Today's New Reason To Believe Archives

July 2006

Today’s New Reason To Believe-Monday, July 31, 2006
Biblical Account of Human Origins Supported by Helicobacter Genome

  • New genetic research supports the biblical account of humanity’s origin. Parasites can be useful for tracking human movements because of the intimate associations between hosts and parasites. A new study examines the genetic diversity and origin of Helicobacter acinonychis, a microbe which infects large cats including cheetahs, lions, and tigers. Presumably this microbe evolved from the closely related Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium found in the human intestinal tract, when a large cat consumed an early human infected with this microbe. Analysis of the genetic data dates this event at less than 200,000 years ago, close to the time in which modern humans originated. This new study corroborates earlier genetic studies and comports with the biblical account of human origins.
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Today’s New Reason To Believe-Sunday, July 30, 2006
Continental Positions Show Fine-Tuning

  • Geologists have uncovered more evidence of fine-tuning in the influences of continental positions on Earth’s climate. Using radioisotope differences between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, the scientists dated the opening of the Drake Passage (off the southern tip of South America) at around 40 million years ago. This opening permitted the establishment of ocean currents that dramatically affected the global climate. Interestingly the opening of the Drake Passage corresponded to an increase in biological activity and a decrease in global temperatures. Given the ever-increasing heat flux coming from the Sun, Earth requires properly timed cooling mechanisms like this one to prevent runaway greenhouse heating (or runaway glaciation from too much cooling). RTB’s cosmic creation model predicts such fine-tuning as the work of a superintelligent Creator intervening in Earth’s development to maintain a planetary habitat supporting maximum biodiversity.
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Today’s New Reason To Believe-Saturday, July 29, 2006
Convergence of X Chromosome Inactivation

  • Recent studies in genetics pose difficulties for evolutionary theory. The concept of historical contingency maintains that evolution will not produce the same outcome repeatedly, since its mechanism relies on a sequence of chance events. In the face of this prediction, numerous recent examples of repeated evolution, or convergence, have been discovered. It turns out that Xist RNA gene-mediated X chromosome inactivation appears to have originated independently in both eutherian mammals (those with a placenta) and marsupials (whose young are raised in a pouch). X chromosome inactivation is critical for proper gene expression in females. This newly discovered example of convergence challenges the veracity of the theory of evolution but finds ready explanation if a Creator repeatedly used the same good designs as He brought life into existence.
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Today’s New Reason To Believe-Friday, July 28, 2006
Gamma-Ray Burst Remnant Found in Milky Way Galaxy

  • The recent discovery of a gamma-ray burst remnant (GRBR) provides additional evidence for the fine-tuning predicted by RTB’s cosmic creation model. Often astronomical events precipitate mass extinctions on Earth, and galactic GRBs may provide one mechanism for such episodes. RTB’s creation model explains such extinction events as the work of a supernatural Creator preparing the planet for the introduction of more advanced species in anticipation of man’s arrival. If GRBs play this role, their frequency must be small enough to not destroy all life, but sufficiently large to actually affect Earth’s habitability. A team of North American astrophysicists detected one GRBR dated at about 10,000 years. One or two more detections would increase the likelihood of a GRB having had a direct impact on Earth’s life without catastrophically diminishing Earth’s capacity to support life. Such fine-tuning would comport well with the idea of a supernatural Creator quickly preparing a fit habitat for humankind.
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Today’s New Reason To Believe-Thursday, July 27, 2006
Evidence for Early, Complex Life Is Comprehensive

  • A new paper reviews the extensive case for ancient life on Earth and argues that there is abundant and compelling evidence for stromatolites (macroscopic structures produced by bacteria) and microfossils as far back as 3.5 billion years ago. The rapid appearance of complex metabolic forms of life so soon after the Earth became suitable for life does not fit in a naturalistic explanation. The RTB model, on the other hand, actually expects such an event.
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Today’s New Reason To Believe-Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Class of Gamma-Ray Bursts Rare in Milky Way Galaxy

