IAP STATEMENT ON THE TEACHING OF EVOLUTION

IAP, June 2006

The released statement was drafted by a group of members of the InterAcademy Panel (IAP) and points out that “within science courses taught in certain public systems of education, scientific evidence, data, and testable theories about the origins and evolution of life on Earth are being concealed, denied, or confused with theories not testable by science”.

It continues: “We urge decision makers, teachers, and parents to educate all children about the methods and discoveries of science and foster an understanding of the science of nature. Knowledge of the natural world in which they live empowers people to meet human needs and protect the planet.”

We, the undersigned Academies of Sciences, have learned that in
various parts of the world, within science courses taught in certain
public systems of education, scientific evidence, data, and testable
theories about the origins and evolution of life on Earth are being
concealed, denied, or confused with theories not testable by science.
We urge decision makers, teachers, and parents to educate all children
about the methods and discoveries of science and to foster an
understanding of the science of nature. Knowledge of the natural world
in which they live empowers people to meet human needs and protect the
planet.

We agree that the following evidence-based facts about the origins
and evolution of the Earth and of life on this planet have been
established by numerous observations and independently derived
experimental results from a multitude of scientific disciplines. Even
if there are still many open questions about the precise details of
evolutionary change, scientific evidence has never contradicted these
results:

1. In a universe that has evolved towards its present configuration
for some 11 to 15 billion years, our Earth formed approximately 4.5
billion years ago.

2. Since its formation, the Earth – its geology and its environments
– has changed under the effect of numerous physical and chemical forces
and continues to do so.

3. Life appeared on Earth at least 2.5 billion years ago. The
evolution, soon after, of photosynthetic organisms enabled, from at
least 2 billion years ago, the slow transformation of the atmosphere to
one containing substantial quantities of oxygen. In addition to the
release of the oxygen that we breathe, the process of photosynthesis is
the ultimate source of fixed energy and food upon which human life on
the planet depends.

4. Since its first appearance on Earth, life has taken many forms,
all of which continue to evolve, in ways which palaeontology and the
modern biological and biochemical sciences are describing and
independently confirming with increasing precision. Commonalities in
the structure of the genetic code of all organisms living today,
including humans, clearly indicate their common primordial origin.

We also subscribe to the following statement regarding the nature of
science in relation to the teaching of evolution and, more generally,
of any field of scientific knowledge :

Scientific knowledge derives from a mode of inquiry into the nature
of the universe that has been successful and of great consequence.
Science focuses on (i) observing the natural world and (ii) formulating
testable and refutable hypotheses to derive deeper explanations for
observable phenomena. When evidence is sufficiently compelling,
scientific theories are developed that account for and explain that
evidence, and predict the likely structure or process of still
unobserved phenomena.

Human understanding of value and purpose are outside of natural
science’s scope. However, a number of components – scientific, social,
philosophical, religious, cultural and political – contribute to it.
These different fields owe each other mutual consideration, while being
fully aware of their own areas of action and their limitations.

While acknowledging current limitations, science is open ended, and
subject to correction and expansion as new theoretical and empirical
understanding emerges.

Click for the full list of signatories