Evolution or Creation?

[Hmmm]

Ok, so which museums have the actual , non fabricated fossil records that clearly show evolution from one species to the next again? Even a few complete examples I would love to visit them. For now the theory's point to books and published papers.

[JLives]

There is no such thing as a transitional fossil. All fossils are transitional. Evolution does not occur in a lineal fashion. I would suggest reading Dawkins The Greatest Story Ever Told :The Evidence for Evolution to get a better understanding of the process. All of your questions are answered clearly there.

[oneh2obabe]

A transitional fossil is the fossil remains of a creature that exhibits primitive (or "conservative") traits in comparison with the more derived life-forms to which it is related. The "missing link" is a popular term used for transitional forms. According to evolutionary theory, in which all populations of organisms are in transition, a "transitional form" is a human construct that vividly represents a particular evolutionary stage, as recognized in hindsight.

When Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species was first published, the fossil record was poorly known, and the claim that there was a lack of transitional fossils was perfectly reasonable; indeed, Darwin stressed in his work that this was the most formidable obstacle to his theory. However, the discovery of Archaeopteryx only two years later was seen as a stunning triumph for Darwin's theory of common descent. Similarly, Othniel Charles Marsh assembled corroborative evidence of transitional fossils in his reconstruction of the evolution of horses as a single, consistently developing lineage. However, some argue that the many gaps in the fossil record that do exist are actually evidence rather than mere lack of evidence, and that the gaps require explanation. The reasons why gaps exist in the fossil record are explained in fossil.

Specimens claimed to be transitional forms include the whale ancestors called pakicetids and various hominids assessed in a linear way as proto-humans. In addition, the fossil record of the ancestors of the modern horse and zebra as mentioned above is considered one of the best examples of a clear transition between species.

http://www.paleautonomy.com/taphonomy/transitional.html

[Ranger66]

You could look here?

Hall of Human Origins

Spitzer Hall of Human Origins

The Anne and Bernard Spitzer Hall of Human Origins pairs fossils with DNA research to present the remarkable history of human evolution. The hall covers millions of years of human history, from early ancestors who lived more than six million years ago to modern *bleep* sapiens, who evolved 200,000 to 150,000 years ago.

[Hmmm]

You could look here?

Hall of Human Origins

Spitzer Hall of Human Origins

The Anne and Bernard Spitzer Hall of Human Origins pairs fossils with DNA research to present the remarkable history of human evolution. The hall covers millions of years of human history, from early ancestors who lived more than six million years ago to modern *bleep* sapiens, who evolved 200,000 to 150,000 years ago.

You lost me at "millions of years". There is not any evidence of humans being around millions of years.

[Glacier]

True. The oldest known fossil records date back in the neighbourhood of fifty billion years while it is estimated that the first single cell life forms appeared about eighty-five billion years ago.

Even if we assume that the first single cells came into being on their own it would take trillions of years, not billions to evolve into something even the size of 3 kg given the known evolution rate. So making the assumption that we have indeed involved from lower life forms, we have either been evolving for 100s of trillions of years, or we started out relatively complex millions or billions ago and evolved from from that point on.

[Ranger66]

"You lost me at "millions of years". There is not any evidence of humans being around millions of years."

I guess that's why you need to go see the evidence.

[cliffy1]

You lost me at "millions of years". There is not any evidence of humans being around millions of years.

Nobody said that humans have been around for millions of years. Hominids, our early ancestors, were around millions of years ago. Archaeology has proven the links or transitional species that eventually lead to human evolution. Evolving from single cell organisms is more difficult because of gaps in evolution caused by mass extinction events, of which there have been a few. This also disproves that man was created by some paranoid, angry gawd who punishes us because of his own incompetence. If this gawd was so all powerful and all knowing, why did he create us so flawed in the first place?

[zzontar]

Nobody said that humans have been around for millions of years. Hominids, our early ancestors, were around millions of years ago. Archaeology has proven the links or transitional species that eventually lead to human evolution. Evolving from single cell organisms is more difficult because of gaps in evolution caused by mass extinction events, of which there have been a few. This also disproves that man was created by some paranoid, angry gawd who punishes us because of his own incompetence. If this gawd was so all powerful and all knowing, why did he create us so flawed in the first place?

Because that's how true faith and love develop.

[fluffy]

If this gawd was so all powerful and all knowing, why did he create us so flawed in the first place?

It's because He has a real sharp sense of humor, and knows everything that's going to happen before it happens. Even as He was first designing humans he could see the humorous possibilities in the term "Intelligent Design".

[cliffy1]

It's because He has a real sharp sense of humor, and knows everything that's going to happen before it happens. Even as He was first designing humans he could see the humorous possibilities in the term "Intelligent Design".

Sounds rather sadistic to me. If there is a benevolent creator out there, I doubt it would punish us for being so funny - which of course we are. Just look at all the silly things we think are important, necessary, or how we act toward each other and our planet. I really do think that the creator is a comedian and is having a great belly laugh at our machinations.

[JLives]

Even if we assume that the first single cells came into being on their own it would take trillions of years, not billions to evolve into something even the size of 3 kg given the known evolution rate. So making the assumption that we have indeed involved from lower life forms, we have either been evolving for 100s of trillions of years, or we started out relatively complex millions or billions ago and evolved from from that point on.

The rate of evolution is dynamic and varies widely depending on several factors such as species and mutation rate.

[fluffy]

Not to mention as yet unexplained bursts in diversification such as the Cambrian Explosion.

[Hmmm]

Also from nothing to something.

[JLives]

Please start a thread on abiogenesis. Evolution, put simply, explains the diversity of species. It does not include life starting from inorganic matter. It's two completely different topics.