Evolution changes a life

[USincognito]

While the medical and biological questions are answered to anyone with even the most rudimentary knowledge of evolutionary theory, Creationists continue to offer up the metaphysical tangent of how "lives" are effected. Leaving aside the axiomatic conclusions that better knowledge of diseases, genetics and what makes humans improves our lives in many ways, I found a very heartening article in the Dallas Morning News yesterday that evidenced a posititive effect on the life of a Katrina evacuee.

If you have free registration for the DMN, here's the link to the full story. Below are a few excerpts that sum up why I found the story so moving.

PLANO – Brandon Alexander poked through the dried creek bed in his school's back yard searching for ancient oysters with his biology classmates last week.

Instead, he found an estimated 85 million-year-old vertebra from what once was one angry-looking fish, and unearthed an excitement about science that most teachers only dream about.

....

The fossil find that started with Brandon's discovery continued last weekend with the help of dozens of interested children, adults and teenagers. Several more vertebrae, a fin and other pieces of an estimated 12- to 15-foot-long Xiphactinus audax have since been recovered, and the campus hopes to find more in the coming weeks – if not months.

.....
(bold mine)
For Brandon, a 16-year-old Hurricane Katrina evacuee, the discovery has changed life on campus. It's given him an identity other than as just one of the evacuees.

"I'm a star," he said, laughing.

It's also recharged his long-dormant interest in science.

Mr. Kirpach said he never heard Brandon, a junior, mention college before last week. Now he's been asking about what it takes to become a paleontologist.

"I did not want to know anything about science," Brandon said. The fossil find, along with Mr. Kirpach's knack for explanation, has changed that. "I now have a thirst for science. It makes sense now."

Brandon's got a long row to hoe ahead of him, but I think it's wonderful that simply mucking about for a biology project lead him to a such a fabulous discovery and might direct him on the road to being a scientist.

 

[Donkeytron]

An even more amazing discovery: CF doesn't censor "hoe" automatically!

 

[truth above all else]

who says the fossil is 85000000 years old

 

[Grengor]

The EAC.

 

[MewtwoX]

Mwahahahahahahahahahahah!

*Evil Poofs*

;3

 

[Hydra009]

Really, it's fossil find changes a life (the impact on the boy would be the same if the find had been made before the ToE), but good article. That's one mean fish!

I found one side of the lower jaw bone of a porpoise or something once near the Outer Banks in NC. Go me.

 

[Edmond]

While the medical and biological questions are answered to anyone with even the most rudimentary knowledge of evolutionary theory, Creationists continue to offer up the metaphysical tangent of how "lives" are effected. Leaving aside the axiomatic conclusions that better knowledge of diseases, genetics and what makes humans improves our lives in many ways, I found a very heartening article in the Dallas Morning News yesterday that evidenced a posititive effect on the life of a Katrina evacuee.

You could take the entire word evolution out of sceince and it would not change one of the things science has discovered. The word or concept has nothing to do with what has been or will be discovered. It is a theory of the past with most of the evidence missing. It is an extrapolated hypothesis stretched to the limits of imagination. That is not science.

-----------

 

[notto]

You could take the entire word evolution out of sceince and it would not change one of the things science has discovered. The word or concept has nothing to do with what has been or will be discovered. It is a theory of the past with most of the evidence missing. It is an extrapolated hypothesis stretched to the limits of imagination. That is not science.

-----------

You're in denial.

 

[USincognito]

You could take the entire word evolution out of sceince and it would not change one of the things science has discovered. The word or concept has nothing to do with what has been or will be discovered. It is a theory of the past with most of the evidence missing. It is an extrapolated hypothesis stretched to the limits of imagination. That is not science.

Um. Yeah. Just one question though, where do you replace the word "God did it" with "palenology" in the article?

And I'm sorry to break your worldveiw. but the evidence for evolution is in the fish bones themselves.

 

[Valkhorn]

who says the fossil is 85000000 years old

People that know what the hell they're talking about.

 

[Valkhorn]

You could take the entire word evolution out of sceince and it would not change one of the things science has discovered. The word or concept has nothing to do with what has been or will be discovered. It is a theory of the past with most of the evidence missing. It is an extrapolated hypothesis stretched to the limits of imagination. That is not science.

Should be (corrected for errors)

You could take the entire word god out of sceince and it would not change one of the things science has discovered. The word or concept has nothing to do with what has been or will be discovered. Evolution is a theory of the past and present with most of the evidence accounted for. It is an extrapolated hypothesis based on evidence. Creationism is not science.

Edmond you're shown repeatedly that Evolution has plenty of evidence behind it and that it has had profound effects in society in terms of progress, finding oil, and even germ theory and the understanding of genetics.

Yet you're still in serious denial.

 

[FreezBee]

You could take the entire word evolution out of sceince and it would not change one of the things science has discovered. The word or concept has nothing to do with what has been or will be discovered. It is a theory of the past with most of the evidence missing. It is an extrapolated hypothesis stretched to the limits of imagination. That is not science.

Not really, the theory of evolution contributes a lot to science. Think about the volumes and volumes of papers and books on this subject. There are endless discussions about this or that subject in actual evolution - even though no one has ever seen a reptile evolve into a bird, this subject has generated lots of debate.

