[Gammit]

Originally posted by Yorick: A rats DNA is also very similar to a humans. That is meaninless. We are also similar to trees in that we're alive and we grow. It doesn't mean we must have come from a shared ancestor to a tree.

--Did you know that two people can have the same DNA and be totally different? You often need an environmental input in order to "turn on" (express) the gene. Evidence for this is overwhelming. Thus, a rat can have a genome very similar to a human, and be a totally separate species.

Showing a photo of a skull that bears little resemblence to a humans does little in my book either. It is an old skull of a creature with a huge mouth and small brain. Hardly proof of evolution.

--perhaps if you took all of the skulls at the various points of evolution, you might see more evidence (not proof). Then again, maybe not. Agree to disagree, they say.

Co-operative behaviour is not the exclusive domain of chimps and humans. Hyenas, dolphins, lions, ants and many other animals work co-operatively. Again, not conclusive proof. Again I repeat. Using a rock or simple tool is like reinvention of the wheel. Humans alone use compounded knowledge and invention. We communicate our discoveries and inventions to each other and build upon that. The result is an engine driven car, not simply another wheel.

--so we've developed a trait (more complex brains in the right areas) that allows us to thrive in this particular moment in time. Is that so great? Not when we become extinct, I think. Is that a meteor coming this way?

Human inventiveness, consrtuction and artistic expression far outsurpasses any other lifeforms, in terms of complexity, scope, permanence and communicative significance.

--I dsiagree. Much of our inventions come from observing other, less-evolved, ancestors. Then, human got together, shared ideas, and made another discovery. So we have more complex communication; lucky us. Permanence? We haven't been along that long, actually. The planet is roughly 6 billion years old. Perhaps another society (non-human) had built something far more substantial, and we haven't found it yet. A longshot, but plausible.

Also, humans collectively and individually have adapted to every environment on the planet. Apes have not.

--of course we have, by destroying nature around us. I don't believe this adds to our greatness. Perhaps dolphins don't build McDonald's because they know it would be unhealthy? Perhaps they're wiser than we are! Ok, joking here, but still...

Three questions for you. Do you believe that the human race will become extinct? What happens then?
Do you believe in things like "Crossing Over" when a person can communicate with people who have died? Sometimes these people can sense dead pets. How can this be explained?
Just curious as to another's thought-processes.

[ 01-23-2003, 10:59 PM: Message edited by: Gammit ]