Dinosaurs, Chickens, and Stuff
by Cowboy Bob Sorensen
This is not going to be a long, complicated article. Y'all probably need a break from the heavy stuff, and I don't mind one myself.
A reader of The Question Evolution Project sent me a link to a one-minute video (which linked to a non-science article) about how scientists want to tamper with the DNA and chickens, help them get in touch with their inner dinosaur, and possibly bringing back a modified form of dinosaurs. Echoes of Jurassic Park, I suppose. (When we're done here, let's all meet at Kentucky Fried Rex for chow.) One serious question to consider is: why bring back things that were extinct? I reckon it depends on the motivation.
What caught my attention is how scientists are assuming evolution in order to do this process, and ignoring the other scientists who reject dinosaur-to-bird evolution. How many times have we seen where evolutionary thinking has actually hindered scientific progress? They are arguing from their presuppositions (which is something we all do). What comes to mind is when Dr. Lovejoy shaved down a pelvic bone cast of Lucy the extinct ape into what it should have looked like. Both Lovejoy and these dino-to-bird DNA scientists are being ultracrepidarian, and some restraint would be in order. For the short video, click here, and the short, unimpressive article, click here.
In other fowl news, stupid chickens are not so stupid after all. Consider how some birds show musical innovation skills far beyond those of apes, even rivaling humans. There are birds that are more intelligent than apes, too. Then there's puzzler of the amazing flight plans of migratory birds. Hard to figure how many birds have amazing abilities, then do stupid stuff.
So what's up with chickens, other than being mighty tasty? Smarter than we may think. Someone got around to studying chicken intelligence, and found out that they're sneaky caitiffs. Manipulative, too. This fits, because they have basic math and reasoning skills. For a nice report that does not pay homage to the Bearded Buddha, click on "Chickens exhibit Machiavellian tendencies, scientists discover".
Perhaps we make value judgments and compare them to humans instead of realizing that they were designed with certain skills by our Creator. Maybe the DNA tampering will yield smart dinosaurs? Why not, since circular reasoning can be hatched up as "science" nowadays.
This is not going to be a long, complicated article. Y'all probably need a break from the heavy stuff, and I don't mind one myself.
A reader of The Question Evolution Project sent me a link to a one-minute video (which linked to a non-science article) about how scientists want to tamper with the DNA and chickens, help them get in touch with their inner dinosaur, and possibly bringing back a modified form of dinosaurs. Echoes of Jurassic Park, I suppose. (When we're done here, let's all meet at Kentucky Fried Rex for chow.) One serious question to consider is: why bring back things that were extinct? I reckon it depends on the motivation.
 |
| Assembled and modified with Clker clipart graphics |
In other fowl news, stupid chickens are not so stupid after all. Consider how some birds show musical innovation skills far beyond those of apes, even rivaling humans. There are birds that are more intelligent than apes, too. Then there's puzzler of the amazing flight plans of migratory birds. Hard to figure how many birds have amazing abilities, then do stupid stuff.
So what's up with chickens, other than being mighty tasty? Smarter than we may think. Someone got around to studying chicken intelligence, and found out that they're sneaky caitiffs. Manipulative, too. This fits, because they have basic math and reasoning skills. For a nice report that does not pay homage to the Bearded Buddha, click on "Chickens exhibit Machiavellian tendencies, scientists discover".
Perhaps we make value judgments and compare them to humans instead of realizing that they were designed with certain skills by our Creator. Maybe the DNA tampering will yield smart dinosaurs? Why not, since circular reasoning can be hatched up as "science" nowadays.