Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Evolution is not ‘just a theory’ - Coggle Diagram
Evolution is not ‘just a theory’
Scientific theory
Theory = based on evidence
Explains many observations
Makes testable predictions
Theory vs fact
Fact = observation (fossils, genes, anatomy)
Theory = explains facts
Different roles in science
Strength of theories
Incomplete theory ≠ unreliable
Knowledge improves with new data
Theories get stronger over time
Observability & testing
Seen indirectly
Fossil evidence: whale evolution, human ancestors
Genetic evidence: shared mutations, shared patterns
Observed in experiments & natural populations
Anatomy evidence
Tetrapod skeletons (Four-limbed) = common plan
Rudimentary characteristics = appendix, whale hips, blind cave eyes
Progressive change and shared origins.
Fossil evidence
Transitional fossils = small changes over time
Human fossils = 4-legged → bipedal
Thousands of fossils link changes together.
Genetic evidence
Shared genetic code = relatedness
Broken genes = vitamin C in primates
Nested mutations match predictions
Scientific agreement
Main ideas widely accepted
Debates details, not occurrence.
Multiple independent lines confirm evolution