Common descent

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Common descent is an idea in Biology which is applied on two levels, with a group of species being said to share a recent common ancestor, or the broader conjecture, universal common ancestry, which asserts that all organisms on earth originated from common ancestors. The idea of common descent is usually associated with Darwin's Theory of Evolution, but creationists often suggest it as a solution to the difficulty of the Ark capacity limit.

Darwin wrote:


Common Descent Implausible

Dr. Jonathan Wells published a book in 2002 entitled Icons of Evolution. Dr. Wells says that "the best-known “evidences” for Darwin’s theory have been exaggerated, distorted or even faked."[1][2][3] Also, he says that many current biology textbooks use distorted pictures of vertebrate embryos to convince students that vertebrates share a common ancestor. (Wells)

On the other hand, noted evolutionist Stephen Gould wrote the following regarding Ernst Haeckel's work in a March 2000 issue of Natural History:


Creationist scientists have written regarding the nature of Haeckel's work and how a prestigious German science journal published a work that they believe was invalid.[5][6]

Some advocates of Intelligent Design accept common descent. Most notably Michael Behe: "The word "evolution" carries many associations. Usually it means common descent -- the idea that all organisms living and dead are related by common ancestry. I have no quarrel with the idea of common descent, and continue to think it explains similarities among species. By itself, however, common descent doesn't explain the vast differences among species."[7]


  7. Darwin Under the Microscope