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Studies slow the human DNA clock
Nature ^ | Tuesday, September 18, 2012 | Ewen Callaway

Posted on 09/22/2012 10:25:11 PM PDT by SunkenCiv

Geneticists have previously estimated mutation rates by comparing the human genome with the sequences of other primates. On the basis of species-divergence dates gleaned -- ironically -- from fossil evidence, they concluded that in human DNA, each letter mutates once every billion years. "It's a suspiciously round number," says Linda Vigilant, a molecular anthropologist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. The suspicion turned out to be justified.

In the past few years, geneticists have been able to watch the molecular clock in action, by sequencing whole genomes from dozens of families5 and comparing mutations in parents and children. These studies show that the clock ticks at perhaps half the rate of previous estimates, says Scally.

In a review published on 11 September1,Scally and his colleague Richard Durbin used the slower rates to reevaluate the timing of key splits in human evolution. "If the mutation rate is halved, then all the dates you estimate double," says Scally. "That seems like quite a radical change." Yet the latest molecular dates mesh much better with key archaeological dates.

Take the 400,000-600,000-year-old Sima de Los Huesos site in Atapuerca, Spain, which yielded bones attributed to Homo heidelbergensis, the direct ancestors of Neanderthals. Genetic studies have suggested that earlier ancestors of Neanderthals split from the branch leading to modern humans much more recently, just 270,000-435,000 years ago. A slowed molecular clock pushes this back to a more comfortable 600,000 years ago (see 'Better agreement over the human story').

(Excerpt) Read more at nature.com ...


TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: godsgravesglyphs; helixmakemineadouble; homoheidelbergensis; replacementmodel
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To: SunkenCiv
I dozed off trying to read it, but I think it’s actually for null and void? :’)

Haha.

Adding more than one recipient to a post by typing their name after a semicolon is beyond my limited technical ability.

101 posted on 09/24/2012 6:31:11 PM PDT by exDemMom (Now that I've finally accepted that I'm living a bad hair life, I'm more at peace with the world.)
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To: Moonman62
You’re using the Bible as a biology book. No wonder you come off as ignorant.

The Bible as John 1:1 states "In the beginning (Genesis 1:1) was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

I would far rather be called ignorant by the likes of you, than for the Creator to call me willingly ignorant. IIPeter 3:3 over and over it describes those that are willingly ignorant. And Jeremiah 4:22 For My people is foolish, that have not known ME; they are sottish (stupid) children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. (Genesis 1:2)

24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.

25 I beheld, and, lo, there was NO man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.

26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by His fierce anger.

27 For thus hat the LORD said, "The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end. etc.....

This describes what happened in Genesis 1:2 and nothing living survived. There was NOTHING to begin that theory of evolution. Why is it that men need make up fairy tails/tales and attribute it the the LORD, when there is NOT one shred of literal evidence that evolution was the process by which flesh was formed/created.

And you call me ignorant.... HA, like I said earlier to you 'time is on my side'!

102 posted on 09/24/2012 9:43:51 PM PDT by Just mythoughts (Please help Todd Akin defeat Claire and the GOP-e send money!!!!!)
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To: exDemMom
The Rapture could be tomorrow, and we could all be whisked off to God's kingdom and find it drastically different than anything here on earth. That changes nothing about the nature of the real world. Those of us who are born with a drive to learn as much as we can about the world around us aren't going to encounter any great surprises. We're certainly not going to find out that all of the evidence of evolution--not only of life on earth, but of the universe since the big bang--is nothing but an elaborate hoax. If God is truly as great as we have been taught, He will leave as many mysteries for us to discover in His kingdom as he left for us here on earth.

There is not going to be any 'rapture'. God created this earth to be inhabited and He intends to reclaim His creation. Once the last soul willingly takes this flesh journey this 'flesh' age is done.

Paul says in ICorinthians 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep (flesh dies), but we shall all be changed,

52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump (there are 7 trumps); for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

For this corruptible (flesh) must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pas the saying that is written, "Death is swallowed in victory."

55 "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy "victory?"

