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To: Red Badger

These people come to a conclusion and call it a scientific fact. It is still a conclusion and theory. There are many theories and conclusions. DNA form one bone can not prove much but it causes a jump to a lot of conclusions.

More data please and peer review.


18 posted on 10/22/2014 2:55:54 PM PDT by mountainlion (Live well for those that did not make it back.)
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To: mountainlion
These people come to a conclusion and call it a scientific fact. It is still a conclusion and theory. There are many theories and conclusions. DNA form one bone can not prove much but it causes a jump to a lot of conclusions.

Hey, it worked for the 'Global Warming' guys over in the Meteorology Department! We need more funding, too!......................Maybe we could call it 'DNA Change'...............................

32 posted on 10/23/2014 6:19:25 AM PDT by Red Badger (If you compromise with evil, you just get more evil..........................)
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To: mountainlion
mountainlion: "These people come to a conclusion and call it a scientific fact.
It is still a conclusion and theory.
There are many theories and conclusions."

In scientific terms, a "fact" is a confirmed observation, while a "theory" is a confirmed hypothesis = explanation.
So, for examples, fossils and DNA are facts, while evolution and out-of-Africa are theories.

Barring some error in measurements, you don't expect facts to ever change, but theories can and often do change as new facts become known.

In this particular example, the new fact is DNA retrieved from very ancient bone, but everything explaining what it all means is based on theory -- i.e., radiometric dating, evolution, ancient pre-human migrations & interbreeding.
The new facts tend to confirm "out of Africa" theories, while providing possible dates for human-Neanderthal interbreeding.

But if you were hoping to find metaphysical or religious certainty in such science theories, then your expectations were highly unrealistic.

47 posted on 10/27/2014 10:19:04 AM PDT by BroJoeK (a little historical perspective)
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