GUWAHATI, Jan 28 - The Assam Science Society has decried the recent statement made by the Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development Dr Satyapal Singh, which described Charles Darwin�s theory of evolution as a wrong one. The Union Minister also suggested dropping of this theory from the curriculum.
It needs mention here that Darwin's �Theory of Evolution� is the widely held notion that all life is related and has descended from a common ancestor: the birds and the bananas, the fishes and the flowers � all are related. Darwin�s general theory presumes the development of life from non-life and stresses a purely naturalistic, that is� undirected �descent with modification.� To be precise, complex creatures evolve from more simplistic ancestors naturally over time.
As random genetic mutations occur within an organism�s genetic code, the beneficial mutations are preserved because they aid survival � a process known as �natural selection�. These beneficial mutations are passed on to the next generation. Over time, beneficial mutations accumulate and the result is an entirely different organism, that is � not just a variation of the original, but an entirely different creature, said Darwin in his On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life, in 1859.
Dr Singh had described Darwin�s theory of evolution as a wrong one while addressing the All India Vedic Conference on January 20 last at Aurangabad. He later reiterated this view at a meeting of the heads of the institutes of technological education at IIT, Guwahati on January 22, 2018 and suggested that Darwin�s theory of evolution should be dropped from the curriculum of the country�s academic institutions.
The 65-year-old Science Society, which has now emerged as a leading organisation in the country for science popularisation, has stated in a statement that so far no scientific premise is there to prove Charles Darwin�s theory of evolution wrong. The essence of Darwin�s theory is that from the simple life emerged the complex life, like the animals, humans, flora etc, through the process of random genetic mutations. This process continued for millions of years.
At a stage of this evolution, apes and human beings were separated into two different species from a specific origin as two separate biological entities. This is regarded by many people as a theory suggesting the evolution of man directly from ape. Darwin has never stated so, rather what he said was that the ancestor of ape and man was the same, they emerged from the same genetic origin, asserted the Science Society.
Darwin�s theory has a sound basis. The fossils of the ancient plants and creatures stand as a major proof of this theory. Proofs like evolution of the foetus, or, the similarities of the chemical compounds are also there. The Cytochrome-C compounds and hemoglobin compounds, which are inseparable components of our bodies, can also be taken for another proof in support of Darwin�s theory. A lot of amino acids form the Cytochrome-C compounds. The difference between these amino acids increases with the increased size of the gap between two species of life, said the Society.
Meanwhile, the All India People�s Science Network (AIPSN) has described Dr Satyapal Singh�s above statement as an affront to science and reason.
The conclusion derived by Darwin on the process of evolution was backed by a theory with a mechanism to explain evolution and diversity in species. In the last 159 years, since its publication, the theory of evolution has got enriched by several new discoveries that explain evolution and natural selection on firmer footings, it said.
Assam Science Society, Ellora Vigyan Mancha, Gyan-Vigyan Samiti, Assam and CRU (NER) are AIPSN constituent organisations.
GUWAHATI, Jan 28 - The Assam Science Society has decried the recent statement made by the Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development Dr Satyapal Singh, which described Charles Darwin�s theory of evolution as a wrong one. The Union Minister also suggested dropping of this theory from the curriculum.
It needs mention here that Darwin's �Theory of Evolution� is the widely held notion that all life is related and has descended from a common ancestor: the birds and the bananas, the fishes and the flowers � all are related. Darwin�s general theory presumes the development of life from non-life and stresses a purely naturalistic, that is� undirected �descent with modification.� To be precise, complex creatures evolve from more simplistic ancestors naturally over time.
As random genetic mutations occur within an organism�s genetic code, the beneficial mutations are preserved because they aid survival � a process known as �natural selection�. These beneficial mutations are passed on to the next generation. Over time, beneficial mutations accumulate and the result is an entirely different organism, that is � not just a variation of the original, but an entirely different creature, said Darwin in his On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life, in 1859.
Dr Singh had described Darwin�s theory of evolution as a wrong one while addressing the All India Vedic Conference on January 20 last at Aurangabad. He later reiterated this view at a meeting of the heads of the institutes of technological education at IIT, Guwahati on January 22, 2018 and suggested that Darwin�s theory of evolution should be dropped from the curriculum of the country�s academic institutions.
The 65-year-old Science Society, which has now emerged as a leading organisation in the country for science popularisation, has stated in a statement that so far no scientific premise is there to prove Charles Darwin�s theory of evolution wrong. The essence of Darwin�s theory is that from the simple life emerged the complex life, like the animals, humans, flora etc, through the process of random genetic mutations. This process continued for millions of years.
At a stage of this evolution, apes and human beings were separated into two different species from a specific origin as two separate biological entities. This is regarded by many people as a theory suggesting the evolution of man directly from ape. Darwin has never stated so, rather what he said was that the ancestor of ape and man was the same, they emerged from the same genetic origin, asserted the Science Society.
Darwin�s theory has a sound basis. The fossils of the ancient plants and creatures stand as a major proof of this theory. Proofs like evolution of the foetus, or, the similarities of the chemical compounds are also there. The Cytochrome-C compounds and hemoglobin compounds, which are inseparable components of our bodies, can also be taken for another proof in support of Darwin�s theory. A lot of amino acids form the Cytochrome-C compounds. The difference between these amino acids increases with the increased size of the gap between two species of life, said the Society.
Meanwhile, the All India People�s Science Network (AIPSN) has described Dr Satyapal Singh�s above statement as an affront to science and reason.
The conclusion derived by Darwin on the process of evolution was backed by a theory with a mechanism to explain evolution and diversity in species. In the last 159 years, since its publication, the theory of evolution has got enriched by several new discoveries that explain evolution and natural selection on firmer footings, it said.
Assam Science Society, Ellora Vigyan Mancha, Gyan-Vigyan Samiti, Assam and CRU (NER) are AIPSN constituent organisations.