56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

57 But thanks be to God, Which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Ecclesiastes 1:9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

10 Is there any thing whereof it may be said, 'See, this is new?' it hath been already of OLD time, which was before us. (flesh bodies under the sun)

11 There is NO remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.

That is quite a mouthful. What pray tell is it that we cannot remember? Obviously things of OLD time before us, flesh age we are not allowed to remember.

Ezekiel 18:4 Behold, all souls are Mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is Mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

Jesus said, Matthew 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him Which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

The evolutionary obsession over flesh has a time constraint.

103 posted on 09/24/2012 10:16:10 PM PDT by Just mythoughts (Please help Todd Akin defeat Claire and the GOP-e send money!!!!!)
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To: exDemMom
If you truly believe that God does not obsess over our physical bodies, then why are you so obsessed with believing that the story of Genesis is literal? Why should it matter that we evolved, if our physical form is so unimportant?

God elected Moses to Write down, what John calls the Word is God. Moses lays out an outline of events that is Christ's story. Other elected prophets give a different perspective on what took place since Genesis 1:1. My very simplistic description is the Word is like a prism with one single light source that gives a multidimensional picture of time, places, and peoples as they took their flesh journey. I call it simplistic, because, I know that I cannot fully comprehend the enormity of the Creator and His perfection.

104 posted on 09/24/2012 10:26:40 PM PDT by Just mythoughts (Please help Todd Akin defeat Claire and the GOP-e send money!!!!!)
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To: Just mythoughts
And you call me ignorant....

You are ignorant of advances in human knowledge since the Bible was written. Quoting the Bible isn't going to change that.

105 posted on 09/24/2012 10:49:07 PM PDT by Moonman62 (The US has become a government with a country, rather than a country with a government.)
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To: SunkenCiv
Re: “Submerged continental shelf”

Very interesting.

I was familiar with this idea from the North American migration, roughly 15,000 years ago.

Never thought about it going back 2 million years.

Am I correct that “Lucy” is believed to be the first hominid?

Are homo erectus and Neanderthal both on the Lucy genetic tree?

106 posted on 09/24/2012 10:49:42 PM PDT by zeestephen
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To: Moonman62
You are ignorant of advances in human knowledge since the Bible was written. Quoting the Bible isn't going to change that.

And look where all those advances in human knowledge has gotten US!!! Good grief, we have been reduced to Obamacare, and you can very well believe that he and his crew believe in that theory of evolution. You can take that to his banks that play out that theory of the survival of the fittest... fittest what? Flesh bodies, well time is running short.

107 posted on 09/25/2012 12:33:46 AM PDT by Just mythoughts (Please help Todd Akin defeat Claire and the GOP-e send money!!!!!)
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To: Moonman62
No it is about people who reject the revelation of God and worship the creation instead of the creator, like evolution does.

Ro 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

The Bible is against 'science falsely so called'.

1Ti 6:20 O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:

108 posted on 09/25/2012 2:18:11 AM PDT by fortheDeclaration (Pr 14:34 Righteousness exalteth a nation:but sin is a reproach to any people)
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To: fortheDeclaration
No it is about people who reject the revelation of God and worship the creation instead of the creator, like evolution does.

Many Christians accept God as the creator and evolution. Evolution is a revelation if you believe that the Universe was created by God. The difference between their belief and yours is that yours is ignorant.

109 posted on 09/25/2012 9:54:09 AM PDT by Moonman62 (The US has become a government with a country, rather than a country with a government.)
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To: Just mythoughts
And look where all those advances in human knowledge has gotten US!!!

Those advances allow you to transmit your ignorance around the world in milliseconds.

110 posted on 09/25/2012 10:00:35 AM PDT by Moonman62 (The US has become a government with a country, rather than a country with a government.)
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To: Moonman62
If evolution is correct there is no Adam, if there is no Adam, there is no Fall, if there is no Fall, there is no sin, if there is no sin, there is no need for the Cross.

The Lord made a direct reference to Adam and Eve

Mr 10:6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female

Many people who call themselves Christians aren't.

111 posted on 09/25/2012 11:51:51 AM PDT by fortheDeclaration (Pr 14:34 Righteousness exalteth a nation:but sin is a reproach to any people)
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To: Moonman62
Those advances allow you to transmit your ignorance around the world in milliseconds.

