For example, answering Why are multidrug resistant microorganisms so common? can inform us how we might prevent their spread. As early as the 1940s, evolutionary biologists warned that widespread use of antibiotics would guarantee that microbes would evolve resistance to them. Penicillin was introduced in 1943 and by 1945 resistance was observed. Methicillin was introduced in the 1960s and by the 1990s 35% of all Staphylococcus strains were resistant. Evolution explains why this happened. Natural selection favors genetic variants in the bacteria that can grow and reproduce in the presence of the antibiotic. From why we can also learn how we might slow down this process. For example, researchers have shown that bacteria are often exposed to forces that reduce their growth, such as antibiotics and bacteriophages (viruses). If evolving resistance to one (bacteriophage) causes susceptibility to the other (antibiotic), then the evolution of resistance can be slowed down or possibly eliminated.
These insights would have been impossible without research in evolutionary science. Other examples of the importance of evolutionary science to solve crucial problems abound, including investigating the biology of aging, finding cures for diseases such as cancer, assessing the role of the microbiome in maintaining an individual's health, and understanding how genetic diversity can contribute to personalized medicine. Furthermore, evolutionary science is being utilized in engineering and computer science. Evolutionary and genetic algorithms are machine-learning tools that can solve particularly difficult problems (e.g. cybersecurity, or unanticipated software conflicts). Therefore, as a nation, we cannot afford the ongoing attacks on evolutionary science. Furthermore, these attacks on the teaching of basic science widen the opportunity gap between those who have benefited the most from our society and those who have been underserved by it. To allow this to continue erodes the search for scientific talent and places the position of the United States as a leader in scientific research in serious jeopardy.