A recent study by researchers at the University of Bath and London’s Natural History Museum has found that scientists’ knowledge of the evolution of dinosaurs is remarkably complete.
Evolutionary biologists use two ways to study the evolution of prehistoric plants and animals: firstly they use radioactive dating techniques to put fossils in chronological order according to the age of the rocks in which they are found (stratigraphy); secondly they observe and classify the characteristics of fossilised remains according to their relatedness (morphology).
Dr Matthew Wills from the University of Bath’s Department of Biology & Biochemistry worked with Dr Paul Barrett from the Natural History Museum and Julia Heathcote at Birkbeck College (London) to analyse statistical data from fossils of the four major groups of dinosaur to see how closely they matched their trees of evolutionary relatedness.
The researchers found that the fossil record for the dinosaurs studied, ranging from gigantic sauropods to two-legged meat eaters such as T. rex, matched very well with the evolutionary tree, meaning that the current view of evolution of these creatures is very accurate.
Dr Matthew Wills explained: “We have two independent lines of evidence on the history of life: the chronological order of fossils in the rocks, and ‘trees’ of evolutionary relatedness.
“When the two tell the same story, the most likely explanation is that both reflect the truth.
You see, Mr Gordon, we can cut and paste ourselves into meaninglessness.
God is not dependant on what you or I believe.
The vast majority of scientists, 99.99% accept evolution is a reality. They may debate minor aspects of evolution and will forever and a day seek a richer understanding of it, but the bus has gone. Never again will humanity accept Genesis as a literal reality. Small groups will never budge, because they are not interested in truth, they are bound by a cultural orthodoxy.
Membership to these groups and religions is dependant on followers being immune from reality, proof and reason.
So you may rail again Santa Claus, tooth fairies, etc, but remember, you believe in talking snakes, women formed from a male rib, a flood to the height of the highest mountain that seemed to have no effect of the world at all, a wooden boat so big that it carried two of every kind of animal.
So adding a bit of fanciful wonder to a child's life is on a completely different level to adults believing literal Genesis, which I might add, contradicts every know natural science.
