We Haven't Had A Good Evolution Thread In A While...

[IdahoHomeschooler]

Did anyone else see this today?

 

(CNN) -- There's no way for us to know exactly what happened some 13.8 billion years ago, when our universe burst onto the scene. But scientists announced Monday a breakthrough in understanding how our world as we know it came to be.

If the discovery holds up to scrutiny, it's evidence of how the universe rapidly expanded less than a trillionth of a second after the Big Bang.

"It teaches us something crucial about how our universe began," said Sean Carroll, a physicist at California Institute of Technology, who was not involved in the study. "It's an amazing achievement that we humans, doing science systematically for just a few hundred years, can extend our understanding that far."

 

This is so cool! Our universe is absolutely amazing.

 

[Mergath]

Very cool.  Though technically it has nothing to do with evolution. ;)

[nansk]

I scanned the CNN article very quickly. What has the big bang got to do with evolution? From here: "Evolution is the change in the inherited characteristics of biological populations
over successive generations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation.."

[Slache]

Very cool.  Though technically it has nothing to do with evolution. ;)

 

Stellar Evolution. Evolution is a very broad term. Biblical Creationists do not believe in Stellar Evolution or "The Big Bang".

[IdahoHomeschooler]

Very cool. Though technically it has nothing to do with evolution. ;)

Thank you for this reminder. I tend to link the two together, but I admit to being pretty "new" in my understanding of this stuff. I have a very long, entrenched background in biblical literalism, and am learning sooooo much about the universe this year. I admit to being a geek and getting really excited about it all, although I (clearly) have much more to learn.

[Unicorn.]

Not to be picky, but have we ever had a GOOD evolution thread?  I mean, can.. open.. worms... Everywhere!

 

And on that note, I saw your first sentence, and now all I can think is:

...nearly fourteen billion years ago expansion started. Wait...
The Earth began to cool,
The autotrophs began to drool,
Neanderthals developed tools,
We built a wall (we built the pyramids),
Math, science, history, unraveling the mysteries,
That all started with the big bang!
:leaving:

[jmama]

Thank you for this reminder. I tend to link the two together, but I admit to being pretty "new" in my understanding of this stuff. I have a very long, entrenched background in biblical literalism, and am learning sooooo much about the universe this year. I admit to being a geek and getting really excited about it all, although I (clearly) have much more to learn.

 

It IS cool, and you are cool for being so excited about it! :001_smile:

[Rosie_0801]

It's exciting!

 

Ds, dh and I just finished watching a very cool BBC documentary about how our planet and our universe came into being. It was awesome in the traditional sense of that word.

 

It's called Richard Hammond Builds A Planet if anyone is interested in more awesomeness :)

 

Can you link to that? Amazon and Fishpond are telling me they don't believe in it. (:p)

[Elfknitter.#]

It's exciting!

 

Ds, dh and I just finished watching a very cool BBC documentary about how our planet and our universe came into being. It was awesome in the traditional sense of that word.

 

It's called Richard Hammond Builds A Planet if anyone is interested in more awesomeness :)

OT, but I love Hammond.

[Elfknitter.#]

The only thing that could make that perfect would be if he drove to the rink in that small car he called Oliver. :)

[Elfknitter.#]

Weird, I thought when I first posted above that I had also included how this thread ties in well with the Cosmos series reboot.

 

Also, these might be useful: http://jldunbar.com/site/UV.html

[nansk]

Not to be picky, but have we ever had a GOOD evolution thread? 

This was a VERY good one.

[Butter]

Biblical Creationists do not believe in Stellar Evolution or "The Big Bang".

 

Really?  Because I'm a creationist (old earth).  And I totally believe in the big bang.  It fits just fine with Genesis in my opinion (and I know a LOT of others who so as well).  I would suspect young earth creationists do not since, well, billions of years ago.

[Truscifi]

I read a cool article about why this matters, but now I can't find it to link! :ohmy:

 

I saw it on FB, so hopefully someone will post it there again and I can come link it here for y'all.

[livetoread]

We just watched the Nova show "The Fabric of the Cosmos" and then a couple of hours later, saw that announcement. It was beyond cool! The show ties in so well.

[Ipsey]

I  love this!

