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General Category => General Talk => Topic started by: Ryan on June 12, 2008, 06:03:20 am

Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Ryan on June 12, 2008, 06:03:20 am
Quote from: Bactera make major evolutionary shift in the lab
A major evolutionary innovation has unfurled right in front of researchers' eyes. It's the first time evolution has been caught in the act of making such a rare and complex new trait.

And because the species in question is a bacterium, scientists have been able to replay history to show how this evolutionary novelty grew from the accumulation of unpredictable, chance events.

http://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/dn14094-bacteria-make-major-evolutionary-shift-in-the-lab.html


So for the first time, evolution on a major scale has been observed and confirmed in a lab environment. This kind of blows a huge hole in the creationism arguments! So yeah, discuss how silly creationists must feel now and how cool this is!
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: `~congresman Ron paul~~ on June 12, 2008, 06:06:38 am
it was god intervening i swear

i mean i talk to him directly he told me what's the deal
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: headphonics on June 12, 2008, 06:10:01 am
you know i found out a few months ago to my ABJECT HORROR that my mom was a creationist for some inexplicable reason (she's not even religious i don't get it!!!) and ever since then i've periodically wondered how she does it.  i mean the entire argument is more or less just HEH ITS JUST A RTHEORY for most people and beyond the fact that that's bullshit, there's just SCADS of empirical evidence and now this, but you know that it will somehow get rationalized or dismissed nonetheless.

this is very cool shit, though!  it's not like my opinions on this shit needed reinforced but if they did, this definitely would've done it!
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: the_hoodie on June 12, 2008, 06:10:56 am
Maybe I'm just being dumb because it's late and I'm tired, but what do we gain from this, other than the fact that creationists are wrong, which we already knew?
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Ryan on June 12, 2008, 06:14:06 am
they have samples from every generation of bacteria, letting them replay the history from any generation of their choosing, allowing them to find out exactly what caused the evolution to take place.

also it's a HISTORICAL FIRST.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: GZ on June 12, 2008, 06:17:09 am
correct me if i am wrong but don't some creationists (i am unsure how many) believe in evolution? basically doesn't this only apply to the people who believe the earth is roughly 10,000 years old? granted there are quite a few people like this, but it's my understanding you can believe some kind of god had a part in creating the universe as well as evolution.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: headphonics on June 12, 2008, 06:19:59 am
correct me if i am wrong but don't some creationists (i am unsure how many) believe in evolution? basically doesn't this only apply to the people who believe the earth is roughly 10,000 years old? granted there are quite a few people like this, but it's my understanding you can believe some kind of god had a part in creating the universe as well as evolution.
no you're right i think but idk from PERSONAL EXPERIENCE if nothing else, most people who identify themselves as creationists are the kind who think of evolution as creationism as mutual exclusives.  maybe it's different with others though!
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Ryan on June 12, 2008, 06:22:16 am
correct me if i am wrong but don't some creationists (i am unsure how many) believe in evolution? basically doesn't this only apply to the people who believe the earth is roughly 10,000 years old? granted there are quite a few people like this, but it's my understanding you can believe some kind of god had a part in creating the universe as well as evolution.

Quote
Creationism is a religious belief that humanity, life, the Earth, and the universe were created in their original form by a deity (often the Abrahamic God of Judaism, Christianity and Islam) or deities, whose existence is presupposed.[1] In relation to the creation-evolution controversy the term creationism (or strict creationism) is commonly used to refer to religiously-motivated rejection of evolution.

so i guess the true creationism is total rejection of evolution! i know a ton of people who kind of toe the line with "i believe god created evolution" or something
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: crone_lover720 on June 12, 2008, 06:23:46 am
This is actually kind of frustrating, because if you've ever taken a class that really breaks down genetics and evolution it's like NO SHIT WE KNEW DIS

Which is also why it's not that huge of a blow to intelligent design dicks. There are the ID people that are just so out of it that they know nothing about science or evolution, so probably this wouldn't affect them. Then there are the huge jackasses who understand evolution and the fact that this shit can and always will happen given the necessary rules apply to the population, but they still insist that design must have occured in the past and that this is science. so they won't care either, they'll just be sitting back stroking their philosopher's beards smugly and muttering "heh, this proves nothing"

wait what's the difference between ID and creationism I forget?

edit: tuned down my insults for you folks.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Ryan on June 12, 2008, 06:25:33 am
iirc ID is just the belief that the universe was created by an intelligent being. i'm probably wrong, though!

edit: oh nvm haha

Quote
Intelligent design is the assertion that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection".[1][2] It is a modern form of the traditional teleological argument for the existence of God, modified to avoid specifying the nature or identity of the designer to avoid a United States court ruling prohibiting the teaching of creationism as science.

it's basically creationism just without the specific god reference
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Pulits on June 12, 2008, 06:29:51 am
I don't know if you guys but I find this morbidly amazing. :D
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Twin Matrix on June 12, 2008, 06:31:58 am
Until they record a bacterium evolving into a human, something random like that can't prove that creationism is wrong. It's just a poke in the eye, or however the article stated it. I still think it's pretty much bullshit. Humans just HAPPENED to be like the only species to evolve into intelligent beings. You'd think that over time all creatures would become uber-animals, according to the evolution theory. Maybe in 10.000 years we'll see giraffe-humans and bigass elephants with shark jaws. Right. Both theories can't actually be proven. Like, ever. Unless they find a way to "speed" up evolution, but then it would still be under different circumstances and such so you couldn't bring REAL proof. Science != fact. It's such a hype nowadays to be anti-creationism though. Didn't the anti-creationism start with people wanting to think for themselves? Now they all just follow the herd instead of thinking about it. School books are horribly anti-creationistic as well. I mean, you COULD just state facts about research on evolution AND creationism. Instead of dedicated, what, one page to creationism and every 5 sentences say that it's wrong? I mean wtf, make it neutral. *flashbacks of WWII Germany propaganda* But then again history classes over here is pro-the Netherlands and pro-Europe too, so whatever.

@ ^: Yea, you can't believe in creationism and evolution. But you can believe in evolution and religion. Like that God caused the Big Bang and steered everything to create DNA and such. I personally don't prefer creationism over evolution, or visa versa. Obviously evolution exists in some form or another, but it remains to be seen if a simple life form like a bacterium can actually become a full grown animal. =)
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Ryan on June 12, 2008, 06:36:06 am
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: headphonics on June 12, 2008, 06:36:52 am
well it probably has something to do with the fact that you can't research a fucking fairy tale and also if you don't think this is proof that evolution EXISTS (i.e. it JUST FUCKING HAPPENED) then i don't know what to tell you but BOY your post was certainly fun to read!
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Twin Matrix on June 12, 2008, 06:39:31 am
^

Did you read the second half of my post at all?

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Obviously evolution exists in some form or another, but it remains to be seen if a simple life form like a bacterium can actually become a full grown animal. =)

This doesn't proof that everything evolved into the way it is now. There could other theories that haven't been discovered yet.

@Ryan: lol grow up
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: crone_lover720 on June 12, 2008, 06:42:53 am
lmao twin matrix is here, sup

iirc ID is just the belief that the universe was created by an intelligent being. i'm probably wrong, though!

edit: oh nvm haha

it's basically creationism just without the specific god reference
oh yeah, this makes sense then. the people I know of who support ID and call themselves scientists don't deny that evolution can happen, they just think a lot of facets of life were designed at some point. like there's a lot of really complex shit in simple lifeforms that we can't explain, but to go ahead and assume it implies design is such a weird thing for a scientist to do, you basically destroy your sci-cred
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: headphonics on June 12, 2008, 06:43:02 am
yes that's a good point only small-scale evolution exists and instead of the same exact process occurring on a larger scale over a much longer period of time, some guy in the sky made everything

Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Niitaka on June 12, 2008, 06:48:04 am
Science != fact. I mean, you COULD just state facts about research on evolution AND creationism.
Science != fact. I mean, you COULD just state facts about research on evolution AND creationism.
Science != fact. I mean, you COULD just state facts about research on evolution AND creationism.
Science != fact. I mean, you COULD just state facts about research on evolution AND creationism.
Science != fact. I mean, you COULD just state facts about research on evolution AND creationism.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: losc on June 12, 2008, 06:50:01 am
Alot of creationists use completely backwards logic and don't believe in science period so this discovery isn't going to affect them very much, these are usually the people that really piss me off with their stupidity so this really only shows something I already knew to be true.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Marmot on June 12, 2008, 06:57:55 am
hey guys lets put this in context remember that twinmatrix hates black people for some reason.

i always wondered why racism and creationism always go hand in hand
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Marmot on June 12, 2008, 06:58:41 am
twinmatrix you are a terrible person
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Bravo on June 12, 2008, 07:00:24 am
oh yeah lets shit on creationists, come on guys lets go. if they try to defend themselves lets say they have backwards way of thinking yea!

seriously, I think this is really cool. Is it going to change minds? Well not on its own, but hopefully it'll shut up the ppl saying, there's no proof of evolution. I personally think this is very cool. Because now for me, instead of evolution being some theory whose concept I can only read about, its now IN ACTION. FUCK YEAH!
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Farren on June 12, 2008, 07:03:20 am
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School books are horribly anti-creationistic as well. I mean, you COULD just state facts about research on evolution AND creationism.

Your bullshit religion is not a science. Therefore, it should NOT be taught to children as such.

Quote
Yea, you can't believe in creationism and evolution. But you can believe in evolution and religion.

ahem...[cough]
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: GZ on June 12, 2008, 07:05:25 am
i predict this will be an excellent topic and many friends will be made
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Feldschlacht IV on June 12, 2008, 07:08:45 am
I don't really think that many people believe in strict creationism anymore so I don't really see what the big "victory" is for evolutionists. It certainly doesn't put a dent in the God debate to any degree either. It's still interesting from a scientific viewpoint, though.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Mongoloid on June 12, 2008, 07:33:36 am
The dent is, we have evidence that evolution exists. There is no evidence AT ALL for ID.
For me it seems pretty obvious that evolution can and did happen on a greater scale. Apply the same results this test got, to humans and primates.

edit: Sorry, I had to edit this. I just can't understand how people believe in intelligent design!!! It's ridiculous!
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: headphonics on June 12, 2008, 07:39:34 am
Quote
Instead of dedicated, what, one page to creationism and every 5 sentences say that it's wrong? I mean wtf, make it neutral. *flashbacks of WWII Germany propaganda*
btw i completely missed this the first time around so i just want to say thank you twin matrix................thank you
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Marcus on June 12, 2008, 07:43:13 am
so i guess the true creationism is total rejection of evolution! i know a ton of people who kind of toe the line with "i believe god created evolution" or something

or, you know, god set the wheels of creation in motion and let nature handle the rest.

regardless, evolution is composed of three mechanics (uh... thinking back to 6th grade here!! genetic drift, natural selection, and gene flow or something) and i think it's short minded to say that people completely ignore that.  most people in the world acknowledge that evolution exists they just have different opinions of how THE EARTH CAME TO BE. 

only a blind fool would go "lol natural selection birds existed since the beginning of time!"
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: CorporateGreed on June 12, 2008, 08:51:01 am

only a blind fool would go "lol natural selection birds existed since the beginning of time!"

Therefore it's pretty damn sad so many people believe this.

Either way, I've never believed in anything, so this doesn't do much for me. Yeah, I think
it's great we have proof, but it isn't going to change anything for the next few years.
At least until they can take the project some levels further.

That said, religious people will stay religious people, no matter what proof of the contrary is
put on the table. Most they will do is slightly adjust their views and say "But that's what we
meant all along!". Which is why I can't stand most of 'em.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Clucky on June 12, 2008, 08:57:22 am
WHY AREA LL EVOLTUIONISTS ASSHOLLES???

Your bullshit religion is not a science. Therefore, it should NOT be taught to children as such.
Man, chill out. Of course religion isn't a science since it can't be proven, and anybody who says otherwise is an idiot. So no, it shouldn't be taught in schools. But you don't need to go and attack somebody else's beliefs, however ridiculous they may seem, just because you disagree with them.

The dent is, we have evidence that evolution exists. There is no evidence AT ALL for ID.
That's exactly why it's a belief, and why it shouldn't be taught in schools. People are entitled to believe whatever the hell they want until there's proof that stands against it, in which case it's just ignorance. There's nothing to disprove most religions, so people are entitled to believe them.

Anyway, I personally think this is pretty cool. I'm Christian and do believe the universe was created by God, but I also believe that he created it through the big bang and evolution. The Bible also never talked about how long the actual creation process took, so I have no doubts that evolution and whatnot were part of it. There's too much evidence to say that evolution is fake, but I also find it hard to believe that there was no form of intelligence behind the design of such and absolutely amazing universe.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Twin Matrix on June 12, 2008, 09:28:22 am
Wow, you people like to take someone's words and twist them around in your own way. I'm not even going to bother replying to each of those post seperately. Instead I'll make a quick list for those that aren't asd;'sdgldg, like Clucky, so they don't think what I posted was meant in the way it was interpretated by sdifousdfoiux's. ^_^b

- Where did I say I hate black people? Oh, right, apparently everyone knows things about me that I haven't even said, nor know myself. Okay, sorry.
- With "science != fact", I meant that proving that A is true, it doesn't automatically mean B is true. That there is gravity on earth doesn't mean there's gravity on other planets. Of course, that statement was just waiting to be taken out of context. Because we all know there must be a racistic hidden message behind everything I type.
- I didn't say that school books should promote and force ANY opinion on students. Instead, it should have the student think for him/herself. Something that some people seem to lack nowadays.
- This discovery about bacterium does not prove that evolution created everything there is today. Can you actually think of a reason/argument why we evolved into the only intelligent beings, instead of whopping my posts around? Why aren't there variations to humans, like intelligent humans with large arms and hands? Or jaws? Or whatever? Surely that would help that species survive natural selection. If the chance that only ONE species evolves into intelligent beings exists, then the chance of humans evolving into stronger beings surely exist too. In 100 years or so, we might have a new theory that puts the evolution theory to shame. And then everyone will follow then new theory and ridicule pro-evolutionists. Who knows.

