What evidence supports the theory of evolution?

Answer

Evolution is not about belief, so 'evolutionists' do not so much believe in evolution as accept the overwhelming evidence and the fact that the Theory of Evolution is so well demonstrated.

Charles Darwin developed the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection before most of the fossil evidence for the theory existed. He looked at the micro-evolution practiced by pigeon breeders, the evidence on the Galapagos Islands and elsewhere, and realized that evolution was the only explanation that made sense. He saw that related species were to be found in close proximity, evidence of evolution from a single parent species, whereas a single act of Special Creation ought to have placed the species anywhere on the globe where the environment was suitable.

The fossil record shows clear evidence of evolution over a period of more than a billion years. Certainly, at first, there were no transitional species among the many species that had been found, although scientists saw much that did confirm the Theory of Evolution. That has changed, because many transitional species have been found. A recently discovered 220-million year old fossil, Odontochelys semitestacea, is a new species of turtle that had a fully formed shell on its underside, but only a small partial shell on its back, extending from its backbone. As well as a partial shell, Odontochelys semitestaceaalso had ribs that had begun to widen, thus demonstrating that the fully developed shell of later turtles evolved from the ribs of earlier species. Tiktaalik roseae is the name of a newly discovered lobe-finned fossil fish from the late Devonian period, that is a transitional form to amphibians, with basic wrist bones and simple fingers, as well as the robust ribcage necessitated by existence out of water. Odontochelys semitestacea and Tiktaalik roseae are two more pieces in the jigsaw that shows conclusively how life on Earth evolved from earlier species.

Scientists can now use DNA evidence from modern species to support the fossil record, as evidence of evolution.

 

Answer

In spite of creationist claims to the contrary, evolution really does tell us about the origin of species.
Some examples of early transitional species:

• Tiktaalik roseae is the name of a newly discovered lobe-finned fossil fish from the late Devonian period, that is a transitional form to amphibians. It had basic wrist bones and simple fingers, as well as the robust ribcage necessitated by existence out of water.
  
  There would be no conceivable explanation for Tiktaalik other than evolution.
• Another example of a clearly transitional species is the 380 million-year-old fossil of a primitive fish, Gogonasus. It had fins strong enough to support its weight in shallow water and propel itself along. A scan of the fossil, using a three-dimensional X-ray microscope, revealed its skeleton had several features that were more like those of a four-legged land animal, or tetrapod, than a fish. They included the structure of its middle ear and the existence of precursors of the forearm bones in its fins: the radius and ulna.
  
  Here was a fish that had already evolved to a point where it had much in common with later land animals.
  
  
• A recently discovered 220-million year old fossil, Odontochelys semitestacea, is further evidence of evolution. This new species of turtle had a fully formed shell on its underside, but only a small partial shell on its back, extending from its backbone. Scientists had long debated how the turtle shell evolved. As well as a partial shell, Odontochelys semitestaceaalso had ribs that had begun to widen, thus demonstrating that the fully developed shell of later turtles evolved from the ribs of earlier species.
  
  Odontochelys semitestacea is one more piece in the jigsaw that shows conclusively how life on Earth evolved from earlier species.

 

Answer

Evidence for evolution comes from comparative embryology and observations of much similarity among embryos of many different animals: early embryos of vertebrates are similar, fish-like gills and other anatomical structures appear in many vertebrate embryos, limb bones of animals alike in number, useless body parts (such as tail bone in Homo sapiens).

Also, according to Darwin, natural selection and variation are the supporting factors for evolution. As species evolve and differ from each other their genes also change over time, and genetic diversity is a precondition for evolution. Thus, evolution occurs because certain individuals are better adapted for their environment (due to the gene change) and are better able to survive environmental pressures and become parents for the next generation.
 

Another Answer

· many people think that "survival of the fittest" means only the biggest and strongest survive, it actually means that those best suited to (fitting) their environment will survive

· many people believe that evolution is still a theory when actually there has been more than enough physical evidence to place evolution into a generally accepted science

· there is a physical connection between all living things that is not just theory, there are three innate traits identified in all living things, supporting one's life, defending one's life and reproducing one's life.

 

Answer

Biogeography is the study of species over space and time. It predicts that (if evolution is correct) species closely related to each other should be found close together (except for creatures with very high mobility like sea-faring birds, humans and animals moved around by humans)

What we find is that, for example, marsupial mammals live almost exclusively in Australia, while placental mammals are rare there. Marsupials are much more closely related to each other than they are to other mammals.
Also rabbits were introduced to Australia by humans rather recently. In Australia there are no predators which eat rabbits and no herbivores capable of competing with them, so rabbits thrive. If evolution were not true then there is no reason for rabbits not to have been found in Australia originally as they seem to do so well there. However biogeography suggests that as rabbits evolved in Europe, Asia or North America (all connected by land bridges in the recent past) they cannot be found in Australia because it is isolated from those continents.

There is too much of it to describe here. Please go to the related link, '29+ Evidences for Macroevolution'.