Transcript You Know Evolution Makes Sense! 1 2

Health Warning – Just one reason why you must support the New Florida Science Standards
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It has been all too easy to forget just how awful untreated bacterial infections used to be (in the case of the little
girl shown - blood poisoning). The pictures were taken in 1942 when amputation and death due to bacterial
infection were everyday events. Image 1 and 2 show a young girl who is very sick indeed, yet just a few days
later when photos 3 and 4 were taken, she is a lot better. In the final two photos, she is completely cured. This
amazing recovery was possible only because she was treated with the penicillin (the first antibiotic) which, without
any major side-effects, safely destroyed the harmful bacteria that were making her sick.
The Problem
Bacteria are evolving and due to the natural selection mechanism sometimes called “survival of the fittest”, our
present armoury of antibiotics is becoming less and less effective and already serious problems are arising in our
hospitals. It is vital that we teach the next generation of young people the “fact” that Darwin’s Theory of Evolution
is the key governing principle in Biology and applies to all living organisms from human beings to bacteria.
Otherwise cases such as the one depicted will again become an everyday occurrence because we shall not have
the cohort of scientists needed to create medications or devise effective public health strategies that depend on
expert understanding of Darwin’s truly brilliant theory of the way organisms evolve (i.e. Evolution). Those who
oppose the teaching of Darwin’s theory in our schools as the bedrock of Biology are acting against the best
interests of You - the Citizens of Florida and in particular your Children
For the sake of your children please contact your Senator now and tell him/her to vote for the new
Science Standards that recognize, what the rest of the World does, that Evolution is the Bedrock of
Biology and Medical Science - You Know Evolution Makes Sense!
This Advertisement has been paid for personally by Professor Sir Harold and Margaret Kroto. Professor Kroto is a Nobel Laureate
in Chemistry 1996, Fellow of the Royal Society (London) and Foreign Associate of the (US) National Academy of Sciences.
Professor Kroto is currently a Frances Eppes Professor of Chemistry at the Florida State University. We thank the Australian
National University for permission to use these photographs (cf www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/florey/)
in 3 weeks
This may return
as
Bacteria are evolving into forms
that are resistant to Penicillin