I know without a shadow of a doubt that come 'judgment day' I am NOT going to be judged on my lack of knowledge regarding evolutionary biology. Maybe IF I have done my homework I will get to teach the evolutionary biologist the WORD!!!!! Time is running out to learn the Word, (The Word is God) back of the class for those who willingly are ignorant, come the end of this flesh age for those who could not be bothered to learn GOD!!!! See you in class!

112 posted on 09/25/2012 12:03:59 PM PDT by Just mythoughts (Please help Todd Akin defeat Claire and the GOP-e send money!!!!!)
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To: Just mythoughts
God elected Moses to Write down, what John calls the Word is God. Moses lays out an outline of events that is Christ's story. Other elected prophets give a different perspective on what took place since Genesis 1:1. My very simplistic description is the Word is like a prism with one single light source that gives a multidimensional picture of time, places, and peoples as they took their flesh journey. I call it simplistic, because, I know that I cannot fully comprehend the enormity of the Creator and His perfection.

In other words, you can provide no cogent reason to believe that a metaphorical story somehow describes the physical world better than the description given by those who devote their lives to observing the physical world. Nor can you provide any compelling spiritual reason that we shouldn't just accept the world as being exactly what it seems: an old planet in an ancient universe, where life has existed and changed during billions of years.

113 posted on 09/25/2012 4:29:14 PM PDT by exDemMom (Now that I've finally accepted that I'm living a bad hair life, I'm more at peace with the world.)
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To: Just mythoughts
And look where all those advances in human knowledge has gotten US!!! Good grief, we have been reduced to Obamacare, and you can very well believe that he and his crew believe in that theory of evolution. You can take that to his banks that play out that theory of the survival of the fittest... fittest what? Flesh bodies, well time is running short.

Let's see: the average human life span is now almost 80 years, from around 30 years through most of history and pre-history. Women no longer have a high risk of dying during childbirth. People no longer have to have a dozen children in the hopes of seeing at least one survive until adulthood. I wouldn't be alive today without the advances in human knowledge that have given us modern medicine, and I thank God for giving us people willing to devote their entire lives to advancing knowledge.

BTW, the term "survival of the fittest" simply means surviving to reproduce. Fit organisms reproduce; unfit organisms do not.

114 posted on 09/25/2012 4:49:07 PM PDT by exDemMom (Now that I've finally accepted that I'm living a bad hair life, I'm more at peace with the world.)
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To: exDemMom
Let's see: the average human life span is now almost 80 years, from around 30 years through most of history and pre-history. Women no longer have a high risk of dying during childbirth. People no longer have to have a dozen children in the hopes of seeing at least one survive until adulthood. I wouldn't be alive today without the advances in human knowledge that have given us modern medicine, and I thank God for giving us people willing to devote their entire lives to advancing knowledge. BTW, the term "survival of the fittest" simply means surviving to reproduce. Fit organisms reproduce; unfit organisms do not.

According to Moses people during the first 2000 + years after the formation of The Adam lived nearly a thousand years. Imagine that if you can, Methuselah lived 969 years, the longest recorded life span in a flesh body. It was the Creator repulsed by the activities of His children that brought forth the flood. Only Noah and his family of the descendants of the Adam, had not mixed with the fallen angels.

I know that for the all ethnic peoples we find upon this earth today that one of two things had to have occurred. Noah took two of every flesh, including all ethnicities, or else that flood only covered the portion of this earth wherein the descendants of the Adam that had polluted their bloodline to Christ. Now there is some evolutionary biology to study.

It was just prior to the flood that God shortened the flesh life span to 120 years.

I do not dispute that 'modern medicine' has in many cases extended the life span of many people. But eventually all flesh dies and returns to the dust from which it came....and their soul/spirit, good - bad- or indifferent returns to the Maker that sent it to be judged.

Oh and that term "survival of the fittest' has become so politicized it means whatever the entity handing out dollars or demanding dollars, decides it means. Our founders stated that there are unalienable rights that come only from the Creator, 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness... whereas liberals claim they can do things better, playing 'god' decide who they will fund to survive.

