Meanwhile, in Kentucky…

This week, Nature has an article on the reconstruction of global tectonics during the past 200 million years.

a–c, Maps are separated by 10 Myr. The shapes of the large plates do not change much, whereas the adjustment of the small plates evolves quickly. d, 90 Myr after the first snapshot (a), the distribution of the large plates and smaller plates has evolved substantially. In a–d, the top panels show the viscosity of the mantle (colour scale); the bottom panels show the different boundary types (coloured lines) and plate sizes (shading) within the boxed regions in the top panels (which focus on longitudes between −30° and 90° and latitudes between −30° and 30°). The arrows indicate the direction and magnitude (represented by arrow length) of the mantle flow. a–c, Maps are separated by 10 Myr. The shapes of the large plates do not change much, whereas the adjustment of the small plates evolves quickly. d, 90 Myr after the first snapshot (a), the distribution of the large plates and smaller plates has evolved substantially. In a–d, the top panels show the viscosity of the mantle (colour scale); the bottom panels show the different boundary types (coloured lines) and plate sizes (shading) within the boxed regions in the top panels (which focus on longitudes between −30° and 90° and latitudes between −30° and 30°). The arrows indicate the direction and magnitude (represented by arrow length) of the mantle flow.

In Science, we can read about a thorough analysis of a site where a mastodon was butchered by North American hunter-gatherers 14,550 years ago.

(A) Location of Page-Ladson in northwestern Florida. (B) Map of the Page-Ladson underwater excavations, showing the entire sinkhole and previous excavation areas, as well as excavation areas and sediment cores reported in this paper. Core 4A is marked with a blue star. Other cores are marked with blue circles. Previous excavations are marked with yellow. Our excavations are marked with red. Contours are in meters below datum. (C) Detailed map displaying the location of bones (gray), drawn to scale, and artifacts (black) recovered from geological Units 3a to 3c and 4a to 4b. (A) Location of Page-Ladson in northwestern Florida. (B) Map of the Page-Ladson underwater excavations, showing the entire sinkhole and previous excavation areas, as well as excavation areas and sediment cores reported in this paper. Core 4A is marked with a blue star. Other cores are marked with blue circles. Previous excavations are marked with yellow. Our excavations are marked with red. Contours are in meters below datum. (C) Detailed map displaying the location of bones (gray), drawn to scale, and artifacts (black) recovered from geological Units 3a to 3c and 4a to 4b.

And of course, the big news, scientists have put a probe in orbit around Jupiter.

junoart

Meanwhile, in Kentucky…

The creationists have built a big fake boat which they think will prove that the Earth is only 6000 years old. It opens to the public today.

Ham said the massive ark, based on the tale of a man who got an end-of-the-world warning from God about a massive flood, will stand as proof that the stories of the Bible are true. The group invited media and thousands of supporters for a preview Tuesday, the first glimpse inside the giant, mostly wood structure.

To the kinds of gullible people who donated to this boondoggle, it will probably be effective.

Clint Bishard of Tulsa, Okla. stood outside the ark Tuesday to see where the money he donated went. He wasn’t disappointed.

It’s about telling the true history, Bishard said. There was a supernatural creation. There was a global flood. That’s very different from what you hear in the public school system.

That's right. It is very different from what science and a good education will tell you.

And that's because Ken Ham is a a liar.

We have these scientists to show people that we do real observational science in the present, Ham told the Star on a recent tour of the Ark. We can show you that the science of genetics confirms the Bible’s account of kinds, not an evolutionary process. We can show from the fossil record that it confirms catastrophism consistent with the flood of Noah’s day, not slow processes over millions of years.

No, modern genetics and geology refute the claims of the creationists, and building a big theme park with fake exhibits no more proves the Bible than that Disneyland proves the existence of giant talking mice.

I am embarrassed for these benighted people. They, of course, have no shame.

