Adventures in evolution

steve smyth — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 02:42:38 GMT

Fuegian Natives...think about just how exotic those Folks must have been mid eighteen hundreds!
Imagine that they have an entire culture based upon the one major limitation of their environment...the impassable Straits.
Suddenly, these crazed people show up in large vessels, and start navigating through the impassable churn.
That's an eye opener for ya, eh?
Can you say Culture Shock?
I wanna meet 'em.

Adventures in evolution

John Toronto Canada — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 03:37:29 GMT

Nice story about a beloved naturalist but what about his theory? Have you found the sub species yet (missing link)? Has modern gene mapping shed any new light on his theory? Why do we teach evolution as fact when so little supports it?

Adventures in evolution

jalp, Marshall, MI — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 05:17:45 GMT

Don't forget Peter and Rosemary Grant and _The Beak of the Finch_. . . .

Adventures in evolution

Richard Thomas — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 05:31:41 GMT

I am really interested in the Gerber vs. Darwin theory of evolution, a rather dramatic new theory disturbing yet liberating if science continues on the current course of validating it. read it on http://skeptic.me League of New Scientists. The controversial part is the vested interest in maintaining Darwin's Theory of Evolution, exactly the same type of crew thought promoted the “Flat Earth” fiction to use fear to discourage others from discovering the spice routes type of scheme. Also is the idea of intelligence driven dynamic DNA.

Adventures in evolution

Frank III Augustine Manuel, Cebu City, Philippines — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 06:15:12 GMT

absolutely astounding. these scientists are definitely worth honoring.

Adventures in evolution

Kimberly Casino — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 06:39:24 GMT

You know what is a crack up. Darwin actually before he died wrote and said that he knew his own THEORY OF EVOLUTION was not true and he recanted is OWN THEORY OF EVOLUTION. Why don't we every hear about that. By the way I sure did not evolve from a rock.

[ALAN ADDS: We don't often hear about that because it's not true. Here's more information from, of all places, Answers in Genesis:]

http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v18/i1/darwin_recant.asp

Adventures in evolution

Chris HBG PA — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 08:37:56 GMT

"But the desire to explore the unknown...? That desire is absolutely undiminished." Love this statement! I think being inquisitive maybe one of our stronger evolutionary trates and probably why we are still here. There are tales of Native Americans "walking" from the artic circle to the tip of South American and from the west coast to the east coast, *SEVERAL TIMES* thoughout their lives! That's in Tom Brown Jr.'s books btw.

His books are the ones that also talk about the need to follow one's gut feelings to find the things you are looking for. I mentioned that in the last thread and it's something I've experianced at least a dozen times myself. If we ignor our gut, and the feelling is strong, it will reach into our dreams too. Most dreams are gargage but I've heard people talk about having dreams and then being in the place they were dreaming about. Dreams that repeat are VERY important because (according to Natives) they too connect us "spiritually" to things just like our gut!

Um... I know that ship is for exploring, but noticing the difference between it and the dug-out canoes, one can see a hint of one of our other not-so-good evolutionary trates. Our perpensity to follow power-mad leaders into combat! The only reason that ship is better than those canoes is from thousands of years of naval warfare in Europe.

Adventures in evolution

Luis Gutierrez, 9748 Arleta Avenue, Arleta CA91331 — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 10:06:45 GMT

Don't you think that the theory of the cration is not in contradiction with the theory of evolution?
Can we imagine if human kind is manipulating the genes in modern science, it must have been necessary that something or someone provided the means to create the elements that originated everything in the universe previuos to us humans or animals or plants or microbios be the objects of evolutionary process?
Can we stop being so naive or incredulous to assure that evrything just appeared from nothing to become something?

I believe that must have been a superior being who gave us the starting point of everything that exist now. Even if it is chaos which originated evolution, someone must have created that chaos.

Just think about it one more ti me really deep.

Luis Gutierrez
9748 Arleta Avenue
Arleta CA91331-4652
8185087744

Adventures in evolution

BMS, VA — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 11:44:37 GMT

Boyle, you idiot.

Adventures in evolution

TheFallibleFiend, LORTON, VA — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 14:01:26 GMT

HAPPY DARWIN DAY!
I listened to Carroll on NPR yesterday morning.
I'm sure persistence and passion are minimum requirements for these fellows. Shubin and Daeschler also had a clear chain of logic: If X and Y and Z, then the best place to start looking is here.

Adventures in evolution

steve smyth — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 14:03:53 GMT

hey...I love the timing of all this evolution stuff...here's some instant evolution from the early days of Gaia Two R&D...
my father was a gorilla
now I'm lost in space
instant evolution
can save the human race
circa 1984...
still sounds good to me...tuff to get past the selective breeding and all that darned Nazi stuff...but, we're a clever bunch...at least we were at one time...somehow, we've allowed ourselves to evolve away from the cleverness that got us to here...the transition from Homo Sapiens to Homo Technus is taking place right before our very eyes...
WOW!!!
YIPES!!!
and all that stuff...

Adventures in evolution

Tom Mangan, Brockport, NY — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 15:10:01 GMT

Happy Darwin's 200th birthday. "The Making of the Fittest" was a fascinating book, and I'm looking forward to reading "Remarkable Creatures".

Adventures in evolution

Eric, Salinas, CA — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 15:20:11 GMT

Thanks Alan for such a great article on Charles Darwin and Evolution! Good thing that Wallace was there to spur Darwin into finishing his work and book. Charles Darwin is a true hero who figured out a fundamental truth and then was able to face the false criticism from the religious naysayers. We can all be thankful for his courageous work.

Go Darwin!

Adventures in evolution

Shiva — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 12:47:56 GMT

You may like to read explorer Akhil Bakshi's enlightening article on "CONTINENTAL DRIFT AND CONCURRENT EVOLUTION OF HUMAN SPECIES - A critique of the African-origin theory" at
http://film-india.com/expdtn/Paper%20on%20Continental%20Drift.htm

Adventures in evolution

Chris Eldridge, HBG PA — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:51:28 GMT

Alan, I like the story about the one guy who dedicated his life to finding the missing link and was practically on his death bed when he found the tooth etc. I DO think we are all guided... The fact that he found it and for 40 years no one found anything else just shows you how when you have a strong intention and think of nothing else, what you need will come to you. There really does seem to be a natural law of attraction with people and things that simply belong together. It happens... it just does. The natives believe that the spirit world is just as real as this one and that we can... though our dreams and gut, be lead to what we truly need to find or do. I respect science so much, yet I also believe there has to be something more to spirituality for it to have survived Soooo very long! It's not only natural to believe in something grander than ourselves, I think there'd still have to be something that drives it. Much like gravity, we are simply drawn to that which is right for us.

I'm sure that's the same way for colonization... as a whole... as a life form, I think it's just inbread in us. I may not have the right words for that question, but I'd still wish to see if somehow we can find a way to see if that's the case! If we can truly find what drives and unites us, it would bring a lot of all these mis-matched parts together that seem to be so chaotic! Seriously! I'd love to see it!
Chris