Quote
I have no doubts that evolution and whatnot were part of it. There's too much evidence to say that evolution is fake, but I also find it hard to believe that there was no form of intelligence behind the design of such and absolutely amazing universe.
Agreed. (I never said I didn't believe in evolution? @_@)

To save you the trouble of posting it yourself:


Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: HL on June 12, 2008, 09:37:55 am
Quote
- Where did I say I hate black people? Oh, right, apparently everyone knows things about me that I haven't even said, nor know myself. Okay, sorry.

You bitched and moaned about there being too many black people in Barkley.

And to your above, you obviously don't know much about evolution, either.

We aren't the only intelligent beings on the planet...animals have ways of communication, brain cells, intelligence, and such too.

Plus there was "variations" of humans, it's called the Neanderthals.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Wil on June 12, 2008, 09:40:00 am
This is really cool! I don't think this will convince anyone though, I think all the evidence before this experiment was infinitely more than enough. DNA should have been the last straw for every creationist, but NOPE.

Also, ya, I don't see what's wrong with subjecting belief without evidence to harsh criticism!

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Why aren't there variations to humans, like intelligent humans with large arms and hands? Or jaws? Or whatever?
Because that wasn't an adaptive trait. Think of natural selection as a kind of sift with selective pressures like environment, predation, etc, chiseling away at a population capable of mutation and reproduction. Evolution is not UPWARDS MOBILITY, with a specific target in mind, but a blind sift.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: GZ on June 12, 2008, 09:46:07 am
Where did I say I hate black people? Oh, right, apparently everyone knows things about me that I haven't even said, nor know myself. Okay, sorry.
http://www.gamingw.net/forums/index.php?topic=71972%20.msg1315625#msg1315625

Quote
wtf

being ok with/wanting to have/agreeing to have sex != rape

you just lost all your respect thx
but then again rap and black people scociety seems to be all about raping women and drugs so it doesnt surprise (assuming from your username you're one)

*leaves topic*
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: headphonics on June 12, 2008, 09:49:39 am
yeah perhaps him saying you hate black people was off the mark

but hey let's look at this quote that i myself actually warned you for: "but then again rap and black people scociety seems to be all about raping women and drugs so it doesnt surprise (assuming from your username you're one)"

oh okay i guess you don't hate them, you're just as reprehensibly ignorant of and filled with ridiculous misconceptions and generalizations about them as you apparently are about the subject of evolution vs. creationism (hint: nobody has answered your questions because they are fairly uninformed ones and the fact that you're even asking WELL WHY DONT HUMANS HAVE BIGGER JAWS?? as an argument against evolution is probably a pretty fair sign that you apparently know absolutely nothing at all about evolution).  *PHEEEEW* thats a relief


ahh yes but people who believe in evolution... they're all just a bunch of sheep
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Twin Matrix on June 12, 2008, 09:50:11 am
@handsome lamb:
Quote
You bitched and moaned about there being too many black people in Barkley.
Oh really? Quote me then. If you can't, it's wrong.

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We aren't the only intelligent beings on the planet...animals have ways of communication, brain cells, intelligence, and such too.
Are you saying that animals are even remotely as intelligent as humans, capable of learning and freedom of deciding things against survival nature?

Quote
Plus there was "variations" of humans, it's called the Neanderthals.
There aren't really big variations to humans. The variations are more in a little bit longer arms, less/more brains, etc.

Quote
Because that wasn't an adaptive trait. Think of natural selection as a kind of sift with selective pressures like environment, predation, etc, chiseling away at a population capable of mutation and reproduction. Evolution is not UPWARDS MOBILITY, with a specific target in mind, but a blind sift.
I know what natural selection is. ^_^ And it was only an example. Think of any trait that would have helped humans but we don't have it. Why don't we have them? Humans with large hands could catch prey easier, which makes them survive more and produce more children, thus slowly evolving into these humans with large hands. Also, it's pretty random that humans are all over the place without showing big variations. The Dawson birds showed pretty big variations in wings and beaks. With all the rivers and oceans that humans crossed, you'd think that the natural barriers would slowly evolve the two seperated groups of humans into different species. But nope. Also, didn't we never find an actual human-ape fossils, and more only very humanish fossils OR very apish fossils? I could be entirely wrong on that, but I thought there was a gap of fossils. Like the pterodactyl (sp?) being a bird/reptillian.

@GZ: Thanks for the quote. I knew I never said I hated black people and that proves it. :) I merely said that it seems to be all about raping women and drugs, and thatdoesn't mean I hate all black people. And most rap music is about that I think, so, yea. I turn on the radio and there's rap and, guess what? It's about having sex, rape and drugs. :D Of course, there are many exceptions, but still.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Sludgelord on June 12, 2008, 09:54:10 am
you are outrageously stupid.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Sludgelord on June 12, 2008, 09:54:38 am
no fucking kidding, you might be the dumbest person.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Wil on June 12, 2008, 09:57:26 am
no, you obviously don't know what natural selection is or how it works. read a goddamn book on the subject and maybe you can learn something.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: thecatamites on June 12, 2008, 10:06:42 am
Man, this is great. I mean, I think everyone realises intellectually that evolution is a fact, but to be able to produce real, tangible evidence is still pretty mindblowing!

That there is gravity on earth doesn't mean there's gravity on other planets.
Also, didn't we never find an actual human-ape fossils, and more only very humanish fossils OR very apish fossils?

Hey, uh, if you don't want people to take quotes out of context and make you look like a clueless moron, you should probably stay away from phrases like this!
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: ThugTears666 on June 12, 2008, 10:16:37 am
http://christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-thermodynamics.html

Courtesy of my flatmate.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: fatty on June 12, 2008, 10:40:11 am
Hello, Twin-Matrix, and welcome to the real world, where people draw conclusions from observasion rather than searching for clues using a predifined conclusion!



IE, I think you are stupid and this topic is good so please don't spoil it kthanks.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Twin Matrix on June 12, 2008, 11:00:54 am
@thecatamites: Because we all know the moon has as much gravity as the earth, of course. *sigh*

You people are so pathetic lol. Instead of writing up bs posts with no meaning, how about trying to actually write something good and giving arguments instead of flying around false claims? You know I'm right for most of the parts, so instead of trying to prove me wrong, you resort to retarded manners and insults. ;D Or giving silly arguments, of course. *sigh* Actually, you guys remind me of people who do the lowest study in my country -- VMBO. When they disagree they whine and bitch around without giving actual content. I'd love to see you have a discussion on the TV with arguments like "you are stupid lol" and quoting someone, followed by a sigh. I'm sure you'll become president.

Edit: Honestly, I feel you are a lost cause so I'm going to steer clear of going down to your level of meaningless insults (lol pixel words). I'm going out. Until someone posts something worthwhile. :) Later.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: thecatamites on June 12, 2008, 11:07:45 am
Haha, holy shit, I just thought that the gravity thing was a hypothetical logic argument or whatever that was just phrased badly. Do you seriously not understand how gravity works at all? Do you even understand what the word 'gravity' means? (HINT: it's not "stuff falls down")
Also if you're seriously saying "heh moon has less gravity this disproves the idea that all planets have gravity" then, well, you've kinda answered your own question about why no-one takes any of your arguments seriously!
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: HL on June 12, 2008, 11:08:19 am
No it's because you're being dumb (CHANGED TO BEINGM<ORE POLITICALLY CORRECT).

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Are you saying that animals are even remotely as intelligent as humans, capable of learning and freedom of deciding things against survival nature?

You didn't say "intelligent as humans". You said intelligent. Which animals are.

Quote
There aren't really big variations to humans. The variations are more in a little bit longer arms, less/more brains, etc.

You didn't say "really big variations to humans", you just said variation, to which there are now, and the Neanderthals were.

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That there is gravity on earth doesn't mean there's gravity on other planets.

There is gravity on other planets.

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@thecatamites: Because we all know the moon has as much gravity as the earth, of course. *sigh*

You didn't say "just because Earth has gravity, doesn't mean other planets have the same gravity".

Basically, if you're going to be an ignorant, uneducated person about the subject at hand (and rap...and black people......and everything else you manage to talk about) you could at least word what you're saying much better.

EDIT:
instead of you know, saying something and then saying something equally contradictory to what you said just to look cool because everyone isn't "answering your questions".

No one wants to, nor really enjoys, talking to silly people. It's deathly obvious you don't understand evolution, so it's no real surprise why everyone is avoiding you and not writing 15 paragraphs about why you're wrong that you could find out by going to your local library and reading up on evolution.



STEEEEEEL
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Bisse on June 12, 2008, 11:13:02 am
- With "science != fact", I meant that proving that A is true, it doesn't automatically mean B is true. That there is gravity on earth doesn't mean there's gravity on other planets.
Actually it does.

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Why aren't there variations to humans
There are. Asian, black people, 'dem jews, bad luck, etc.

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Think of any trait that would have helped humans but we don't have it. Why don't we have them? Why don't we have them?
Because we haven't evolved them - yet - or it's not physically possible.

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Also, it's pretty random that humans are all over the place without showing big variations.
Humans aren't isolated anymore. People off all nationalities are running around all over the world, screwing people. We WERE isolated lots of years ago, and then we DID evolve different species, but only one survived.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Wil on June 12, 2008, 11:13:27 am
http://christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-thermodynamics.html

Courtesy of my flatmate.

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"Evolution violates the 2nd law of thermodynamics."

This shows more a misconception about thermodynamics than about evolution. The second law of thermodynamics says, "No process is possible in which the sole result is the transfer of energy from a cooler to a hotter body." [Atkins, 1984, The Second Law, pg. 25] Now you may be scratching your head wondering what this has to do with evolution. The confusion arises when the 2nd law is phrased in another equivalent way, "The entropy of a closed system cannot decrease." Entropy is an indication of unusable energy and often (but not always!) corresponds to intuitive notions of disorder or randomness. Creationists thus misinterpret the 2nd law to say that things invariably progress from order to disorder.

However, they neglect the fact that life is not a closed system. The sun provides more than enough energy to drive things. If a mature tomato plant can have more usable energy than the seed it grew from, why should anyone expect that the next generation of tomatoes can't have more usable energy still? Creationists sometimes try to get around this by claiming that the information carried by living things lets them create order. However, not only is life irrelevant to the 2nd law, but order from disorder is common in nonliving systems, too. Snowflakes, sand dunes, tornadoes, stalactites, graded river beds, and lightning are just a few examples of order coming from disorder in nature; none require an intelligent program to achieve that order. In any nontrivial system with lots of energy flowing through it, you are almost certain to find order arising somewhere in the system. If order from disorder is supposed to violate the 2nd law of thermodynamics, why is it ubiquitous in nature?

The thermodynamics argument against evolution displays a misconception about evolution as well as about thermodynamics, since a clear understanding of how evolution works should reveal major flaws in the argument. Evolution says that organisms reproduce with only small changes between generations (after their own kind, so to speak). For example, animals might have appendages which are longer or shorter, thicker or flatter, lighter or darker than their parents. Occasionally, a change might be on the order of having four or six fingers instead of five. Once the differences appear, the theory of evolution calls for differential reproductive success. For example, maybe the animals with longer appendages survive to have more offspring than short-appendaged ones. All of these processes can be observed today. They obviously don't violate any physical laws.

Courtesy of talkorigins.org
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Twin Matrix on June 12, 2008, 11:17:08 am
@cata: Hey, finally a post with content! Are you saying that if the earth has gravity, it automatically means all planets have gravity? NOW we know that they do. But if we didn't, then you couldn't make that assumption. Heck, there are a 1001 reasons why the earth could have gravity and not other plantes. Maybe the position of the earth between the sun and the stars gives it gravity. Maybe it's the moon circling around the earth that gives it gravity. We now know that it's because of the large mass that the earth has, but if we didn't know that you CAN'T MAKE THE ASSUMPTION all planets have gravity. You need to do research first. That was my point.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Frisky SKeleton on June 12, 2008, 11:20:26 am
Actually it does.
There are. Asian, black people, 'dem jews, bad luck, etc.
Because we haven't evolved them - yet - or it's not physically possible.
Humans aren't isolated anymore. People off all nationalities are running around all over the world, screwing people. We WERE isolated lots of years ago, and then we DID evolve different species, but only one survived.

this topic is gonna be awesome.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: thecatamites on June 12, 2008, 11:24:25 am
@cata: Hey, finally a post with content! Are you saying that if the earth has gravity, it automatically means all planets have gravity? NOW we know that they do. But if we didn't, then you couldn't make that assumption. Heck, there are a 1001 reasons why the earth could have gravity and not other plantes. Maybe the position of the earth between the sun and the stars gives it gravity. Maybe it's the moon circling around the earth that gives it gravity. We now know that it's because of the large mass that the earth has, but if we didn't know that you CAN'T MAKE THE ASSUMPTION all planets have gravity. You need to do research first. That was my point.

