Hellbender

answer: by no logic!!!!!!!

"Yes" It is highly probable for life to exist on other planets.

I think it certainly has it uses, but make sure its uses stay, well, useful.

We can communicate with trained parrots (like Alex, the African Grey that speaks english and knows what she is saying), and more so with apes trained in sing language. But this is all becuase these are highly intelligent animals that have been trained.

Reality is what I see, hear, feel, touch. Now, I don't want to get into a metaphysical discussion here, becasue I think metaphysics are, for the most part, worthless. This is about your claim that stars somehow affect evolution, a claim which you have yet to back up with any serious evidence, instead going into new-age rants about who-knows-what. And the past is much more part of the present. Although I really don't see what you are getting at here..... provide evidence on how it is a "real tool" then, if not, as Flareon pointed out, a placebo-effect deal. As a person who took Cultural Anthropology in college, I can say you have a very odd idea about what culture really is. What the heck are you talking about? No they don't. Show me some evidence of how stars can directly affect what you are claiming (preferably in a non-poetic form please). And are you saying I am afraid to truly study astrology because I am delusional about it being false? Face it: there is no evidence stars directly do what you say they do. True, but even using drugs like heroin once and a while is bad, right? (in the parlance of you analogies)

This is definitely something worth looking into.

It seemed to be essential for us anyways, because intelligence is all we got compared to other animals. If not for our inventive mind and the dextrous hands to apply it, we would have been the doormat of the african savannah.

you are right, I believe the placebo (or maybe just the power of suggestion) effect causes a lot of people to believe this astrology bs, as well as the barnum effect. I was talking about the pure claim that the stars effect things like personality directly, which is crap, but you are right. If you really want to believe that cancers are artistic, then dagnabit, you will do anything to try and live up to that. I am considered a cancer, and I am supposed to be artistic, even though I can't draw worth crap. But the barnum effect comes into play here, because almost anyone can consider themselves artistic (for example) in some way Exactly. The Chinese also make the same claims about blood type as they do astrological sign. But the effect they have, as you said, is cultural or all in your head.

All apes already have opposablr thumbs. They are important for the application of our concept of intelligence, not the other way around.

one question: how do the position of the stars, or their mere existance effect life? how? how? magic? so? how does this small amount of light affect anything? A pear tree blooms at certain times of the year because they evolved useful mechanisms in response to environmental (or seasonal) pressures. if there is evidence of anything you are talking about, then I will gladly stop being skeptical. There is plainly no evidence that they affect anything you are talking about. And I think its foolish to believe every crazy little thing you read or hear about.

ah, good examples. I think I remember another being a long-necked plesiosaur (kronosaurus or maybe rhomaelosarus) evolving again from a long necked plesiosaur after other short-necked varieties already have. I'll have to check. Other examples I can think of are new and old-world vultures, which share very different common ancestors, but are quite similar (like the turkey-vultures I see all the time), axolotls and mudpuppies are both aquatic salamanders that retain neotenal branching gills, but are not closely related, my memory runs out now, but I will try and think of more.

utter genius. I'm changing my signature now...

The problem is the fact that astrology is nonexistant and worthless. There is absolutely no correlation between the position of the certain stars and people's personality or what will happen on a certain day. I am at a loss to find how it effects (or could effect) evolution as well as the other things I mentioned.

to kind of answer the question again, qwerty (man that is easy to type!), animals evolve along similar lines all the time. Consider that there is a marsupial version of many placental mammals. Or that legless lizards are lizards that lost their legs, just like the ancestors of snakes. Or phytosaurs and crocodilians (phytosaurs are extinct, but they were quite similar to crocodilians, sharing the same niche and looking quite similar, but the two are not closely related). These are just a handful of examples, I'm sure everyone will come up with lots more.

No, we are apes, and we share an immediate common ancestor with modern apes such as gorillas. more like millions. they *could* if favorable conditions arose, but since they would be competitors with us in our respective niches, and we got a few million years of evolution on them.

oh you know, its on the tip of my tongue, Dak.

I have read that it is an extension of herd or social behavior.....

I didn't like the matrix series, myself. It was too....cliche'.

I'm not a masochist, so I hope they don't just for Bush. Oh don't worry, someone will try that too....

its more than just an assumption. ok, I will ask again; what is a "vesica attractor" and where are they? How did an artifact start life as we know it? Do you believe these artifacts were placed here by aliens? (no, I am not being sarcastic) What loose ends are you talking about here?

Good job, Memory, James Randi would be proud. I will see if I can scrounge up some articles about homeopathic remedies, red strings and other pseudoscientific trash.

Cool, I can't wait to see what you guys have in store.

don't feel bad, i can't get it either. When I do play multiplayer we usually link up and play in my basement, but I am so much worse than everyone else. Its hard to improve when you get headshotted whenever you come out of hiding.

Has anyone heard about his "Dinosaur funland" or whatever for kids? Pretty sad considering the purpose of this place is to propagandize children.

I am inclined to believe that he just uses it as a way to end evo/creat debates, ie. "If evolution is true, then why hasn't anyone completed my challenge.." Sounds good to me. But the problem with creationists is that their beliefs are unfalsifiable, and could weasel out of any challenge like this. I haven't heard of this particular moron, but maybe I will read up about him for a few laughs. I know, but he wants everyone to think he is, calling himself "Dr. Hovind". This degree from a diploma mill called "patriot university" has also been run out of a hotel as well.