Many Americans believe that the big-picture story of evolution, as biology professors routinely expound it, is false.¹ Basically, they haven't bought into the concept that all life descended from one common ancestor that miraculously sprang into being millions of years ago. And that makes sense, considering there are no real examples of that kind of evolution.

Since its inception, Charles Darwin's story that life evolved in response to environmental pressures has not been supported by what is actually observed in nature. Despite this, it has been universally taught as accurate science since shortly after the publication of his On the Origin of Species in 1859.

Sponges have long been considered one of the "simplest" forms of life. Now an international team of scientists has analyzed sponge DNA and concluded that it shares representative genes associated with the core processes of all animal cells--including human cells. What does this say about where sponges and people came from?

To produce offspring, males and females contribute specialized reproductive cells called gametes--sperm cells from males and eggs from females. Most genes used to manufacture gametes differ from organism to organism. Scientists were surprised, therefore, by a recent study showing that, in spite of those differences, one gene in particular was present in all the animals surveyed.

July 22, 2010, marked the 100th anniversary of genetic investigations using fruit flies.