A sincere apology concerning the religious debate--

[Sydney]

Rettick, if my memory serves me rightly our line of descent diverged from the apes at about 6-8 million years ago. Also, Mitochondrial Eve is calculated to have lived about 200,000 years ago.

There's such thing as a Mitochondrial Adam? Considering that Mitochondria are only found in the egg, not the sperm, I'd think the only way paternal lineage could be traced is by comparing regular DNA, rather than mitochondrial DNA.

Adding to your trivia, humans and chimpanzees are more closely related to each other than what horses and zebras are!

[Doug]

Don't know if anyone saw it, but there was a fascinating PBS program entitled "Evolution" on TV last weekend. It seemed to be a series, although I hadn't heard of it. Anyway, this particular segment focused largely on a number of students at a Christian college (Wheaton) which had a policy requiring faculty to declare their belief in Adam and Eve as the beginning of human lineage. The students were trying to reconcile their biblically based beliefs with their sense that evolution was a legitimate theory. As counterpoint, they presented the views of a man who believed that the Bible was to be read absolutely literally, meaning, above all, that the Earth and all its creatures was created in 6 days -- that is 6 literal, modern-time, 24 hour days, no ifs, ands, or buts. He taught his followers that if someone ever said "X millions of years ago . . . " to respond "Were you there?"

I'm not ready to pony up my own beliefs here, but anyone really interested in this topic might check for a re-run of this series on their local PBS station -- I found it very interesting. There was also a part about some high school students that started a movement to get "Special Creationism" (not sure exactly what that was or how it differed from Creationism) taught along-side evolution, and some Christian high school biology teachers that had reconciled their faith with their science. Very interesting stuff.

[Lampion]

More philosophical discussion:

I recognise that every single person has his/her own idea of God, Gluk Schmuck, but it's a logical assumption to think that God is unique, whatever concept of God I have in my mind. When you say "don't disrespect my God" actually what you want to say is "don't disrespect me, and my beliefs on what God is".

...unless you believe that God exists only in people's mind. Then, everything changes. This way we have over 5 billions different gods on Earth.

But, if you beleive that God simply IS, then there is only one. Just... God.

[Oddworlder]

Originally posted by Sydney:
... There's such thing as a Mitochondrial Adam? Considering that Mitochondria are only found in the egg, not the sperm, I'd think the only way paternal lineage could be traced is by comparing regular DNA, rather than mitochondrial DNA.

Adding to your trivia, humans and chimpanzees are more closely related to each other than what horses and zebras are!

I don't think regular DNA survives more than maybe a couple hundred years. They did a DNA test on some body in boliva supposed the Butch Cassidy. But that's the oldest one I've heard of...

As far as what humans are related too the last word I heard human DNA is very similar to most everything else, mammal that is, on this planet. The only difference at that level is like 5% or less. So walk up to that chimp at the zoo and say 'Howdy Cuz'...