An awesome new science show

[ambush80]

It's a new show to me, anyways.

http://www.pbs.org/video/2365762336/

I didn't know whether I should have posted this here or in the campfire. Where do y'all think it belongs?

 

[ambush80]

This is how you get a 747 from a tornado in a junkyard. The junkyard is the machine with the bouncing magnets (20 minute mark) that begets amino acids that begets organisms that begets people who make 747s.

http://www.pbs.org/genius-by-stephen-hawking/home/

 

[drippin' rock]

I don't like posting in the campfire forum. Too much drunken silliness. This program relates to many of the ideas floated here, so here is were it should be.

I watched most of the episode with the martini and the floating plates. Good stuff.

I like the idea that when science is understood we don't need magic anymore to explain the world.

 

[ambush80]

I don't like posting in the campfire forum. Too much drunken silliness. This program relates to many of the ideas floated here, so here is were it should be.

I watched most of the episode with the martini and the floating plates. Good stuff.

I like the idea that when science is understood we don't need magic anymore to explain the world.

I watched all of them over the course of 3 days. It was a little sad to me that they used grown ups to conduct experiments that should have been conducted by Jr. High school students. It was sad to me that I don't know alot of that stuff. I feel like I got gypped by public education. If my daughter doesn't know that stuff by 8th grade it's my fault.

You should see the one called Where Are We. The demonstration that they did about the distances in our solar system was revealing. I've seen similar demonstrations but this one was particularly cool. They had a model of Earth that was about the size of a billiard ball, the moon was the size of a large marble and the sun was an inflatable sphere about two stories high. After they determined how far apart they all should be they walked the distance from the Earth back to the sun. They were walking about three miles an hour and it took them about about 8 minutes. They were about half a mile away (I think). Turns out that they were walking the equivalent of the speed of light!!! Makes you wonder how we'll ever leave the Solar System.

We're hairless apes, fumbling around on this speck of dust killing each other over fables. No wonder aliens would rather molest cows than talk to us.

The one about evolution is really cool too.

 

[bullethead]

I read this yesterday about Evolution.

I once heard this story told by Richard Dawkins in a lecture I saw him give. I hope I can do it justice:

Imagine a bookshelf, hundreds of miles long. At the end of the bookshelf where you are standing is a picture of you. Right next to it is a picture of your father (or mother, if you like). Next to that is a picture of your grandfather (or grandmother if you prefer the maternal lineage). On and on it goes for miles and miles – one branch of your ”family tree” stretching back into the far-distant past.

Travel down the length of the bookshelf and meet your ancestors. If you are of Asian descent, somewhere around 50 pictures in you may encounter Genghis Kahn who was reputed to have sired more than 3000 offspring, and whose Y-chromosome appears to be present in about 8% of all modern Asian males. Continue heading further down the bookshelf to the picture of your 5,000x great-grandfather. What does he look like? Well, he dresses funny, and he sure needs a shave, but he is unmistakably human. Perhaps a couple of miles further down the shelf is a picture of your 10,000X great grandfather – the Neanderthal.

But keep going further. What does your 500,000x great grandfather look like? Now things begin to look a quite a bit different. 500,000x great gramps seems to be a primate (although he doesn’t look like any ‘modern’ primate), but he no longer looks human. He's smaller. He doesn’t walk fully upright like you. He has prominent brow ridges, a protruding jaw, longer arms and larger canine teeth than you. If you were somehow able to bring him into modern times, he would be incapable of mating with his own descendants – a different “species” altogether. But you’re still only at the beginning of this journey – lot’s more shelf to cover and pictures to see!

Go much further still, until you arrive at the picture of the shrewish animal that is the common ancestor of all mammals – including humans. Still further, and encounter the primitive, eely common ancestor of all vertebrates. Keep going past the picture of the worm-like creature that was the common ancestor of all the chordates. Travel the whole distance – to the very opposite end of the bookshelf, and see the picture of the microscopic, single-celled organism that is the common ancestor of all modern life on earth.

This is but one path down the almost infinitely branching tree of life on earth that leads back up to the twig we call “human” and the infinitesimal little bud called “you.” But note that each picture on the shelf looks very similar to the hundreds or even thousands of pictures close to it on either side – you have to travel a great distance away to see substantial differences between pictures at all.

