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Co-chairs: Chen Zhu Yves Quéré

Secretariat: TWAS (The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World)

Strada Costiera 11 34014 Trieste, Italy Tel: + 39 040 2240 680 Fax: + 39 040 2240 688 iap@twas.org www.interacademies.net/iap

IAP STATEMENT ON THE TEACHING OF EVOLUTION

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.

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1. Albanian Academy of Sciences 2. National Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences, Argentina 3. Australian Academy of Science 4. Austrian Academy of Sciences 5. Bangladesh Academy of Sciences 6. The Royal Academies for Science and the Arts of Belgium 7. Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina 8. Brazilian Academy of Sciences 9. Bulgarian Academy of Sciences 10. RSC: The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada 11. Academia Chilena de Ciencias 12. Chinese Academy of Sciences 13. Academia Sinica, China, Taiwan 14. Colombian Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences 15. Croatian Academy of Arts and Sciences 16. Cuban Academy of Sciences 17. Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic 18. Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters 19. Academy of Scientific Research and Technology, Egypt 20. Académie des Sciences, France 21. Union of German Academies of Sciences and Humanities 22. The Academy of Athens, Greece 23. Hungarian Academy of Sciences 24. Indian National Science Academy 25. Indonesian Academy of Sciences 26. Academy of Sciences of the Islamic Republic of Iran 27. Royal Irish Academy 28. Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities 29. Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Italy 30. Science Council of Japan 31. Kenya National Academy of Sciences 32. National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic 33. Latvian Academy of Sciences 34. Lithuanian Academy of Sciences 35. Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts 36. Academia Mexicana de Ciencias 37. Mongolian Academy of Sciences 38. Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco 39. The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences 40. Academy Council of the Royal Society of New Zealand 41. Nigerian Academy of Sciences 42. Pakistan Academy of Sciences 43. Palestine Academy for Science and Technology 44. Academia Nacional de Ciencias del Peru 45. National Academy of Science and Technology, The Philippines 46. Polish Academy of Sciences 47. Académie des Sciences et Techniques du Sénégal 48. Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts 49. Singapore National Academy of Sciences 50. Slovak Academy of Sciences 51. Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts 52. Academy of Science of South Africa 53. Royal Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences of Spain 54. National Academy of Sciences, Sri Lanka 55. Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences 56. Council of the Swiss Scientific Academies 57. Academy of Sciences, Republic of Tajikistan 58. The Caribbean Academy of Sciences 59. Turkish Academy of Sciences 60. The Uganda National Academy of Sciences 61. The Royal Society, UK 62. US National Academy of Sciences 63. Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences 64. Academia de Ciencias Físicas, Matemáticas y Naturales de Venezuela 65. Zimbabwe Academy of Sciences 66. African Academy of Sciences 67. The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS) 68. The Executive Board of the International Council for Science (ICSU)

21 June 2006

Published   2006.06.29