Rather than answer in my halting way, I'll let the talk.origins FAQ explain - it offers some examples of evolution making some predictions. As for your other point, how do you demonstrate support for the negative.
http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/CA/CA210.html 3. Evolution has been the basis of many predictions. For example: * Darwin predicted, based on homologies with African apes, that human ancestors arose in Africa. That prediction has been supported by fossil and genetic evidence (Ingman et al. 2000). * Theory predicted that organisms in heterogeneous and rapidly changing environments should have higher mutation rates. This has been found in the case of bacteria infecting the lungs of chronic cystic fibrosis patients (Oliver et al. 2000). * Predator-prey dynamics are altered in predictable ways by evolution of the prey (Yoshida et al. 2003). * Ernst Mayr predicted in 1954 that speciation should be accompanied with faster genetic evolution. A phylogenetic analysis has supported this prediction (Webster et al. 2003). * Several authors predicted characteristics of the ancestor of craniates. On the basis of a detailed study, they found the fossil Haikouella "fit these predictions closely" (Mallatt and Chen 2003). * Evolution predicts that different sets of character data should still give the same phylogenetic trees. This has been confirmed informally myriad times and quantitatively, with different protein sequences, by Penny et al. (1982). With predictions such as these and others, evolution can be, and has been, put to practical use in areas such as drug discovery and avoidance of resistant pests. 4. If evolution's low power to make future predictions keeps it from being a science, then some other fields of study cease to be sciences, too, especially archeology and astronomy. Links: Wilkins, John. 1997. Evolution and philosophy: Predictions and explanations. http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/evolphil/predict.html References: 1. Ingman, M., H. Kaessmann, S. Paaba and U. Gyllensten. 2000. Mitochondrial genome variation and the origin of modern humans. Nature 408: 708-713 . See also: Blair Hedges, S. 2000. A start for population genomics. Nature 408: 552-553. See also: Thomson, Jeremy, 2000 (7 Dec.). Humans did come out of Africa, says DNA. Nature Science Update, http://www.nature.com/nsu/001207/001207-8.html 2. Mallatt, J. and J.-Y. Chen. 2003. Fossil sister group of craniates: Predicted and found. Journal of Morphology 258(1): 1-31. 3. Oliver, Antonio et al. 2000. High frequency of hypermutable Pseudomonas aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis lung infection. Science 288: 1251-1253. See also Rainey, P. B. and R. Moxon. 2000. When being hyper keeps you fit. Science 288: 1186-1187. See also: LeClerc, J. E. and T. A. Cebula. 2000. Pseudomonas survival strategies in cystic fibrosis (letter), 2000. Science 289: 391-392. 4. Penny, David, L. R. Foulds, and M. D. Hendy. 1982. Testing the theory of evolution by comparing phylogenetic trees constructed from five different protein sequences. Nature 297: 197-200. 5. Webster, Andrea J., Robert J. H. Payne, and Mark Pagel. 2003. Molecular phylogenies link rates of evolution and speciation. Science 301: 478. 6. Yoshida, T., L. E. Jones, S. P. Ellner, G. F. Fussmann and N. G. Hairston Jr. 2003. Rapid evolution drives ecological dynamics in a predator-prey system. Nature 424: 303-306. Further Reading: Rainey, Paul. 2003. Evolution: Five big questions: 4. Is evolution predictable? New Scientist 178(2399) (14 June): 37-38. On 8/2/05, Nick McClure <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > So, how exactly do you test evolution? How do you prove that evolution > is not the result of a greater power influencing the change? > > The question of God will always come into play because to those people > that believe God created the heavens and the earth and creatures and > man, then how will you ever prove to them that God does not exist, and > that God did not design the creatures, in the order prescribed in > Genesis? > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Find out how CFTicket can increase your company's customer support efficiency by 100% http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=49 Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:167759 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
