The Geological Society of London adds its voice for evolution


In a statement issued on April 11, 2008, the Geological Society of London denounced young-earth creationism, "creation science," and "intelligent design" as "a trespass upon the domain of science," and described the great age of the earth, the great age of life on earth, and evolution by natural selection as "long established beyond doubt," adding, "Close study of the structure and organisation of living animals and plants clearly indicates their common ancestry, and the succession of forms through the fossil record, as well as the genetic record contained in every living organism, provides powerful evidence of the reality of evolution."

Appended to the society's brief statement was a list of further resources, including the Royal Society of London's statement on on evolution, creationism, and "intelligent design"; the National Academy of Sciences publication Evolution, Science, and Creationism; the International Society for Science and Religion's statement on the concept of "intelligent design"; and the testimony given in the Kitzmiller v. Dover trial by Kevin Padian, a vertebrate paleontologist at the University of California, Berkeley, and president of NCSE's board of directors. Founded in 1807, the Geological Society of London is the United Kingdom's national society for geoscience, and the oldest geological society in the world.