And, don't forget, after all the theory of evolution does provide us with some hypotheses that can be matched with available facts and of course also gives some explanations for fossils. No variant of creationism can explain anything without relying on highly speculative assumptions - that are untestable. For instance, a certain astrophysicist (name withheld) claims that the current "disorder" in the universe is due to the rebellion of 1/3 of the angels - the angels being responsible for keeping the stars moving around the earth in fixed courses.


- FreezBee

 

[Dannager]

You could take the entire word evolution out of sceince and it would not change one of the things science has discovered. The word or concept has nothing to do with what has been or will be discovered. It is a theory of the past with most of the evidence missing. It is an extrapolated hypothesis stretched to the limits of imagination. That is not science.

-----------

Then how come all the scientists actually discovering these things that science is discovering support evolutionary theory and use it in their research?

 

[Dragar]

You could take the entire word evolution out of sceince and it would not change one of the things science has discovered. The word or concept has nothing to do with what has been or will be discovered. It is a theory of the past with most of the evidence missing. It is an extrapolated hypothesis stretched to the limits of imagination. That is not science.

You're totally wrong.

***! Assertions without backup running amok!!!

 

[Valkhorn]

even though no one has ever seen a reptile evolve into a bird

Repeat after me, populations evolve, not individuals.

 

[truth above all else]

Repeat after me, populations evolve, not individuals.

fiddlesticks,you're suggesting that aeons from now an extended family of lizards may fly south for the winter
all creatures great and small are influenced by variation not evolution
let science define the limits of variation and let them use the word and concept of evolution in explaining change and let them abandon the use of fanciful extrapolations of small changes into a an all encompassing principle

 

[Nightson]

fiddlesticks,you're suggesting that aeons from now an extended family of lizards may fly south for the winter

all creatures great and small are influenced by variation not evolution
let science define the limits of variation and let them use the word and concept of evolution in explaining change and let them abandon the use of fanciful extrapolations of small changes into a an all encompassing principle

Sure... we'll abandon well evidenced scientific principles because some people object to it for non-scientific reasons.

Edit: Can't figure out why it keeps splitting the quote, oh well.

 

[Silent Bob]

let science define the limits of variation

What limits? What is a mechanism by which limits are imposed? Can you think of one? Or maybe dig something up from ICR or AIG?

Even IF we hadn't seen species forming out of each other, we forget about ERV insertions, we burn genetics books, we discard taxonomy as we know it still the "limit" is nowhere to be found.

And since the "limit" has not been observed then Occam comes and slices it to pieces. After all what predictions does the "limit" offer? What data can be explained by the "limit" that cannot be without it?

 

[gluadys]

fiddlesticks,you're suggesting that aeons from now an extended family of lizards may fly south for the winter

Not really. That's already happened and the same thing happening again in a different family of reptiles is unlikely. The initial conditions are not the same.

all creatures great and small are influenced by variation not evolution

Actually they are all influenced by both. Evolution is a product of the selection of inheritable variations.

let science define the limits of variation and let them use the word and concept of evolution in explaining change and let them abandon the use of fanciful extrapolations of small changes into a an all encompassing principle

Can you show that the accumulation of small changes has limits? Can you show that the accumulation of small changes will not eventually lead to a large measure of divergence?

 

[TooCurious]

While the medical and biological questions are answered to anyone with even the most rudimentary knowledge of evolutionary theory, Creationists continue to offer up the metaphysical tangent of how "lives" are effected. Leaving aside the axiomatic conclusions that better knowledge of diseases, genetics and what makes humans improves our lives in many ways, I found a very heartening article in the Dallas Morning News yesterday that evidenced a posititive effect on the life of a Katrina evacuee.

If you have free registration for the DMN, here's the link to the full story. Below are a few excerpts that sum up why I found the story so moving.

PLANO – Brandon Alexander poked through the dried creek bed in his school's back yard searching for ancient oysters with his biology classmates last week.

Instead, he found an estimated 85 million-year-old vertebra from what once was one angry-looking fish, and unearthed an excitement about science that most teachers only dream about.

....

The fossil find that started with Brandon's discovery continued last weekend with the help of dozens of interested children, adults and teenagers. Several more vertebrae, a fin and other pieces of an estimated 12- to 15-foot-long Xiphactinus audax have since been recovered, and the campus hopes to find more in the coming weeks – if not months.

.....
(bold mine)
For Brandon, a 16-year-old Hurricane Katrina evacuee, the discovery has changed life on campus. It's given him an identity other than as just one of the evacuees.

"I'm a star," he said, laughing.

It's also recharged his long-dormant interest in science.

Mr. Kirpach said he never heard Brandon, a junior, mention college before last week. Now he's been asking about what it takes to become a paleontologist.

"I did not want to know anything about science," Brandon said. The fossil find, along with Mr. Kirpach's knack for explanation, has changed that. "I now have a thirst for science. It makes sense now."

Brandon's got a long row to hoe ahead of him, but I think it's wonderful that simply mucking about for a biology project lead him to a such a fabulous discovery and might direct him on the road to being a scientist.

That's a really inspiring story. I'm glad for the kid. Yay science!