I have heard that there are no transitional fossils. Or alternatively, that there are not enough transitional fossils. Is this true?

No, there are actually plenty of transitional fossils. It’s just that creationists ignore them. There is Archaeopteryx, with reptile and bird characteristics, Tiktalik is a fish with land animal characteristics, and Australopithecus is a human ancestor that walked upright. When given an example of a transitional fossil, creationists claim that it is just not transitional enough. It’s like having two cups sitting on a table. You have a gap between the two. Now put a third cup in between. Now you have two gaps. This is what creationists do with fossils. Please see here, here and here for some examples of transitional fossils.

The low number of transitional fossils could be from a process called Punctuated Equilibrium, proposed by Elridge and Gould in 1972. Punctuated equilibrium states that a small founder population gets separated from the main population. Rapid changes build up in the smaller gene pool. This creates new species that leave behind few fossils since fossilization is so rare anyway. The low number of fossils may be evidence of rapid change, not missing evidence for gradual evolution. (www.pbs.org) (Shermer, Why People Believe Weird Things p. 148-149)

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Evolution Questions:

Common Misconceptions About Evolution

• Can biology be taught without evolution?
• I heard there are hundreds of scientists against evolution. Is this true?
• Isn’t evolution just a theory?
• Scientists are human, and humans make mistakes. How can we trust their conclusions?
• Since evolution can’t explain everything, does that mean it is wrong?
• Since so many people believe in creationism, shouldn’t it be taught as well just to be fair?
• There are only two explanations, creationism or evolution.

Common Creationist Claims

• Creationists say that there is no evidence for evolution and that all the evidence points to creationism. Is this true?
• Did a global flood deposit all the fossils?
• Did Darwin recant on his deathbed?
• Do you want to be descended from a monkey?
• Does evolution violate the second law of thermodynamics?
• Does the entire geologic column exist?
• Has speciation ever been observed?
• How many scientists are actually creationists?
• I have heard people claim that evolution is the cause of all our social problems. Communism, Nazism, racism, lust, greed, hate, all are caused by the teaching of evolution. Is this true?
• I have heard that there are no transitional fossils. Or alternatively, that there are not enough transitional fossils. Is this true?
• I’ve heard that crime rates have gone up since the teaching of evolution began. Surely there must be a correlation?
• If evolution is true, does that mean that there are no morals?
• If humans are descended from apes, why are there still apes around?
• Is Carbon 14 dating accurate?
• Is Creationism scientific?
• Is it possible for evolution to create the diversity of life? I don’t see how it could have happened. Surely it had to have had a creator?
• Is it true that human and dinosaur tracks have been found together at Paluxy River, Texas?
• Is the earth only 6,000 years old?
• Isn’t evolution just another religion?
• Micro evolution occurs, but macro evolution does not. Is this true?
• Piltdown man was a hoax, what does that mean for evolution?
• The Cambrian Explosion shows new creatures appearing suddenly, with no ancestors. There are no Precambrian fossils. How could this occur?
• Were many famous scientists creationists? Newton and Pasteur were creationists.
• Were you there when evolution happened?
• What is Creationism?

Intelligent Design

• As we see design in nature, surely there must be a designer?
• Does Intelligent Design have explanatory power?
• Intelligent Design does not name a designer. Surely it could have been caused be an advanced alien civilization instead of a supernatural entity?
• Is the universe fine tuned for life?
• Some people claim that intelligent design is not creationism and that it is something entirely new. Is this correct?
• Surely Intelligent Design is not religious, but scientific in nature?
• Surely some things are too complex to evolve. Isn’t it true that the human eye and bacteria flagellum are examples of irreducible complexity?