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Oldest Fossils of Homo Sapiens Found in Morocco

nytimes.com

1–10 of 76 posts

Re: Oldest Fossils of Homo Sapiens Found in Morocco

#3

The clock is "reset" on these types of things so frequently that I can help wondering why we speak so confidently about the origins of our species, and how long we've been here, and ultimately where we came from on this earth.

We live in a computer simulation.

Re: Oldest Fossils of Homo Sapiens Found in Morocco

#4
post #3

The clock is "reset" on these types of things so frequently that I can help wondering why we speak so confidently about the origins of our species, and how long we've been here, and ultimately where we came from on this earth.

We live in a computer simulation.

No we got spaceship-wrecked.

Re: Oldest Fossils of Homo Sapiens Found in Morocco

#5

The clock is "reset" on these types of things so frequently that I can help wondering why we speak so confidently about the origins of our species, and how long we've been here, and ultimately where we came from on this earth.

It's either set the narrative based on evidence available or go off thousands of years of fables.

I'm fine with resetting the narrative as we learn vs making bad assumptions.

Re: Oldest Fossils of Homo Sapiens Found in Morocco

#6

The clock is "reset" on these types of things so frequently that I can help wondering why we speak so confidently about the origins of our species, and how long we've been here, and ultimately where we came from on this earth.

It's another data point, and must be assessed relative to other data points. Some details of the origin of our species are better known than others, and thus some are more or less likely to be 'reset'. The evidence for African origins, for example, are overwhelming and will not likely be 'reset'. The precise dating of the origin of homo sapiens - if that is even possible - is still in flux. This is the scientific process - science as error correction mechanism.

Before the Dawn by Nicholas Wade is a great book reviewing the recent science on our species from about 100k year ago to about 10k years ago. It provides the overview and context that you dont get from a NYT article such as this.

Re: Oldest Fossils of Homo Sapiens Found in Morocco

#7
But that's what exciting about science. It doesn't claim to come with ready made answers about our surroundings, humans discover things on their own.

Sometimes humans get things wrong, and there is no shame in being wrong with science, it's part of the process, unlike "other domains" where people can or will never admin they are wrong, while still using the product of science every day, in contradiction to their own "science".

Re: Oldest Fossils of Homo Sapiens Found in Morocco

#8

The clock is "reset" on these types of things so frequently that I can help wondering why we speak so confidently about the origins of our species, and how long we've been here, and ultimately where we came from on this earth.

Isn't science marvelous? That fact that it adapts as new evidence is revealed is critical. The confidence you mention is not confidence that a final answer has been reached but rather, based on the current evidence, an answer can be formulated that is consistent with that evidence available at that time.

Re: Oldest Fossils of Homo Sapiens Found in Morocco

#9
post #3

The clock is "reset" on these types of things so frequently that I can help wondering why we speak so confidently about the origins of our species, and how long we've been here, and ultimately where we came from on this earth.

We live in a computer simulation.

and it shall be called "The Earth"!

Re: Oldest Fossils of Homo Sapiens Found in Morocco

#10

The clock is "reset" on these types of things so frequently that I can help wondering why we speak so confidently about the origins of our species, and how long we've been here, and ultimately where we came from on this earth.

> The clock is "reset" on these types of things so frequently

It really isn't; this doesn't change anything, we previously knew we were at least 200k years old, that fact is still true. We now know we're at least 300k years old, that fact will also always remain true. What's at fault is your understanding of what science is saying rather than what it's actually saying.

> that I can help wondering why we speak so confidently about the origins of our species

Because it's a given that we're always speaking about current best available knowledge. What is proven true remains true, it's just refined over time as new truths are discovered. What we know continually grows, it's not like we're changing what we know to be something else, we're just growing what we know continually.

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