Evolution conversation questions

'''This is a potentially controversial subject in some societies, and consequently some teachers may want to carefully consider if they wish to use all of these questions. '''

Evolution

 * Do you think that evolution is "just" a theory?
 * What does the word "theory" mean to a scientist? In other words, what do scientists mean when they refer to the "theory of relativity" the "theory of evolution"?
 * What does the word "hypothesis" mean to a scientist?
 * What do you understand by the term ‘natural selection’?
 * What do you think of the term ‘survival of the fittest’? Is it the best description of evolution?
 * If an animal survives, but doesn't reproduce, is it helping the evolution of the species?
 * Does evolution always produce animals which are "better"? What about cave-living fish which lose their eyes? Or island-living birds which lose the ability to fly?
 * Why do you think that some species survive and evolve while others go extinct?
 * Did Darwin's theory of evolution "kill God"? Is it possible to reconcile contradictions between religious texts and his theory?

Human evolution

 * Did we evolve from monkeys, did monkeys evolve from humans or did we both evolve from something else?
 * What human traits are you familiar with that are a direct result of evolution from our common ancestor?


 * Why have humans evolved to have different colours and other features?
 * In what ways are Homo sapiens and Neanderthals similar?
 * Should we attempt to clone Neanderthals from their DNA samples?
 * If Neanderthals had survived to this day how do you think our species - Homo sapiens - would treat them?
 * Are humans in any way “special”? How exactly?
 * Are human beings the pinnacle of evolution? In other words, are we the "best evolved" species - the "objective" of the evolutionary process?
 * Are there other animals better adapted to their environment than we are?
 * If intelligence is so useful why are we the only species to have evolved it?
 * Are we still evolving or does science and technology do it for us?

Pronunciation

 * Homo sapiens:
 * BrE: /ˌhɒməʊ ˈsæpiːenz/, /ˌhəʊməʊ ˈsæpiːenz/
 * AmE: /ˌhəʊməʊ ˈseɪpiːenz/, /ˌhəʊməʊ ˈsæpiːenz/


 * Neanderthal: /niːˈændərtɑːl/

Evolution and religion

 * Many schools in the USA teach Young Earth creationism – the idea that God put humans on Earth in their present form some 7,000 years ago - as an alternative to evolution. What do you think of this?
 * Why do you think that creationism is more popular in the US compared to most of the rest of the western world?
 * Are evolution and religion naturally incompatible?
 * Supporters of the idea of "Intelligent Design" maintain that if something looks designed then it was designed. What do you think of this argument?
 * Do you think that intelligent design or creationism are legitimate scientific alternatives to evolution? Why or why not?