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Ancient Water: Earth was habitable 4.3 billion years ago
dailygalaxy.com — New discoveries reveal that liquid water existed at least 4.3 billion years ago. Evidence shows that the young planet already had the beginnings of continents and relatively cool temperatures.
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- AmyVernon, on 06/20/2008, -3/+26i love articles like this. fascinating.
- mmijatov, on 06/20/2008, -0/+11Very awesome article . . . does this have any implications on how life may have developed on Earth (not just when)?
- Haoie, on 06/20/2008, -0/+4Well, generally its conceded that the earliest life on Earth didn't come into being until after the planet cooled down [around 3.6 billion years prior].
Guess we'll have to wait and see how this develops.- ShrikeDeCil, on 06/21/2008, -0/+2With the research of bacteria living in near-boiling muds in Yellowstone and the chemovores living in the active deepsea trenches, I lean more and more to life originating in those self-same trenches nearly as early as they actually held liquid water year-round.
- curiousgrge, on 06/20/2008, -2/+0The wicked extraterrestrial tyrant Xenu has enslaved the human beings with his evil psychic influence.
The cunning alien emperor Xenu infested human beings' souls with hundreds of annoying invisible spirits.
- Haoie, on 06/20/2008, -0/+4Well, generally its conceded that the earliest life on Earth didn't come into being until after the planet cooled down [around 3.6 billion years prior].
- AussieCynic, on 06/20/2008, -0/+7amazing... just wow
- Darren07, on 06/20/2008, -20/+36No, it didn't exist 4.3 billion years ago. Not even God existed 4.3 billion years ago. And everyone knows that he made the water. To have water you must need God, ergo water cannot exist before God!
/sarcasm- benologist, on 06/20/2008, -8/+33This is why people don't like atheists.
- ebonn101, on 06/20/2008, -10/+17Exactly. I'm a Christian and couldn't care less what the rest of you believe. Obviously I'm not an atheist, but you don't see me making derisive comments about atheism the way some people on digg seem to feel entitled to do. Whatever.
- cgruber, on 06/20/2008, -2/+2You can be a Christian without believing in creationism. At least that's what I thought until I was asked to leave the Catholic church I was part of. Anyway now I'm agnostic with the definite belief that the biggest problem in the world is probably religion. Not the question of whether their is or is not a god, but the belief that only 1 religion is right and the desire to defend that belief through any means.
Independently most religions that I've encountered enforce good morals and beliefs on their people, however for whatever reason these same people feel the need to defend their religion with force. I don't believe in that, and if there is a god I don't believe that he would condone such behavior.
- cgruber, on 06/20/2008, -2/+2You can be a Christian without believing in creationism. At least that's what I thought until I was asked to leave the Catholic church I was part of. Anyway now I'm agnostic with the definite belief that the biggest problem in the world is probably religion. Not the question of whether their is or is not a god, but the belief that only 1 religion is right and the desire to defend that belief through any means.
- narcofiche, on 06/20/2008, -10/+7Pshhyeah, and Jesus rode dinosaurs.
- cgruber, on 06/20/2008, -2/+2He PROBABLY rode dinosaurs.
http://digg.com/comedy/Jesus_probably_rode_dinosau ...
- cgruber, on 06/20/2008, -2/+2He PROBABLY rode dinosaurs.
- Hetman, on 06/20/2008, -6/+9I do not care about the whole God question. But I agree that is one of the reason people dislike athiests, but in reality most atheists are not like that. It is just the digg effect.
- LordVance, on 06/20/2008, -2/+4If anyone uses a random digg comment to judge an entire group of people (athiests, democrats, homosexuals, christians...) it's no better than judging the entire christian population based on a few nut jobs that crash the funerals of soldiers who died at war.
Personally - I was born and raised Christian and very much still live the lifestyle of one, I just do not attend church any longer, I don't believe in God or creationism, but the church as a whole (as well as the churches of every major religion) has so much to teach us still about actually living a good life. You don't have to believe in the details to support the message. - Hetman, on 06/20/2008, -1/+2I would probably be opposite of you. It is possible that there is a God, and it is possible that there is not a God. However all religions are fundamentally flawed and are a deterrent to modern society not helpful. But like I say each to his own. I do not care either way.
- LordVance, on 06/20/2008, -2/+4If anyone uses a random digg comment to judge an entire group of people (athiests, democrats, homosexuals, christians...) it's no better than judging the entire christian population based on a few nut jobs that crash the funerals of soldiers who died at war.
- macweirdo42, on 06/20/2008, -6/+11Please, for every one atheist that makes some sarcastic remark like that, you get like 20 Christians running in screaming the exact same damn crap, only they genuinely mean it.
- diggrific, on 06/20/2008, -0/+6Oh please. Take a look at the science stories posted here. There is always some post mocking Christianity made BEFORE any Christian makes a religious statement, if one does at all.