  • Studies of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have revealed more evidence for the fine-tuning of the Milky Way Galaxy. As stars die, they explode, thereby producing and distributing throughout the universe almost all elements heavier than helium. However, some particularly violent explosions known as long GRBs would significantly disrupt life in any galaxy where the GRB occurred. According to a recent study, these particular explosions occur only in galaxies with low abundance of metals. Consequently, GRBs are rare in the metal-rich Milky Way Galaxy but were more abundant in the early universe, when they enhanced the metal enrichment of early galaxies in preparation for life-supporting planetary systems. Such fine-tuning finds a comfortable fit in RTB’s supernatural cosmic creation model but does not accord well with a naturalistic explanation.
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Today’s New Reason To Believe-Tuesday, July 25, 2006
The Cambrian Explosion Is Real

  • A new paper by one of the world’s leading paleontologists argues that the Cambrian explosion-"biology’s big bang"-was a real event. Around 540 million years ago, between 50% and 80% of all animal phyla to ever exist appeared explosively over a short period of time (less than 5 million years). The Cambrian explosion stands as one of the biggest enigmas facing the evolutionary paradigm. On the other hand, biology’s big bang serves as powerful evidence for the Creator’s intervention in life’s history. Some evolutionary biologists seek to avoid the troubling consequences of the Cambrian explosion by arguing that it never occurred; they maintain that it is an artifact of an incomplete fossil record. But in the face of this challenge, Simon Conway Morris presents new evidence maintaining that the Cambrian explosion was indeed a real event.
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Today’s New Reason To Believe-Monday, July 24, 2006
New Test of Gravity Waves from Supernovae

  • A team of international astronomers has developed a new model-with implications for RTB’s creation model-to predict the emission of gravity waves in a particular class of supernovae. During a core-collapse supernova, the center of the star is compressed under tremendous pressure and forms a neutron star. According to the new model, the oscillations of the neutron star emit relatively large amounts of gravity waves. Assuming the new model is correct, if a supernova of this class were to explode within the Local Group of galaxies (including the Milky Way Galaxy and Andromeda Galaxy, as well as a number of dwarf satellite galaxies), the gravity waves should be detectable by the current generation of gravity-wave detectors. If confirmed, this test would further strengthen confidence in the theory of general relativity and, consequently, RTB’s cosmic creation model.
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Today’s New Reason To Believe-Sunday, July 23, 3006
New Evidence Indicates that Satellite DNA Has Function

  • New research suggests the functional importance of another type of "junk" DNA known as satellite DNA. Evolutionary biologists maintain that because junk DNA is an imperfection, it provides incontrovertible evidence for evolution. Numerous recent studies, however, have identified function for many types of junk DNA. A recent analysis has identified identical satellite DNA sequences for beetle species considered to be separated by 60 million years of evolutionary history. For biochemists, conserved DNA sequences indicate functionality. As of now biochemists can only speculate as to the functional role of satellite DNA. But based on the properties of this highly repetitive DNA, biochemists are forced to conclude that another class of junk DNA has a function. The growing recognition of the functional importance of junk DNA undermines one of evolution’s best arguments and suggests that careful planning by an intelligent Designer, rather than undirected, random biochemical events, shaped the genomes of organisms.
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Today’s New Reason To Believe-Saturday, July 22, 2006
Dramatically Improved Constraints on Changes in Laws of Physics

  • Improved measurements of how much the laws of physics change affirm the Bible’s description of the cosmos. Various biblical passages (e.g., Jeremiah 33:25) describe a universe with constant laws of physics. Using data from sources that emit a particular form of x-ray and gamma-ray radiation, an Indiana physicist placed very tight constraints on how much the laws of physics can change as one moves though space-time. Some of the improved constraints are 14 orders of magnitude tighter than previous estimates. As scientists’ understanding of the cosmos grows, support for RTB’s cosmic creation model, in which a supernatural Creator has designed the universe to support life, also grows.
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Today’s New Reason To Believe-Friday, July 21, 2006
More Evidence for Early, Complex Life on Earth

  • A recent report suggests new evidence for the early appearance of complex metabolic life on Earth. RTB’s creation model for life’s origin predicts life’s sudden appearance early in Earth’s history. Evolutionary models, on the other hand, require a long percolation time before life can emerge via natural processes. A recent study by a British research team, headed by a paleontologist well-known for his skepticism about early fossil evidence for life on Earth, concedes that microtubules recovered from 3.4 billion-year-old formations in the Strelley Pool Cherts of Western Australia may well be evidence for early life on Earth. The appearance of complex metabolic forms of life so rapidly after the Earth became suitable for life defies a naturalistic explanation, but it fits RTB’s creation model very well.
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Today’s New Reason To Believe-Thursday, July 20, 2006
Cosmology Tested in the Laboratory