That's actually what I thought you meant, and why I didn't call you out on it earlier and just said 'this looks dumb when taken out of context'. But when you responded with "moon has less gravity ^.^", I jumped to the conclusion that you were a raving jackass who seriously thought planets don't always have gravity. So, sorry if I misunderstood your point, but you have to admit that it was a fairly reasonable assumption when you consider all the other stuff you said in this topic!
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: HL on June 12, 2008, 11:37:49 am
@cata: Hey, finally a post with content! Are you saying that if the earth has gravity, it automatically means all planets have gravity? NOW we know that they do. But if we didn't, then you couldn't make that assumption. Heck, there are a 1001 reasons why the earth could have gravity and not other plantes. Maybe the position of the earth between the sun and the stars gives it gravity. Maybe it's the moon circling around the earth that gives it gravity. We now know that it's because of the large mass that the earth has, but if we didn't know that you CAN'T MAKE THE ASSUMPTION all planets have gravity. You need to do research first. That was my point.

We didn't need to research this, really. Newton's law predicted the existence of Neptune due to gravity and the interactions of planets and stuff with it, ergo we knew it existed on all planets. Now we have General Relativity, but the reason we didn't need to test this much is mostly because space is an all encompassing thing. Anything that rings true on Earth, is true for all planets when it comes to how stuff works. ie: we know the amount of gravitational pull using the same formula for Earth on other planets. All planets have cores (because all planets have gravitational fields), etcccc.

It's pretty impossible for one planet to have a specific law specific to it and it only, and none of the others. Heliocentric theories  (pretty much the only type of theory that could support such a thing you mentioned) were out of date and pretty much forgotten and not noticed well into the 18th century.

This is pretty much why they are called universal laws, even without testing it or doing research on the entire universe (in fact, we apply these laws when we haven't even explored 1% of the universe, sooo, that's definitely what I'd call a "lack of research". :P)

You can argue what you said, but it's all pretty much outdated thinking from the 4th century BC that got refuted pretty easily once we discovered that, despite our egos, no, we were not at the center of the universe. Everything else just sort of came naturally.


But people have given you content, so I don't know what your problem is!! There are variations of humans, animals do have intelligence, the problem is is you say "not as intelligent as humans" or "not a big variation" as if that refutes anything, but it doesn't. Animals have intelligence, not as smart as humans no, but they do have it. Humans do have variations, maybe not big variations but I don't exactly recall the part where evolution says "big changes". Some are big, some are small.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: ase on June 12, 2008, 12:10:28 pm
i am extremely ashamed to admit that I enjoyed Twin Matrix's game he submitted for Sarevok's contest, being completely unaware at the time that it was made by this same illogical and ignorant guy.

there are so many great quotes i can take from this debate....
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Erave on June 12, 2008, 02:31:11 pm
I knew from the first post this was going to start out as making fun of christians.

I think this neat, I'm not too interested in this branch of science was there no major proof for this "major evolution" before?
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: goat on June 12, 2008, 02:36:31 pm
That's incredible they can "rewind" and go back to previous generations to see what laid the foundations for evolution. Something tells me once they find out what that is, that it will be a huge step in biogenetics.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Mince Wobley on June 12, 2008, 02:53:30 pm
I don't know what to say about the article. I thought they already had observed "evolution" with all those antibiotic resistant bacteria, but now that they really saw it nobody can prove they're wrong.

---

I think Twin Matrix is at least 10% right because the scientists don't know exactly what gravity is, they know that it is there and they have theories that explain it but they don't really know how and why it happens. Don't call him ignorant or illogical or insane just because what he says right now might sound that way right now.

All planets have cores (because all planets have gravitational fields), etcccc.

This you can't know for sure, one of them could be hollow in the middle and it would still have gravity because it has mass

Quote
You can argue what you said, but it's all pretty much outdated thinking from the 4th century BC that got refuted pretty easily once we discovered that, despite our egos, no, we were not at the center of the universe.

PS: This is relative because according to special relativity there is no absolute reference frame so you can't say that we aren't at the center of the universe. I could say that the center of the Universe lies beneath that street lamp over there and everything rotates around it and there is no way you could prove I'm wrong because Albert Einstein said so (ha). But then you could do the same and I'd have to believe.

The Center of Universe is wherever our imagination can take us to!
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: HL on June 12, 2008, 03:03:59 pm
Quote
This you can't know for sure, one of them could be hollow in the middle and it would still have gravity because it has mass

Even if it's hollow it's still a core.

Maybe not a molten core like Earth, but it's still a core.

edit:
the center of the universe is my d*ck everything revolves around it......




newpick up line...."hey baby...how would you like to get f*cked by the thing the universe revolves around...??"
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Crim on June 12, 2008, 04:02:02 pm
Whoa. This is almost as crazy as First Contact. Though when that happens it'll be a bit more hyped up. But it'll probably just be bacteria as well.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Mama Luigi on June 12, 2008, 04:26:49 pm
This is pretty swell news! I wonder why the media isn't eating this up.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: maladroithim on June 12, 2008, 04:29:05 pm
Yeah this is totally awesome.  I guess there is other living evidence of evolution (mudskipper?) but to actually observe evolution before and after, and be able to recreate the event in a controlled experiment is way awesome!
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Bravo on June 12, 2008, 04:31:35 pm
Are you saying that animals are even remotely as intelligent as humans, capable of learning and freedom of deciding things against survival nature?
monkeys use tools to help with eating wait what?
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Ryan on June 12, 2008, 04:54:11 pm
I don't know what to say about the article. I thought they already had observed "evolution" with all those antibiotic resistant bacteria, but now that they really saw it nobody can prove they're wrong.

read the article. there have been thousands of observed cases of minor evolutionary changes, such as becoming resistant to antibiotics. this was the first observed major change, where an organism evolved a completely new trait.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Iaman on June 13, 2008, 12:38:41 am
Even if it's hollow it's still a core.

Maybe not a molten core like Earth, but it's still a core.

edit:
the center of the universe is my d*ck everything revolves around it......




newpick up line...."hey baby...how would you like to get f*cked by the thing the universe revolves around...??"
Okay this is sort of a serious question but I kind of would like to know how a non-gaseous planet could have a completely hollow core.  Wouldn't the gravitational pull suck at least some of the solid matter in until the planet compacted itself into a smaller, denser planet?

I mean I'm probably wrong but I just want to know.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Doktormartini on June 13, 2008, 12:48:43 am
Basically:
Microevolution = real (ie. different breeds of dogs)

Macroevolution = debatable (ie bacteria eventually to human)
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Marmot on June 13, 2008, 01:19:26 am
Basically:
Microevolution = real (ie. different breeds of dogs)

Macroevolution = debatable (ie bacteria eventually to human)

its only debatablle if you have never taken a biology course and(or read a textbook in your life. sure it is a theory but it is as debatable as gravity because gravity is also a theory.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: HL on June 13, 2008, 01:20:24 am
Okay this is sort of a serious question but I kind of would like to know how a non-gaseous planet could have a completely hollow core.  Wouldn't the gravitational pull suck at least some of the solid matter in until the planet compacted itself into a smaller, denser planet?

I mean I'm probably wrong but I just want to know.

No clue.

As far as I know hollow cores aren't even possible. They all have iron/etc in them.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: baseball19225 on June 13, 2008, 01:24:45 am
sorry pals,i believe in creation so: your wrong.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Ragnar on June 13, 2008, 01:38:02 am
What?

Bacteria is evolving! *dun dun dun*
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: big ass skelly on June 13, 2008, 01:51:06 am
Are you people doing this on purpose
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Jaruten on June 13, 2008, 02:08:00 am
I believe that the importance of this discovery has absolutely no fucking anything to do with whether creationsims is valid or not.

Many ignorant people believe unconditionally in evolution and all the shit but, don't they realize that its one of the most mysterious and debated procesess in biology ever? there are SOOO many things where evolution is still to be consolidated. I believe that this experiment serves to understand the process better and clarify some of the things that have been debated.

I believe that one of the objects of most debate in the process of evolution is to define what exaclty are the events that determine the prevalence of one genetic trait over other, and when is that evolution leads to developement rather than mere conditioning.... To be honest I haven't been reading a lot about it since I left school so Idk if anything has been agreed but still, I believe these are the most interesting facets of the evolution theory.

And the other thing is ARGHHH WHYYYY WHYYYY I mean, alright... Science is definitely a whole lot better than whatever other faith there is in the world, but WHY DO PEOPLE SO BLINDFOLDEDLY BELIEVE IN IT!!!!! HAVEN'T YOU HEARD ABOUT THE PROBLEM BETWEEN STANDARD MODEL AND GRAVITY/GENERAL RELATIVITY? AND THE WAVE-PARTICLE PHENOMENA PROBLEM? THERE ARE SOOOO MANY PARADOXES THAT SCIENCE HAS NOT YET RESOLVED!!! asdfasdfasdfasdhcbaksdhbckbrywbrkcjhwbhfdcbskdjhfbvkhwberkhgv

Oh, and Intelligent design is stupid, because its not like the wrold is intelligently designed..... its us that understand the world intelligently LOL DUH!
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Frankie on June 13, 2008, 02:13:48 am
There isn't really much to "blindfoldely believe" in science. Science is about making conclusions and hypothesis based on observation and logic. If further observation is made, old theories are rejected or corrected.
Because of this, science is always changing.

In short: Science doesn't even "believe" in itself. Science is about doubt, not about belief.

We could say "believing" in science is the exact opposite of "blindly believing" in anything, because "believing" in science pretty much means accepting you don't know anything, and accepting that everything you think you know could eventually be found to be untrue.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Doktormartini on June 13, 2008, 02:13:59 am
its only debatablle if you have never taken a biology course and(or read a textbook in your life. sure it is a theory but it is as debatable as gravity because gravity is also a theory.
Yes this is true.  I basically meant that not many people will debate over microevolution but people will debate over macro.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Shepperd on June 13, 2008, 02:19:34 am
So for the first time, evolution on a major scale has been observed and confirmed in a lab environment. This kind of blows a huge hole in the creationism arguments! So yeah, discuss how silly creationists must feel now and how cool this is!
Creationists don't base their position on reason and logic, so they aren't feeling silly
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Dale Gobbler on June 13, 2008, 02:55:56 am
We didn't grow jaws and shit, but we did evolve in the brain area, so now we pretty much dominated everything on the planet.   :fogetnaughty:
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Jaruten on June 13, 2008, 03:01:24 am
There isn't really much to "blindfoldely believe" in science. Science is about making conclusions and hypothesis based on observation and logic. If further observation is made, old theories are rejected or corrected.
Because of this, science is always changing.

In short: Science doesn't even "believe" in itself. Science is about doubt, not about belief.

We could say "believing" in science is the exact opposite of "blindly believing" in anything, because "believing" in science pretty much means accepting you don't know anything, and accepting that everything you think you know could eventually be found to be untrue.

Mate, again I tell you that there is no logic behind the principle of induction and, although we build logical models to suit the real world, there is no logical conection between our hypothesis and the real occurrences. Once we form a logical hypothesis, we can only "hope" it will help us predict something. And it not always does, and thus we need modify our hypothesis until they have a better chance of describing the real world (although probability is not a good answer to the problem of induction, but I won't get into that).
We can only be certain about rational truths, because following their logic, we find no contradictions. But nature around us is not part of us and therefore does not follow the same basic logic (or we have no knowledge of that logic) therefore we cannot say anything about it with certainty.
I know I am being too sceptical for my own good, but these are concepts that as a scientist you must control, because it is easy to make a mistake and say that because you "by chance" predicted something, will mean that you know (and knew) eveything relating that something.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Frankie on June 13, 2008, 03:44:56 am
I don't see how this even disagrees with what I said. We draw hypothesis and theories from observation and logic. Then we discover the hypothesis or theory doesn't match a new observation, so we correct or reject it if correction is not possible, because it was wrong. All you are really arguing is that you think science will never arrive to a point where all scientific theories will be really "complete". Its very likely that you are right here, but this simply isn't an argument for rejecting science as something we give "blind faith" to.
Science doesn't claim it HAS the answers to all of our questions, all science claims is, "we're working on it". This here is the main difference between religion and science, and I think it is a pretty important distinction to make!
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: fatty on June 13, 2008, 07:11:32 am
Because we all know the moon has as much gravity as the earth, of course. *sigh*
what


what are you talking about, what is this gravity blasphemy you are talking about


WE NEVER WENT TO THE MOON WE FILMED IT IN TEXAS I CAN SEE THE REFLLXEXTION OF THE STUDIO IN THE GLSASS

THE EARTH IS FLAT


I seriously cannot tell whether you are a troll or if you actually mean what you are saying because if you are then :fogetlaugh: :fogetbackflip: :fogetgasp: :fogetnaughty: :fogetshh: :fogetcry: :gwa:
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Lars on June 13, 2008, 07:37:20 am
I think Twin Matrix is just wording himself horribly. He's saying that we couldn't know other planets had gravity like earth unless we know astrophysics and/or classic physics. You know, like in the good old days with heliocentrism. Before Newton's classical physics were widely accepted it was assumed that Earth was the only planet with gravity (of course with exceptions as I vaguely remember reading about in Greek philosophy).

