Some cues to reflect on (from Wikipedia)

Evolution in biology

In biology, evolution is the change in the genetic material of a population of organisms from one generation to the next. Though the changes produced in any one generation are small, differences accumulate with each generation and can, over time, cause substantial changes in the organisms. This process can culminate in the emergence of new species. Indeed, the similarities between organisms suggest that all known species are descended from a common ancestor (or ancestral gene pool) through this process of gradual divergence.

The basis of evolution is the genes that are passed on from generation to generation; these produce an organism's inherited traits. These traits vary within populations, with organisms showing heritable differences (variation) in their traits. Evolution itself is the product of two opposing forces: processes that constantly introduce variation, and processes that make variants become more common or rare. New variation arises in two main ways: either from mutations in genes, or from the transfer of genes between populations and between species. In species that reproduce sexually, new combinations of genes are also produced by genetic recombination, which can increase variation between [......]

Objection to Evolution

Objections to evolution have been raised ever since various evolutionary ideas came to prominence around the start of the nineteenth century. These ideas that natural laws controlled the development of nature and society gained vast popular audiences with George Combe's The Constitution of Man of 1828 and the anonymous Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation of 1844. When Charles Darwin published his 1859 book On the Origin of Species, he gradually convinced most of the scientific community that evolution was a valid and empirically established hypothesis. In the 1930s and 1940s scientists produced the modern evolutionary synthesis, which combined Darwin's theory of natural selection with population genetics. Since this period, the existence of evolutionary processes, and the ability of the modern evolutionary synthesis to explain how and why these processes occur, have been uncontroversial among [......]

Evidence of common descent

The wide range of evidence of common descent of living things strongly indicates the occurrence of evolution and provides a wealth of information on the natural processes by which the variety of life on Earth developed. This evidence supports the modern evolutionary synthesis, which is the scientific theory that explains how life changes over time.

Fossils are important for estimating when various lineages developed. As fossilization is an uncommon occurrence, usually requiring hard body parts and death near a site where sediments are being deposited, the fossil record only provides sparse and intermittent information about the evolution of life. Evidence of organisms prior to the development of hard body parts such as shells, bones and teeth is especially scarce, but exists in the form of ancient microfossils, as well as impressions of various soft-bodied organisms. Evolution with common descent also provides the best explanation for a variety of facts concerning the geographical distribution [......]

Some quotes and useful documents.

Theory of evolution

DISF - Interdisciplinary dictionary

Quantum Philosophy

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