On 20 Sep 95 12:13:36 EDT you wrote:
>Stephen Jones writes:
SJ>PC's accept the radiometric age of the universe at 4.6 BY. On the
>basis of the Biblical evidence, PC's do believe man is comparatively
>recent, but they are willing to adjust their Biblical views with the
>scientific data.
JB>And thus far, there is little adjustment needed. Modern man is
>recent and sudden.
"It appears that our own species, in particular, is the product of a
remarkable event of quantum speciation." (Stanley S.M., "The New
Evolutionary Timetable: Fossils, Genes and the Origin of Species,
1991, Basic Books, New York, p139, in ReMine W.J., "The Biotic
Message: Evolution Versus Message Theory", 1993, St. Paul Science,
Saint Paul, Min., p321)
"The human brain is now about three times larger than that of
Australopithecus. This increase has often been called the most rapid
and most important event in the history of evolution...Evolutionary
increase in human brain size (dotted line). The four triangles
represent a rough evolutionary sequence. Australopithecus africanus,
ER- 1470 (Richard Leakey's new find with a cranial capacity just
slightly less than 800cc), Homo erectus (Peking Man), and Homo
sapiens. The slope is the highest ever calculated for an evolutionary
sequence...I have plotted cranial capacity against inferred body
weight..The graph indicates that our brain has increased much more
rapidly than any prediction based on compensations for body size would
allow. My conclusion is not unconventional, and it does reinforce an
ego that we would do well to deflate. Nonetheless, our brain has
undergone a true increase in size not related to the demands of our
larger body." (Gould S.J., "Ever Since Darwin", 1977, Penguin,
pp183-185)
JB>And this fact leads to...
>Stephen quotes from Erickson:
SJ>On this basis, one can correlate the beginning of man in the full
>biblical sense with the evidence of a great cultural outburst about
>30,000 to 40,000 years ago.
JB>This struck me: isn't this phenomenon precisely like the Cambrian
>explosion vis-a-vis life forms? Think about it: a similar design
>feature of God--modest physical precursors, then a sudden "explosion"
>that is, in essence, a quantum leap forward that CANNOT be claimed to
>have evolutionary antecedents.
Yes. But the pattern is not just confined to the "Cambrian
Expolosion". The whole history of the fossil record supports sudden
appearance - a primary prediction of creation:
"The history of most fossil species includes two features particularly
inconsistent with gradualism:
1. Stasis. Most species exhibit no directional change during their
tenure on earth. They appear in the fossil record looking much the
same as when they disappear; morphological change is usually limited
and directionless. 2. Sudden appearance. In any local area, a
species does not arise gradually by the steady transformation of its
ancestors; it appears all at once and `fully formed.' "
(Gould S.J., "The Episodic Nature of Evolutionary Change", "The
Panda's Thumb", 1980, Penguin, London, p151).
JB>It is in line with ReMine's biotic message. It looks exactly like
the >handiwork of one designer in two different places.
A fellow "ReMiner"! :-) I am up to page 111 of Walter's brilliant
book. And I have just receieved Thaxton et al's "Mystery of Life's
Origin" and Bird's "Origin of Species Revisited". My brain runneth
over! :-)
JB>Add to that the stunning similarity of our cosmological beginnings.
Explosion. That's THREE different places!
JB>Is this a stunningly original thought by me? If so, I claim first
>dibs! If not, please bring me back to earth.
Yes. Your fame is now assured! :-)
God bless.
Stephen
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