  • Laboratory measurements with superconducting rings confirm scientists’ understanding of the universe’s early development, providing additional support for RTB’s cosmic creation model. The early universe cooled very quickly, forming defects where it did not "freeze" uniformly. Theoretical descriptions of the nature and number of defects have been difficult to test because of the challenge of detecting the anomalies without disrupting the experiment. However, by heating and cooling a pair of superconducting rings, scientists cleanly measured how the presence of defects depends on the rate of cooling. The results confirmed a theoretical description that also applies to the early universe (because the universe cools as it expands). This confirmation strengthens scientists’ confidence in the big bang model (and, consequently, RTB’s cosmic creation model).
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Today’s New Reason To Believe-Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Redundant Metabolic Pathways Are Not An Evolutionary Imperfection

  • A recent study found a purpose for apparently redundant metabolic functions. Researchers examined the occurrence in Mycobacteria of two different PPTase enzymes (4’-phosphopantetheinyl transferase) that catalyze the same reaction (the transfer of the 4’phosphopantetheine group onto a serine residue of proteins). The redundancy might lead an evolutionist to ask: Why would God create two enzymes with redundant functions? On the other hand, the undirected processes of evolution could easily generate duplicate enzymes. New work, however, indicates that these two PPTase enzymes are not actually redundant. Rather they play unique roles in Mycobacteria metabolism. Experiments indicate that Mycobacteria cannot survive if either of the PPTase enzymes is disabled. Duplicates of the PPTase enzyme serve an important function by allowing the cell to individually regulate different metabolic processes in the cell. This example of a biochemical "imperfection" is now recognized as an elegantly designed system.
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Today’s New Reason To Believe-Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Solar Twins Are Hard to Find

  • Scientists continue to find evidence for the uniqueness of the solar system. Over the past 35 years, astronomers have searched for a star identical to the Sun. Comparing mass, temperature, age, metallicity, luminosity, rotation, and orbital distance from the center of the galaxy, the search has turned up only two stars that are reasonably similar to the Sun. However, both of these candidates show noticeable differences from the Sun. For example, while both "twins" are younger than the Sun, they are about 5% brighter. This difference is significant considering that stars’ brightness increases as they get older. In the Earth-Moon-Sun system, the brightness increase requires a highly fine-tuned carbonate silicate cycle to ensure habitable temperatures on Earth. The inherently brighter "twins" would require an even greater degree of fine-tuning if they were to demonstrate habitable temperatures. While the uniqueness of the solar system finds a difficult fit in naturalistic scenarios, it finds a natural fit in RTB’s biblically based creation model, which predicts such discoveries.
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Today’s New Reason To Believe-Monday, July 17, 2006
Biochemical Design: Organization of Simplest Life

  • New research provides additional evidence for the complexity of the simplest life-forms. Only a decade ago, microbiologists viewed bacteria as "containers" of haphazardly arranged molecules. But recent advances indicate that this view is incorrect. Microbiologists now understand that these simple life-forms possess a remarkable degree of internal organization at the molecular level. Researchers have discovered that some proteins found in cytoplasm cluster at the cell’s midplane. During cell division these clusters precisely divide into two clusters, relocating from the cell’s midplane to locations ¼ and ¾ the distance from the cell poles. When cell division is completed, these two clusters consequently reside at the midplane of each of the two newly formed daughter cells. The division and relocation of the protein clusters critically depend upon the PpfA (protein-positioning factor) protein. Such internal organization of the simplest life-forms serves as a marker for biochemical design and is expected in a model positing that a Creator is responsible for life.
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Today’s New Reason To Believe-Sunday, July 16, 2006
The Infinite Becomes Respectable in Creation

  • Scientists generally regard infinities that arise in scientific theories as indicators of deficiencies. For example, when classical mechanics predicted boundless intensities from black bodies as the wavelength of the light decreased, scientists eventually restored bounds with the development of quantum mechanics-a more general and thus superior theory to classical mechanics. Similarly today, many scientists consider the infinite densities and temperatures arising in some big bang models to indicate the need for a more complete theory. However, a recent book by a preeminent cosmologist describes how cosmology seems to be moving toward the idea that the cosmos is infinitely old, infinitely large, and will exist for an infinite future. One wonders though, how much of this acceptance of infinities results from the obvious theological implications of a finite universe with a recent beginning and increasingly apparent fine-tuning.
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Today’s New Reason To Believe-Saturday, July 15, 2006
Biochemical Design: Bacterial Flagellum

