Difference between revisions of "Cambrian explosion"

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(Mentioned that the cambian explosion does not support young earth creationism or intelligent design.)
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In '''Cambrian explosion''' countless new forms of sea life appeared in the [[fossil record]]. Scientists and others have vigorously debated the meaning of this for over a hundred years.
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The '''Cambrian explosion''' is the term used to describe a period of geological history approximately 540-million years ago in which every current complex [[phyla]] first appeared in the [[fossil record]]. Because of this, it has been dubbed the "Big-Bang"of life". Scientists and others have vigorously debated the meaning of this for over a hundred years. The Cambrian explosion casts serious doubt on the idea that significant new forms of life came into being via slow, gradual [[Darwinian]] processes.
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The Cambrian explosion was 'discovered' in the [[Burgess Shale]] of [[British Columbia]], [[Canada]] in 1909 by [[Charles D. Walcott]], the then secretary of the [[Smithsonian Institute]]<ref>http://www.burgess-shale.bc.ca/</ref>. In a moment some would say is telling of how damaging the Cambrian explosion was to Walcott's Darwinian world-view, the lone publication of his remarkable discovery was in the sparsely-read <i>Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections</i>. The findings were then <i>conveniently</i> ignored for several decades<ref>http://www.thedesignoflife.net/blog/Critical-decisions-in-science-The-Smithsonian-secretary-vs-the-Cambrian-explosion/View/Default.aspx</ref>.
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{{quoteblock|Simple life, we are told, emerged 3.8 billion years ago, and the Cambrian Explosion occurred 550 million years ago.  In a single 10 million year period (taking the longest estimate), 95% of the animal phyla appeared.  The math:
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For the first 85% of the history of life there was no significant animal life.
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Almost all animal life arose in only the last 15% of the history of life.
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Indeed, 95% of animal phyla arose in a length of time that is only one forth of one percent of the history of life (0.25%).}}
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For opponents of [[naturalistic evolution]], the Cambrian explosion casts doubt on the idea that significant new forms of life came into being without God having any involvement.
 
  
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Peter Ward (not an [[intelligent design]] supporter) wrote:
 
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{{quotebox|The seemingly sudden appearance of skeletonized life has been one of the most perplexing puzzles of the fossil record. How is it that animals as complex as [[trilobites]] and [[brachiopods]] could spring forth so suddenly, completely formed, without a trace of their ancestors in the underlying [[strata]]? If ever there was evidence suggesting [[Divine Creation]], surely the [[Precambrian]] and [[Cambrian]] transition, known from numerous localities across the face of the earth, is it. – ''On Methuselah's Trail: Living Fossils and the Great Extinctions'' (New York: W. H. Freeman, 1992), 29. <ref>cited by [[William Dembski]] [http://www.uncommondescent.com/evolution/quoting-misquoting-quote-mining/]</ref>}}
 
  
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{{quotebox|Until almost 1950 the absence of metazoan fossils older than Cambrian age continued to puzzle evolutionists and earth historians alike.  Other than the remains of single-celled creatures and the matlike stromatolites, it did indeed look as if larger creatures had arisen with a swiftness that made a mockery of Darwin’s theory of evolution.  This notion was finally put to rest, however, by the discovery of the Ediacarian and Vendian fossil faunas of the latest Precambrian age. (35)}}
 
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{{quotebox|The long accepted theory of the sudden appearance of skeletal metazoans at the base of the Cambrian was incorrect: the basal Cambrian boundary marked only the first appearance of relatively large skeleton-bearing forms, such as the trilobites and brachiopods, rather than the first appearance of skeletonized metazoans.  Darwin would have been satisfied.  The fossil record bore out his conviction that the trilobites and brachiopods appeared only after a long period of evolution of ancestral forms.(36-37)}}
 
  
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However, if the cambrian explosion were to turn out to be proof against Evolution, it would still not support Young Earth Creationism, because the cambrian explosion occured about 530 million years ago, and was thus before the biblical account of creation, which was 6,000 years ago. Furthermore, there were already a few types of simple single-celled organisms before the cambrian explosion<ref>http://www.fossilmuseum.net/Paleobiology/CambrianExplosion.htm</ref>, so were it to disprove Evolution, it would almost certainly disprove Intelligent Design as well.
 
  
  
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[[category:archaeology]]
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[[category:archeology]]

Revision as of 04:03, October 21, 2008

The Cambrian explosion is the term used to describe a period of geological history approximately 540-million years ago in which every current complex phyla first appeared in the fossil record. Because of this, it has been dubbed the "Big-Bang"of life". Scientists and others have vigorously debated the meaning of this for over a hundred years. The Cambrian explosion casts serious doubt on the idea that significant new forms of life came into being via slow, gradual Darwinian processes.

The Cambrian explosion was 'discovered' in the Burgess Shale of British Columbia, Canada in 1909 by Charles D. Walcott, the then secretary of the Smithsonian Institute[1]. In a moment some would say is telling of how damaging the Cambrian explosion was to Walcott's Darwinian world-view, the lone publication of his remarkable discovery was in the sparsely-read Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections. The findings were then conveniently ignored for several decades[2].




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Notes

  1. ↑ http://www.burgess-shale.bc.ca/
  2. ↑ http://www.thedesignoflife.net/blog/Critical-decisions-in-science-The-Smithsonian-secretary-vs-the-Cambrian-explosion/View/Default.aspx
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