So yeah, Twin Matrix is trying to make a point about this debate with a metaphor, it's just the rhetorical skills that are rather lacking.

I'm not quite sure what the point is though, that creationism might be ok once we have the basic tools for understanding how it works? I'd figure, if anything, it's evolutionism that gains ground as the biological counterparts to Newton's physics would (or have) eventually break through, but I'll let him speak for himself. Interesting debate nonetheless B)


You know, it took quite some time for Newton's physics to be confirmed, and to be confirmed to be valid outside of our planet as well! (confirmed doesnt mean proven but assumed to be true HEH HEH)
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Frisky SKeleton on June 13, 2008, 07:48:22 am
30,000 generations to metabolise citrate, how long to get rid of an appendix?
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: GirlBones on June 13, 2008, 08:24:37 am
:gay:

:goose: :goose: :snorlax: :goose: :goose:


i just want to ask the two of you if you actually understand what science really is, and what the term represents

have you ever experienced or performed real scientific research

because

i honestly believe that you guys are pulling shit out of your ass

and i am in a position to say this

being an individual who worked full time in a microbiology lab for nearly nine months

seriously

you guys really really really really dont have any idea what you're talking about

at all

so please

please

educate yourselves

you are embarrassing yourselves

also twin matrix your rhetoric is horrible

like you really just dont know what it takes to SAY WHAT YOU MEAN AND MAKE A FUCKING POINT
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: JJ on June 13, 2008, 08:43:37 am
Are you saying that animals are even remotely as intelligent as humans, capable of learning and freedom of deciding things against survival nature?

Quote from: Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn
It would seem . . . There is a sort of tendency in evolution, wouldn't you say? If you start with those ultrasimple critters in the ancient seas and move up step by step to everything we see here now--and beyond--then you have to observe a tendency toward . . . complexity. And toward self-awareness and intelligence. Wouldn't you agree?

That is, all sorts of creatures on this planet appear to be on the verge of attaining that self-awareness and intelligence. So it's definitely not just humans that the gods are after. We were never meant to be the only players on this stage. Apparently the gods intend this planet to be a garden filled with creatures that are self-aware and intelligent.

Also, Twin Matrix do you support Intelligent Falling (http://www.theonion.com/content/node/39512)?  :goose:

(ps. The world is flat)
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: dom on June 13, 2008, 09:42:30 am
I believe that one of the objects of most debate in the process of evolution is to define what exaclty are the events that determine the prevalence of one genetic trait over other, and when is that evolution leads to developement rather than mere conditioning.... To be honest I haven't been reading a lot about it since I left school so Idk if anything has been agreed but still, I believe these are the most interesting facets of the evolution theory.
go back to school
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: EvilDemonCreature on June 13, 2008, 04:35:13 pm
The funniest thing about this topic is that there really are good arguments for God's existance based on conclusions drawn from scientific inquiry. Actual arguments that stem beyond "Well we can't explain it so that means God did it". (Of course people that don't acknowledge scientific inquiry out of some compusion to not offend God aren't going to be able to come across those ideas or even be willing to accept the speculation about the nature of God that arises from it)

The core problem of this issue is people refusing to acknowledge God's role outside of "Explaining the unexplainable". Theese types of people cling onto their "God of the gaps" and therefore reject any kind of new explanation or phoenomina because that means one step closer to "disproving God".

I can easily acknowledge that God created the universe (Thanks to Einstein's relativity, all you have to do is change your frame of reference. Instead of saying "God created the universe", you can just say "Whatever created the universe is God" and then the contraversy on that matter practically evaporates).

So if that is the case, and we were created in this universe with a capacity to work towards understanding God's creation, then why would it be aganst God's will to utilize that capacity? Wouldn't trying to understand God's creation bring us closer to God? It's like finding a watch in the woods (an popular argument for intelligent design), it's obvious that someone created it and it's more than "simply there". If you encounter something as unexplainable as a watch in the woods, wouldn't taking it apart and finding out how it works tell you at least SOMETHING about what the person who made the watch was thinking (at least while he was making it)?

Intelligent design proponents people don't seem to like to think about what was God thinking when he created the processes behind complex life, because not only do they not even attempt to break down and test the processes behind their "theories about how life "formed" (if they have any at all), but they adamantly reject any consistent idea as to how those mechanisms could possibly work.

This issue is touchy with me, because it is because of theese closed additudes and rejection of understanding that turned me away from God to begin with. It wasn't until I persued scientific study to the limits of what humanity currently understands about the nature of the universe that I caught a glimpse of how God fits into that nature. Only then could I begin to reconsile my relationship with God, and start figuring out how to listen and understand his will. (before then, all I could do was close my eyes, hold my hand together, and try to request a chat with him through some instant-messaging service in heaven that connects to my soul)
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Mince Wobley on June 13, 2008, 05:00:39 pm
30,000 generations to metabolise citrate, how long to get rid of an appendix?

It is still there because it's absence is not really an advantage
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Frankie on June 13, 2008, 05:28:39 pm
EDC:
I'm not sure saying "whatever created the universe is god" really solves anything, if it hints at an intelligent designer, because many people actually have a problem with the very idea of an intelligent designer, no matter what the nature of this designer would be.

The problem is simply that an intelligent designer is an horribly complex explanation for the universe, and it just seems arbitrary to believe in this rather than simply say, "I don't know where the universe comes from." Which really goes back at the "god of the gaps" argument!

Unless you just mean "whatever created the universe, no matter whether intelligent or not, could be called "god", but in this case, its not really affirming anything. Its just like, semantics. Like, simplifying the definition of god to "Whatever caused the universe". You could just as well say "lets agree to disagree" and close the argument! (Many would argue its a good idea though.)



This is getting a little off topic though, so:

(Message to religious people and creationists reading the following: don't be offended if my tone sounds condescending: keep in mind that to me your belief is as silly as is Greek mythology to you. And as silly as Greek mythology might be, ancient Greece as had many geniuses and great people, so all this is in no way an insult to your intelligence.)

I don't think revealing actual observational proof of evolution is going to do much for creationists, since that to them, this could very well have been caused by God, as a new test of their faith. You can't really convince creationists really, since any argument you could possibly conceive can be seen as a new test of their faith. Even the following argument could be actually, but I think its harder to rationalize as a test of faith than most other arguments:

The only way you can shake a very religious person's belief in creationism is by making them realize that while they can explain why they choose to believe in one god's creation story rather than science, they usually can't explain why they choose to believe in this exact creation story rather than one from some other religion.
The only possible rationalization for this is that this god makes more sense to them, that they simply like this god more than another. But this here is likely to give them a doubt, since it forces them to realize their belief is based on what they want to believe, "personal taste", rather than some sort of concrete idea. It makes them realize that they don't actually have any *reason* to believe in one creation story over another.
This doubt is unlikely to ever get anywhere, but its probably the closest one can go to "convincing" a creationist of how irrational creationism is.
It might be enough to convince anyone who is just a "creationist by default" though. People who just never really thought about it and simply believe in this because their parents told them to when they were kids, and just went on with their lives without thinking about this or even caring. I was lucky enough to be that kind of "religious by default" person myself, it is probably why I could be convinced by it in the first place.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Artis Leon Ivey Jr on June 13, 2008, 05:57:48 pm
please keep this up so when I'm back up to like 100% it will be like supernova shit going off.




seriously someone just respouted Aquinas's argument lmao.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: alfungo on June 13, 2008, 09:09:29 pm
I love how people will believe in God. Many years ago it was agreed (by believers) God created the heavens and the earth, animals and what not. Now, as always happens when science faces religion in some context; religion fails, people will believe in theories of, for example, the big bang, but wait! God created that too! They have wriggled and wrapped their God around the science that defeated the old belief. Of course this is a simplified idea but it illustrates the point that religion will always fail when in contest with science.
Science is built on irrefutable fact. Religion doesn't have a scrap of fact to call it's own and has always been defeated in contest with science. That's why the church fears science and has, in the past, tried to discredit discoveries and punish scientists.

Also, it seems that from reading this thread, a lot of people don't have a good understanding of the theory of natural selection or have invented their own ideas around what they percieved it to be.

I do not respect beople's belief in God. If it gives you some kind of comfort like a fairy story does a child, fair enough, I can't say that's a bad thing but it's not worthy of any kind of respect. I don't want to offend anyone, you probably don't even want my respect (it's not worth much anyway).
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Dale Gobbler on June 13, 2008, 09:26:27 pm
If early man knew about science and shit, we wouldn't have religion or god. They created god and religion to explain things like that big ball of fire movin' all up in that big blue sky.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Lars on June 13, 2008, 09:48:26 pm
If early man didn't have psychedelics, we wouldn't have religion or god. They created god and religion to explain crazy shit like that groovin' tree that spoke in tounges while shifting in colours.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Mince Wobley on June 13, 2008, 10:19:40 pm
If early man didn't have mental illness, we wouldn't have religion or god. They created god and religion because they heard voices in their heads.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: 4Dsheep on June 13, 2008, 10:44:55 pm
- This discovery about bacterium does not prove that evolution created everything there is today. Can you actually think of a reason/argument why we evolved into the only intelligent beings, instead of whopping my posts around? Why aren't there variations to humans, like intelligent humans with large arms and hands? Or jaws? Or whatever? Surely that would help that species survive natural selection. If the chance that only ONE species evolves into intelligent beings exists, then the chance of humans evolving into stronger beings surely exist too.
One annoyed biologist rant coming up!

Dude, why don't you just use that brain you've been so randomly endowed with.

Important principle in just about anything: trade-off. Basically, "cheap, fast, good, pick any two". There are strong, long-armed humanoids with big jaws. We call those gorillas. The point is: if you're at the top of the food chain already, why change? What good are big brains if you don't need them to thrive? Somehow evolving them for the heck of it will only cost you huge amounts of resources, and the chance you'll fuck up big-time is so large, it's best to, you know, not take the risk, and therefore evolution doesn't work that way right now. And huge dumb primates they remained, or whatever gets the Aesop across.

Humans, on the other hand, have worked themselves into a bit of a pickle. Not only are we weak, we also go reeeeal slooooooow relative to everyone else, evolutionarily speaking. It takes us over a decade, sometimes two decades to pass on our genes to very little offspring. We simply couldn't rely on natural selection to take us out of the mess we worked ourselves in genetically. What else was left? That's right, memetics. Now, we know animals use it, and primates in particular (knowing which stuff is food and then showing your children). It's cheap, easy, and improving it doesn't always require the death of over half of the population. You can just pass it on without the squick. Sure, it's not perfect, but it works, just like gorillas work. Consider this: If the gorilla gets by without brains but with brute strength, why wouldn't the human get by without brute strength but with brains? Claws are irrelevant once you have spears. Fur is irrelevant once you have clothing. Being super-fit physically is irrelevant once you're super-fit mentally, and a waste of resources. That's why.

And we're not the only intelligent beings. We've just out-lasted our competitors (Neanderthals et al). Apparently, sapience is a very narrow niche, and if you were educated you'd know what happens when two species inhabit the same niche: competition, usually leading to the (nigh) extinction of one and the survival of the other. It's how these things work. Evolution isn't a steady progression from bacterium to homo sapiens -- it's littered with the corpses of innumerable failures. Extinct species outnumber living species a trillion to one-trillionth. Evolution is speciation and extinction (creating new species and destroying old species, respectively), whatever works at the time lives, and what doesn't work dies, until something different works, wash, rinse, repeat.

Evolution is just so fucking obvious, and if there's one thing I just can't grasp is how the majority of the human population isn't sentient enough to understand it. What works, works, and what stays, stays. It's nice to know why specific things work and stay, but it is not necessary to come to such an obvious conclusion as this. Natural selection seems to be one of the most basic principles of the universe. Maybe it even evolved that way, and there's hundreds of lifeless, entropic, failed universes scattered about. Be happy you live in this one.


Also: Scientists watch Darwin's finches evolve (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13845002/)

tl;dr version: Invasive species of finch nearly makes native, comparable species of finch extinct, which then changes its niche (something called character displacement) and is now going strong again, only entirely different, in just two decades' time, and is documented start to finish. Evolution, right in your face.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: losc on June 13, 2008, 11:02:46 pm
good job 4d sheep. No seriously that pretty much sums it up, thank you.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Lars on June 13, 2008, 11:04:36 pm
also evolution has no counsciousness a lot of people seem to not get this

"well if evolution is true why do xxx have xxx useless abilities?"

abilities or genetically traits that are irrelevant to that species' survival will randomly pop up as time passes, also traits that are potentially dangerous can survive if it doesnt affect the ability to reproduce and raise children (like people dying at 50 isn't a big problem if you start having kids at 20 and raise them until they're adults) (this can technically also be a benefitial trait since it stops overcrowding SO YEAH EVOLUTION IS WHAT KILLS YOU!)

so ye evolution isnt a POSITIVE WORD or anything much like DEVOLUTION isnt a biological term at all, what people consider devolution is actually evolution, and genetical offspring that will make humans increasingly stupid overall is still evolution even if it doesnt benefit us at all!!