Now... retrace your path back to the 'modern' side of the bookshelf, and on your way home, point to the individual ancestor of yours in whom "God" first installed a "soul."

 

[ambush80]

http://www.pbs.org/genius-by-stephen-hawking/home/

 

[EverGreen1231]

I read this yesterday about Evolution.

I once heard this story told by Richard Dawkins in a lecture I saw him give. I hope I can do it justice:

Imagine a bookshelf, hundreds of miles long. At the end of the bookshelf where you are standing is a picture of you. Right next to it is a picture of your father (or mother, if you like). Next to that is a picture of your grandfather (or grandmother if you prefer the maternal lineage). On and on it goes for miles and miles – one branch of your ”family tree” stretching back into the far-distant past.

Travel down the length of the bookshelf and meet your ancestors. If you are of Asian descent, somewhere around 50 pictures in you may encounter Genghis Kahn who was reputed to have sired more than 3000 offspring, and whose Y-chromosome appears to be present in about 8% of all modern Asian males. Continue heading further down the bookshelf to the picture of your 5,000x great-grandfather. What does he look like? Well, he dresses funny, and he sure needs a shave, but he is unmistakably human. Perhaps a couple of miles further down the shelf is a picture of your 10,000X great grandfather – the Neanderthal.

But keep going further. What does your 500,000x great grandfather look like? Now things begin to look a quite a bit different. 500,000x great gramps seems to be a primate (although he doesn’t look like any ‘modern’ primate), but he no longer looks human. He's smaller. He doesn’t walk fully upright like you. He has prominent brow ridges, a protruding jaw, longer arms and larger canine teeth than you. If you were somehow able to bring him into modern times, he would be incapable of mating with his own descendants – a different “species” altogether. But you’re still only at the beginning of this journey – lot’s more shelf to cover and pictures to see!

Go much further still, until you arrive at the picture of the shrewish animal that is the common ancestor of all mammals – including humans. Still further, and encounter the primitive, eely common ancestor of all vertebrates. Keep going past the picture of the worm-like creature that was the common ancestor of all the chordates. Travel the whole distance – to the very opposite end of the bookshelf, and see the picture of the microscopic, single-celled organism that is the common ancestor of all modern life on earth.

This is but one path down the almost infinitely branching tree of life on earth that leads back up to the twig we call “human” and the infinitesimal little bud called “you.” But note that each picture on the shelf looks very similar to the hundreds or even thousands of pictures close to it on either side – you have to travel a great distance away to see substantial differences between pictures at all.

Now... retrace your path back to the 'modern' side of the bookshelf, and on your way home, point to the individual ancestor of yours in whom "God" first installed a "soul."

That's cute. One must still ask where all the pictures of the grandfathers between 100 and 500,000 have gone, not to mention those further beyond. The "bookshelf" you speak of is only a few feet long when you eliminate the void space. That seems hardly enough for anyone to honestly build such an idea as evolution, much less believe it to be true.

 

[bullethead]

That's cute. One must still ask where all the pictures of the grandfathers between 100 and 500,000 have gone, not to mention those further beyond. The "bookshelf" you speak of is only a few feet long when you eliminate the void space. That seems hardly enough for anyone to honestly build such an idea as evolution, much less believe it to be true.

Evergreen, now back up your claims.
Show us all where humans came from.

And for the record, I didnt speak of any bookshelf.

 

[EverGreen1231]

Evergreen, now back up your claims.
Show us all where humans came from.

What claims? All I said was it's disingenuous to believe Dawkins' "bookshelf" analogy.

And for the record, I didnt speak of any bookshelf.

Fine... typed, if you prefer; you typed it six times.

 

[bullethead]

What claims? All I said was it's disingenuous to believe Dawkins' "bookshelf" analogy.



Fine... typed, if you prefer; you typed it six times.

Well what should I belive and why?

 

[bullethead]

What claims? All I said was it's disingenuous to believe Dawkins' "bookshelf" analogy.



Fine... typed, if you prefer; you typed it six times.

Explain to me how humans became human.
Where did we start, how long did it take?

 

[MiGGeLLo]

That's cute. One must still ask where all the pictures of the grandfathers between 100 and 500,000 have gone, not to mention those further beyond. The "bookshelf" you speak of is only a few feet long when you eliminate the void space. That seems hardly enough for anyone to honestly build such an idea as evolution, much less believe it to be true.

