Finding an answer to Darwin’s Dilemma

Press Relief Queen's University ^ | 7 December 2006 | Staff

[shrinkermd]

Oxygen may be the clue to first appearance of large animals, says Queen’s prof

The sudden appearance of large animal fossils more than 500 million years ago – a problem that perplexed even Charles Darwin and is commonly known as “Darwin’s Dilemma” – may be due to a huge increase of oxygen in the world’s oceans, says Queen’s paleontologist Guy Narbonne, an expert in the early evolution of animals and their ecosystems.

In 2002, Dr. Narbonne and his research team found the world’s oldest complex life forms between layers of sandstone on the southeastern coast of Newfoundland. This pushed back the age of Earth’s earliest known complex life to more than 575 million years ago, soon after the melting of the massive “snowball” glaciers. New findings reported today shed light on why, after three billion years of mostly single-celled evolution, these large animals suddenly appeared in the fossil record.

In a paper published on-line in Science Express, Dr. Narbonne’s team argues that a huge increase in oxygen following the Gaskiers Glaciation 580 million years ago corresponds with the first appearance of large animal fossils on the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland.

Now for the first time, geochemical studies have determined the oxygen levels in the world’s oceans at the time these sediments accumulated in Avalon. “Our studies show that the oldest sediments on the Avalon Peninsula, which completely lack animal fossils, were deposited during a time when there was little or no free oxygen in the world’s oceans,” says Dr. Narbonne. “Immediately after this ice age there is evidence for a huge increase in atmospheric oxygento at least 15 per cent of modern levels, and these sediments also contain evidence of the oldest large animal fossils.”

Also on the research team are Don Canfield (University of Southern Denmark) and Simon Poulton (Newcastle University, U.K.). Geochemical studies by Drs. Canfield and Poulton included measurements of iron speciation and sulphur isotopes to determine the oxygen levels in the world’s oceans at the time these sediments accumulated in Avalon.

The close connection between the first appearance of oxygenated conditions in the world’s oceans and the first appearance of large animal fossils confirms the importance of oxygen as a trigger for the early evolution of animals, the researchers say. They hypothesize that melting glaciers increased the amount of nutrients in the ocean and led to a proliferation of single-celled organisms that liberated oxygen through photosynthesis. This began an evolutionary radiation that led to complex communities of filter-feeding animals, then mobile bilateral animals, and ultimately to the Cambrian “explosion” of skeletal animals 542 million years ago.

[Central Scrutiniser]

Its a book of faith, not a book of science.

Prove it for me by building an ark.

[Sola Veritas]

"The better explanation is that coal and oil are not biological in origin."

While petrogenesis of oil is still argued, the origen of coal is not - especially since the fossils in it are obvious plants.

I think - I'm not sure about this statement - that many of the trees around Mount St. Helens experiences rapid coalification and even petrification.

[presently no screen name]

No, acceptance of Evolution does not require you to not believe in God.

If one believes in God, The Creator, The Almighty, you know the truth; therefore, evolution is deception. When you believe in someone, you believe what they say. You believe Darwin, I believe God. God reigns forever and Darwin is dead.

Evolution makes no claims, predictions, or anything about the existence or nature of God.

I heard that dribble before BUT they most certainly do - they claim they know more than The Creator, God, by their ridiculous deceptive claims in total opposition to God's Word. God says how HE formed life in HIS universe, evo's says otherwise. How arrogant.

What it DOES show is that the book of Genesis is not factually true. It shows that it is an allegorical tale, created by an ancient people to explain their origin and to explain the source of their moral code.

You certainly 'think' you have an answer for everything and believe 'your facts' supersedes God's Word. One day you WILL meet "Truth" - face to face - and you can't plead ignorance - you chose deception over Truth.

"My Ways are not your ways, My thoughts are not your thoughts." That should give you a clue that you are NOT in command. Where will your belief - that God's Word is an allegorical tale - take you when you meet your Maker? It's going to happen and you have no idea when. Every breadth you take is a gift from God.

....which books would constitute the Bible until hundreds of years after the death of Jesus.

Your 'facts' ONCE AGAIN are wrong. The Old Testament was written hundreds of years BEFORE the birth of Christ. His birth is stated in the Old Testament. The Bible prophesies about the future and it ain't pretty. You might want to study it - because you will be living it and fossil discussion will cease because EVERY KNEE will bow.

[49th]

no screen name,

I admire your conviction. To be able to place such devoted and unyeilding faith in the Bible is impressive. However, I am left wondering about just one thing.

If you are so devoted to the word of God, so convinced of its truth, righteousness, and veracity, why do you own a computer?

Jesus makes it very, very clear that in order to be his follower you MUST give up everything you own.

Luke 12:33, Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
Luke 14:33, So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

Matthew 6:19, Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal.
Matthew 10:9-10, Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,
10 Nor scrip for [your] journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.

Matthew 19:20-24, The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go [and] sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come [and] follow me.
22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
23. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Mark 10:20-23, And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.
23 And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!

Luke 18:22, Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.


Now, if you do not own a computer, or a house, or anything else for that matter and are sitting clothed in a rough-spun robe in a public library somewhere using their computer, I will have the utmost respect and admiration for you dedication and commitment to living the word of God.

