Well it's actually 25 million so it's 20x
or better yet in just 1000 years of evolution
We went from
to
So it's 500,000x the evolution difference, Which is more than enough for any possible changes from worm to man
Posted on 12/29/2004 9:14:28 AM PST by aculeus
Emergence of society may have spurred growth
The sophistication of the human brain is not simply the result of steady evolution, according to new research. Instead, humans are truly privileged animals with brains that have developed in a type of extraordinarily fast evolution that is unique to the species.
"Simply put, evolution has been working very hard to produce us humans," said Bruce Lahn, an assistant professor of human genetics at the University of Chicago and an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
"Our study offers the first genetic evidence that humans occupy a unique position in the tree of life."
Professor Lahn's research, published this week in the journal Cell, suggests that humans evolved their cognitive abilities not owing to a few sporadic and accidental genetic mutations - as is the usual way with traits in living things - but rather from an enormous number of mutations in a short period of time, acquired though an intense selection process favouring complex cognitive abilities.
Evolutionary biologists generally argue that humans have evolved in much the same way as all other life on Earth. Mutations in genes from one generation to the next sometimes give rise to new adaptations to a creature's environment.
Those best adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and pass on their genes to the next generation.
The evolution of a large brain in humans, then, can be seen as similar to the process that leads to longer tusks or bigger antlers. In general terms, and after scaling for body size, brains get bigger and more complex as animals get bigger.
But with humans, the relative size of the brain does not fit the trend - our brains are disproportionately big, much bigger even than the brains of other non-human primates, including our closest relatives, chimpanzees.
Prof Lahn's team examined the DNA of 214 genes involved in brain development in humans, macaques, rats and mice.
By comparing mutations that had no effect on the function of the genes with those mutations that did, they came up with a measure of the pressure of natural selection on those genes.
The scientists found that the human brain's genes had gone through an intense amount of evolution in a short amount of time - a process that far outstripped the evolution of the genes of other animals.
"We've proven that there is a big distinction," Prof Lahn said. "Human evolution is, in fact, a privileged process because it involves a large number of mutations in a large number of genes.
"To accomplish so much in so little evolutionary time - a few tens of millions of years - requires a selective process that is perhaps categorically different from the typical processes of acquiring new biological traits."
As for how all of this happened, the professor suggests that the development of human society may be the reason.
In an increasingly social environment, greater cognitive abilities probably became more of an advantage.
"As humans become more social, differences in intelligence will translate into much greater differences in fitness, because you can manipulate your social structure to your advantage," he said.
"Even devoid of the social context, as humans become more intelligent, it might create a situation where being a little smarter matters a lot.
"The making of the large human brain is not just the neurological equivalent of making a large antler. Rather, it required a level of selection that's unprecedented."
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004
[Thunderous applause!]
How do we know this???
The forbidden fruit was the knowledge between good and evil - what parent doesn't want their child to know the difference between right and wrong?
But, the two do not go together.
The parent (GOD) did NOT tell ANY information to His 'children' other than NOT to eat of that tree; while all along they have been eating from ALL the trees.
"One of these days your face will FREEZE like that; then you'll be sorry!" is probably something we've ALL heard, but did it do any good?
I have to disagree - it is a VERY good story: disobey God and your spirit will die.
(And we are subsidizing them to create more!!!)
Much like certain segments of our 'society' today....
All of the prophets spoke and said that the Messiah would be the redeemer of Israel, would bring back the lost tribes, and everyone would know and observe Torah. Has this happened? No it hasn't.
Uh... Jeremiah sure didn't!
Jeremiah 31:31-32
31. "The time is coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.
32. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them, " declares the LORD.
NIV Jeremiah 31:35-36
35. This is what the LORD says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar-- the LORD Almighty is his name:
36. "Only if these decrees vanish from my sight," declares the LORD, "will the descendants of Israel ever cease to be a nation before me."
If I recall correctly, 'Irsael' was NOT a 'nation' for a LONG time: until 1948.
Is Jeremiah a 'false' prophet too?
But they don't have the capacity to know right from wrong until they eat from the tree. Not to mention it was a set-up. God would have known all along what would happen. And the curse on all women because one was tricked is a bit extreme.
But good story or bad story. It is still a story. There are hundreds of creation myths. Heck, it can even be argued that there are two different creation myths in the Bible.
The evidence is overwhelming that the earth is much older than 6,000 years. That man has been on the planet longer than 6,000 years. That life developed over millions of years, not days. That the universe is extremely old, etc.
If the universe was created in one quick stroke a few thousands of years ago, how can light from stars millions of light years be reaching us right now?
Me, I find it much more believable that God is outside of time and space so for God time does not exist. He willed the universe into existence, crafted life with evolution. Has guided and taught mankind, wants every person to know Him etc. And is far more magnificent than the Bible gives Him credit for.
As well as...
Another is of the continuing attacks on the idea of Creation by Evolutionists.
Those aren't my words. They are a declaration that came from outside which I accept as a simple truth. Judging by the size, scope, and orderly nature of the universe I have no reason to believe otherwise. Why should I? Just because professional scientists cannot explain it all?
Now, please explain how God does his creating.
We'll see. It's probably some kind of nanotechnology scientists have yet to discover, much as they'll probably discover it is possible for two objects to occupy the same space at the same time. They don't even have quantum physics down yet. "It is the glory of God to conceal things, and the glory of kings to seek them out."
But I don't think you're genuinely interested in how God does His creating, let alone explanations for all those speculative questions. I think it is of more interest to you that reality be explained in some other way that omits God altogether. At least you look smart.
No, it can't. "Punctate" or extremely rapid evolution was one of the "new" evolutionary theories proposed in the past few decades to explain what Darwinism doesn't.
Not exactly a sign of intelligence.
Now THOSE are transitionals. The only question is, what are they transitioning into?
Because a mistake in one context or environment is a potentially valuable adaptation in another one.
Really, you mean the same VATICAN that has the blood of innocent people on its hands, people who merely disagreed with the Roman Catholic doctrine.
Anything the VATICAN says in my book is suspect at best.
Good bye.
Whatever works to support the Theory. How many ways can we extract the evolutionary history of automobiles from comparisons to Cugnot's car?
If your faith can't handle a few questions on this board, it is not much of a faith.
No, no, no. The world was created with the appearance of previously higher speed limits, in order to fool the gullible. They didn't call him 'Tricky Dick' for nothing.
You have been asking _jim, myself and various other posters for "legitimate evidence" proving evolution. Yet thusfar you have not presented any "legitimate evidence" of the existence of a Creator. Please do so.
Well it's actually 25 million so it's 20x
or better yet in just 1000 years of evolution
We went from
to
So it's 500,000x the evolution difference, Which is more than enough for any possible changes from worm to man
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.