It seems that scientists were a bit off in terms of the age of the Grand Canyon. Now, this is no big deal relative to an economy in the toilet, the war in Iraq racheting up a few notches, or the resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan, but it is of minor interest.Scientists had estimated the Grand Canyon to be about six million years old. That's still true in one sense, but now scientists realize that the western half of the GC started developing 17 million years ago.
An Arizona geologist, Wayne Ranney, was almost ecstatic. "This is really exciting for those of us work in the stories and theories of how the Grand Canyon has evolved. This ... helps us to more clearly understand that different parts of the canyon formed at different times. That's how big the Grand Canyon is."
Some people, religious people even, would say that there is a god out there who created the Grand Canyon however many years ago through an evolutionary process. No biggie.
A few religious fundamentalists, however, have picked up this story as an example of how scientists don't know what they're talking about and how there is no way the GC could have been created millions of years ago when the entire earth is only 6,000 or 8,000 or 10,000 or 12,000 years old (the actual age depends upon what fundamentalist or creationist school you belong to).
Here are a couple of actual responses to the Grand Canyon story (from AOL News):
1. "where is the outrage at the scientists? when a Christian says its around 8000 years old people are outraged and say scientific fact proves otherwise, well what happened to the scientific fact. Facts do not change they do not evolve into new fact either it was or the scientists were a-lying."
Other than the writer is almost illiterate, that is a funny comment and shows a complete and total lack of understanding as to what science is all about and what evolution is all about. Hopefully, this person is not a teacher or in any other position to influence our children.
2. The second response is a of a question/answer type:
"Some say: The Canyon is greatest cathedral in the world.
"I say: The Vatican is the greatest cathedral in the world.
"Now: How long will this new age of the Canyon last before, 'science' discovers another 'age' for the Canyon?"
I'd respond to these moronic statements, but I don't think it's worth it.
1 comment:
Of course it is worth responding to. The scientists have a theory about the age of the canyons. The religious fundamentalists know the facts which is that they are somewhere between 6000 and 12000 years old. In any case they are older than Jacob and I and that is all that really matters. I think we should ask the 2000 Year Old Man. I heard him speak on a record once. He really seemed to know a great deal about such things. He made the record closer to the 6000 year mark, so his opinion is probably more correct.
Bob Poris
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