More like this

Ken Ham is currently hawking his new book, Already Compromised, in which he whines about the way universities — even many bible colleges — don't take the Old Testament absolutely literally. This leads, of course, to students actually examining evidence and arguments outside the Bible, which…
When I visited the Creation "Museum", one thing that shocked me was this display: At the time, I pointed out the pernicious nature of this claim: With complete seriousness and no awareness of the historical abuses to which this idea has been put, they were promoting the Hamite theory of racial…
I want to tell you about a great new book that has one forgivable flaw, which I’ll mention at the end. But first, a word from Bizarro Land. This is about the Grand Canyon. I would think that the Grand Canyon would be the last thing that creationists would point to as proof of a young earth (…
In the Spring of 2010, evangelical Bible scholar Bruce Waltke, in speaking about the overwhelming evidence for evolution, said “To deny that reality will make us a cult, some odd group that is not really interacting with the real world.” In response to this, Ken Ham, president of Kentucky’s…

With CRISPR in Ham's hands, I expect Disneyland to be overrun by giant talking mice quoting Genesis in well under 6000 years.

By Mnestheus (not verified) on 07 Jul 2016 #permalink

“No, modern genetics and geology refute the claims of the creationists…”

That’s what I’ve always heard, and actually believed for about 30 years.

But I don’t believe it anymore.

Creationism is not refuted by genetics or geology, or by biology or paleontology.

It’s “refuted” by one thing only – TIME.
More specifically, man’s presumed infallible calculation of DEEP TIME, along with the presumption that, given enough time, ANYTHING can happen, including things never observed in nature nor coerced in any lab.

By See Noevo (not verified) on 07 Jul 2016 #permalink

@See Noevo: Where did the coccolithophores that make up the white cliffs of Dover come from?

How is it that we were able to observe supernova 1987A, which is 168,000 light years away?

Why do radiometric analyses of rock samples yield the same ages for a given sample, despite measuring the concentrations of different radioactive elements and their decay products?

Why do the same types of rocks and fossils appear on the edges of widely separated continents when those continents are only moving apart about as fast as fingernails grow?

By Wizard Suth (not verified) on 07 Jul 2016 #permalink

"Creationism is not refuted by genetics or geology, or by biology or paleontology."

What an ass you are.

Wizard, sn is a denier of all science - whether biology, chemistry, physics - that is under about 600 years old.
If it isn't in his version of the bible, it's wrong - and you shouldn't ever expect any honest give and take from him.

"Ham told the Star on a recent tour of the Ark."

Why didn't Shem and Japheth get a chance to speak too?

By Green Eagle (not verified) on 07 Jul 2016 #permalink

@dean
"sn is a denier of all science – whether biology, chemistry, physics – that is under about 600 years old."

How ignorant does a person have to be to use a computer to post comments on a global information system while simultaneously rejecting all of the science upon which every component of the entire system is based?

Ironically the Creation Museum was built on top of a rich fossil bed full of the remains of animals that lived more than 500 million years ago.

By Wizard Suth (not verified) on 08 Jul 2016 #permalink

Creationism is simply another manifestation of nature. Like a Viceroy imitating a Monarch, it is a useful type of deception that serves some purpose for certain members of our species. What the heck, many creationists are making a living from it, they are surrounded by co-workers with a similar world view, and they will go to their graves believing that they are 100 percent correct. Hard to fault that, really.

I've decided for today to take the presence on this site of they-that-shall-not-be-named as a feature rather than a bug. How convenient it is for us to have a laboratory specimen that wonders right into our drawing room, jumps right up on the microscope stage, and gives us a read on why they cover themselves with intellectual excrement. Yeah, definitely a feature, not a bug.

the world cannot stand it that Ken Ham was so successful in his efforts. They are so angry that God is winning and the devil is losing and will continue to lose. The devil is working overtime to counter this. liberals everywhere are furious that their "tolerant" efforts are being unnoticed and in vain. They might as well face the facts. We on the right pay them very little attention. Sure the lefties might throw a temper tantrum and have a sit in , or protest and block traffic (don't they have a job to go to?), or throw stuff (I guess if you claim to be related to a monkey you throw stuff when angry like one does), or curse, or whatever. We don;t care. We don;t pay that much attention to you. We carry on and will continue to do so.

By Harry Oldmann (not verified) on 09 Jul 2016 #permalink

"How ignorant does a person have to be to use a computer to post comments on a global information system while simultaneously rejecting all of the science upon which every component of the entire system is based?"

sn is a universalist of sorts. In various spots he has said

* Nothing in biology or medicine has ever depended on anything relating to evolution
* No money or time should ever be spent on scientific research unless there is known to be an immediate application
* Nothing in creationism has ever been refuted by anything in science
* Physics research is completely worthless without the guidance of catholic dogma
and more.