While a few photos happened to be stored in just the right conditions to be preserved in a fashion that can be meaningfully studied to ascertain their anatomical composition long removed from their youthful luster, most photos did not enjoy such a stable repose and as such are indistinguishable from the dust settled on so many ancient tomes. However those few lucky morsels, scattered about perhaps at 134,256 and 322,478 or 409,176 and the story they tell: their similarities, differences, and location spin an old but voluminous yarn about what they were like, and how they evolved over time.

Of course we need not hang our hats on the fossil record, as magnificent as it is, to find support for evolutionary biology. But alas, I have come to learn that most who question the science behind evolution simply aren't interested in being convinced. They have their own reasons for not believing, that all too often have all too little to do with whether or not they should.

 

[bullethead]

While a few photos happened to be stored in just the right conditions to be preserved in a fashion that can be meaningfully studied to ascertain their anatomical composition long removed from their youthful luster, most photos did not enjoy such a stable repose and as such are indistinguishable from the dust settled on so many ancient tomes. However those few lucky morsels, scattered about perhaps at 134,256 and 322,478 and 409176 and the story they tell: their similarities, differences, and location spin an old but voluminous yarn about what they were like, and how they evolved over time.

Of course we need not hang our hats on the fossil record, as magnificent as it is, to find support for evolutionary biology. But alas, I have come to learn that most who question the science behind evolution simply aren't interested in being convinced. They have their own reasons for not believing, that all too often have all too little to do with whether or not they should.

That will get you two opposable thumbs up!

 

[drippin' rock]

Hey look! We have our own Israel.

 

[bullethead]

Hey look! We have our own Israel.

Nahhh, no tell tale signs like self loathing, comparisons to biblical figures, asking then answering own questions or having eleventeen ways of unnecessary continuation per sentence.

 

[welderguy]

Hey look! We have our own Israel.

Hardly.
Bullet has a lot of knowledge,but Israel has wisdom.
No comparison.

 

[bullethead]

Hardly.
Bullet has a lot of knowledge,but Israel has wisdom.
No comparison.

Swing and yet another miss.
He wasn't referring to me at all.

Things like this are good examples of why you type before you understand what you are reading...or just type without reading based off guesses.

 

[welderguy]

Swing and yet another miss.
He wasn't referring to me at all.

Things like this are good examples of why you type before you understand what you are reading...or just type without reading based off guesses.

Doesn't matter.Insert whatever name you like.Same meaning.

 

[EverGreen1231]

Well what should I belive and why?

I'm not going to hold your hand, but you're smarter than to actually think a bookshelf of pictures (99.9% of which are "magiced" into existence) is an accurate explanation to the origin of life.

Explain to me how humans became human.
Where did we start, how long did it take?

I'm sure you've read Genesis.

While a few photos happened to be stored in just the right conditions to be preserved in a fashion that can be meaningfully studied to ascertain their anatomical composition long removed from their youthful luster, most photos did not enjoy such a stable repose and as such are indistinguishable from the dust settled on so many ancient tomes. However those few lucky morsels, scattered about perhaps at 134,256 and 322,478 or 409,176 and the story they tell: their similarities, differences, and location spin an old but voluminous yarn about what they were like, and how they evolved over time.

Of course we need not hang our hats on the fossil record, as magnificent as it is, to find support for evolutionary biology. But alas, I have come to learn that most who question the science behind evolution simply aren't interested in being convinced. They have their own reasons for not believing, that all too often have all too little to do with whether or not they should.

I understand the "science" behind evolutionary biology. Fortunately for me, and not-so-fortunately for evolution, I also understand mathematics and physics, as well as one can in certain areas, and so I find it difficult to take evolution seriously.

 

[bullethead]

I'm not going to hold your hand, but you're smarter than to actually think a bookshelf of pictures (99.9% of which are "magiced" into existence) is an accurate explanation to the origin of life.



I'm sure you've read Genesis.



I understand the "science" behind evolutionary biology. Fortunately for me, and not-so-fortunately for evolution, I also understand mathematics and physics, as well as one can in certain areas, and so I find it difficult to take evolution seriously.

The bookshelf was a good analogy like using a family tree.

Use math and physics to explain Genesis.