In the U.S., eight out of 10 people reject the theory of evolution, and only 14 percent accept evolution as a natural process, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edward Humes told a packed audience Wednesday.

The CUB Senior Ballroom filled with students, faculty and staff well before the 7 p.m. lecture began, with extra chairs set up for the overfill. Humes said he was amazed that more than 600 people attended, and he was impressed with the audience’s questions after his speech.

“It was very gratifying,” he said in an interview with The Daily Evergreen. “I’ve sensed a greater hostility at other universities, but at this university there was more intellectual curiosity on display.” Humes discussed concepts from his new book, “Monkey Girl: Evolution, Education, Religion and the Battle for America’s Soul,” which focuses on why so many Americans reject evolution. Humes said he finds it odd because American society usually loves scientific ideas and theories.

“What culture loves the fruits of science more than America, with our iPods and our plasma TVs and our digital lifestyle?” Humes asked the audience.

Humes said about half of Americans outright reject the idea because they feel like it’s conspiracy theory.

“And yet we think the scientists who created all of this are a pack of liars, all of them, really,” Humes said. “Apparently, the ultimate conspiracy theory is hundreds of thousands of scientists plotting to get us to worship at the altar of Darwin.” Humes said evolution provokes a war between science and faith. He compared this scientific war to the war in Iraq, identifying both as wars of choice. He said that much like the war in Iraq, the evolution war was not a necessity, but Americans still chose to fight it.

Humes illustrated this war analogy by describing a trial in Dover, Pa., where school district administrators wished to incorporate the theory of intelligent design into the curriculum. School officials said that they only taught the theory of evolution because it was required, and they wanted to teach both theories side by side.

“Intelligent design was just a simpler idea without naming the designer,” Humes said. “It could be anything. It could be an unnamed force. It could be space aliens, but the advocates were not going to say. Basically, they weren’t going to violate the Constitution.” WSU junior chemistry major Jeremy Walmsley said he enjoyed Humes’ depiction of intelligent design and its supporters.

“Some of the claims they make are absolutely insane,” Walmsley said.

Humes said that though intelligent design advocates won’t directly name a creator, there is no doubt that God is the creator. He said people who believe evolution is wrong or stupid usually feel this way because they think evolution is random. Contrary to that belief, Humes said evolution is not random at all.

“Evolution explains how life forms changed across generations by passing on helpful traits to their offspring, which can gradually transform a species or create a whole new species,” he said.

Humes described skeptics’ opinions as “Talk Radio Evolution.” He said this is the type of evolution people hear about, such as the idea that all humans evolved from monkeys or that life randomly just started somewhere for no reason.

Sophomore bioengineering major Shantel Martinez said she found the lecture interesting and insightful.

“I think it’s very much possible that you can believe in evolution and still have your own religious beliefs,” Martinez said. “And it shouldn’t be so hard for our world, our country, to not have issues about it.”