LOL
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Ragnar on June 13, 2008, 11:50:51 pm
Yeah fuck my little toe
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: the_bub_from_the_pit on June 14, 2008, 12:16:44 am
"well if evolution is true why do xxx have xxx useless abilities?"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vestigiality
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Frisky SKeleton on June 14, 2008, 12:45:27 am
It is still there because it's absence is not really an advantage

my point was 30,000 generations is a really really long time. the appendix used to digest cellulose or something.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: `~congresman Ron paul~~ on June 14, 2008, 01:07:36 am
my point was 30,000 generations is a really really long time. the appendix used to digest cellulose or something.

The appendix is still around because it serves as a breeding ground for intestinal bacteria which can replenish the bacteria in your intestines if they are wiped out by sickness, ingesting toxins, parasites, etc.

This is also why the appendix can get toxic.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Frisky SKeleton on June 14, 2008, 01:19:28 am
yeah my point was only 30,000 generations is a really long time i don't care about the appendix, substitute it for any other trait humans have evolved
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: `~congresman Ron paul~~ on June 14, 2008, 01:53:20 am
yeah my point was only 30,000 generations is a really long time i don't care about the appendix, substitute it for any other trait humans have evolved

clothing has made hair unnecessary :fogetgasp:
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Fatboys #4 on June 14, 2008, 02:28:14 am
Meh. Evidence for evolution is exactly that, not evidence for the nonexistence of Big G. There was a show about dinosaurs or some shit where they did experiments with chickens and they were able to make some with teeth, hair, etc. by fucking around with some genes and  bypassing the switch that turns on or off certain genes. Pretty cool stuff.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Frisky SKeleton on June 14, 2008, 03:46:11 am
clothing has made hair unnecessary :fogetgasp:

CAN YOUR MOTHER NOT AFFORD CLOTHES????
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Xeno|Soft on June 14, 2008, 03:52:41 am
you are outrageously stupid.

no fucking kidding, you might be the dumbest person.

Oh hey, I hate missing a chance to point out that someone has a different conclusion than me and is their for stupid.

SO, from the power confirmed in the FeedBack section, I will join in this legal "tuff love"

Yeah man, you're a fucking idiot, do you eat bull-shit for breakfest or do you just breathe it in 24/7? Dipshit.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Mince Wobley on June 14, 2008, 04:15:47 am
yeah my point was only 30,000 generations is a really long time i don't care about the appendix, substitute it for any other trait humans have evolved

It's a long time but only in your point of view so I don't get your point
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Marcus on June 14, 2008, 05:21:04 am
You guys should check out this new M Night Shamalamadong movie The Happening (http://io9.com/5016361/the-happening-is-the-biggest-intelligent-design-movie-of-the-year).  It's the first movie about Intelligent Design.  Yay.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Mongoloid on June 14, 2008, 05:37:31 am
You guys should check out this new M Night Shamalamadong movie The Happening (http://io9.com/5016361/the-happening-is-the-biggest-intelligent-design-movie-of-the-year).  It's the first movie about Intelligent Design.  Yay.

gj ruining this movie marcus. not a fan?
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Frisky SKeleton on June 14, 2008, 06:21:52 am
It's a long time but only in your point of view so I don't get your point

ok, assuming a human generation lasts 12 years that's 360,000 years. i guess earlier forms of humans could become viable earlier but it's still a really really long time, and that's for one trait.

how long have we been here??????
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Trujin on June 14, 2008, 09:57:04 am
iirc ID is just the belief that the universe was created by an intelligent being. i'm probably wrong, though!

edit: oh nvm haha

it's basically creationism just without the specific god reference

No it's not.

Creationism = Everything made by god in a perfect way. They don't say "evolution" is impossible. They just state that this "evolution" is the result of degeneration as a result of a sinfull world. Really, I read some books, which scientificly prooves the fact that creationism is true, pretty interesting if you ask me. Basicly every piece of evidence they found for evolution can be counter-explained to proove creationism (please don't debate this last argument if you haven't read any book about it).

Evolution = There was no life. Life developed in a great chemical soup and evolution caused the life of today without any devine power.

ID = Basicly both of them together. Soms structures in organisms (eyes, brains) are to complex to have developed without a "blueprint". Therefor it's basicly the evolution theory, but this "evolution" is directed by a higher power, which steers the development and has certain blueprints for the organisms.

Edit: It seems that I didn't read all the posts and had to find out that this was basicly explained allready.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Marcus on June 14, 2008, 11:27:46 am
gj ruining this movie marcus. not a fan?

I didn't even know it was a spoiler so... my bad?  The trailer had everyone like staring around going "is it a plague?" followed by the trees blowing and I instantly thought to myself "oh it's haha very funny shamalalamaldamdorng."
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Vellfire on June 14, 2008, 12:18:05 pm
Oh hey, I hate missing a chance to point out that someone has a different conclusion than me and is their for stupid.

there is a difference between making fun of someone for believing something different and making fun of someone because nothing at all they are saying makes sense


he wasn't going "HEH....BELIEVE IN GOD...YOU'RE AN IDIOT..."

did you even read the posts he was talking about
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Wil on June 14, 2008, 12:24:52 pm
Creationism = Everything made by god in a perfect way. They don't say "evolution" is impossible. They just state that this "evolution" is the result of degeneration as a result of a sinfull world. Really, I read some books, which scientificly prooves the fact that creationism is true, pretty interesting if you ask me. Basicly every piece of evidence they found for evolution can be counter-explained to proove creationism (please don't debate this last argument if you haven't read any book about it).
What book is this? Any book that can somehow scientifically prove creationism must be pretty impressive!
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Artis Leon Ivey Jr on June 14, 2008, 01:35:40 pm
Oh hey, I hate missing a chance to point out that someone has a different conclusion than me and is their for stupid.

SO, from the power confirmed in the FeedBack section, I will join in this legal "tuff love"

Yeah man, you're a fucking idiot, do you eat bull-shit for breakfest or do you just breathe it in 24/7? Dipshit.

whenever you post an idiot somewhere grows more cogent.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Niitaka on June 14, 2008, 02:12:30 pm
hey guess what.

i have proof that creationisms is for real.

http://www.venganza.org/ suck on that, EVOLutionaries.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Vellfire on June 14, 2008, 02:30:11 pm
hey guess what.

i have proof that creationisms is for real.

http://www.venganza.org/ suck on that, EVOLutionaries.


no
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Niitaka on June 14, 2008, 02:45:10 pm
velfarre. it's a joke post.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Vellfire on June 14, 2008, 03:04:15 pm
i don't care bringing that up doesn't really help bring credibility to evolution
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: dom on June 14, 2008, 03:36:59 pm
fsm is dumber than creationism
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Mince Wobley on June 14, 2008, 04:14:48 pm
ok, assuming a human generation lasts 12 years that's 360,000 years. i guess earlier forms of humans could become viable earlier but it's still a really really long time, and that's for one trait.

how long have we been here??????

Well what if that one trait existed 120.000 years ago but it doesn't right now? Also 360.000 years is a really short period if you consider that the Dinosaurs were extinct 65 million years ago
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Dale Gobbler on June 14, 2008, 04:25:07 pm
dinosaurs arent extinct, they just evolved. i ca do science me!
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Niitaka on June 14, 2008, 06:52:38 pm
fsm is dumber than creationism

wait i thought that was the whole point though.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Fatboys #4 on June 14, 2008, 07:02:48 pm
Well what if that one trait existed 120.000 years ago but it doesn't right now? Also 360.000 years is a really short period if you consider that the Dinosaurs were extinct 65 million years ago

The genes for the certain phenotypes still exist, however, as evolution took place the way to turn on those genes was disabled.  This is what was observed in the chicken experiments. The genes for chickens to grow teeth are still present, but the way to turn them on doesn't exist as a result of evolution.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: fatty on June 14, 2008, 10:05:52 pm
If early man didn't have mental illness, we wouldn't have religion or god. They created god and religion because they heard voices in their heads.
I always thought religion was a way for people to understand the ways of nature at first :fogetmmh:
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Mince Wobley on June 14, 2008, 11:47:19 pm
I don't think ancient people really cared about understanding the "ways of nature" ( most people don't care about anything ), some of them did try to guess why things happen (like the greek philosophers) but I think religion itself "Obey the 10 commandments or thou goes to Hell!" is more like what you get you add "psychedelics" to "that guy hears voices in his head" to people being gullible ( you know, how  you can tell a lot of absurd lies to children and most of them believe? That's how it happens ).

Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Niitaka on June 15, 2008, 01:48:32 am
dude what are you talking about? a vast number of early religions had sea gods and forest gods and basically NATURE RELATED gods because they hoped to harness the power of nature. Even religions where they don't pray to elements of nature often still have mythical creatures OF FIRE or some shit

i.e. judaism isnt even close to being an "early" religion.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Jaruten on June 15, 2008, 02:50:47 am

i just want to ask the two of you if you actually understand what science really is, and what the term represents

have you ever experienced or performed real scientific research

because

i honestly believe that you guys are pulling shit out of your ass

and i am in a position to say this

being an individual who worked full time in a microbiology lab for nearly nine months

seriously

you guys really really really really dont have any idea what you're talking about

at all

so please

please

educate yourselves

you are embarrassing yourselves

also twin matrix your rhetoric is horrible

like you really just dont know what it takes to SAY WHAT YOU MEAN AND MAKE A FUCKING POINT
What.
I am certainly not a biologist. But I am certainly a physisist and a philosopher (or at least close to that) because that's what I study.
And HEY! Guess what? I've done loads and LOADS of experiments, to find the speed of light, the acceleration of gravity, bolzmann's constant, Planck's constant ect ect.... and guess again what? 80% of the times I've obtained results very different from what I "should", and you know why? Because science is far from being exact at all.
Although I'll give u that regarding that I'm in no possition to talk authoritatively about biology, but I don't think I'm malking a fool of myself, and if I am please point out what is exactly wrong with what I am saying and we'll have a proper debate, becuase to be honest I don't know what to defend with your criticism

go back to school
Why should I, sorry?
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Vellfire on June 15, 2008, 02:52:25 am
80% of the times I've obtained results very different from what I "should", and you know why?

because you fucked the experiment up?
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Jaruten on June 15, 2008, 02:58:32 am
because you fucked the experiment up?
To be honest I'm quite a careful scientist. So either huge errors from the apparatus, or I'm dumb shit.
But seriously, like for the simplest 1st year experiment of finding g through a rigid pendulum, I spend 2 whole afternoons and I did the whole measurements 4 times and I kept on getting 10. somthing with an accuracy of about 0.01%. So I figured out that either there was a huge magnetic field under the lab or dunno... gravity is stronger in the lab?
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: AdderallApocalypse on June 15, 2008, 03:44:04 am
Basicly every piece of evidence they found for evolution can be counter-explained to proove creationism (please don't debate this last argument if you haven't read any book about it).
Could you give a few examples of what is mentioned?

Quote from: Trujin
Evolution = There was no life. Life developed in a great chemical soup and evolution caused the life of today without any devine power.
Evolution doesn't state this at all. Evolution is the increase of appearance of genes, and doesn't tell of abiogenesis. I am an advocate of evolution, but not Intelligent Design. Though, the two aren't mutually exclusive, just look at the Roman Catholic Church which accepts Evolution.

Quote
ID = Basicly both of them together. Soms structures in organisms (eyes, brains) are to complex to have developed without a "blueprint". Therefor it's basicly the evolution theory, but this "evolution" is directed by a higher power, which steers the development and has certain blueprints for the organisms.
I saw a video on youtube of the famous Evolutionary Biologist, Richard Dawkins. Basically, he explained how the eye came to be. It was rather interesting how he explained it, like the eye started as a group of photosensitive cells and moved on from there. I haven't done much research on the Brain, but I don't believe in any sort of guided process at all.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Ryan on June 15, 2008, 03:52:54 am
Creationism = Everything made by god in a perfect way. They don't say "evolution" is impossible. They just state that this "evolution" is the result of degeneration as a result of a sinfull world. Really, I read some books, which scientificly prooves the fact that creationism is true, pretty interesting if you ask me. Basicly every piece of evidence they found for evolution can be counter-explained to proove creationism (please don't debate this last argument if you haven't read any book about it).

Evolution = There was no life. Life developed in a great chemical soup and evolution caused the life of today without any devine power.

ID = Basicly both of them together. Soms structures in organisms (eyes, brains) are to complex to have developed without a "blueprint". Therefor it's basicly the evolution theory, but this "evolution" is directed by a higher power, which steers the development and has certain blueprints for the organisms.

Edit: It seems that I didn't read all the posts and had to find out that this was basicly explained allready.

you... don't really know what you're talking about!

Quote from: dictionary.reference.com
cre·a·tion·ism     Audio Help   /kriˈeɪʃəˌnɪzəm/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[kree-ey-shuh-niz-uhm] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
1.   the doctrine that matter and all things were created, substantially as they now exist, by an omnipotent Creator, and not gradually evolved or developed.
2.   (sometimes initial capital letter) the doctrine that the true story of the creation of the universe is as it is recounted in the Bible, esp. in the first chapter of Genesis.
3.   the doctrine that God immediately creates out of nothing a new human soul for each individual born.

creationism does directly refute evolution. sorry!

