You are hereWhat is Science?
 Science is a process for learning about the natural world, and also the knowledge generated through this process. Evolution Primers
Evolution is a vast subject and there are many books and websites that offer introductions as well as more advanced discussions to its many subtopics and related fields.
Our purpose here is to provide answers to questions about evolution that frequently arise in connection with creationism. Some resources here are short, quick answers; others delve into college-level material. The Age of the Universe — Measuring Cosmic Time
By Joel R. Primack and Nancy Ellen AbramsFurther Reading
The National Center for Science Education has reviewed and selected a variety of books and other items for people interested in evolution, science, and the evolution/creation controversy. Notes about some of our most popular books help you choose the right one for you; some titles are linked to book reviews -- watch this page for new reviews from time to time. Look here for special items you may not be able to buy in your local bookstore! Earliest Evidence of Life
by Steven Newton, Public Information Project DirectorThe geologic record shows evidence for early life in two ways: 1) carbon isotopes, and 2) fossil stromatolites. The isotope evidence significantly predates the fossils. How Old is the Earth?
by Steven Newton, Public Information Project DirectorThe age of the Earth is 4.54 billion years (Ga or Gyr), a number which geologists have determined by several independent methods. Because of the recycling of crustal rocks by plate tectonics, no direct material from the earliest Earth still exists. However, geologists are able to analyze meteorites and lunar rocks returned by the Apollo missions.
Methods What is Paleontology?
by Kevin Padian Department of Integrative Biology & Museum of Paleontology University of California, Berkeley CA What is Paleontology? The Fossil Record and EvolutionA bit of history: the progression of life through time, as shown in the fossil record, was well known and generally accepted in the early 1800s, long before Charles Darwin ever sailed on the Beagle. People in England and on the Continent knew that life had changed through time, and that the deeper one went in the rock column, the more different from living forms the fossils became. Since that time the fossils have always documented evolution; the question in Darwin's time was the mechanism or mechanisms that could cause the change. What is Homology?
Understanding why living organisms resemble each other has fascinated human beings for millennia, long before evolution provided a unifying concept for biology. Science Links
The American Museum of Natural History Dinosaurs Exhibit Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries. This exhibition reveals how current thinking about dinosaur biology has evolved and changed dramatically over the past two decades, and highlights ongoing cutting-edge research by Museum scientists and other leading paleontologists around the world. Becoming Human Locations of Oldest Rocks
Fig. 5.2, p. 86 from Ancient Earth, Ancient Skies, by Brent G. Dalyrmple, shows the locations of some of Earth’s oldest rocks.
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Featured Links Understanding Evolution from UC Berkeley's Museum of Paleontology The Tree of Life Project ChronoZoom; Biological, Terrestrial, and Cosmological Evolution Writings by Charles Darwin |