However, if you DO own any of these things, I have to ask you why? How? How can you rationalize that here, in all of these passages, Jesus (and these are the quoted words of Jesus, the Lord thy God here) is not speaking the absolute, literal truth that you should completely give away everything you have, BUT you can be completely and totally certain that the passages in Genesis ARE the unvarnished, complete and total honest-to-goodness truth?

I ask this question to every single devout creationist here. How can you pick and choose out of the Bible which is literal truth and which not?

[presently no screen name]

Its a book of faith, not a book of science.

The Bible is a science/health/financial/history/prophecy/guidance/instruction/ Good News Book.

Prove it for me by building an ark.

God doesn't need to be proven - HE IS - and always will be. He is The Alpha and The Omega.

[UpAllNight]

Right. The earth is only 6000 years old.

[UpAllNight]

--If a thing exists, it must have been created.--

Who created God?

[jwalsh07]

The Cambrian "explosion" took place over millions of years; it was not "sudden" (a fact well-known to anyone who cares to do a few minutes of research).

The article states that Darwin had a Dilemma. That dilemma was the "sudden appearance of large animal fossils". The scientists who wrote this paper claim to have solved the dilemma. If I had known that you had already solved it I would never have have made my comment.

BTW, I have no problem with evolution, evolution happens. I have major problems with comments like yours. You shed no light on my question, just hair.

[metmom]

OK, that makes more sense.

[jwalsh07]

Yeah, me too. The "ignorant creationist thing" ain't cutting it though I am a creationist and perhaps ignorant as well. :-}

[Elsie]

Elsie, The bible is also unambiguous about the value of pi;

No it's not: Google® it and you'll find plenty explanations of the dimensions.

(Think about the bellhop and the three travelers - "Where did the extra dollars go?")

---

...the Bible, which you claim is unchanged has undergone hundreds of revisions and translations over the years...

And NONE of things things are cumulative; adding to or compounding 'errors'.

A 'translation' (of any kind of reliability) is NEVER made from another, previous 'translation', but from the earliest known manuscripts available.

---

I will admit that I am not a trained scientist, however I do play one on TV.

Myself, I have turned ON a TV that had a program that had actors playing doctors! ;^)

[Elsie]

Since there was more oxygen, it was possible for creatures to become larger and more complex.

Is a flea less complex than an elephant?

Or an orchid?

[Elsie]

Who created God?

Dang!

Now I'LL be up all night trying to figger THIS one out!

[Elsie]

Creation....

Romans 4:17

As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations." He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed--the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.

[Elsie]

They hypothesize that melting glaciers increased the amount of nutrients in the ocean ...

Before Global warming, we had Nuclear Winter: Glaciers caused, no doubt, by warmongering microbes!

[Elsie]

Before we had t-shirts reading "Free the Five" (http://www.freethefive.org/) there were tiny micro-sized ones reading "Free Oxygen!" according to the discovery of the tiny fossils last Thursday.

--EvoDude

[Central Scrutiniser]

That's nice.

But, the bible isn't a science book, nor does it teach us about physical science, astronomy, chemistry, metallurgy, biology, etc.

Pray with it, just don't try to explain the world with it.

If we were to take your literalism to heart, we would still be living in the middle ages.

[presently no screen name]

How can you pick and choose out of the Bible which is literal truth and which not?

The Holy Spirit is The Teacher.

In your following scriptures, Jesus was showing the rich young man - his heart is where his treasures are - money/possessions. The thought of giving it all up made him turn away. Jesus used that to show the rich young man where his heart is - and it wasn't on the things of God.
Matthew 19:20-24, The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? 21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go [and] sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come [and] follow me. 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. 23. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

I have a computer/house/car/clothes/jewels, etc. My heart isn't in 'my things'. To some, money/house/car/jewels are their god. Their things define them.

We are all created with a 'void' and some feel the next purchase or the next person will fill that void - make them happy - always searching but only God can fill that void - then you feel fulfilled. You then realize it's not the things/people/events/careers that bring fulfillment, it's God's love.

God wants us to prosper, even as our soul prospers But HE must be first in our life, one must want Him. He said, "Seek the Kingdom of God first, and all these things will be added to you". God provides and you cannot out give God.

Our heavenly Father created us to have a personal relationship w/Him. Without that, one can't claim to 'know' God. They may say God exists but void of knowing Him. When you know Him, you know Truth, for HE is Truth.

[FFIGHTER]

Genesis 6:4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men.

Numbers 13:33 And there we saw the giants ... And we were in our own sight as grasshopper, and so we were in their sight.

Deuteronomy 2:10-11 The Emims dwelt therein in times past, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims; Which also were accounted giants.

Deuteronomy 2:20-21 That also was accounted a land of giants: giants dwelt therein in old time.... A people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims; but the LORD destroyed them.

Deuteronomy 3:11 For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold his bedstead was ... nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it. /S

[presently no screen name]

just don't try to explain the world with it.

Who better to explain the world than The Creator with HIS WORD?

If we were to take your literalism to heart, we would still be living in the middle ages.

How much deception will it take for evo's to realize they are living in the 'dark ages'. Deception goes back to the beginning, you haven't gained much ground.