Digg has become a place where making these statements in threads in rewarded by being dugg up. There was a time, not long ago, where being polite and non-confrontational in public was the norm. Having polite discussions was the standard. The name calling is yet another example. If some of these people were standing in front of the other person, they would never talk in such a manner. Internet courage with no consequences.
So, it is the Digg effect. People are rewarded for being rude instead of shunned like the old days.
- diggrific, on 06/20/2008, -0/+6Oh please. Take a look at the science stories posted here. There is always some post mocking Christianity made BEFORE any Christian makes a religious statement, if one does at all.
- whyufail, on 06/20/2008, -3/+9Sorry, I draw the line of tolerance when people try to promote ignorance and hold back scientific progress. You're free to your beliefs, but that freedom ends when you go forth to brainwash others.
- empiric, on 06/20/2008, -6/+0Yeah, it's intolerable when people promote ignorance by propagating irrational false dichotomy fallacies. That destroys not only scientific awareness of ancient history, but the very ability to think properly. Their freedom should end and be taken away, immediately.
Hint: Theistic Evolution exists. - stanleyford, on 06/20/2008, -1/+7"You're free to your beliefs, but that freedom ends when you go forth to brainwash others." -- What happens when the creationists are in charge and decide that you're free to believe the universe wasn't created by God, as long as you don't try to "brainwash" others with your belief?
Fortunately, our society is wise enough to recognize that one's freedoms shouldn't be contingent upon what another person decides is ignorant or constitutes brainwashing. Even if the creationists were in power, they couldn't stop you from talking about your beliefs about the origin of the universe. But this essential freedom only exists as long as we are willing to respect the right of all people (even the ones you think are ignorant!) to believe what they wish and to talk about their beliefs as they wish. And that's why, even though you disagree with them, you should defend the right of creationists to say what they want--because by defending their right to free speech, you also defend your own.
- empiric, on 06/20/2008, -6/+0Yeah, it's intolerable when people promote ignorance by propagating irrational false dichotomy fallacies. That destroys not only scientific awareness of ancient history, but the very ability to think properly. Their freedom should end and be taken away, immediately.
- fr3ddie, on 06/20/2008, -4/+3I love atheists.
- ebonn101, on 06/20/2008, -10/+17Exactly. I'm a Christian and couldn't care less what the rest of you believe. Obviously I'm not an atheist, but you don't see me making derisive comments about atheism the way some people on digg seem to feel entitled to do. Whatever.
- djm19, on 06/21/2008, -1/+0I'd like to point out you don't need to be atheist to think the genesis story is ridiculous.
- Iztikeit, on 06/21/2008, -0/+0Because most atheists think their rusty and bland jokes about religion are funny? Family Guy is definitely perpetuating this fraud in comedy.
GET NEW ****ING JOKES
You know there are educated religious people, right? Religion isn't fundamentally flawed. People need to take advice from other people, or people might really start cracking up.
- benologist, on 06/20/2008, -8/+33This is why people don't like atheists.
- leprix, on 06/20/2008, -20/+22suck it, creationism!
- Pillard, on 06/20/2008, -5/+22Yeah! Let's turn another article into a raging war against religion! Exactly what we need!
- SemiSarcastic, on 06/20/2008, -2/+4That's how America rolls.
- macweirdo42, on 06/20/2008, -4/+5To be fair - in my experience, comments like these actually keep the religious nuts away. Seriously. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I've noticed that whenever you get a digg article like this where some atheist doesn't rush in to make a comment like this, you end up with a dozen religious wackos rushing in to "prove" that the Earth is only 6,000 years old.
- diggrific, on 06/21/2008, -1/+2How many stories can you link to?
I can show MANY science threads where religion bashing occurred before any religious person made a post. You may think that proves your point, but in fact you are merely trying to justify what the reality is. There are angry atheists here, and bashing religion is a past time and a need for their psyche.
- diggrific, on 06/21/2008, -1/+2How many stories can you link to?
- Barackalypse, on 06/20/2008, -7/+2How does that disprove the theory that God, who always existed, didn't make it? Perhaps what you meant to say was "suck it, overly literal creationists who specify a semi-exact timeline".
- burjzyntski, on 06/20/2008, -1/+0semi-exact.
listen to what that means.
- burjzyntski, on 06/20/2008, -1/+0semi-exact.
- Pillard, on 06/20/2008, -5/+22Yeah! Let's turn another article into a raging war against religion! Exactly what we need!
- iamtehwinnerz, on 06/20/2008, -19/+19Another ***** you to creationists.
- narcofiche, on 06/20/2008, -2/+5Yeah, them scientists be gangsta about this sheeit.
- Barackalypse, on 06/20/2008, -10/+3How does this disprove that it was God that created the world exactly?
