Some Interesting Facts Segment 2 Flashcards
(34 cards)
Who came first, Neanderthals or Cro-Magnons?
About 35,000 years ago, Cro-Magnons migrated into Europe and replaced their Neanderthal cousins.
Ref. Lone Survivors P.18.
Was the Sahara always a desert?
6,000 yrs. Ago, Sahara was grasslands, lakes and forest. Ref. Lone Survivors P50.
How long have Homo Sapiens lived on the Earth?
Homo sapiens in existence over the last 2 million years or so.
Ref. Lone Survivors P85.
Is our behavior caused by our DNA?
There is no doubt that our DNA does provide a basic template for our behavior.
Ref. Lone Survivors P117.
How long ago did Religious beliefs begin?
Nobody has that exact answer, but general belief is that religious beliefs probably go back more than 100,000 years. So many Anthropologist favored the idea that our lineage split from that of the apes more than 1.5 mya.
Ref. Lone Survivors
What is radiocarbon dating?
Radiocarbon dating is a method of determining the age of an object by using the properties of radiocarbon, a radioactive isotope of carbon.
How does radiocarbon dating work?
Radiocarbon is abbreviated as 14C.
14C is constantly being created in the atmosphere by the interaction of cosmic rays with atmospheric nitrogen. The resulting radiocarbon combines with atmospheric oxygen to form radioactive carbon dioxide. This is then incorporated into plants by photosynthesis, and animals acquire 14C by eating the plants.
When the animal or plant dies, it stops exchanging carbon with its environment, and from that point the amount of 14C it contains begins to reduce as the 14C undergoes radiactive decay.
This is how carbon 14 gives us the date of a bone or fossil. It works on humans, animals and plants.
Ref. Lone Survivors P.38. [My note]
How are Fossils made?
We understand how water, with minerals dissolved in it, seeps into corpses buried in layers of mud and rock. We understand how the minerals crystallize out of the water and REPLACE THE MATERIALS OF THE CORPSE, ATOM BY ATOM, leaving some trace of the original animal’s form imprinted on the stone.
Fossils: how minerals crystalize out of water and replace the material of the corpse atom by atom. Ref. Magic of Reality. P13.
How much detail can we learn from a Fossil with modern technology?
We can recover DNA from good fossils. Another success is we can chemically treat the fossil of tooth plaque from cavemen and know what they commonly ate!
Do people really believe Aliens will take them to another world if they commit suicide?
Religious cult “Heavens Gate” ended with 39 deaths by poison because they believed a UFO from space would take their souls to another world.
This happened in California in March 1997.
Ref. Magic of Reality P181.
Do people really believe they have been abducted by Aliens?
In a 1992 poll, 4 million Americans thought they had been abducted by Aliens.
Ref. Magic of Reality P185.
How do Folklore and tall tales begin?
People enjoy a good story so much they begin to embellish it. It becomes so distorted that it is impossible to know what really happened.
Ref. Magic of Reality P239.
How do we date Fossils?
Geologists figure age of layer on top and under fossil to accurately date it.
Ref. Masters of the Planet P20.
Are we related to plants and fruits?
We share 40% of our genes with a banana.
Ref. Masters of the Planet. L207.
Why do we have a Butt?
Our gluteus maximus purpose is for stopping the trunk from tipping forward at each foot stroke.
Ref. Masters of the Planet P28.
Why is our brain so wrinkled?
How large would our brain be if it was completely unfolded?
Why brains are wrinkled; to have large area but still fit in skull.
Unfolded, it is the size of a baby blanket.
What caused the Neanderthals to go to Europe and Asia?
Isthmus of Panama, began Ice ages and scattered mankind over planet.
Ref Masters of the Planet P146.
What happened is the Isthmus blocked off the warm waters of the Pacific. The Atlantic ocean continued to get colder and colder. Soon Glaciers grew and dominated the Northern half of the Planet.
Neanderthals moved to find food and shelter in Europe and Asia.
In the United States the Glaciers were about 100 miles thick. The Earth’s sea level shrank about 300 feet lower.
The Great Lakes were carved into the ground. The fertile soils of Canada were moved South and deposited in the great plains of the United States.
Billions of trees in the United States were bulldozed flat resulting in the Great Plains we have today. Also the fertile soil makes up our great farm crops in places like Missouri, Iowa and Illinois.
What is Ergot poisoning and how did this lead to Witch burnings and insanity?
Ergot poisoning. Ergot is a fungus that infects Rye which made common bread in ancient days. It causes hallucinations, delusions and sometimes mass insanity. It caused the Salem witch trials and other trials where witches were hanged and burned to death. I suspect it also caused many of the Bible visions we read about, esp. Revelations.
How often do we replace our skin cells?
- We make 30,000 skin cells a minute.
How much food do we eat?
- We eat 9,000 tons of food in the first 20 years.
What happens to our skin cells after we replace them?
They turn to dust.
- By age 45, we have created 400 pounds of dust from old skin cells.
Why do we turn old and wrinkly when we get old?
- Our new skin cells are fine but we wrinkle as we get older because ultraviolet light damages collagen. Collagen is what makes our skin snap back to a smooth form rather than wrinkle.
How many Secret Service Agents are assigned to protect President Trump’s family while he is President?
There are 960 agents assigned for his family protection. This is at a cost of one million dollars a day on average.
How much Hydrogen does the Sun burn each day?
Our Sun burns 600 million tons of Hydrogen per minute!