Hellbender

Chernobyl? It would have to be one heck of a mutation to enable a human (or anything) to be able to survive the extreme heat A-bombs cause.

But don't male boids use their spurs to stimulate the female before/during mating?

Good idea, Mokele. It makes me sad that the most popular threads are usually centered around creationist arguments. (although I admit I am guilty, I do contribute to these threads)

A zoology forum would be nice, but that subject usually falls under bio or evolution.

Love you too.

Hey!

What the flip is a "phillistine"?

I think, like a lot of things, affirmative action can be both good and bad. I am not tired of sitting on the fence, becasue I know everything is not so black and white. I does assume all minorities are poor, which is wrong, but since a lot of them happen to be, I guess its the best we can do.....

Cameras are notoriously not perfect, as is any machine. Add in a photographer that isn't an expert (to say the least for some, like me) into the mix and you can get some wierd things appearing in photos. I take photos all the time that are bad with lots of those orbs in them. I don't know exactly what causes them, but I do know it is something with light and lenses. But like you, Kindria, I never leapt to the conclusion that it was ghosts, even in my less critical days where I would believe any crazy story that was told to me.

True. i understand genetics is only a part of phylogeny, along with morphology and fossil evidence. new info is found all the time, which is good, but it pays to be critical of new evidence or hypotheses.

LOL sounds like a happy noodle boy rant.

I wouldn't go so far as to say entirely different, but I think you answered your own question here. There are lots of marsupials that seem to have placental counterparts due to convergent evolution. Google the "marsupial mole" for a more dramatic example of this.

I agree. While I don't doubt stupidity has a lot to do with some "ghostly" occurances, people just find supernatural explanations for mundane things more interesting.

Truer words are rarely said. I like good horror movies. but lately they have all been ruined by smartasses trying to impress their dates by cracking jokes, teenagers talking on their cellphones and pretty much every other thing yuo said. Now I just wait to get it on DVD or PPV.

Of course, disease is bad, but remember that natural selection is focused on the survival of the individual's genes. Disease-selected traits can sometimes be harmful in the long run. For instance those with genes for sickle-cell anemia fare well in malaria-infested areas. Those with sickle-cell anemia live longer than those without it when malaria is a factor (damn mosquitos).

I might check out that book. Thanks for mentioning it to me. But there is a few problems. Orangs are close to us, at least closer than gibbons. The fact that the author thinks that despite the relative dissimilarity in DNA, in other words evidence otherwise, his hypothesis still stands. This strikes me as a little sketchy. Genetic evidence is strong evidence. The DNA, not to mention various morphological and behavioral characteristics of chimps is much more similar to humans than that of Orangs. Orangs are the last known part of the sivapithecids, a group of apes that includes gigantopithecus, and is known to be relatively far from the hominid line compared to chimps/bonobos. I wonder where this guy got the evidence for this assumption. It sounds like the author of that book is going on novelty value (like the aquatic ape hypothesis). But I will have to read it before making any concrete statements.

There are explanations for ghosts, they are real occurances, they just aren't the answers people want. I am proud of you, mustang, for not automatically leaping to the craziest explanation possible and being rational.

Wy would it need an intermission? I am sure halfway throughout the movie you would want to walk out of the theater anyway.

this annoyed me as well, but I guess lucas doesn't care about depth, and believability as much as making the movie appeal to the largest possible demographic. He's like a modern P.T. Barnum. Bravo!!!!

I hope its no more than 70 minutes long. The newer star wars movies make me sick. Lets see, you've got 20 or so years to conceptualize. Access to newer technology and a bigger budget. But they just plain suck compared to the older episodes. I am hoping the series is over after Episode 3.

on a side note, why the title "stop yo' bitchin'...."?

I'm JFK! But I think it was kinda false, I am by no means a pleasure seeker.

Chimanzees are 99.9% human, so to speak. I know other apes are pretty close too, orang-utans are 98%. I don't know about reptiles, or other non-primate mammals, but I would be interested if anyone knows more info about this.

Hitman, try this site :http://www.creationtheory.org/Arguments/index.php?page=index Or browse talkorigins.org. But if you can help it, try to stear clear of this topic. My mother, who is religious (somewhat, more like new agey theistic stuff) sometimes starts debates and arguemnts about evolution with me. Her arguements suck, and she seems to think that Lamarckism is still accepted. Don't expect these people to know much about it, or even accept evidence they makes them uncomfortable.

I think I watched the old old version myself once. it was good, kind of reminded me of the resident evil games, but I don't know how speilberg would do. I mean, he has made some good and some bad movies. "Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind" rings a bell as a bad one.