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Transitional fossils: What are they?

MoonLancer

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This is also true. evolution tends to change speeds so it would be necessary to find many swatches from a specific time to show the rapid change that sometimes take place. But the argument overall i think is that you don't need a fossil from every generation that ever existed to show evolution. All it takes is a few key fossils. This is done in math all the time.
 
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Pete Harcoff

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But the argument overall i think is that you don't need a fossil from every generation that ever existed to show evolution. All it takes is a few key fossils. This is done in math all the time.

Heck, you don't need fossils at all. There's plenty of other lines of evidence for evolution, but for some reasons creationists fixate on fossils.
 
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Alunyel

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Heck, you don't need fossils at all. There's plenty of other lines of evidence for evolution, but for some reasons creationists fixate on fossils.

In fact, all of these entirely independent lines of evidence all arriving at the same conclusion, and all ultimately supporting each other is probably the most sufficient piece of evidence for evolution there is.
 
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Alunyel

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So?

That just demonstrates that you don't understand how the fossil record serves as evidence.

Firstly, it's a lot more complete than you seem to realise, secondly, it's not just the fact that the fossils are transitional, but how old they are, where they're found, etc

Ugh, I don't even know where begin to pick apart that QV, there's just so much wrong with it.
 
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AV1611VET

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Like I said, that picture that depicts an ape walking behind cro-magnon, walking behind neanderthal, walking behind Homo sapiens is misleading --- in my opinion.

I don't for one minute believe an ape birthed cro-magnon, who birthed, neanderthal, etc.

In other words, there are probably billions and billions of pictures you should be able to put between each one.

Again, evolution is a cheap fps movie --- in my opinion.
 
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AV1611VET

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What criteria would you use to decide which fossils belong in the series, and in which order?
What do you mean, 'which fossils'?

Do we have any?

I contend we don't.

They never existed.

Yet you guys will still continue to believe in evolution --- despite all these missing links that make this weak theory look like Swiss cheese.
 
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Loudmouth

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Heck, you don't need fossils at all. There's plenty of other lines of evidence for evolution, but for some reasons creationists fixate on fossils.

Perhaps it's because fossil evidence is easier to understand. DNA evidence is absolutely overwhelming, I agree, but it is hard for the layman to understand. It's much easier just to say, "Hey look, it's an apeman".

I ran across an excerpt from Dawkins new book. He uses a great analogy to explain why the creationist argument is bankrupt:

 
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Loudmouth

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What do you mean, 'which fossils'?

The billions that you say should exist. Let's say we stumble upon a fossil graveyard full of hominid fossils.

What criteria would you use to determine which are transitional, and in which order that they go in? Simple question.

Yet you guys will still continue to believe in evolution --- despite all these missing links that make this weak theory look like Swiss cheese.

You pretend as if fossils are the only evidence. They aren't, not by a long shot. Even if we didn't have a single fossil the fact of evolution would be obvious. As the quote in the post above remarks, the comparison of the genomes of living species, the morphology of living species, and the distribution of species across the globe is watertight evidence of evolution. Fossils are just a bonus.
 
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Split Rock

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What do you mean, 'which fossils'?

Do we have any?

I contend we don't.
You contend we don't have any fossils?? I content you don't have any Bibles.


They never existed.
I bet SATAN made them to fool us.


Yet you guys will still continue to believe in evolution --- despite all these missing links that make this weak theory look like Swiss cheese.
How so? Do you understand why the fossil record must by its very nature be incomplete? Or that there are numerous other lines of evidence that supports evolution?
 
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Aggie

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Can you answer my question, AV? I’d like to know how many transitional fossils you think we would need before we can justifiably say that the evidence supports evolution. If 14 of them between apes and humans isn’t enough, how many would be enough?
 
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AV1611VET

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I don't know, Aggie.

I don't know how evolution really works.

I just know that I've asked some pretty pointed questions and, judging from the answers (and non-answers), I conject that it is a cheap fps movie.
 
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Pete Harcoff

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Again, evolution is a cheap fps movie --- in my opinion.

Yes, we get it already. But you're a guy with "science can take a hike" in his profile, so your opinion doesn't exactly carry any weight.

Anyway, do you have anything worthwhile to add to the thread or just these silly analogies?
 
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Pete Harcoff

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Perhaps it's because fossil evidence is easier to understand. DNA evidence is absolutely overwhelming, I agree, but it is hard for the layman to understand. It's much easier just to say, "Hey look, it's an apeman".

That's true. And fossil finds tend to make the popular press a lot more, so I suppose I can see where people are coming from.

But still, thinking that evolutionary evidence revolves entirely--or even mostly--around fossils is about 40+ years out-of-date. Contemporary evolutionary theory rests primarily on genetics/genomics.

Or, as Dr. Francis Collins puts it: "Outside of a time machine, Darwin could hardly have imagined a more powerful data set than comparative genomics to confirm his theory."

I ran across an excerpt from Dawkins new book. He uses a great analogy to explain why the creationist argument is bankrupt:

That is a great analogy. The video footage is additional evidence, it does not detract from the overall picture. Likewise, fossils represent additional evidence, not a lack of evidence.
 
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