Quote
Really, I read some books, which scientificly prooves the fact that creationism is true, pretty interesting if you ask me. Basicly every piece of evidence they found for evolution can be counter-explained to proove creationism (please don't debate this last argument if you haven't read any book about it).

please, please, elaborate. i would honestly love to hear this.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Mince Wobley on June 15, 2008, 06:07:33 am

dude what are you talking about? a vast number of early religions had sea gods and forest gods and basically NATURE RELATED gods because they hoped to harness the power of nature. Even religions where they don't pray to elements of nature often still have mythical creatures OF FIRE or some shit

i.e. judaism isnt even close to being an "early" religion.

Sure I understand that they probably found the sea and sun etc to be cool (because they give you free food) but I don't think that was the reason why they worshipped them and invented their gods. What I mean is, the normal, regular people, know such things exist but don't really care about it, who decides to start offering virgins for sacrifice is probably someone like Gene Ray (the time cube guy). And I don't think mental "illnesses" are something that appeared yesterday. This is so obvious I bet a real anthropologist has a theory exactly like this.

To be honest I'm quite a careful scientist. So either huge errors from the apparatus, or I'm dumb shit.
But seriously, like for the simplest 1st year experiment of finding g through a rigid pendulum, I spend 2 whole afternoons and I did the whole measurements 4 times and I kept on getting 10. somthing with an accuracy of about 0.01%. So I figured out that either there was a huge magnetic field under the lab or dunno... gravity is stronger in the lab?

That's your problem, your instrument is inaccurate and your sample size is too small, which makes your first statement false
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: alfungo on June 15, 2008, 10:12:55 am
If you want to hear some of the explanations creationists give to warp their flawed ideas around fact, just go along to www.creationism.org and listen to the mp3 section. This dude is actually for real.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Trujin on June 15, 2008, 11:59:42 am
What book is this? Any book that can somehow scientifically prove creationism must be pretty impressive!

Unless you're Dutch it won't help you much. But let me see if I can find something on the Internet with similair content.

Though, I must say, that if somebody wants to proove something in general, they just show you the scientific facts that support it. Leaving the counter-facts alone, hoping that people are stupid enough to just go along with it.

Ok, found it. I didn't read it totally through, but I think this is pretty similair.

http://www.creationism.org/genesis.htm
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Vellfire on June 15, 2008, 12:19:20 pm
Wow way to both use the same link for entirely different purposes.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Artis Leon Ivey Jr on June 15, 2008, 02:00:21 pm
Quote
I am certainly not a biologist. But I am certainly a physisist and a philosopher (or at least close to that) because that's what I study.

no wonder 80% of your physis experiments fail, I understand it's a very difficult field being as it is non-existent.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: dada on June 15, 2008, 02:10:26 pm
I am ignoring 99% of this topic.

correct me if i am wrong but don't some creationists (i am unsure how many) believe in evolution?
It's quite possible to be a strong believer in christianity and yet also believe in evolution. Desmond Tutu (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmond_Tutu) is one example. He's referred to the books of Genesis as "poetry", as opposed to an accurate description of events.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: thecatamites on June 15, 2008, 03:04:01 pm
Unless you're Dutch it won't help you much. But let me see if I can find something on the Internet with similair content.

Though, I must say, that if somebody wants to proove something in general, they just show you the scientific facts that support it. Leaving the counter-facts alone, hoping that people are stupid enough to just go along with it.

Ok, found it. I didn't read it totally through, but I think this is pretty similair.

http://www.creationism.org/genesis.htm


Wait, how did that link scientifically disprove anything? The guy just pulled shit out of his ass for the whole thing, without ever giving any kind of evidence at all! I mean, I only got halfway through it because there's only so much stupid I can take in one sitting, but even the fact that the first point he makes is
Quote
There are no fossils which prove any transitional life forms have ever come about through "natural selection" or otherwise.  The third type of evolution is what is believed and preached to our children in the public schools today, but to the best of my understanding there is no scientific evidence to support its tenets.  Regardless of my individual beliefs however I hope that you can glean from the evidence and ideas which are related in this report.
should let you know that this whole thing is kinda, well, completely bullshit. I mean, firstly, there are hundreds of transitional fossils: http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-transitional.html  (http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-transitional.html). Secondly, even if there weren't, then stuff like embryology, comparative anatomy, and biogeography still back up evolution.
And I should note here that this guy isn't saying "hey, evolution exists, it's just controlled by god". He's saying that apart from small-scale stuff like dog breeding or whatever, evolution doesn't exist at all.

Quote
One thing that most average people don’t know is how wildly the radio-active dates can fluctuate within different samples of the exact same specimen.
Actually, most claims that carbon dating is inaccurate are based on the idea that the amount of carbon-14 in the atmosphere has changed over the decades. While these changes have occured, they're already accounted for by means of comparison with tree-rings. Note how no evidence whatsoever was given to back up claims of variation.

Quote
Another fact that the highly vaunted geologic column (as drawn by artists) is often stacked wrong, there are gaps, often layers lie in "the wrong order" or even upside down.
Leaving aside the fact that I'm not sure how a layer of rock can be upside down, I have no idea what he's basing this claim on since he offers no evidence or citations whatsoever. He talks about how the geologic column is best explained by the flood, which is wrong for a whole bunch of reasons, but this link explains most: http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/geocolumn/

Quote
Is it necessarily religious (but not scientific) to include God in geologic strata interpretation?
Is this a trick question? Of course it's religious! And it pretty much pisses all over the scientific method to just say 'god done it' without any kind of further explanation, so it's not scientific either.

Quote
There is significant evidence that the Earth’s climate used to be much more uniform and comfortably warmer than today.  This is in keeping with the Bible’s record in Genesis.  It is not in keeping with modern evolutionary beliefs.
How does this contradict evolution?

Quote
Ask any diehard evolutionist who adamantly insists that there was not a global flood: "Where did coal and oil come from?, by what process were they created?"  They have no logical answer.
Haha, what? Did I dream all those high-school geography classes where we learned where fossil fuels came from? http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/hutchinson/m0015289.html

Quote
Discrete pockets of preserved former life, separated by wide layers of muck and rock.  Then nothing grew there for millions of years?, then "bam" a burst of stored life, then nothing for millions more years, then another concentrated coal or oil pocket.  A million years is a long time.  Where you live can you imagine that nothing grew there for one million or more years?
Oil flows to the surface, where it'd biodegraded by bacteria. The 'pockets of preserved former life' occur when oil seeps upward through porous rock and collects underneath an impermeable 'cap' rock. This information was brought to you, yet again, by a high-school geography textbook.

Quote
Peat is partially decomposed and shows damage from massive root penetration.  But coal, when scientifically incinerated to determine its BTU rating or when looked at under a microscope - isn’t and doesn’t, i.e. peat and coal are not 2 different stages of the same process.
Coal is peat that's been physically and chemically altered by stuff like compaction, bacterial decay, and heat. I have no idea what he's talking about, or what the BTU rating has to do with it (because coal has been chemically altered from peat, with many altered complex carbons, so it produces a different amount of energy when burned).

Quote
While the evolutionist postulates that each subsequent layer down indicates a different age or episode recorded in that region and then believes millions of years of this or that, the creationist postulates that these same sedimentary layers altogether record a singular recent violent catastrophic flood.  According to the Bible the Flood lasted about one year.
Take that, geochronology!

Quote
Did this happen about 4,400 years ago (as per Biblical chronology)?; or are we advanced primates with a long illiterate history of swinging from trees, scratching and picking lice off of each other, and then for whatever reason(?) inexplicably growing and developing into civilization, beginning slightly over 4,000 years ago?  Hmmm, that timing works out pretty closely, doesn’t it?  A Flood about 4,400 years ago; then new civilizations arising around 4,000 years ago.
Once again, this only makes sense if you completely ignore paleontology in all it's forms. Also, the growth of civilisation was a pretty damn long process and not just an event that happened 4000 years ago! Jesus, why am I even bothering to debate this stuff?

Quote
According to the theory of evolution, as commonly believed today, our ancestors slowly became smarter, invented the wheel, learned to control fire, and only recently got pretty good at making clipper ships and jumbo jets.  The creationist though could point to an ancient world from before the Flood, with about 1600 years of history and possible exploration.
... Uh, evolution doesn't claim anything like that. No-one's claiming anything like that. Does this guy even know what evolution is, because he's pretty much using it interchangeably with science as a whole!

Anyway, I'm bored and don't want to spend my day picking this shit apart, so I'll drop this here. The point is, that page doesn't prove creationism in any way, shape or form.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: datamanc3r on June 15, 2008, 07:42:00 pm
I have an interesting story to tell.

Back when I was still a Christian, I used to go to the local nondenominational church. One sunday, a minister who was studying to become a physics teacher was talking about how Christianity and science do not necessarily refute one another. He goes off on a slew of not-very-funny science jokes, wasting about an hour of our time (granted, this is what they do best) and finally arrives at his point. The topic of the Big Bang. He goes over several scientific theories as to how it arose (random particle collision, etc.) and contrasts it with creationism as presented by Genesis. He says something to the effect that Genesis does not refute creationism (a day to god is not necessarily 24 hours blah blah blah whatever -- he doesn't even mention why Genesis says BIRDS are created before LAND). Then he wastes more of our time, anecdotes about conversations with his scientist colleagues, etc. But here is how he ended:

"What would you RATHER believe? That our universe was created by some random particle collision? Or that an Intelligent Being set all this up to happen?" Noting the circumstances and how he presented his speech, he actually wanted us to think the latter.

I think that is the fundamental fallacy of religion at large. Religion is a lie, crafted in good nature, but nonetheless a lie to ourselves and our reason. It's just a convenience. Creationism and intelligent design, no -- they are not yet PROVEN ABSOLUTELY FALSE, so even the most diehard of scientists have to put faith in their own founding postulates. But faith on these grounds is far more reasonable than blind faith in religious dogma. This topic has thoroughly shown that evolution DOES EXIST. Where is the hardcore evidence that proves GOD EXISTS.

Ask yourself -- are you a Christian because you voluntarily made a reasonable choice to be one? Or are you a Christian simply because that's how you were brought up? Finally, what reasonable God would delight in your 'faith,' if you are of the latter?
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: AdderallApocalypse on June 15, 2008, 07:57:42 pm
Well put, Juris.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Niitaka on June 15, 2008, 08:18:38 pm
Sure I understand that they probably found the sea and sun etc to be cool (because they give you free food) but I don't think that was the reason why they worshipped them and invented their gods. What I mean is, the normal, regular people, know such things exist but don't really care about it, who decides to start offering virgins for sacrifice is probably someone like Gene Ray (the time cube guy). And I don't think mental "illnesses" are something that appeared yesterday. This is so obvious I bet a real anthropologist has a theory exactly like this.

Jesus christ. Have you ever even studied Egyptian or even GREEK mythology? What the hell do you think Ra and Poseidon were for?

I am ignoring 99% of this topic.
It's quite possible to be a strong believer in christianity and yet also believe in evolution. Desmond Tutu (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmond_Tutu) is one example. He's referred to the books of Genesis as "poetry", as opposed to an accurate description of events.

Yeah. As far as I'm aware you'd have to be taking the Bible metaphorically. There's really no way you can take Biblical history literally and still believe in evolution.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Rajew on June 15, 2008, 08:43:08 pm
80% of the times I've obtained results very different from what I "should", and you know why?

Sorry that I'm replying to this so late, but the fact that you are doing an experiment and EXPECTING specific results shows that you're a poor scientist. The very POINT of an experiment is to get the result, if you already have a result in your head, why are you doing the experiment?

My physics teacher told us this each and every day of class. We are never to enter an experiment with some preformed idea of how it is going to go, because then when we get wildly different results we get confused and do it over and over again, trying to get the 'right' results, which wastes our time and gets us a bad grade for handing in a late lab.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Frisky SKeleton on June 15, 2008, 09:06:45 pm
could someone give a quick run down of the earths history or a link to one because i'm having a hard time wrapping my head around when humans arrived etc

this just seems way too long, 30,000 generations for one changes in bacteria, 100 changes to form an eye. i guess a lot of them would overlapor something.

i'm a bit iffy with dinosaurs as well though so maybe i'm just a loon
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Marmot on June 15, 2008, 09:18:07 pm
jesus christ climbtree you are either dumb as hell or a troll

life started 4 billions years ago, there was plenty of time for humans to evolve out of prokaryotic bacterias,

human beings appeared around 200k years ago but they already lacked a functional appendix so humans didnt loose the appendix because they already didnt have it.

and evolution doesnt works with isolated traits and if you think that you should crack open a biology book. evolution works by random mutations and how those mutations help certain organisms to survive better and reproduce. so multiple mutations may be selected simultaneously and therefore its not like one thing develops at a time i.e. "heh how much time you need to develop a penis and then an eye....."
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Wil on June 15, 2008, 09:18:46 pm
Evidence of beginning of human existence shows it to be around 100k-200k years ago.

So basically, humans lived in caves, suffered horrible diseases, experienced agonizing deaths, and had very low life expectancy for that amount of time until one day god decides to show up with Jesus Christ on the cross.

Actually, god created the universe 13.7 billion years ago, created the earth 4.5 billion years ago, life around 3.7 billion years ago, and THEN he decided 2k years ago to send his son out into the middle of the dessert to preach to thousands of barely literate people.

edit:
oops you beat me to it marmot
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Mince Wobley on June 15, 2008, 09:24:17 pm
Jesus christ. Have you ever even studied Egyptian or even GREEK mythology? What the hell do you think Ra and Poseidon were for?

