Scientists Dismiss Satyapal’s Remarks on Darwin’s Evolution Theory

Singh said our ancestors have nowhere mentioned that they saw an ape turning into a man.

Union minister Satyapal Singh has claimed that Charles Darwin's theory of evolution of man was "scientifically wrong", and it needs to be changed in school and college curriculum.

Singh, the Minister of State for Human Resource Development, said our ancestors have nowhere mentioned that they saw an ape turning into a man.

"Darwin's theory (of evolution of humans) is scientifically wrong. It needs to change in school and college curriculum. Since the man is seen on Earth he has always been a man," he said while speaking to reporters on Friday, 19 January.

The IPS officer-turned-politician was in Aurangabad to attend the 'All India Vaidik Sammelan.' "Nobody, including our ancestors, in written or oral, have said they saw an ape turning into a man," he said.

No books we have read or the tales told to us by our grandparents had such a mention.   

Satyapal Singh

Scientists Respond to Singh’s Statement

In response to Singh’s statement, several leading scientists from various academies have condemned the Union Minister’s remarks and said that it had no scientific basis, reports NDTV.

According to the report, three top science academies of India that include The Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi, The Indian Academy of Sciences, Bengaluru, and the National Academy of Sciences, Allahabad, put forth a joint statement in response to Singh’s remarks on Darwin’s Theory of Evolution.

...There is no scientific basis for the minister’s statements. Evolutionary theory, to which Darwin made seminal contributions, is well established. There is no scientific dispute about the basic facts of evolution. This is a scientific theory, and one that has made many predictions that have been repeatedly confirmed by experiments and observation.

The joint statement, as reported by NDTV

The three academies, that boast of over 2,000 leading scientists, also said in the statement, "It would be a retrograde step to remove the teaching of the theory of evolution from school and college curricula or to dilute this by offering non-scientific explanations or myths.”

Singh, however, responded to the joint statement by saying that he did have a basis to his argument, as he too hailed from a science background.

If I’m making a statement, I can’t make it without a basis... I am a man of science, I’m not coming from Arts background... I have completed my PhD in Chemistry from Delhi University.

Satyapal Singh told NDTV

Darwinism is a theory of biological evolution that states that all species of organisms develop through the natural selection of small, inherited variations that increase the individual's ability to compete, survive, and reproduce.

It was developed by Darwin, a 19th century English naturalist, and others.

(With inputs from PTI and NDTV)

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