115 posted on 09/25/2012 6:40:02 PM PDT by Just mythoughts (Please help Todd Akin defeat Claire and the GOP-e send money!!!!!)
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To: exDemMom
In other words, you can provide no cogent reason to believe that a metaphorical story somehow describes the physical world better than the description given by those who devote their lives to observing the physical world. Nor can you provide any compelling spiritual reason that we shouldn't just accept the world as being exactly what it seems: an old planet in an ancient universe, where life has existed and changed during billions of years.

Excuse me. Genesis 1:2 all flesh was destroyed there was nothing here on this earth to get all hot and bothered to reproduce itself. This earth is filled with the remains and pock marks and scars of monumental catastrophe. AND where some remains are found that died demonstrates the conditions required for plant life and creatures to have survived.

116 posted on 09/25/2012 6:48:18 PM PDT by Just mythoughts (Please help Todd Akin defeat Claire and the GOP-e send money!!!!!)
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To: SunkenCiv

Actually, you don’t know what you’re talking about, which isn’t surprising, given your outburst of nonsequitur clich&eacutes. By having the clock slow down, any chance of a 6000 year old Earth just got a nasty blow to the privates.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It’s quite clear you’re a psycho nutbag that likes to jump to conclusions. Nowhere in my post (it isn’t in the Bible either) is there anything about a “6,000 year old Earth.” Why would you make up something so stupid? Are you a total idiot? My guess is yes.

Let me fill you, Dummy. The Universe is approximately 13.7 billion years old, the Earth is about 4.5 billion, life began about 3.8 billion ago, and the Cambrian explosion was about 535 million ago. The slowing of the DNA clock is further evidence that “gradual change” isn’t the causal agent of speciation on the planet.

Which part don’t you get? Don’t put words into my mouth and act like a jerk with people smarter than you. Got it, Dummy?


117 posted on 09/25/2012 9:09:36 PM PDT by Captain Steve
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To: Captain Steve

I’m particularly surprised and disappointed that “conservatives” on FreeRepublic would act like such a total A-hole. Very uncool. You act like a scumbag liberal that lies and vilifies instead of intelligently engaging. Grow up, or take your meds, or whatever, but stop acting like an idiot.


118 posted on 09/25/2012 9:51:22 PM PDT by Captain Steve
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To: Captain Steve

I’m particularly surprised and disappointed that “conservatives” on FreeRepublic would act like such a total A-hole just because they disagree on a particular topic. Very uncool. You act like a scumbag liberal that lies and vilifies instead of intelligently engaging. Grow up, or take your meds, or whatever, but stop acting like an idiot.


119 posted on 09/25/2012 10:22:35 PM PDT by Captain Steve
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To: Just mythoughts
According to Moses people during the first 2000 + years after the formation of The Adam lived nearly a thousand years. Imagine that if you can, Methuselah lived 969 years, the longest recorded life span in a flesh body. It was the Creator repulsed by the activities of His children that brought forth the flood. Only Noah and his family of the descendants of the Adam, had not mixed with the fallen angels.

Do you also believe the earth is flat? And that the stars above are lights affixed to the inner surface of a dark shell? Six thousand years ago, people lived less than 30 years on average, and there is no objective evidence to show otherwise.

You have yet to give any reason why one should believe the description of the earth and life found in a metaphorical moral lesson is literal truth, while the reality seen and described by countless people over the course of millenia should not be believed. Despite your claims of not caring about the physical world, your desperate clutching to a metaphor while fervently denying the nature of reality says that you care, a lot.

What I surmise about a lot of literal creationists is that they actually believe that if the earth was not created exactly as described in Genesis, there can be no basis for faith. So the fact that there is no evidence of a sudden, recent creation is very upsetting. They'd be so much happier if they could learn a few lessons from the millions of Christians who are perfectly okay with the fact that Genesis is a metaphor.

120 posted on 09/26/2012 4:17:53 PM PDT by exDemMom (Now that I've finally accepted that I'm living a bad hair life, I'm more at peace with the world.)
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