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Explore anomalies challenging accepted theories through artifacts from ancient times; apply scientific methods to unravel enigmas of human history.
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Research Methods Question everything
Research Methods • Observation • Participatory Observation • Personal Interview • Survey • Historical Research • Literature Review • Controlled Experiment • Case Study
The Scientific Method • A problem, question, or issue needs solving • Form a hypothesis • Collect data • Assemble and analyze the data • Draw a conclusion either proving or disproving your hypothesis
Darwin Under Fire • Animals around the world are expertly adapted to their environments • Changing species in modern times– Snakes and clams with resistance to chemicals and toxins • This alone does not prove Darwin’s theory in relation to human development
Holes • Darwin’s own admission of holes in his theory: “Extreme imperfection” • Missing links in the fossil record “the gravest objection which can be urged against my theory.” • Second there is the inescapable problem of flowering plants • The problem of human consciousness • Finally there is the complete absence of evidence of transitional species in the fossil record
Support • Fossilization is an extremely complex process • Misclassification • More beneficial to look at one trait rather than organism as a whole • Changes do not all occur at once • Many modern examples of adaptations within species
Anomalies • Call into question the orthodox dating of human’s existence on Earth • Call into question levels of human ability and technology in our dark and ancient past • Thousands of examples
2, 000, 000 Years Ago… • Homo Habilis to Homo Erectus • 2.33 million-300,000 years ago • Simple stone tools for cutting and chopping 2.75 1.75
How do you explain this? Very refined mortar and pestle Dates to 35-50 MILLION YEARS ago
But wait, there’s more… Metallic tubing dug out of France Dates to 65 MILLION YEARS old Did the dinosaurs build these for their plumbing?
And what about this crazy thing? Highly refined hammer and chisel Made of 96% pure iron– Does not exist in nature Dated to 500 MILLION YEARS old
Last, but certainly not least… Metallic spheres with carved parallel lines More than 200 found Dated to 3 BILLION YEARS old The Earth itself is only dated to roughly 4.7 billion years old
However… • Artifacts are dated according to the strata in which they are found, but the strata are often dated according to the artifacts that are found there. • Non-organic matter cannot be dated by chemical means • There could be any number of reasons to explain how artifacts end up deeper in the earth than should be expected • They by no means discount Darwin’s theories; they simply point to the fact that there will always be mysteries of the past to which we may never find answers.
Your Task • Choose one of the anomalous artifacts, and use the scientific method to write a one-page journal entry in the voice of an archaeologist to explain the existence of the artifact