I never said they weren't respectively "the god of sun" and "the god of sea", if you somehow interpreted my posts as something like that well then here's an easy version:

A- People know things exist, but don't care about them (why would they?).
B- People are gullible.
C- At least one of them has schizophrenia and hears voices inside his head.
D- Because that person from C doesn't understand why they're there, he/she assumes it's from some immaterial beign.
E- Because of B, people from A will just do whatever that guy from C says because he's just too charismatic.
F- Everything above + the snowball effect

And then you have a religion, a cult, nazism or whatever!
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Frisky SKeleton on June 15, 2008, 10:24:39 pm
jesus christ climbtree you are either dumb as hell or a troll

life started 4 billions years ago, there was plenty of time for humans to evolve out of prokaryotic bacterias,

human beings appeared around 200k years ago but they already lacked a functional appendix so humans didnt loose the appendix because they already didnt have it.

and evolution doesnt works with isolated traits and if you think that you should crack open a biology book. evolution works by random mutations and how those mutations help certain organisms to survive better and reproduce. so multiple mutations may be selected simultaneously and therefore its not like one thing develops at a time i.e. "heh how much time you need to develop a penis and then an eye....."


Quote
i guess a lot of them would overlapor something.

[...]i'm a bit iffy with dinosaurs as well though so maybe i'm just a loon

shut up i already covered both your points and i already said i didn't care about the appendix, only that 30,000 generations is a really long time. notice how the only new trait in the bacteria was citrate metabolization though (30,000 generations for that, maybe only another 10k for a flagellum or something).

furthermore it's mostly flintstones fans and fundamentalists that believe dinosaurs and humans lived together. and the tin lids (but they were flintstones fans).



Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Marmot on June 15, 2008, 11:01:17 pm
shut up i already covered both your points and i already said i didn't care about the appendix, only that 30,000 generations is a really long time. notice how the only new trait in the bacteria was citrate metabolization though (30,000 generations for that, maybe only another 10k for a flagellum or something).

furthermore it's mostly flintstones fans and fundamentalists that believe dinosaurs and humans lived together. and the tin lids (but they were flintstones fans).


Still your post doesn't make sense. evolution happens through natural selection and if the enviroment doesn't change evolution will be really slow. you cannot compare bacteria in a controlled enviroment to normal habitats that generally tend to change rapidly.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Frisky SKeleton on June 15, 2008, 11:08:05 pm
the article wasn't talking about natural selection causing the bacteria to evolve but simply chance anyway, so environmental pressures are moot.

likewise i don't think the humanoid population would have been big enough to support rapid changes anyway
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Doktormartini on June 16, 2008, 01:36:29 am
Quote
So basically, humans lived in caves, suffered horrible diseases, experienced agonizing deaths, and had very low life expectancy for that amount of time until one day god decides to show up with Jesus Christ on the cross.
This is not true.  The tribal peoples in the world who still live the way they had for thousands of years (hunter-gathers) don't suffer horrible diseases, agonizing deaths and low life expectancy.  Unless that was a joke.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Mince Wobley on June 16, 2008, 02:25:41 am
Well some of them do, look at those people in africa
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Frisky SKeleton on June 16, 2008, 03:22:47 am
This is not true.  The tribal peoples in the world who still live the way they had for thousands of years (hunter-gathers) don't suffer horrible diseases, agonizing deaths and low life expectancy.  Unless that was a joke.

who are you talking about here? they might not have the same diseases but i'm pretty sure most of the elderly in south american tribes just look 90 and die at 40
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Marmot on June 16, 2008, 03:24:13 am
the article wasn't talking about natural selection causing the bacteria to evolve but simply chance anyway, so environmental pressures are moot.

likewise i don't think the humanoid population would have been big enough to support rapid changes anyway

enviromental rpessures have everything to with evolution dude. it is precisely because the cianide processing bacterias are able to survive and adapt to the enviroment that they breed.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Jaruten on June 16, 2008, 04:14:21 am
Sorry that I'm replying to this so late, but the fact that you are doing an experiment and EXPECTING specific results shows that you're a poor scientist. The very POINT of an experiment is to get the result, if you already have a result in your head, why are you doing the experiment?

My physics teacher told us this each and every day of class. We are never to enter an experiment with some preformed idea of how it is going to go, because then when we get wildly different results we get confused and do it over and over again, trying to get the 'right' results, which wastes our time and gets us a bad grade for handing in a late lab.
Well,  the reason we perform experiments in University is to develope experimental skills rather than to discover the value of a certain constant. The reason why we expect certain results is because we need to learn to identify sources of systematic errors, and the reason we repeat an experiment a lot if we don't get the expected result, is so that we minimize the random error so that we can make sure that the source of error is mainly systematic.
I agree with what your teacher says though, and I never ever ignore any result I get however ridiculous it is compared to what someone else has writen on a book.

That's your problem, your instrument is inaccurate and your sample size is too small, which makes your first statement false
My sample size was certainly not too small for any experiment. I made sure that the precision was high by repeating the measurements loads of times. lol. And how can you tell that my error came from the inaccuracy of my instruments? Sorry mate but that's a ridiculous statement... it could have been anything.

But hey! this has nothing to do with the topic anymore so I'll ask something that I have been wondering (if someone minds answering):
Does thought and knowledge through time evolve, just like living beings do? or does it develope differently? because if it is the latter, then the future of humans would not depend on the common evolution (or would it?), meaning that the theories of evolution would at best tell us how we have come to be like what we are, but that's about it.... wouldn't it?
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Doktormartini on June 16, 2008, 04:24:26 am
Well some of them do, look at those people in africa
It depends what people.  Not the Mbuti of the African rainforest.  Lots of people like the Bushmen, for example got fucked when settlers came and shit.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Wil on June 16, 2008, 04:29:49 am
This is not true.  The tribal peoples in the world who still live the way they had for thousands of years (hunter-gathers) don't suffer horrible diseases, agonizing deaths and low life expectancy.  Unless that was a joke.
Near the beginning of our species, yes. There is a difference between TRIBAL PEOPLES of the past few thousand years and people who lived during the infancy of our species. Life expectancy had to be around 20-30 years and infant mortality very high, during a time when nothing was known about micro-organisms. Humans lived in terror of volcanoes, hurricanes, and earthquakes, and probably died from them as well. You are right, there is evidence that the life expectancy of some tribes is about 50 which isn't obscenely low, but I am not talking about what in the context of EVOLUTIONARY TIME is only a few seconds.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Mince Wobley on June 16, 2008, 04:43:22 am
But hey! this has nothing to do with the topic anymore so I'll ask something that I have been wondering (if someone minds answering):
Does thought and knowledge through time evolve, just like living beings do? or does it develope differently? because if it is the latter, then the future of humans would not depend on the common evolution (or would it?), meaning that the theories of evolution would at best tell us how we have come to be like what we are, but that's about it.... wouldn't it?

LOL well using your methods you somehow found it to be a number, but other people, real scientists, nobel prize winners, using their own equipment (which I can only expect to be better than yours since they have unlimited funding and what not), found another number. And do you think they repeated their experiments just 4 times? No, they did it like 5 million times until they were sure their numbers were right. And then you find another number... what does that tell you? Hint: you did something wrong. But I guess you're on the right track since even real scientists have to deal with murphy's law.

It depends what people.  Not the Mbuti of the African rainforest.  Lots of people like the Bushmen, for example got fucked when settlers came and shit.

Yes it does, but even those who aren't too bad are infested with lice, tapeworms and several other parasites that aren't that common in the world of ipods and mac donalds and xbox 360

Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Wil on June 16, 2008, 04:54:39 am

Of course and now people don't die of volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis, because evolution made us immune to them

Good god, you are completely missing my point.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Erave on June 16, 2008, 05:01:07 am
Does this experiment lead to conclusive evidence that the bacteria will become an entirely new species? As far as I can tell it gained a new trait, which is essentially micro evolution (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong)? I believe that creationists biggest qualm is that man came from apes or something similar to that because it disputes the fact that man was created in God's image. What are some examples of intermediate fossil examples of preman?
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Wil on June 16, 2008, 05:04:27 am
Does this experiment lead to conclusive evidence that the bacteria will become an entirely new species? As far as I can tell it gained a new trait, which is essentially micro evolution (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong)? I believe that creationists biggest qualm is that man came from apes or something similar to that because it disputes the fact that man was created in God's image. What are some examples of intermediate fossil examples of preman?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_human_evolution_fossils , near the bottom.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: AdderallApocalypse on June 16, 2008, 05:22:18 am
I believe that creationists biggest qualm is that man came from apes or something similar to that
We have common ancestors, who ever said we came from apes? Many, many people have this mistaken mind set. Though, I do get your point. It's pretty tough to discard evolution, considering all the evidence that backs it up.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: the_bub_from_the_pit on June 16, 2008, 09:52:19 pm
Does this experiment lead to conclusive evidence that the bacteria will become an entirely new species?


Depends. Technically a new species is formed if it is isolated from other groups and evolves independently so I guess it COULD be considered a new species since it evolved independently... but for a new species to be formed, it has to go through at least one of five prezygotic isolations:

1 - Ecological Isolation: Two population live in different ecological conditions (eg mountain and lowland gorillas)
2 - Temporal Isolation: Different mating seasons (eg flowers release spores at different times)
3 - Behavioral Isolation: Difference in mating rituals which prevents two populations from mating (eg a city bird and a country bird are technically different species because their songs have developed to be different over time...that is, the country bird has long drawn out mating calls while the city bird needs short abrupt, high-pitched songs to compete with city life. Apparently they've done tests and these two birds, although they thought were the same, won't breed anymore).
4 - Mechanical Isolation: When organisms aren't "physically" compatible
5 - Gametic Isolation: proteins/enzymes in sperm aren't compatible with proteins/enzymes in egg (eg marine organisms spray sperm all over the place but only fertilize eggs that are compatible).

None of which seem to apply to the bacteria at the moment. (There's a little biology lesson for you all.)
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: fatty on June 17, 2008, 09:29:15 am
*clap clap clap*
We have common ancestors, who ever said we came from apes? Many, many people have this mistaken mind set. Though, I do get your point. It's pretty tough to discard evolution, considering all the evidence that backs it up.
Modern apes and humans share ancestors that are ape-like, creationists however think that evolution is all about MONKEYS BECOMING MEN OUT OF THE BLUE which leads to hilarious assumptions like "Monkeys evolved to humans in millions of years? BUT MONKEYS DON'T LIVE FOR MILLIONS OF YEARS DUUUH"

also that last one was from a page with creationist hatespeech, does anyone have the link? I think it was posted in irc a couple of months ago

EDIT: this is not it but read it nonetheless http://www.wikiality.com/The_Myth_of_Evolution
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: 4Dsheep on June 17, 2008, 08:26:00 pm
None of which seem to apply to the bacteria at the moment. (There's a little biology lesson for you all.)
Uh, yeah. That would be obvious, considering bacteria do not reproduce sexually*. I mean, the same can be said of fossils. How do you know fossil A is a different species from fossil B? You simply can't get them to prove they're different species anymore when they're dead. In these cases, it's back to the old 'do these two look the same to you' method. In this case specifically, the new emerged trait is radically different from anything the strain has come up with previously. Sizing this up, it's like a group of koalas starting to eat something other than eucalyptus leaves. When koalas that eat slightly different eucalyptus leaves are different species, what does this mean for the bacteria when he starts to metabolise something the rest of his strain can't?

Problem with evolution religion hasn't: explaining evolution requires time, effort, and a remotely intelligent audience. Explaining religion requires someone to say "god said it and therefore so and so is true" and a gullible audience.

*Or rather, there is no such thing as a common gene pool in asexual organisms, because they do not pool genes. When a population does have a common gene pool, genes 'mingle' and each set won't be very different from another of the same population. When a part of the original population gets isolated, however, it gets harder for genes to mix and differences will accrue until the two populations couldn't reproduce even if they wanted to (and thus being distinct species). There is, however, something resembling a gene pool in bacteria, since some can transduce (their or plasmid) DNA to another, and some can also incorporate loose DNA from dead bacteria. You could speak of different species of bacteria when (some of) these things become impossible between two types of bacteria.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Ragnar on June 17, 2008, 08:37:47 pm
holy shit does the Bible really say birds came before LAND

hahahaha
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Frisky SKeleton on June 17, 2008, 09:26:30 pm
enviromental rpessures have everything to with evolution dude. it is precisely because the cianide processing bacterias are able to survive and adapt to the enviroment that they breed.

missed this before, this isn't what the article is about at all. suddenly the bacteria could metabolise citrate and they theorised previous generations laid the groundworks for the trait. none of the mutations leading to it were beneficial, it's a stab against creationists who say that life is too complex to have an eye or something form by sheer accident.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Frisky SKeleton on June 17, 2008, 10:20:51 pm
holy shit does the Bible really say birds came before LAND

hahahaha

in genisis the order of creation is light and darkness, then seperating the sky from the waters, then seperated the waters from the land, then plants, stars, sun and moon, birds and fish, then all the land based animals and finally man.

i think there's a second creation story somewhere else and the order is phrased differently but i've never heard BIRDS BEFORE LAND before

Quote
I think that is the fundamental fallacy of religion at large. Religion is a lie, crafted in good nature, but nonetheless a lie to ourselves and our reason. It's just a convenience. Creationism and intelligent design, no -- they are not yet PROVEN ABSOLUTELY FALSE, so even the most diehard of scientists have to put faith in their own founding postulates. But faith on these grounds is far more reasonable than blind faith in religious dogma. This topic has thoroughly shown that evolution DOES EXIST. Where is the hardcore evidence that proves GOD EXISTS.

ok first off, how is it crafted in good nature? read the old testament. if it was made to make the jews feel special i don't know how, because it's littered with silly things like WANDERING AROUND A DESERT FOR 40 YEARS that's only a few days long. religion isn't convienient at all and i don't know why people spout this while claiming religion is TOO FULL OF RULES
ps jesus didn't come to bring peace - the bible

hardcore evidence, heh. this is a run down of both sides:
christians: the bible is right, anything that doesn't seem to line up hasn't been explained yet.
evolutionists: evolution happened. anything that doesn't seem to line up hasn't been explained yet. here's some teeth TAKE THAT YOU BIBLE TOTING HIPPIES, WE'VE GOT EVIDENCE.

i guess there might be a lot of teeth but i'm not too sure how many dino skeletons they've found even.