  • Recent work on the machine-like nature of biochemical structures points to the need for an intelligent Designer. Bacterial flagella are ensembles of proteins that power the movement of swimming bacteria through the environment. These flagella are literal rotary motors, complete with a motor, rotor, stator, drive shaft, bushing, and universal joint. As biomolecular machines, they are powered by the flow of positively charged hydrogen ions (electrical current) through the cell membrane. Bacterial flagella are among dozens of different protein complexes that operate as molecular-sized machines inside the cell. Just as complex machines require designers, the elegant design of biomolecular systems, like the bacterial flagellum, points to the work of a divine "Motor Maker."
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Today’s New Reason To Believe-Friday, July 14, 2006
Magnetic-Field History Supports Old Earth

  • A better understanding of the history of Earth’s magnetic field undermines one major argument young-earth creationists (YECs) use to establish a few-thousand-year-old Earth. Contemporary measurements of Earth’s magnetic-field strength show that it has decreased about 5% per century over the last 150 years. Assuming this decline reflects the field behavior over all time (and a reasonable maximum possible magnetic field), most YECs reason that Earth cannot be older than a few tens of thousands of years. However, a team of geophysicists recently analyzed paleomagnetic data and demonstrated that from 1590 to 1840 the magnetic-field strength was nearly constant. Since the contemporary field decline does not characterize past magnetic-field behavior, arguing for a young Earth based on the magnetic field is no longer valid.
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Today’s New Reason To Believe-Thursday, July 13, 2006
Evidence for Early, Complex Life on Earth Mounts

  • A new study reports evidence for the early appearance of complex metabolic life on Earth. RTB’s creation model predicts life’s sudden appearance early in Earth’s history. Evolutionary models, on the other hand, require a long percolation time before life can emerge via natural processes. Prior to about 3.8 billion years ago, life would have been impossible on Earth, since the planet’s conditions were "hellish" and unsuitable for life. Based on an analysis of stromatolites (fossilized microbial mats) in the Strelley Pool Cherts of Western Australia dated older than 3.4 billion years in age, researchers concluded that a wide range of microbial diversity existed on early Earth. The appearance of complex metabolic forms of life so rapidly after the Earth became suitable for life defies a naturalistic explanation. This fact finds ready explanation if a Creator supernaturally intervened to make the first life-forms on Earth.
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Today’s New Reason To Believe-Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Mars: Drier and Drier

  • Recent data from Mars confirms the planet’s lack of substantial water, further dampening any hopes of finding non-terrestrial life. A European satellite (OMEGA) mapped the mineralogical structure of more than 90% of Mars’ surface. The satellite is particularly suited to detecting minerals containing or significantly altered by water. Analysis of the OMEGA data reveals no substantial water activity on Mars for the last 3.5 billion years. Only in the very oldest terrains are there any signs of mineralogical alteration by liquid water. However, this time period corresponds to the solar system’s most inhospitable era, when frequent sterilizing asteroidal and cometary impacts pummeled the inner rocky planets. From a naturalistic perspective, the prospect of finding an environment conducive to life, let alone life itself, continues to grow more and more bleak.
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Today’s New Reason To Believe-Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Questions Abound for Another Textbook Evolutionary Explanation

  • Recent scientific advances leave the endosymbiont hypothesis-the textbook evolutionary explanation for the origin of complex (eukaryotic) cells-untenable. Evolutionary biologists think that prokaryotic (simple) cells evolved first; when large prokaryotic cells ingested smaller prokaryotes, they eventually generated eukaryotic (complex) cells. The ingested cells later "de-evolved" into specialized organelles. But new work indicates that proteins unique to eukaryotic cells (eukaryotic signature proteins), which are associated with eukaryotic characteristic cell structures, show no evidence of originating via a fusion of prokaryotic cells. In other words, the endosymbiont hypothesis cannot be correct. With this discovery, another textbook evolutionary explanation proves wrong in light of scientific advance.
  • C. G. Kurland, L. J. Collins, and D. Penny, "Genomics and the Irreducible Nature of Eukaryote Cells," Science 312 (2006): 1011-1014.
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  • Creation Update (6-06-06), "Endosymbiont hypothesis as a standard biological evolutionary explanation appears incorrect"
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  • Origins of Life, by Fazale Rana and Hugh Ross

