quote:
Originally posted by Thmsberry:
I am glad you at least admit there is a debate on the dinobird hypothesis. There are many who will claim that it is a fact and not debated.
Compare this debate (and many others within evolution) to two forensic specialists tangling in court. Neither questions that a murder occurred, but they reach different conclusions. If further evidence comes to light one or both might change their minds. But none of this changes the fact of the murder. No reasonable person would conclude from the court squabble that no murder had actually occurred.
In a similar way, none of the scientists involved in the bird/dinosaur debate doubt that evolution happened. They're only debating what conclusions should be drawn from the available evidence. Reasonable people should not conclude that this difference of opinion means evolution has not taken place.
quote:
Originally posted by Thmsberry:
This is simply not true. If a higher animal was found in the Cambrian, the headline would read new fossil causes sciencist to reevaluate mammals evolved. They would say this lucky fossil would have survived, but all the other early amphibians, fish, and etc. did not happen to fossilize. With the fossil record, you can alway claim the corroborating evidence is missing.
Descent with modification is not falsifiable by a fossil.
I agree. Given the volume of fossil evidence, it would take much more than a single anomalous fossil. Such a fossil would receive almost no attention, since scientists would assume a geologic incursion or lab mistake or incompetence, etc.
But what if data begun to accumulate for higher lifeforms in the Cambrian, forcing scientists to take it seriously. This is the point that Gene is actually making. Evolution is scientific because it is possible for evidence to come to light that would falsify it.
You are absolutely correct that most scientists would persist in interpreting the new data in an evolutionary framework, trying to modify rather than discard the theory, but that's simply human nature to not be persuaded overnight.
--Percy