Re: Testing in historical science

Glenn Morton (grmorton@waymark.net)
Sun, 16 Nov 1997 22:29:52 -0600

At 10:02 PM 11/16/97 -0600, bpayne@voyageronline.net wrote:
>Glenn Morton wrote:
>
>> Let's go clear back to the earliest Precambrian. If all animals living
>> today were found fossilized there, there could be no evolution. Moorad
>> asked if there was evidence that could rule out evolution. This would do it.
>
>Go back to the latest Precambrian. How many of the phyla found in the
>Cambrian are also found in the Percambrian?
>

At least some of the modern phyla do appear in the Precambrian, the Vendian
epoch.

"Once held as the position in the rock record where the
major invertebrate groups first appeared, the Precambrian-
Cambrian boudnary now serves more as a convenient reference point
within an evolutionary continuum. Skeletalized organisms,
including Cambrian-aspect shelly fossils, first appear below the
boundary and then show strong diversification during the Early
Cambrian. Similarly, trace fossils also appear first in the
Vendian, exhibit a progression to more complex geometries across
the boundary, and then parallel the dramatic radiation displayed
by body fossils."~John P. Grotzinger, Samuel A. Bowring, Beaverly
Z. Saylor and Alan J. Kaufman, "Biostratigraphic and
Geochronologic Constraints on Early Animal Evolution," Science
270, Oct. 27, 1995, p. 603-604 (598-604)

I would have to go look up what phyla these represent, but your concept that
everything started at the Cambrian boundary is grossly outdated.

Now, acknowledge that if one found dogs and house cats and other modern
animals in the earliest precambrian, that this would rule out evolution. It
would have to, Bill. If there is no change in morphology, there is no
evolution!!!!

glenn

Foundation, Fall and Flood
http://www.isource.net/~grmorton/dmd.htm