Today’s New Reason To Believe-Monday, July 10, 2006
Galactic Environments Affect Star Formation Rate

  • A team of South American scientists discovered more evidence of fine-tuning in galaxy development and star formation. The star formation history of a galaxy determines how quickly a star capable of forming a solar system like Earth’s can arise. Using two large surveys of galaxies (SDSS and 2dFGRS), the team analyzed over 1000 pairs of galaxies and found a strong dependence of the galaxies’ star formation history on the galaxies’ orbital parameters and global environment. Also, the team observed that galaxy mergers produce effective star formation only in low- to moderate-density galaxies-like the Milky Way Galaxy. Adequate star formation is required to support the stellar low-density regions in spiral galaxies where stable, life-supporting solar systems can avoid gravitational disruptions from passing stars. Such fine-tuning comports well with the notion of a supercaring Designer quickly preparing a suitable life-supporting planet where humans thrive.
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Today’s New Reason To Believe-Sunday, July 9, 2006
Archeological Differences Distinguish ‘Hobbits’ from Humans

  • Recent archeological studies add insight into the behavior of Homo floresiensis and provide new support for RTB’s human origins model. RTB’s creation model regards the extinct hominids found in the fossil record as nonhuman primates that lacked spiritual capacity. On this basis, the RTB model predicts that humans and hominids should be behaviorally distinct from one another. In late 2004, anthropologists announced the discovery of an unusual hominid, Homo floresiensis, on the Flores island of Indonesia. This hominid, nicknamed "the hobbit," was about 3 feet tall and thrived until about 12,000 years ago before it went extinct. New archeological finds indicate that its tool use was similar to Homo erectus and quite unsophisticated compared to modern humans. The scientific evidence continues to distinguish modern humans from hominids like H. floresiensis, in line with RTB’s explanation for the hominid fossil record.
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Today’s New Reason To Believe-Saturday, July 8, 2006
Simulations Affirm Measured Planetary Formation Timescale

  • Early solar system studies affirm RTB’s cosmic creation model by corroborating the timescale of planetary growth. Using cratering records and radiometric dating techniques, planetary scientists dated the formation of rocky planets to around 50 million years after the birth of the solar system. Two US scientists simulated the growth of kilometer-sized planetesimals (early solar system bodies) in the inner region around a sun-type star. For all types of disks investigated, the team found a timescale for planet formation of 10-100 million years-in good agreement with measured dates. Such confirmation of previous results argues for the validity of RTB’s scientifically and biblically derived creation model.
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Today’s New Reason To Believe-Friday, July 7, 2006
Biochemical Design: Molecular Motors

  • A new study provides additional evidence for biochemical intelligent design and helps revitalize one of the most well-known arguments for God’s existence. This work highlights the machine-like character of myosin-V, a protein that plays a key role in transporting cellular cargo within the cell. Not only is myosin-V replete with a lever arm and hinge region, but under high loads myosin-V behaves like a mechanical ratchet, moving in a single direction along protein tracks throughout the cell. Myosin-V is only one of dozens of biomolecules inside the cell that operate as molecular-sized machines. The British natural theologian William Paley argued that just as a watch requires a watchmaker, life logically requires a Creator, since biological systems appear to be machine-like. On this basis, the protein’s elegant design and stark resemblance to man-made motors indicate that biomolecular machines like the myosin-V linear motor must be the work of a divine "Motor Maker."
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Today’s New Reason To Believe-Thursday, July 6, 2006
Ancient Monsoons Affirm Earth’s Antiquity

  • The consistency of monsoon records from China with astronomical events and other dating techniques supports RTB’s cosmic creation model and argues for an ancient cosmos. Using oxygen isotopes in cave formations, an international team of scientists extended the Hulu Asian Monsoon record to more than 135,000 years ago. The glaciations on Earth dated in this record broadly follow periods of decreased solar radiation resulting from variations in Earth’s orbit. The team also dated a number of other large-scale changes on Earth to a period of weak monsoon activity-all of which correspond well with other dating techniques or known variations in Earth’s orbit. These findings strengthen previous measurements and add details to RTB’s creation model. They also highlight the remarkable robustness of Earth’s global environment despite substantial astronomically induced changes.
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Today’s New Reason To Believe-Wednesday, July 5, 2006
Scientists Sequence Nuclear DNA from Neanderthals for the First Time