Quote
Ask yourself -- are you a Christian because you voluntarily made a reasonable choice to be one? Or are you a Christian simply because that's how you were brought up? Finally, what reasonable God would delight in your 'faith,' if you are of the latter?

"...I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household"-jesus christ, the bible.

"I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. Since you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am going to spit you out of my mouth." -someone, the bible.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Fish on June 17, 2008, 11:29:09 pm
Sorry if this has already been brought up, but I didn't really feel like reading the whole thread.

I've never really been a die-heart on either side of this issue, I don't really know what the popular arguments are for either but to me this doesn't really change anything.

To me evolution is fact, organisms can mutate and evolve into other organisms, creating new species, etc, etc. However I don't see how evolution explains initial origin of anything. I'm one of those annoying people that don't understand the Big Bang or whatever, because how does something go bang when nothing exists prior?

Creationism says a higher being made things, but I think its stupid and ignorant to think every species that exists now has always and were all created.

So this new evidence gives evolution even more scientific proof, super, I think anyone claiming evolution doesn't occur in any sense is in denial and closed-minded. However this evidence still doesn't solve the origin problem, and I think creationism is a fine solution for that, but I'm spiritual and am okay believing that.

So, if any of you guys that love this issue to death have some arguments for either side over this I'd love to hear it.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: datamanc3r on June 17, 2008, 11:51:49 pm
Ok yeah I was being a dumbass. Some Christian I was.
http://www.gamingw.net/forums/index.php?topic=72153.0
(heh heh don't refute my evidence)

Generally, people follow whatever is most comforting to them. The idea of heaven and an afterlife is pretty great, isn't it? And when contrasted with eternal damnation and suffering -- well, it's pretty much an ultimatum. This concept is comforting to them because without it, they really wouldn't know what to do with themselves. Of course, the content of the Bible itself is by no means a cakewalk. I mean -- you've got that whole sacrifice thing going on. Blights, plagues, etc. Pretty gritty stuff. Maybe 'comfort' isn't the right word -- perhaps I'm driving more at the 'conservative mentality' behind it. It's very unsettling -- almost blasphemous -- to think outside of how you were brought up. I think that's a pretty horrible reason to stay religious.

It's kind of like you're in one of those shitty relationships where you absolutely hate your girlfriend but can't leave her because you're too afraid of change. It's pretty sad when you think about it. But that's what keeps everyone in line. And people further justify themselves by saying "well, it's not too bad, and I do sort of like her and..." -- in essence, lying to themselves.

I'm not trying to say that RELIGION IS BAD. I"m just trying to point out that the mentality behind some of these people's beliefs isn't quite...dependable. Religion is good in terms of teaching society values and such, but I think those values should be followed for the sake of being a decent guy. Not because you'll go to hell if you don't.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Mince Wobley on June 18, 2008, 12:19:17 am
Sorry if this has already been brought up, but I didn't really feel like reading the whole thread.

I've never really been a die-heart on either side of this issue, I don't really know what the popular arguments are for either but to me this doesn't really change anything.

To me evolution is fact, organisms can mutate and evolve into other organisms, creating new species, etc, etc. However I don't see how evolution explains initial origin of anything. I'm one of those annoying people that don't understand the Big Bang or whatever, because how does something go bang when nothing exists prior?

Creationism says a higher being made things, but I think its stupid and ignorant to think every species that exists now has always and were all created.

So this new evidence gives evolution even more scientific proof, super, I think anyone claiming evolution doesn't occur in any sense is in denial and closed-minded. However this evidence still doesn't solve the origin problem, and I think creationism is a fine solution for that, but I'm spiritual and am okay believing that.

So, if any of you guys that love this issue to death have some arguments for either side over this I'd love to hear it.

They're both guesses and nobody knows which one is right
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: AdderallApocalypse on June 18, 2008, 12:57:24 am
They're both guesses and nobody knows which one is right
I suppose that a theory which has an overwhelming amount of evidence, is already observable in some form, is believed by many scientists, and makes a lot of sense otherwise is just a guess?
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Mince Wobley on June 18, 2008, 01:05:08 am
I'm talking about the "big bang". "Everything was nothing and then it exploded and became everything" makes as much sense as "The invisible ghost made the world in seven days"

--

PS: and before someone asks how is this related to anything, Fish said that he thinks creationism is a fine solution for the "orign of the universe" question, but since it is a guess then I think everything else is an acceptable answer for that question too (because nobody really knows the answer)
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Frisky SKeleton on June 18, 2008, 02:16:04 am
yes

No.
read the bible slick, you're arguing about culture and tradition. the bible says everyones going to hell, "for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of god." being a nice guy for the sake of being a nice guy is all very well but it won't get you any closer to god. you're basically saying WHY DO WE NEED GOD TO BE NICE PEOPLE??? and this is from a misunderstanding about what sin is

but lets thank america for their goal based approach to religion.


Quote from: Fish
Sorry if this has already been brought up, but I didn't really feel like reading the whole thread.
[...]
So, if any of you guys that love this issue to death have some arguments for either side over this I'd love to hear it.

thanks for this
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: AdderallApocalypse on June 18, 2008, 03:10:35 am
I'm talking about the "big bang". "Everything was nothing and then it exploded and became everything" makes as much sense as "The invisible ghost made the world in seven days"
No, I think it makes more sense. Well, something had to exist forever, whether matter was in the form of energy or what not. Somehow, I believe energy or matter or something existed forever, but maybe manifested differently now. The Big Bang Theory has  evidence backing it up, and starts to explain things from some sort of beginning. The Theology view suggests that things were created in their present form, instead of having a really long history, from very basic to more complex like today. It makes no sense to say something was placed here in it's current form by some sort of omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent entity, as opposed to suggesting that things were in a very basic form, and changed to what it is today. The very matter that makes us up existed over 13 billion years ago in some form or another.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: cowardknower on June 18, 2008, 03:14:46 am

"...I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household"-jesus christ, the bible.

"I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. Since you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am going to spit you out of my mouth." -someone, the bible.


The first one isn't about bringing a sword to KILL PEOPLE (you have to read shit in context man), but its about how he came to make the people of the day change the way they were acting and shit and that would bring division into families and he was aware of that.  Second one doesnt really make him look bad at all (I mean in any way besides being a normal GOD ASSHOLE who sends people to hell).  Also again I think that is in revelation written to one of the "7 churches or something".
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Frisky SKeleton on June 18, 2008, 03:41:31 am
yeah not violence but not peace; i used it to show that the 'my parents are christian so i'm a christian too' thing doesn't fly, same with the other one. i've always heard the lukewarm thing as I'D RATHER YOU WERE A CHRISTIAN OR A NON-CHRISTIAN 
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Hundley on June 18, 2008, 04:10:53 am
what's the fun of having an imaginary friend whose needs are eternally unsatisfiable

i smiled and nodded my head at a tree the other day, that's good enough for me
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: cowardknower on June 18, 2008, 11:30:31 am
i've always heard the lukewarm thing as I'D RATHER YOU WERE A CHRISTIAN OR A NON-CHRISTIAN 

Yeah, pretty much.  Is that really so bad though?  Hes saying be one thing or dont, but don't do it halfass or lie about it or whatever.

I guessyou got it though I just thought you were doing the whole "HEY GUYS, I guess JESUS isnt as GOOD as we THOUGHT, EH?  LOOK at this CRAZY stuff I FOUND in the BIBLE" that people do all the time

(ps i am not christian sorry for defending their holy scriptures!)
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Frisky SKeleton on June 18, 2008, 12:18:42 pm
no that's cool, i only brought them up to counter this:
Quote
Ask yourself -- are you a Christian because you voluntarily made a reasonable choice to be one? Or are you a Christian simply because that's how you were brought up? Finally, what reasonable God would delight in your 'faith,' if you are of the latter?

which actually reads like something they'd give to youth to strengthen their faith

i'd really encourage everyone to go CRACK OPEN A BIBLE or at least the new testament. you might not believe it or whatever but it'd at least be good to understand how the other half live. (or are meant to live).
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Artis Leon Ivey Jr on June 18, 2008, 02:42:05 pm
what's the fun of having an imaginary friend whose needs are eternally unsatisfiable

i smiled and nodded my head at a tree the other day, that's good enough for me

d...douglasssss

Quote from: Douglas Adams
Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: dueledge on June 18, 2008, 05:03:32 pm
while this thread mostly just highlights how many people are still wilfully ignorant of how evolution really works, I am very pleased to see some of the brilliant and well thought out replies some people have posted (they're much better then I think I could have done).

I've been reading Richard Dawkin's "the selfish gene" recently and I have to say it is a fascinating read, hopefully this experiment with help further our understanding of how gene's work and how they mutate.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: datamanc3r on June 19, 2008, 02:18:51 am
I wasn't really arguing that the bible is 'peaceful.' Rather, that people use it to feel secure (their afterlife, way of life, Christian society, etc). And in order to avoid conflict, people try to rationalize creationism with the evolution theory, paying no heed to the contradictions (creation of eve, etc).

Of course, Genesis can be taken metaphorically, and I don't have an argument yet against that. This topic really just attacks the crazy fundamentalist idea of creation. Interestingly, in the Scopes' (monkey) Trial, Clarence Darrow pointed out that the bible could be taken metaphorically (you are the salt of the world thing) thus allowing room for both. But rationalizing evolution and creation together means a loss of faith in religion. "worldly religion" is contradictory. Like you said, we must be either hot or cold.

I know this sort of derails heavily from the topic, but I was just thinking, based on your evidence -- isn't that mindset pretty much forcibly self-determinate? I mean, the idea that IF you don't live up to all these teachings, you WILL go to hell. So the afterlife is a cause/effect relationship? And you are basically given an express ticket to either heaven or hell based on your environment and how you were raised? That's pretty shitty. I don't know, I was bugged to hell about it when I was a Christian.

Heh. Of course, my not reading the damn holy book didn't help me, and doesn't help me now. I suppose I'll crack the sucker open and see what it's got to say.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Frisky SKeleton on June 19, 2008, 02:36:36 am
hell isn't somewhere you get sent so much as you just don't go to heaven. heaven is where god is and hell is a complete absence of god (which is a big deal considering he made everything you like most probably). you can't be with god if you've sinned, one or a million it doesn't matter.

christians believe that jesus took the sin of the world onto himself, if you have faith in him then you're sinless essentially, and this is what's either hot or cold. you either believe or you don't, you can't sort of believe
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: 4Dsheep on June 20, 2008, 09:31:10 pm
I'm talking about the "big bang". "Everything was nothing and then it exploded and became everything" makes as much sense as "The invisible ghost made the world in seven days"

--

PS: and before someone asks how is this related to anything, Fish said that he thinks creationism is a fine solution for the "orign of the universe" question, but since it is a guess then I think everything else is an acceptable answer for that question too (because nobody really knows the answer)
Sure, let's dump it all on those silly botanists! It's not like they have anything better to do, like solving world hunger or protecting humanity from horrible diseases! Yeah, they'll certainly wouldn't mind explaining over and over again the principles of quantum physics to people on the level of retarded toddlers!

I'm sick and tired of every bloody fundie bothering us, and only us, with their petty little issues and expecting us to answer "and why does this book say it is when it's not huh???" like the scientific community has somehow designated evolutionary biologists as "people who take your shit". I know we must seem like omniscient gods to you, but really, we're not! Try asking mathematicians (http://xckd.com/435/), maybe they'll look up from their Riemann hypothesis for long enough to tell you why the sky is blue. Go to hell.
Title: Observed major evolution occurs for the first time
Post by: Monty on June 20, 2008, 09:40:58 pm
Sure, let's dump it all on those silly botanists! It's not like they have anything better to do, like solving world hunger or protecting humanity from horrible diseases! Yeah, they'll certainly wouldn't mind explaining over and over again the principles of quantum physics to people on the level of retarded toddlers!

I'm sick and tired of every bloody fundie bothering us, and only us, with their petty little issues and expecting us to answer "and why does this book say it is when it's not huh???" like the scientific community has somehow designated evolutionary biologists as "people who take your shit". I know we must seem like omniscient gods to you, but really, we're not! Try asking mathematicians (http://xckd.com/435/), maybe they'll look up from their Riemann hypothesis for long enough to tell you why the sky is blue. Go to hell.

Your ignorance amuses me.