http://news.aol.com/story/_a/fossil-find-reveals-evolution-clues/20080625152309990003
WASHINGTON (June 25) – Scientists unearthed a skull of the most primitive four-legged creature in Earth’s history, which should help them better understand the evolution of fish to advanced animals that walk on land.The 365 million-year-old fossil skull, shoulders and part of the pelvis of the water-dweller, Ventastega curonica, were found in Latvia, researchers report in a study published in Thursday’s issue of the journal Nature. Even though Ventastega is likely an evolutionary dead-end, the finding sheds new details on the evolutionary transition from fish to tetrapods. Tetrapods are animals with four limbs and include such descendants as amphibians, birds and mammals.While an earlier discovery found a slightly older animal that was more fish than tetrapod, Ventastega is more tetrapod than fish. The fierce-looking creature probably swam through shallow brackish waters, measured about three or four feet long and ate other fish. It likely had stubby limbs with an unknown number of digits, scientists said.
I am reminded of a Michael Shermer (I think) quote, which was something like “If you find a transitional fossil that fills a hole in the evolution tree, the creationists find a new hole on each side of the new find”
Obviously this fossil was placed there by Satan in an effort to confuse us.
Interesting?Since he used it twice, was Dave trying to convey some nuanced, or subliminal meaning to the word ?whole,? with respect to this topic, or is he unaware of its homophone which his context indicates?
yup. So much for my New Years resolution to proofread better. Fixed it.
If it was more tetrapod than fish, does that mean it was on Noah’s Ark?
Dave,
What’s the source for this article?
God,
Why do you continually divide the holes you reside in by giving us finds like this one? What’s that you say? You want us to leave you alone so you can ponder the mysteries of Dark Side of the Moon?
I know, I often feel the same way myself. Consider your request granted.
alexatheist wrote:
Obviously this fossil was placed there by Satan in an effort to confuse us.
Or else it was placed there by God for that purpose. One or both have a long history of deception that way.
Yes of course! God made fossils to test our faith.
Here’s Lewis Black saying he throws fossils just over a creationist’s head….about 4:35 into the clip….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0gAcbAGPH4
about 6:30 in he tells the story how a creationist believes fossils are the handy work of the devil…..
why do creationist seem to be more racist than evolutionist….both ideas suggest a shared ancestry…..
Some of you might’ve seen this, but it certainly fits here:
“Geology shows that fossils are of different ages. Paleontology shows a fossil sequence, the list of species represented changes through time. Taxonomy shows the biological relationships among species. Evolution is the explanation that threads it all together.
Creationism is the practice of squeezing ones eyes shut and wailing “does not!”
I’m afraid reason and observation will continue to fail at convincing those who do not subscribe to these methods of obtaining knowledge.
We atheists are astounded and frustrated that no matter how much evidence science produces, some people just say “ain’t so” as if evidence doesn’t matter. 25, 50, 100, 500, and 1,000 years ago, scientific people were saying that if science just discovers a few more things, then religion will fall apart. It hasn’t happened. Religious people don’t trust evidence gained from observation or reason. They can’t make themselves believe the truth.
So is it the fate of the atheist to toil away digging up fossils when we know that it will never be enough and that there will always be another excuse? Are we stuck with superstition, religious war, and ignorance because of human nature? Or is it our job to take what we’ve learned to build the technology and the organization to rid the earth of these destructive mind-viruses?
I’m afraid physics, biology, astronomy, computer science and medicine have contributed all they can. The next technology to permanently change the world for the better will come from psychology.
That’s just stupid.
A homophone? Can you here me now?
Chris B I agree and disagree with your last post. Keep in mind the hubble telescope was just launched in 1990 and it took a few maintenance flights to correct big flaws in that piece of technology. You also forgot to mention archaeology and paleontology. Major finds have been made in the last decade on both fronts. A change in psychology is in process but it is a byproduct of other fields of science. This is why Islam is on a radical upswing coming out of the third world. There is little scientific advancement there as they eagerly chase the twisted example set by the west.
Expanding on the psychology idea… Think of the time, energy, money, etc. that people have devoted to their faith. Think of their pride and ego.
I can’t imagine the amount of mental anguish a person would experience admitting to their friends and family, and especially to themselves that something so near and dear to them, something they were so sure of, is wrong.
The mind is a powerful tool, clearly capable of considerable amounts of repression and rationalization.
For these people, maybe we need to offer a day of amnesty, like when the library allows overdue books to be returned without a fine. Give people the opportunity to step forward, accept the truth they’ve been rejecting for so long, and do so without fear of criticism from anyone.
latvia according to the bible is the site of the garden of eden and where the ark sank.
where is the land of nod and how did people get there if adam/eve are first people.
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/fossil-find-reveals-evolution-clues/20080625152309990003
Comment from: reason
No…it’s not.
Which reminds me. Whatever happened to one of the two fakers who claimed to have gone to Falwells college? He disappeared as soon as he told us that..
Comment from: brain user
I’m assuming that you’ll be first in line as an example…?
sorry, the troll goes hungry today.
Krys:
Yeah, about as stupid as quibbling over the use of ?simultaneous? in the definition of polygamy?
jcc:
Hey, you brought it up, Sloppy McGuire. You lost that argument, man up.