The video of when the original theorist is delivered news of the finding. Chokes me up. So wonderful!

 

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/03/18/291134088/watch-physicist-gets-smoking-gun-proof-of-his-theory?utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=npr&utm_campaign=nprnews&utm_content=03182014

[Onceuponatime]

For anyone who is interested, Coursera is currently running a course called Confronting the Big Questions: The Highlights of Modern Astronomy. The 9yo and I have been watching the videos together. Also the New Cosmos episodes are available online.

[Mergath]

Thank you for this reminder. I tend to link the two together, but I admit to being pretty "new" in my understanding of this stuff. I have a very long, entrenched background in biblical literalism, and am learning sooooo much about the universe this year. I admit to being a geek and getting really excited about it all, although I (clearly) have much more to learn.

 

It is totally cool. :D  I love this stuff.  I'm always very careful about my terminology because the anti-science crowd is always trying to confuse the terms so that they can use a lack of evidence in one area to try to claim that another area is wrong.  I'm sorry if it came across as harsh.  Not my intent at all.

[kubiac]

This was a VERY good one.

That thread was, IMHO, a sterling example of the often dark, dirty Internet at its very best: disparate, physically and perhaps philosophically disconnected people coming together to exchange ideas, tolerantly consider new information and perhaps open minds a little wider.

[Slache]

nm 

 

Edited March 19, 2014 by Moderator
Really not helpful.

[LucyStoner]

Facinating stuff OP. My sons and I have been reading up on it since the announcement.

[Slartibartfast]

Can you link to that? Amazon and Fishpond are telling me they don't believe in it. ( :p)

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03hhqw8

[Slartibartfast]

My problem with the "right" type of Christian arguments is that I always assume people bragging about what a great Christian they are have some sort of Spiritual issue that prevents them from being humble and tolerant.

 

We are all sinners. 

 

 

I can be a Christian and still believe that it is a miracle that we can exist here today arguing about how it all started billions of years later. :)

[Slartibartfast]

The only thing that could make that perfect would be if he drove to the rink in that small car he called Oliver. :)

[MEmama]

It's exciting!

 

Ds, dh and I just finished watching a very cool BBC documentary about how our planet and our universe came into being. It was awesome in the traditional sense of that word.

 

It's called Richard Hammond Builds A Planet if anyone is interested in more awesomeness :)

My 11 yo is going to freak out! He's a huge Top Gear fan, and already a huge fan of Cosmos...this is like combining his two big loves! Off to find it... :)

[Slartibartfast]

My 11 yo is going to freak out! He's a huge Top Gear fan, and already a huge fan of Cosmos...this is like combining his two big loves! Off to find it... :)

 

There is also

 

http://www.hulu.com/james-may-at-the-edge-of-space

 

http://www.hulu.com/richard-hammonds-invisible-worlds

[Forget-Me-Not]

This was a VERY good one.

Thanks for linking that! What a fascinating read!

[awisha.]

Can you link to that? Amazon and Fishpond are telling me they don't believe in it. (:p)

It's been on tv very recently, perhaps SBS or ABC

[lewelma]

That thread was, IMHO, a sterling example of the often dark, dirty Internet at its very best: disparate, physically and perhaps philosophically disconnected people coming together to exchange ideas, tolerantly consider new information and perhaps open minds a little wider.

 

Wow.  What a really nice thing to say. 

 

Ruth in NZ

 

[MEmama]

There is also

 

http://www.hulu.com/james-may-at-the-edge-of-space

 

http://www.hulu.com/richard-hammonds-invisible-worlds

Ooh...thanks! :). I couldn't find the RH Builds a Planet, but did find RH Builds a Universe. And that discovery led to a whole list of other RH science videos, including one on the space shuttle that DS highly recommends. Who knew Hammond is such a science geek in addition to being a car geek? Who hoo! Thanks again!

 

(sorry that got a bit off topic)

[Muttichen]

Really?  Because I'm a creationist (old earth).  And I totally believe in the big bang.  It fits just fine with Genesis in my opinion (and I know a LOT of others who so as well).  I would suspect young earth creationists do not since, well, billions of years ago.

 

I'm a young earth creationist who believes in the big bang!  I just think the early part went way faster than scientists think -- like timelapse photography or something. =)