His views on non-Christians (by his definition: he would love to meet the current pope to "teach him the true Catholicism") , women (unless they obey their mate and have lots of babies), gays and lesbians (damaged and defective), people with tattoos (again, damaged), the poor (basically, they deserve to be poor), are even worse.

Liberals? What does being a liberal have to do with the fact that creationists basically tell silly fairy tales about biological realities . Yes you're a monkey . Specifically the type of old world monkey that we usually call apes. If i were to use scientific terminology I'd say you were a catarrhini monkey and a member of the pongidae family. (Probably should have used caps but whatever)

By Brightmoon (not verified) on 10 Jul 2016 #permalink

I guess you didn't know that humans and chimps have the same ABO blood types and can actually use each other's blood in a transfusion . That fact alone proves that humans are a type of chimp

By Brightmoon (not verified) on 10 Jul 2016 #permalink

To Brightmoon #11:

“I guess you didn’t know that humans and chimps have the same ABO blood types and can actually use each other’s blood in a transfusion .”

Would you please provide a citation of the successful cases?

(I wonder why the Red Cross hasn’t called for the breeding of chimps to boost our blood supply?)

“That fact alone proves that humans are a type of chimp”

I DO know that pig tissue can be used in gingival grafts for humans.
I guess that alone proves that humans are porkers.

By See Noevo (not verified) on 10 Jul 2016 #permalink

Cow blood can be used in humans too, now i suppose we are related to cows. maybe that explains the worship of the cloven hoofed satan that the world is doing these days.

If we are related to apes then why are all the liberals so upset about "gun" violence and war. If we are related to apes, then it is in our nature to kill each other violently over territory, food, and mates. The only difference is that apes do not kill their own babies in the womb. Looks like the apes are superior to some liberals in alot of ways.

By Harry Oldmann (not verified) on 10 Jul 2016 #permalink

The only difference is that apes do not kill their own babies in the womb.

Only because they are lacking the tools to do so.
Infanticide, OTOH, is quite prevalent, not only with apes, but with the whole animal kingdom.

If we are related to apes, then it is in our nature to kill each other violently over territory, food, and mates.

IDK. Maybe we are more like Bonobo chimps. Make love, not war.

Social animals - apes, wolves, hyenas - actually developed behaviors and rituals to limit bloodshed. Internal conflicts are wasteful of limited resources and damaging the group cohesion.

By Helianthus (not verified) on 11 Jul 2016 #permalink

"now i suppose we are related to cows"

We are related to both cows and pigs, but more distantly than we are related to other primates. We're also related to petunias, mushrooms, and the bacterial culture in Cheddar cheese. All living things are related.

Why do some religious people assume that the theory of evolution (which explains the diversity of life) is intended as a guide to human behaviour?

By Wizard Suth (not verified) on 12 Jul 2016 #permalink

if you look at how animals behave and if we share a common ancestry should we not also have similar traits? Evolution is a fairy tale. No such thing. If you wish to claim kin to an ape, be my guest, but don;t come crying to me when you get treated like one.

By Harry Oldmann (not verified) on 14 Jul 2016 #permalink

@ Wizard Suth

Why do some religious people assume that the theory of evolution (which explains the diversity of life) is intended as a guide to human behaviour?

Indeed.
Oh, there are similarities. Bullying, theft, incest, rape, murder... Lots of animals do it, and lots of humans, too. Our respective countries had their share of mindless violence these past weeks, and then some. But recognizing it is not the same as approving it.
Also, creationists seem to assume all animals behave similarly. In real life, Chimps, Gorilla and Orangutan behave quite differently.

There is a T-shirt liked by creationists, with the photo of a chimp and the motto" my ancestor was not a monkey".
If I was any good with graphical arts, I would be half-tempted to buy one and add on the back "it was an ape".
(yes, shades of a certain Librarian, here)

Our opponent is also very inconsistent.
In #13, he is admitting ipso facto that we are following our animals instincts in regard to territory dispute, mating and so forth. We are just disagreeing on which ones we are supposed to follow (bits of a strawman, here, too).
In #16, suddenly, we dont't have anything animal in us.

Or maybe the creationists' position on our animal instincts is like abortion and homosexuality: they are here, but we should pretend they aren't and hope any related issue will just go away.

tl;dr: for someone who is insistant on not behaving like a monkey, he sure is throwing a lot of poo.

By Helianthus (not verified) on 17 Jul 2016 #permalink