Tucker Carlson says there is 'no evidence' for Darwin's theory of evolution - and even his friend and boss Elon Musk says he doesn't agree

Tucker Carlson has been mocked by experts after suggesting that Darwin's theory of evolution has been debunked.

The broadcaster made the comments on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, where he also claimed UFOs are piloted by 'spiritual entities' that have hidden headquarters on Earth.

'There's no evidence of evolution,' Carlson said.

'In fact, I think we've given up on the theory of evolution as articulated by Darwin. It's kind of not true.'

Rogan pressed the issue, asking the broadcaster to explain his opinion, to which he claimed 'there is no evidence that people evolved seamlessly from a single cell amoeba.'

Tucker Carlson argued that the theory of evolution has fallen out of favor. Scientists and even many Christians disagree.

Charles Darwin's theory of evolution has been refined over time by modern scientists, but the central idea remains the same: Species change over time to adapt to their conditions

The conversation about evolution began with an offhand comment from Rogan: 'If evolution is real,' at which point Carlson interrupted to ask, 'Is it real?'

'I don't know,' Rogan replied, kicking off the discussion. 'But it's visible. You can measure it in certain animals.'

During his famous trip to the Galapagos Islands in the 1830s, Darwin measured evolution in certain animals - finding mockingbirds were different from island to island. 

Similarly, the finches he collected on different islands during the trip were so different from each other that they were clearly different species.

READ MORE: Tucker Carlson says UFOs are piloted by 'spiritual entities' with bases 'under the ocean and the ground' 

 

UFOs and their pilots might not be 'extra-terrestrials' from a distant planet at all, but 'spiritual entities' who have inhabited Earth for as long as humanity itself, according to Tucker Carlson 

They likely started out as the same bird species, Darwin concluded, but something changed when they migrated to new environments throughout the Galapagos.

As they adapted to their new environments, each new species developed physical features that suited its survival. 

The finches had different beaks depending on their habits: Insect eaters had narrow beaks for scrounging in cracks, whereas nut eaters had thick beaks for cracking shells.

Scientists still agree that Darwin was right about this point. 

'You can measure adaptation, but there's no evidence that evo - in fact, I think we've kind of given up on the idea of evolution,' Carlson said. 'The theory of evolution as articulated by Darwin is like, kind of not true, right?'

'In what sense?' Rogan asked.

'Well in the most basic sense, the idea that all life emerged from a single-cell organism and over time there would be a fossil record of that, and there's not,' Carlson replied.

Countering this point, Rogan noted that there is evidence in the fossil record of transitional species that have adapted to their environments.

A prime example of this is the archaeopteryx, a bird-like dinosaur that provided some of the earliest evidence of transitional species between the groups known to science - in this case, between dinosaurs and modern birds.

The archaeopteryx has a long tail and small teeth, like a dinosaur, but flight feathers and wings like a bird.

Charles Darwin's finches have become a famous example of evolution. They likely started out as the same bird, but as they adapted to their new environments, each new species developed physical features that suited its survival

Transitional species like the archaeopteryx provide strong evidence in support of the theory of evolution: This bird-like dinosaur had teeth and a tail like a dinosaur, but flight feathers and wings like a bird. Tucker Carlson dismissed transitional species as evidence of 'adaptation,' not evolution - a false distinction.

It also possessed a bone called the furcula, which is a fused clavicle bone. 

Only birds and dinosaurs had this feature, suggesting strongly that the extinct species was related to both. 

Carlson, however, dismissed examples of 'adaptation,' saying they don't prove that people evolved from single-cell organisms. 

'There's no evidence at all - none, zero - that people evolved seamlessly from a single-cell amoeba. No, there's not. There's no chain in the fossil record of that at all,' Carlson argued.

'And that's why you don't actually hear people - you hear them make reference to evolution because the theory of adaptation is clearly, obviously true. But Darwin's theory's totally unp - that's why it's still a theory, almost 200 years later.'

Rogan did not press Carlson on the matter, except to ask what his theories are.

'God created people distinctly, and animals,' replied Carlson. He has not made public declarations about his faith, but Carlson tends to speak in support of Christian ideas.

In this case, he cited the biblical book of Genesis, in which God created humans and animals.

The fused clavicle of the archaeopteryx gave strong evidence for its shared relationship to dinosaurs and modern birds

Tucker Carlson argued that humans were created, that we did not evolve from lower lifeforms like single-cell amoebas.

The way Carlson frames the question, there is no room for discussion. 

But his simple answer actually belies how varied the views of Christians are when it comes to evolution.

According to a 2019 Pew Research poll of Americans, between 32 and 62 percent of white evangelical Protestants said they believed humans evolved over time, rather than always existing in their present form. 

Among Catholic responders, the numbers were even higher: Between 71 and 87 percent agreed that humans evolved over time. 

Famed biologist E.O. Wilson has pointed out that fringe opponents of evolution cite Darwin to make it sound like evolution is an ideology that can be traced back to just one man, rather than a well-supported theory. 

'It's a rhetorical device to make evolution seem like a kind of faith, like 'Maoism',' he said. 'Scientists don't call it 'Darwinism'.'

Many Christians in the US actually do believe in evolution, according to a 2019 Pew research poll. People's responses depend on how the question is asked, though.

And in truth, Darwin did not come up with the theory of evolution. Rather, he refined the ideas of scientists who came before him to develop his idea of 'survival of the fittest.' 

Carlson is not the first person to credit Darwin alone with the theory of evolution as a way to imply that it stands on equal footing with his own ideas about human origins. 

The broadcaster was quickly rebuked for his comments by scientists, who correctly pointed out that Carlson misrepresented what a scientific theory is, and that his comments ignore the mountains of evidence supporting the theory of evolution.

The commentator's critics even included some of his frequent boosters like billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk. 

Scientists have refined their explanations since Charles Darwin proposed the theory in the 1800s, but the core idea is the same, and evolution remains the agreed-upon scientific explanation for how living things came to be the way they are.

'Tucker Carlson misunderstands that in everyday speech, 'theory' refers to a hunch or a speculation, but in science, it refers to a comprehensive explanation of nature,' wrote clinical psychologist Jonathan Stea on X. 

'Many scientific theories are so well-established that no new evidence is likely to change them. E.g: evolution,' he said.

Musk replied to multiple such posts on X criticizing Carlson, expressing his agreement with them.

'I don’t agree with his views here, but he does make good points at times,' he wrote. 

There have been no fossil records found showing every stage in the evolutionary chain, but many experts say that is because it is very difficult to trace back microbial life.

But DNA and RNA are so abundant in living things on Earth, another sign that we all evolved from one thing.