The Peppered Moth and Darwin’s Finches
The Peppered Moth and Darwin’s Finches Do the Classic Textbook Examples Prove Evolution? Many biology textbooks have long cited two classic examples as proof of Darwinian evolution. They are the color change of the Peppered Moth and the beak changes (size and shape) in the Galapagos finches (Darwin’s finches). These examples continue to be cited even though science has subsequently shown each to be either greatly oversimplified or completely wrong. Neither example is a simple nor obvious proof of evolution as claimed. The related scientific literature is extensive and complicated, but careful reading shows that the examples of the peppered moth and Darwin’s finches are being misrepresented. DARWIN’S FINCHS Birds in the Galapagos Islands now commonly known as Darwin’s finches are frequently cited as proof of evolution. The claim is that an original finch evolved into over a dozen different species. This occurred because various birds were shaped by natural ...