650-Million-Year-Old Reef May Offer Evolution Clues

[Tbohinc]

Sept. 22, 2008 -- Australian scientists said Monday they had discovered in an outback mountain range a reef that was under water 650 million years ago and could provide fresh insight into early life on Earth.

The University of Melbourne researchers said the find could reveal fossils of the earliest examples of primitive animal life and also help trace the pattern of global climate change.

The reef is believed to have existed for between five and 10 million years during a period of tropical climate squeezed between two major ice age events, said researcher Jonathan Giddings.

"It provides a significant step forward in showing the extent of climate change in Earth's past and the evolution of ancient reef complexes -- and it also contains fossils which may be of the earliest known primitive animals," he said.

 

[Pescado Amigo]

...are you suggesting that long before man started burning fossil fuels that there were significant climate change events? I have to say, I am shocked.

 

[cveverly]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13402983#post13402983 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Pescado Amigo
...are you suggesting that long before man started burning fossil fuels that there were significant climate change events? I have to say, I am shocked.

First climate change has been linked to dinosaur farts. :reading:





:lol:

 

[Notathumpa]

Man has F'd up the climate in the last 100 years more than nature could in 250 million. Pollution is what we do!

 

[Pescado Amigo]

are you saying that your data from 250 millon years ago is as accurate as ours from the past 100 years? I am more shocked than before.

 

[Esquare]

Yeah, in the 80’s we were causing a new Ice Age, in the 90’s we had 10 years before the Earth melted and now their calling it climate change to cover all of their bases.

 

[Notathumpa]

I didn't say 250 million years ago. However, there is plenty of evidence contained in the geological records to show the time frames involved for changes in Earth's ancient climate. Not once, but many times. This information is readily available to any who cares to do a little research. The conclusions are obvious, if you are one who believes imperical evidence!

 

[Notathumpa]

Oops. 'Empirical'!

 

[ReefWidowed]

Now, now boys and girls, be nice....we've gone almost 3 whole days without getting a thread closed by a mod.

 

[Esquare]

LOL, I bow to your common sense Jennifer. I also shall slowly withdraw from this thread as politics and reefs do not mix. Of course, politics and anything do not mix.

 

[Pescado Amigo]

I don't call the climate change debate politics. I was taught is school, from text books in the late 70's that chlorofluorocarbons were causeing a hole in the ozone. I was taught that as a result the heat of the earth would escape and we'd have another ice age. The same scientist are now saying that we are causing global warming. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT MAN HAS THE ABILITY, EVEN IF WE TRIED TO HARM THE EARTH. And I think that it is arogant to believe that we can. I do not deny climate change, only mans role in it. That doesn't mean that I love pollution, dirty water, or any other nonsense. I burn CF bulbs where they work for the application. I spend $$$ this past year insulating my house. I tried to buy a tankless hot water heater when mine went bad but could find anyone that had any experience installing them. I save my RO waste water for laundry, I collect rain water for watering the yard. And if solar where affordable, I'd buy it to. WHY, because saving money and not squandering natural resorces is a good idea. That said, if it comes to my comfort Vs burning a tree, give me a saw. I do believe that the Good Lord put these things on the earth for us to use. So I use them. I don't believe carbon dating is accurate because the "sciencetist' keep changing the dating. I do believe long before recorded history there where a ton of evens the changed the earth. And I am confident that my caveman ancestors didn't have anything to do with them either. As for 'Empirical' evidence, there is no such thing when talking about something that old.

Now we have religion and politics. LOL

 

[Notathumpa]

Alllllllrighty then!!!!