of evolution as more than just a hypothesis” (Singham 6 of 12). The Pope also said, “if the human body has its origins in living material which pre-exists it, then the spiritual soul is immediately created by God” (Singham 6 of 12). Basically, the Pope is mixing Evolution with religion.
The story of Evolution is explained by the animals and the environment that it has created. Humans live in a world filled with gradual change not only on Earth, but in outer space as well. The Universe and its inhabitants were not some grand design by an all knowing and powerful creator, but a scientific phenomenon. Evolution has molded our world and everything in it into a powerful, intelligent, and universal symbiote. The Universe is, for a fact, billions of years old. Therefore, saying that everything is only only a few thousand years old is completely wrong and absurd. Evolution is not a theory, it is the soul link to our past, which makes creation fictitous and ostensible. As the great Charles Darwin once said, “I cannot persuade myself that a beneficent and omnipotent God would have designedly created parasitic wasps with the express intention of their feeding within the living bodies of Caterpillars."
Work Cited
Boeree, Dr. C. George. “Charles Robert Darwin.” Darwin and Evolution. 2000. 1 December 2004. www.ship.edu.
Doerr, Edd. “Church and State.” The Humanist. 9 January 1999. Big Chalk Library. 30 November 2004. http://elibrary.bigchalk.com.
“Evolution.” Compton’s by Britannica. 1 December 2003. 1-5. Big Chalk Library. 9 December 2004. http://elibrary.bigchalk.com.
Jeremy, E. “Creation vs. Evolution 2.” Thinkquest Internet Challenge. 1999. 28 November 2004. www.thinkquest.org.
Leone, Bruno J. “Introduction.” Creationism vs. Evolution. San Diego, California. Greenhouse Press, Inc. 2002. 90 pages.
Miller, Kenneth R. “Evolution is consistent with belief in God.” Creationism vs. Evolution. San Diego, California. 2002. 75-80.
National Academy of Sciences. “’Creationism’ should not be taught in Science Classrooms.” Creationism vs. Evolution. Washington D.C. 1999. 26-32.
Singham, Mano. “The Science and Religion Wars.” Phi Delta Kappan. 1 February 2000. Big Chalk Library. 29 November 2004. 12 Pages. http://elibrary.bigchalk.com.
Wells, Jonathon. “Evolution by Design Succeeds wher Darwin Fails.” Creationism vs. Evolution. 1998. 69-74.