It's sad that such statements need to be made in the 21st century.
American Astronomical Society Statement on the Teaching
of Evolution
20 September 2005
The American Astronomical Society supports teaching
evolution in our nation's K-12 science classes. Evolution
is a valid scientific theory for the origin of species that
has been repeatedly tested and verified through
observation, formulation of testable statements to explain
those observations, and controlled experiments or
additional observations to find out whether these ideas are
right or wrong. A scientific theory is not speculation or a
guess -- scientific theories are unifying concepts that
explain the physical universe.
Astronomical observations show that the Universe is many
billions of years old (see the AAS publication, An Ancient
Universe, cited below), that nuclear reactions in stars
have produced the chemical elements over time, and recent
observations show that gravity has led to the formation of
many planets in our Galaxy. The early history of the solar
system is being explored by astronomical observation and by
direct visits to solar system objects. Fossils,
radiological measurements, and changes in DNA trace the
growth of the tree of life on Earth. The theory of
evolution, like the theories of gravity, plate tectonics,
and Big Bang cosmology, explains, unifies, and predicts
natural phenomena. Scientific theories provide a proven
framework for improving our understanding of the world.
In recent years, advocates of "Intelligent Design," have
proposed teaching "Intelligent Design" as a valid
alternative theory for the history of life. Although
scientists have vigorous discussions on interpretations for
some aspects of evolution, there is widespread agreement
on the power of natural selection to shape the emergence of
new species. Even if there were no such agreement,
"Intelligent Design" fails to meet the basic definition of
a scientific idea: its proponents do not present testable
hypotheses and do not provide evidence for their views that
can be verified or duplicated by subsequent researchers.
Since "Intelligent Design" is not science, it does not
belong in the science curriculum of the nation's primary
and secondary schools.
The AAS supports the positions taken by the National
Academy of Sciences, the American Association for the
Advancement of Science, the National Science Teachers'
Association, the American Geophysical Union, the American
Chemical Society, and the American Association of Physics
Teachers on the teaching of evolution. The AAS also
supports the National Science Education Standards: they
emphasize the importance of scientific methods as well as
articulating well-established scientific theories.
Reference Cited
The Ancient Universe: How Astronomers Know the Vast Scale
of Cosmic Time. Published by the American Astronomical
Society. It is also available as a PDF on the Society's
webpages at
http://www.aas.org/education/publications/AncientUniverseWeb.pdf.