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Getting the monkey off Darwin's back: four common myths about evolution: evolution is poorly characterized by certain commonly used phrases. Properly communicating how evolution works requires careful attention to language and metaphor.

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From: Skeptical Inquirer
Date: 20050501
Author:Smith, Cameron McPherson; Sullivan, Charles

Nearly 150 years after Charles Darwin published On The Origin of Species, the theory of evolution is still widely misunderstood by the general public. Evolution isn't a fringe theory, and it's not difficult to understand, yet recent surveys reveal that roughly half of Americans believe that humans were created in their present form 10,000 years ago (Brooks 2001, CBS 2004). The same number reject the concept that humans developed from earlier species of animals (National Science Board 2000).

But the evidence is clear that no species, including humans, simply "popped up." Each ...

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