Harvard Plans Study Questioning Evolution and the Origins of Life
Harvard University is planning a scientific study on the origins of life – a move some say is proof that science has yet to disprove alternative theories to evolution, such as intelligent design.
Harvard University is planning a scientific study on the origins of life – a move some say is proof that science has yet to disprove alternative theories to evolution, such as intelligent design.
"This is ... a stunning admission that the current theories do not explain it, and it has not refuted the idea that things are the product of intelligent cause," said John West, a senior fellow at the Seattle-based Discovery Institute, a think tank that backs intelligent design theory, to the Associated Press.
The “Origins of Life in the Universe” study begins with the admission that some mysteries of life’s origins cannot be explained. A team of researchers, who announced Monday that they will receive $1 million in funding annually from Harvard over the next few years, will study various disciplines of biology, chemistry and astronomy to seek scientific answers to longtime questions about evolution.
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The announcement comes amid a growing national debate over teaching alternatives to evolution in public schools. Last month, President George W. Bush surprised the world and satisfied religious conservatives when he said he believed intelligent design should be taught in schools along evolution so people can better understand the different sides to the argument.
Intelligent design supports the theory that nature is so complex, it could not have occurred by random natural selection, as held by Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, so the universe must be the work of an intelligent agent.
Opponents of Intelligent design have dubbed it “the brainchild of creationism,” but advocates have stressed a core difference that could make it much more palatable to the scientific community: creationism starts with the Bible, but Intelligent Design starts with nature. Furthermore, intelligent design is compatible to evolution since it does not rule out the process of evolution as part of a larger intelligent plan.
Harvard spokesman B.D. Colen said the project was not in response to the debate over intelligent design, but did admit the core questions about life had yet to be answered.
"This is not something that began recently or something that began in reaction to what's going on in the larger environment," said Harvard spokesman Colen. "It's a project that began because scientists are seeking answers to some of the biggest questions ever posed."
Harvard’s “Origins of Life in the Universe” is still in its early stages and will raise money from other organizations.