- nicko68, on 06/21/2008, -0/+1I read it on teh interwebs, therefore it must be true
- Hetman, on 06/20/2008, -0/+18The moon was a lot closer then. I wonder how that affected our gravity and tides. And the whole acid rain thing is awesome.
- swisscheese97, on 06/20/2008, -3/+4Thats no moon...
- endlessoul, on 06/20/2008, -1/+3Well, if memory serves me, our days are slowly getting longer due to the moon's pull of gravity. In a few thousand years, the moon will be much farther away and will have made our day at least twice as long.
In that, I can assume that our days were maybe 12 hours, if not substantially less than what they are now.
IANAS (I am not a scientist)- Lith25, on 06/20/2008, -1/+3I know nothing about what you are talking about, but I really really doubt we will have 48 hour days by the year 5000...
- darkfire79, on 06/20/2008, -10/+2trust me.. it wasnt. It was radioactive.. I know this since I saw it on Battlestar Galactica last week :P
- whyufail, on 06/20/2008, -1/+2How does that make sense when BG is WELL after the formation of the earth >_>
- lydecker, on 06/20/2008, -0/+3All of this has happened before and all of this will happen again?
Naw, I'm with you.
- lydecker, on 06/20/2008, -0/+3All of this has happened before and all of this will happen again?
- whyufail, on 06/20/2008, -1/+2How does that make sense when BG is WELL after the formation of the earth >_>
- ebonn101, on 06/20/2008, -12/+7Darn, i was hoping I could get a post in before the obligatory rude comment made towards creationists, but alas, I was 2 minutes too late. Maybe next article...
- DiggGeek24, on 06/20/2008, -14/+1Everyone knows God made earth in 6 days and smoked weed on the 7th day.
- Gangio, on 06/20/2008, -9/+3Yep, these scientists are very funny.
- OffPiste, on 06/20/2008, -7/+6"already had the beginnings of continents and relatively cool temperatures"
...and then the protozoans got SUV's and ***** our planet up.- Hetman, on 06/20/2008, -0/+5Did you not read the part about the acid rain that was melting granite? I mean I do not think that would be good for humans if it happened to our planet.
- scitz0frenic, on 06/20/2008, -8/+3Pics or it didnt happen
- SemiSarcastic, on 06/20/2008, -11/+9...
Where's Raptor Jesus? - JensenSteve, on 06/20/2008, -13/+6and John McSame wants to cut funding on studies like this. Vote Obama to keep scientific funding in the US.
- OffPiste, on 06/20/2008, -4/+6Paid Obama troll. Move along.
- JensenSteve, on 06/20/2008, -3/+2Paid GOP shill. Reported.
- Hetman, on 06/20/2008, -1/+3Agreed this has nothing to do with politics. It is not even about the funding of scientific studies. In other news Obama like McCain wants to grant immunity to telecommunication companies which in turn would basically destroy the 4th amendment. See I can be a troll also.
- Barackalypse, on 06/20/2008, -4/+1Perhaps you can relate how the Earth's habitability 4.3 billion years ago is actionable scientific information. This is wasted money that we could have used increasing solar cell efficiency or researching ultra capacitors that have tangible benefit to the world.
- Phoenix462, on 06/20/2008, -1/+5Please... can we have at least one article where we don't talk about politics?
- OffPiste, on 06/20/2008, -4/+6Paid Obama troll. Move along.
- chesscat, on 06/20/2008, -6/+2WWJT
- banido, on 06/20/2008, -2/+7The Zerg would have loved it.
- whiterice0, on 06/20/2008, -1/+4Was that on a Monday or a Tuesday?
- FreeTalkLIve, on 06/20/2008, -0/+4Currently, one day to God equals one billion earth years. It is, because I say so.
Time is not constant.
God must live deep inside of a black hole where time moves like molasses.
- FreeTalkLIve, on 06/20/2008, -0/+4Currently, one day to God equals one billion earth years. It is, because I say so.
- MrTRiX, on 06/20/2008, -2/+8I think Chuck Norris's teeth are made of Zircons.
- blackjack75, on 06/20/2008, -0/+1That would imply the Zircons would dare to predate Chuck Norris.
- ChiffX, on 06/20/2008, -1/+1So... did they drink the water or what?
- Gimjee, on 06/20/2008, -7/+2How does this disprove anything against Creationism? The Hebrew word for day means any period of time, so 7 days literally is possible, but that isn't the way it happened. The Bible is not a science book or a history book. I'm a Christian too.
- swrostmore, on 06/20/2008, -2/+3The hebrew word for day means any period of time? That's an interesting fact that just goes to show how retarded biblical literalists really are.