  • An exciting breakthrough in ancient DNA analysis promises to clarify the identity of Neanderthals and test evolutionary and creation models for humanity’s origin. Scientific teams reported on the first-ever Neanderthal nuclear DNA sequences at the Biology of Genomes meeting held recently at New York’s Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. The researchers sequenced about 1 million base pairs, or genetic letters, of the Neanderthal genome of a 45,000-year-old male specimen recovered from the Vindija Cave near Zagreb, Croatia. Even though these scientists have sequenced only about 0.03% of the Neanderthal genome, they hope to generate the DNA sequence for most of the Neanderthal genome in short order. Preliminary analysis of Neanderthal nuclear DNA sequences suggests that Neanderthals were distinct from modern humans and did not interbreed with them. These results comport not only with previous studies of Neanderthal mitochondrial DNA, but also with RTB’s biblical creation model.
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Today’s New Reason To Believe-Tuesday, July 4, 2006
Giant-Planet Obliquities Explained

  • Solar system simulations resolve an enigma regarding the spin axes of the outer gas giant planets, effectively undermining one argument some young-earth creationists YECs) use to advocate a few-thousand-year-old cosmos. For decades, astronomers assumed that collisions with smaller bodies accounted for the fact that the spin axes of the gas giant planets did not exactly align with the sun’s axis, despite other evidence arguing against any collisions. However, recent simulations show that gravitational interactions between the gas giant planets in the early solar system (as the planets slowly changed orbits) naturally explain the spin axes of all four gas giants. These results not only solve a long-standing problem in RTB’s cosmic creation model (and remove an objection used by YECs), they also highlight the dynamic nature of the early solar system and the fine-tuning necessary to ensure a life-supporting planet like Earth.
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Today’s New Reason To Believe-Monday, July 3, 2006
Evidence that Junk DNA Has Function Mounts

  • Another recent study highlights the functional importance of "junk" (noncoding) DNA sequences in the process of X chromosome inactivation. Inactivation of one of the X chromosomes in females is critical for proper gene expression. New work indicates that the inactivation process critically relies on noncoding DNA sequences found within an internal core region of this chromosome. Scientists increasingly recognize the functional utility of so-called junk DNA. This recognition undermines one of evolution’s best arguments and suggests that an intelligent Designer shaped the genomes of organisms.
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Today’s New Reason To Believe-Sunday, July 2, 2006
Simulations Confirm Fine-Tuning of Earth Impactor Event

  • High-resolution simulations of the moon-forming impact event (wherein, scientists believe, a Mars-sized body struck the earth about 4 billion years ago) affirm the fine-tuning required to produce a large moon without destroying Earth. Until now, the coarse spatial resolution of most Earth impactor simulations limited understanding of the coalescence of the Moon after impact. Recently, however, a team of Japanese astronomers used a different technique permitting much larger spatial resolution. Consequently, they could study the condensation of the debris disk (which resulted from the collision) that formed the Moon. Interestingly, if gaseous material composed a significant fraction of the simulated disk, the debris disk dissipated too quickly for the Moon to form. This result places an upper limit on the energy of the impact to go with the lower limit needed to generate enough debris to form a large moon. This just-right impact event marks one characteristic of RTB’s cosmic creation model, namely the design of this planet by a supernatural Creator who works to provide a fit habitat for humans.
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Today’s New Reason To Believe-Saturday, July 1, 2006
Chimp-Human Genetic Comparisons Render Evolutionary Model Confused

  • A recent study comparing human and chimpanzee genomes gives reason to be skeptical about human evolutionary scenarios. Scientists at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard determined that humans and chimps underwent an evolutionary split less than 5.4 million years ago, much more recently than previously thought. This study also suggests that the split was complicated. It appears that the human and chimp lineages came back together and hybridized before they separated for a final time. These results contradict the fossil record which reveals the existence of hominids at least 2 million years before the evolutionary split occurred, according to the genetic data. They also contradict field studies demonstrating that hybrid populations are fragile and disappear readily. Thus, instead of adding clarity, the most recent human-chimp genetic comparisons render human evolutionary models confused and contradictory.
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