Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Xeluan · 04-30-2003, 06:31 PM

My favourite quote is from the entity know as Menel-sere.

Quote:

I will bet they have no qualms about enjoying the fruits of scientific advancements!

ToE is not a "scientific advancement". I believe we would all benefit if all parties involved here abstained from using inflamatory statements.

caravelair · 05-01-2003, 10:05 AM

one time i asked a YEC for scientific evidence that the earth was young, and this was the response i got:

Quote:

sure! well first, we know for a fact that Jesus was a real person, even if you dont believe in Christianity. there is historical evidence that Jesus lived and that he was crucified. this was 2 thousand years ago. the rest you kinda have to believe the bible is true to believe...so when Genesis begins the earth was created, between Adam and Eve, and Mary and Joseph there is appoximately 6 thousand years...6+2=8!

lpetrich · 05-01-2003, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by pangloss
"2. It is true that we as humans share 90% of our Genes with Apes... But it is also true that we share 50% of of our genes with bananas. I hope I'm not half banana. Also we share 100% of our genes with... Dirt! the exact substance god said he made us out of."

Seems like a bizarre Urban Legend. There has not been much work done on banana genes as compared with some other plants, like the small mustard weed Arabidopsis thaliana.

Also, our chemical composition is very different from that of dirt (organic materials vs. metal silicates).

nogods4me · 05-01-2003, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by lpetrich
Seems like a bizarre Urban Legend. There has not been much work done on banana genes as compared with some other plants, like the small mustard weed Arabidopsis thaliana.

The author of the post was apparently referring to this quote by Sir Robert May.

"We share half of our genome with the banana, although this is more evident in some of my acquaintances than others."

Peez · 05-01-2003, 12:18 PM

I don't know if these numbers are accurate (it is possible to estimate overall genetic similarity through DNA hybridization experiments), but they do pop up here and there, without any good reference. However, it should be noted that we expect to share many genes with a banana. After all, we do share a common ancestor with bananas and have each inherited many biochemical pathways in common.

Peez

pangloss · 05-01-2003, 01:05 PM

Indeed - banana cells have to do many of the same things our cells do, so even if the numbers are correct, it really shouldn't be that big of a surprise, unless you are one of those "is 500,000 changes enough to geta sapien fro a simian?" types...

Chiron · 05-01-2003, 03:59 PM

pangloss: "Indeed - banana cells have to do many of the same things our cells do, so even if the numbers are correct, it really shouldn't be that big of a surprise, unless you are one of those "is 500,000 changes enough to geta sapien fro a simian?" types..."

Now, I'm not an expert on the subject, but I'd think that large similarities our genome and the banana's would be sorta necessary, even required, for us to ingest bananas and obtain nutrients and useful energy. If there were no similarities, then the organism would probably have developed completely differently: it'd have different proteins, lipids, sugars (maybe even things that aren't in these categories, that are in categories of their own which we have not yet defined), perhaps wildly different cell structure, and huge numbers of other things.

Speculating,
-Chiron

caravelair · 05-02-2003, 07:14 PM

i collected this amusing tidbit recently:

Quote:

Why don't people just give up on evolution? After all the testing and whatever else, there is still no definite proof. I know you probably hate my guts, but your mind has been imprisoned in a huge plan spawned by the Devil. I know you are thinking "This guy is full of s*#$", but I hope you find the truth soon. I used to believe the way you do, but once I found the actual truth, everything changed for the better. I can see straight through all these attempts for Satan to get more followers. But anyway, people should stop waiting for other people (scientists) to provide them answers and instead search for the answers themselves, which is in the Bible.

Kosmo · 05-02-2003, 07:34 PM

I can't articulate why, but this sentence found in a paragraph referenced by Atheist121 just made me burst out laughing.

Quote:

This is even more impropable than that the speed of light was greater.

05-01-2003, 12:18 PM	#15
Peez Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Canada Posts: 5,504	humans going bananas I don't know if these numbers are accurate (it is possible to estimate overall genetic similarity through DNA hybridization experiments), but they do pop up here and there, without any good reference. However, it should be noted that we expect to share many genes with a banana. After all, we do share a common ancestor with bananas and have each inherited many biochemical pathways in common. Peez

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05-01-2003, 01:05 PM	#16
pangloss Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2000 Posts: 1,302	Indeed - banana cells have to do many of the same things our cells do, so even if the numbers are correct, it really shouldn't be that big of a surprise, unless you are one of those "is 500,000 changes enough to geta sapien fro a simian?" types...

05-01-2003, 03:59 PM	#17
Chiron Regular Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: 9 Zodiac Circle Posts: 163	pangloss: "Indeed - banana cells have to do many of the same things our cells do, so even if the numbers are correct, it really shouldn't be that big of a surprise, unless you are one of those "is 500,000 changes enough to geta sapien fro a simian?" types..." Now, I'm not an expert on the subject, but I'd think that large similarities our genome and the banana's would be sorta necessary, even required, for us to ingest bananas and obtain nutrients and useful energy. If there were no similarities, then the organism would probably have developed completely differently: it'd have different proteins, lipids, sugars (maybe even things that aren't in these categories, that are in categories of their own which we have not yet defined), perhaps wildly different cell structure, and huge numbers of other things. Speculating, -Chiron

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