- empiric, on 06/20/2008, -1/+0Retarded compared to what? Someone both failing to notice he isn't being a "literalist" as you claim he is, and being factually wrong?
http://bible.crosswalk.com/Lexicons/Hebrew/heb.cgi ...- swrostmore, on 06/20/2008, -1/+2You fail at understanding my comment. A biblical literalist thinks 7 days means 7x24hours, which obviously doesn't apply to people who know the hebrew definition of "day."
- empiric, on 06/20/2008, -1/+0Retarded compared to what? Someone both failing to notice he isn't being a "literalist" as you claim he is, and being factually wrong?
- UncleCrapper, on 06/20/2008, -2/+2For that matter how does it disprove the Norse creation story, or the Buddhist, Babylonian, Hawaiian, or Hopi indian creation stories? There is no false dichotomy where it's either the Hebrew creation story on the one hand or science on the other.
The point is we're talking about the scientific, not mythical, origins of the Earth. - samthurston, on 06/21/2008, -0/+1expanding on what UncleCrapper said, you're right, it can't be disproved because it's unfalsifiable. Science relies on falsifiable claims in order to gain understanding.
Rather than just say "god did it" and give up, some of us like to use the brain god gave us to explore HOW
- swrostmore, on 06/20/2008, -2/+3The hebrew word for day means any period of time? That's an interesting fact that just goes to show how retarded biblical literalists really are.
- TheInformer, on 06/20/2008, -1/+5Is this the period that global warming started in?
- rheaume, on 06/20/2008, -0/+4But I thought the moon's proximity to the earth gave us tides that were -/+ 1000's of feet? Giant tidal waves smashing all over?
- rheaume, on 06/21/2008, -0/+1Yep found it:
"A billion years ago, our relationship with the Moon was quite different. For one thing, the Moon was much closer and therefore appeared much larger: and we saw the entire Moon, not just one face as we do now. It took the Moon only twenty days to circle the Earth, and Earth's day was only eighteen hours long. Massive tides, over a kilometer in height, would ebb and flow every few hours"
Wow
http://starryskies.com/articles/2007/10/primal-fut ...
- rheaume, on 06/21/2008, -0/+1Yep found it:
- amwtm, on 06/20/2008, -2/+0You mean earth was capable of life?
What a waste of grant money. - whiterice0, on 06/20/2008, -10/+4Who brought God up? You must have greater faith than I, when -- without a shred of emperical evidence -- you believe scientists can date something to 4.3 billion years. Oh, yes. Carbon dating. But of course, we haven't been around long enough to know it does deteriorate at a steady rate.
- Hetman, on 06/20/2008, -1/+2I take it you didn't read the article. Maybe you should read more and comment less.
- Disgod, on 06/20/2008, -2/+9There are huge amounts of empirical evidence out there, just because you don't know about it doesn't mean it isn't there, go study the field, talk to a professor, they'll be glad to show you their entire methodology, just remember just because you don't like what you hear doesn't mean it isn't true.
BTW carbon dating doesn't even apply here, it is only used for organic remains less than 100,000 years old. As for your claim about it not deteriorating at a steady rate, that would require some new physics, which means your claim is complete *****. Plus we can back up carbon dating by using the fossil record.
So what I'm really saying is, you're an idiot.
- ThatEvilGuy, on 06/20/2008, -0/+4Fascinating, it's so interesting take a peek at what the earth looked like back then, what the air was like, water, animals, just what the life was like.
There could've been so many civilizations, so many secrets, maybe even as advanced or even more advanced than ours.- RussellDovey, on 06/22/2008, -0/+1Yep, on mountains, because of the kilometer-high tides...
- mandarin, on 06/20/2008, -2/+1Damn you Xenu!
- Fleagleman, on 06/20/2008, -4/+0That's preposterous. Why, that's millions of years before Baby Jesus was riding dinosaurs and curing caveman leprosy.
Ridiculous. - Nephrastar, on 06/20/2008, -2/+1Way to point out the obvious, I figured this was scientific fact for quite awhile now.
Regardless, creationists can go to hell (Pun certainly intended) - Duositex, on 06/21/2008, -0/+1Wait don't they mean 6,000?
- Iztikeit, on 06/21/2008, -0/+0What are you referencing? Is this some new joke?
- atact88, on 06/21/2008, -0/+0Why the hell did we wait so long to colonize earth then?
- bshock, on 06/21/2008, -0/+1Wildly inaccurate. 4.3 billion years ago, this planet's atmosphere was mostly hydrocarbons.
- tightscrummy, on 06/21/2008, -0/+1Duh, everyone knows that's when Cthulhu and the Elder things lived here.
- opticwind, on 06/21/2008, -0/+1God damnit, water =/= habitable. Take an astronomy course, Jesus.
- seedplanter, on 06/24/2008, -1/+0***Stars: Good article and I agree with the basic concept.- Raymonty.
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