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Pick up a newspaper or magazine, turn on the television or radio, cruise the Web and you will invariably encounter a discussion about evolution—from reports about new scientific insights that deepen our understanding of the connectedness of life forms, to debates about whether evolution should be taught in tandem with creationism or intelligent design, and data that point to deep public ambivalence about science as a way of understanding the world.
A plurality of Americans believe that human beings and other creatures have evolved over time—a central premise of Darwin's theory of evolution—but an almost equal number (41 percent) believe that all living things have existed in their present form since the beginning of time, according to research by the Pew Center for People and the Press. Moreover, fully one-third of the public believes there's no consensus among scientists about evolution, and a clear majority of those polled (65 percent) believes that creationism should be taught alongside evolution.
So what is the role of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute? As an organization focused on basic biomedical research and science education, our stand is clear. We are committed to the scientific investigation of the natural world—what Darwin's contemporary Thomas Huxley described as "the mode at which all phenomena are reasoned about, rendered precise and exact."
Photo: Paul Fetters
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