Jerry is now on my banned senders list

Evolutionary theory is a theory, nothing more. We cannot prove Darwin's theory as amended, and we never will - it is not falsifiable. Same with global climate change, I think. Both theories are supported by data from the records we can access by core drilling, analysis of fossils and so on.

Incidentally, Robert Hooke stated in one of his lectures (in 1696 I think) that fossils were the petrified remains of creatures which had died out. It took a couple of years for the idea to catch on and there are some people even now who assert with immense confidence that man and dinosaur roamed the earth together: - sadly currently unavoidably closed due to some footling disagreement between the owner, Kent Hovind, and the IRS. Hovind is very fond of pointing out that evolution is "just a theory", and he's absolutely right. It is, however, a rather more plausible theory than his. Guy

And has been for Billions of years. Somewhere on the planet A climate is always changing.

Why would you think that?

On the contrary, evolution is easily demonstrated, look at us we evolved from ..... However the causes of evolution - as suggested by Darwins theories - are not so easily demonstrated. Not being pedantic as it is evolution itself that the creationists contest.

Cheers, Simon

Nice idea, but no it wouldnt.

Cheers, Simon

Nobody knows why it happened, but the rate of extinction is currently, I believe, higher. Guy

As is everything in science. That's one of the big differences between science and faith - as science gets more evidence, the theories are improved, revised or replaced to give better theories. But as faith already has everything correct, when someone has a better idea you reach for a stake and some matches.

But do you know how rapid the dinosaurs extinction was ?

At the same time record numbers of new species are being found, particularly in South East Asia and the world ocean.

messagenews: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

If you wish to find something to blame mankind for why not regard the plant and animal worlds? Here one can readily prove the extinction of thousands of varieties of each in order to promote the more productive and beneficial! Nevertheless, many others have been obliterated in the name of Hunting (killing for pleasure) and land clearance for mineral recovery or one shot farming. When the last tree is gone and O2 drops below 17% and CO2 hits the 1% mark then the world will be reduced to several billion mexican type people squatting under their sombreros unwilling to move for any reason. The last man standing will then mutate into a cockroach safe in the knowlege that this was indeed the way in which the dinosaurs died out. After a short few million years it will all start over with a new and different type of pillock who will worship a tattered and dishevelled photo of Gordo the unbelievable of jockland and make houses which cost so much that no one can afford them and perhaps a war or two just for a laugh!

I'm not looking for something.

And one need not lay the entire blame at Our feet. The Noble Savage was knocking stuff down as fast as he could skin and grill it. Sometimes hundreds or thousands of somethings so he could get no more than he could carry away.

Guess what, we'll adapt!

And were it not for the West, bugger all would be done about any of it. In fact, make that the English Speaking West.

We'll have a Roach Motel waiting for him in the US.

I take it that Gordo is Gordon Brown?

As we say on Wikipedia, {{citation needed}}. Guy

Simon, I implicitly believe in evolutionary theory but it is only a theory. It does not pass the necessary scientific tests to be elevated from theory to fact. there is also a fact of evolution at the species level, but that is separate.

Same with gravity. We can prove repeatably that it works, but we do not yet have a falsifiable experiment to prove it.

It's a interesting area, the difference between theory and fact, and a lack of public understanding of what it means is one of the things that has been exploited by various advocates of fringe views. Guy

Heh! But no, not everything is theory, some things are fact. A scientific fact is an objective and verifiable observation, a hypothesis or theory is intended to explain or interpret facts. Guy

I think it's more that there were fewer species back then. Guy

Does it bother you in the fields of evolution or gravity? Guy

See climategate. People seizing on one fairly trivial matter to pretend that the entire idea is in doubt, which it isn't.

More likely you are phrasing your points in a way that confuses me as to your meaning. Guy

There is the theory of intelligent falling.

And you can go on believing that the rate of change is not a problem and the current trends are not an issue, and I will continue believing otherwise. I think it is wrong to assert parity of credibility between the two positions, but I doubt I'll persuade you here. Guy

"simon" wrote

Do you really believe that Simon?

In the short term maybe there were very slight advantages to be gained by destroying an entire industry and putting its workings onto state benefits, but I see few longer term pluses. I'm still convinced that the coal industry was destroyed because she decided she wouldn't let the miners drag down her government which happened with Ted Heath.

We're now having to import most of our energy (certainly coal, oil & gas - and to a lesser extent electricity) from abroad and are being held to ransome by the suppliers. Do you really believe that gas & electricity prices would be at their present level if:

a) they hadn't been privatised and

b) we weren't reliant on erratic supplies from abroad?

John.