Some church requests for tithes.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

I happen to believe in the process of science.  It excites me, it inspires me, I try to be guided by the ideas and principles of rationalism.

Well, science is possibly about to excite you again.  But, at this point it's not a fact, so maybe all they really have are some frozen sea monkeys, to be continued....

Alien life existed, NASA scientist claims
NASA releases a statement distancing itself from the study.

A NASA scientist says he has found fossilized evidence of alien life in the remains of a meteorite, which if confirmed would bolster the theory that life is not restricted to Earth.

The claim that several types of meteorites contain fossils of microscopic creatures similar to cyanobacteria â€" also known blue-green algae â€" that originated beyond Earth has predictably created a stir, and 100 experts have been invited to review the research.

Astrobiologist Richard Hoover, who works at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., made the claim in a study published online late Friday in the peer-reviewed publication, The Journal of Cosmology.

The journal's editor-in-chief, Rudy Schild, says Hoover is a highly respected scientist with a prestigious record of accomplishment at NASA. Nevertheless, Schild says he has invited 100 experts to review Hoover's findings and will publish their commentaries online this week.

"No other paper in the history of science has undergone such a thorough analysis, and no other scientific journal in the history of science has made such a profoundly important paper available to the scientific community, for comment, before it is published," the journal's website says.

Using a high-powered microscope, Hoover examined the freshly fractured inner surfaces of carbonaceous chondrites, the most primitive of all known meteorites. These meteorites contain large amounts of water and organic material â€" each of which is necessary for the kind of life found on Earth.

But inside the meteorites, which were discovered in the Antarctic, Hoover found bacteria-like creatures that he concludes did not come from Earth.

NASA distances itself from study
Carl Pilcher, who heads NASA's Astrobiology Institute, said the rocks have been handled for more than 100 years. He said they are likely contaminated with Earth microbes.

The space agency released a statement distancing itself from Hoover's study. In an updated statement Monday evening, NASA said Hoover did not have a Ph.D. â€" even though his paper in the journal lists him as a Ph.D â€" and questioned his expertise as an astrobiologist.

"Anyone can call himself an astrobiologist. That doesn't make it so," Pilcher told the Associated Press.

Hoover, whose specialty is the study of microscopic lifeforms in extreme environments such as glaciers and geysers, is not the first scientist to claim extraterrestrial life.

In 1996, NASA researchers published in the journal Science a study of a Martian meteorite found in Antarctica

That study suggested some of the crystals of magnetite â€" an iron-bearing, magnetic mineral found in the meteorite â€" were likely the result of biological processes because they looked so similar to those created by bacteria on Earth.

Other scientists have argued that the magnetite crystals could be produced by chemical and physical processes, and even created similar crystals in the lab by heating carbonates.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2011/03/07/tech-nasa-fossil-alien-life-extra-terrestrial-meteorite.html

[Debbie Thompson]

Stephen, I didn't say I didn't believe in evolution.  I said Darwin's theory is unproven.  I, at least, don't believe we evolved from apes, or an ameoba.  I fully believe humans are evolving.  Except I believe we were created as humans.  Not amoeba or apes that turned into humans.  That's the difference.

Respectfully, the theory that creates the framework for evolution has been proven rationally.  Beginning with the genome  project, and most of the mapping that has taken place since then we know that we carry within many of us, whole strands of genetic material from Neanderthal man, and that we share 99% of our genomes with chimpanzees, in fact there is some talk of simply reclassifying humanity as a third species of chimpanzee.

Check out the work of Jared Diamond, "The Third Chimpanzee"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Third_Chimpanzee

It is a wonderful discussion of the subject, and I recommend it to anyone.

Here are also some links for the genomic mapping projects.  Its a very exciting time in genetics, obviously, but much of this information has not been widely disseminated.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genome_project
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_genome_project
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neanderthal_Genome_Project
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimpanzee_Genome_Project

I happen to agree with Pope John Paul on this one.  I do not see how uncovering the mechanism of evolution detracts from the possibility of deliberate design.  Plus I like the idea that the Dinosaurs didnt simply all die off, but evolved into birds.

Its amusing to think of chickens and seagulls as the exponentially great grandchildren of the T rex or the thunderlizards.

Haven't had time yet to read the links, although I will.  Meantime, I'm thanking God for that 1% DNA difference between me and a chimp that allows me to be human instead of a chimp and live in a tree!  :-)  

Here's the question.  If we are 99% chimp, and evolved from chimp to human, how come there are still chimps?  Did some of them get left behind in that 1% evolution thing?  How come?  And if some  be left behind, were are the remaining Neanderthals that also got left behind?

[Ralph W]

Quote:
Here's the question.  If we are 99% chimp, and evolved from chimp to human, how come there are still chimps?  Did some of them get left behind in that 1% evolution thing?  How come?  And if some  be left behind, were are the remaining Neanderthals that also got left behind?

I think I know where you can find those left over Neanderthals...
They are those guys that show up at ladies night at the local bars.