How sad it is that Australia’s very first pioneers remain entirely unrecognised. Almost 50 of their robust, archaic skulls have now been unearthed around the fringes of this continent, yet no museum or university anthropologist is willing to risk their tenure by publicly conceding this fact. It is generally accepted that the centre skull in… Continue reading →
Morality, Free will, Culture, Religion and Sexuality (a few unmentionable facts) our lives are essentially fiction based. We read fiction novels and prefer to watch fictional dramas on stage and screen; we readily believe advertising and political propaganda, and most people place implicit faith in some form of religious, economic or political creed. So culture… Continue reading →
FAMILY NAME: …… Hominidae AGE: ……………….. about 2.5 million years old PROFESSION: …… gambling MAIN BET: ………… that they have ‘dual existence’ ODDS AGAINST: …. 20 million to one (minimum). When modern members of this family bet on racehorses they tend to recoil from bets that involve odds that are much greater than 50 to… Continue reading →
The Russian geochemist Vladimir Vernadsky proposed life as a dynamic extension of the Earth’s crust and a by-product of the chaotic gradient that mediates between the energy-rich body of the planet and the void of galactic space. Since hydrogen is the basic energy courier of the cosmos, this proposition supports the contention that life too,… Continue reading →
Axiom: “Humans are the only animals that make and use complex tools, and this talent sets them apart from the rest of the animal world” . . . Wrong! Very few people are aware that we share our planet with a tiny toolmaker whose daily survival hinges on a hand weapon of such sophistication that… Continue reading →
Human behaviour is widely believed to be founded on conscious rational thought, an asset that allows us to choose and modify our behaviour on a continual basis. It’s a unique characteristic that supposedly separates our species from all other animals. Yet if you switch off the language sound track and observe human behaviour in total silence, it’s… Continue reading →
“If the Hamersley iron deposits did not exist, then neither would we.” The massive deposits of iron ore upon which Australia’s economy so heavily depends hold vastly greater significance for us and for our species than mere money can begin to define. Most humans now live in cities and use steel motor vehicles and rail systems to… Continue reading →
In the clear, cold creeks that slide out of the eucalyptus forests of south-western Australia there lives a little-known fish of extraordinary evolutionary significance. Embedded in its ancient genetic code is a talent for survival that sets it among evolution’s elite. Even in Australia, where genetic antiquities abound, it has few peers. This seasoned campaigner… Continue reading →
Evolution timescale A diagram of the geological and biological time scale showing the major milestones in the 4.6 billion-year life of our planet. Download Evolution timescale the full diagram
Evolution is the process by which organisms diversify. It enables them to harvest energy from sources that lie beyond the reach of their competitors. “Evolution is not progress, It’s just middle-age spread!” Download the full diagram.
Like witchcraft and astrology, Intelligent Design is not underpinned by testable data. The underlying belief systems are unfalsifiable, non-predictive and based on nothing more substantial than imagination and wishful thinking. They might entertain, but they dont feed brains that seek reliable information. Download the full article as a pdf Like witchcraft and astrology, Intelligent Design… Continue reading →
As a by-product of genetic evolution, the birth of our species is inextricably linked to the evolution of the planets biosphere and its dazzling biota. The Diary of You unfolds this sequence of biological mile-stones as a uniquely personal narrative. The 4.6 billion-year life of the planet has also been matched here against a one-year… Continue reading →
“Our timebomb is mysticism. Its delivery system is language. And its hiding place? The unfathomable coils of our DNA.” (The Spirit in the Gene, 1999) With the aid of photographs, diagrams and graphs Reg Morrison summarises the massive impact that humans have had on our planet and explores the evolutionary and genetic origins of the behaviour… Continue reading →
If we were to assume the role of advocate for the biosphere, we should have to concede that what evolution most requires of us now is to ignore the warnings on the current environmental package and continue to behave as we always have. Should we falter in our rate of economic and technological progress we… Continue reading →
