InGodITrust writes:
What percentage of scientists subscribe to evolution by natural selection?
Why do you ask? Are you suspicious that schools are teaching a theory for which there is insufficient consensus among scientists?
I was surprised that the study reported by Coragyps found that only 93% of academic scientists in Ohio saw no challenges to the theory of evolution, but reading the news report I see that the survey included both secular and religious institutions. A survey of just the top universities and research institutions in the country would likely raise the number to 99%.
Within scientific circles there's far more dissent about relativity than evolution. The only place where there's uncertainty and confusion about evolution is among the lay public, who as a group can be characterized as scientifically challenged. To have a valid opinion about evolution one should be able to describe how it works, just at a broad and undetailed level, but man-on-the-street surveys would probably reveal that less than 1 in 10 are up to the task. In fact, a fair number can't tell you if the Sun revolves around the Earth or vice versa, and can't pick out countries or even continents from an unmarked globe. In other words, that a large percentage of the lay public questions evolution is just one more piece of data confirming the sad state of education in this country.
--Percy
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