Front cover image for The truth about human origins

The truth about human origins

Ever since Charles Darwin first published The Origin of Species on November 24, 1859, the subject of origins has been one of the most controversial topics around. Sadly, it also is a subject that is fraught with erroneous theories and concepts. Most students today are taught that organic evolution is not a theory, but a "fact" that all "reputable scientists" accept. Disclaimers from the evolutionary community notwithstanding, such a claim is, quite simply, wrong. We believe it is time for someone to offer what renowned news commentator Paul Harvey would call "the rest of the story." That is what The Truth About Human Origins does. It tells the rest of the story as it discusses the scientific facts about mankind's beginning. For example, it investigates the "record of the rocks" as that record relates to human evolution. It demonstrates how evolutionary theory is unable to explain things like the origin of gender and sexual reproduction, the origin of language and communication, the origin of the brain, the mind, and human consciousness, and the origin of skin colors and blood types. It also examines in an in-depth fashion the so-called "molecular evidence" of human evolution
Print Book, English, ©2003
Apologetics Press, Montgomery, Ala., ©2003
ix, 517 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm
9780932859587, 0932859585
57405315
The "record of the rocks" [part I] : Biological taxonomy and human evolution ; Did man evolve from the apes? ; An examination of the "record of the rocks" : Aegyptopithecus zeuxis ; Dryopithecus africanus ; ramapithecus brevirostris ; Orrorin tugenensis ; Australopithecus (ardipithecus) ramidus ; Australopithecus anamensis ; Ardipithecus ramidus kadabba ; Kenyanthropus platyops
The "record of the rocks" [part II] : Australopithecus afarensis : Lucy's rib cage ; Lucy's pelvis and gender ; Lucy's appendages-made for bipedalism, or swinging from trees? ; Australopithecine teeth: more evidence that Lucy was arboreal ; Australopithecine ears: human-like or ape-like? ; Lucy: hominid or chimp?. Australopithecus africanus/Australopithecus boisei ; The laetoli footprints ; Homo habilis/Homo rudolfensis ; Homo erectus/Homo ergaster ; Homo sapiens idaltu ; What does the "record of the rocks" really show? ; The parade of fossil errors ; Neanderthal man ; Nebraska man ; Piltdown man ; Java man ; Rhodesian man ; Conclusion
Molecular evidence of human origins : Chromosomal counts ; Real genomic differences ; "Mitochondrial Eve" ; The demise of mitochondrial Eve ; The molecular clock-dating mitochondrial ancestors ; Serious errors in mitochondrial DNA data in the scientific literature ; Neanderthal vs. human DNA-is it a match?
The problem of gender and sexual reproduction : "Intellectual mischief and confusion"-or intelligent design? ; From asexual to sexual reproduction-the origin of sex : The lottery principle ; The tangled bank hypothesis ; The red queen hypothesis ; The DNA repair hypothesis. Why sex? ; The 50% disadvantage ; Mars and Venus, or X and Y? ; Differences among various species ; Differences in animal and human sexuality ; The complexity of the human reproductive system ; Anatomical differences between human males and females ; Cellular differences between human males and females ; The future of human reproduction
The problem of language : Evolutionary theories on the origin of speech ; Adam-the first human to talk and communicate ; Tower of Babel-and the universal language ; The brain's language centers-created by God ; Anatomy of speech ; Birds of a feather-or naked ape? ; Complexity of language-uniquely human ; Conclusion
The problem of the brain : History of the brain ; The evolution of the brain ; Growing neurons ; The brain versus a computer ; Twelve cranial nerves ; Conclusion
The evolution of consciousness [part I] : The origin of life ; The origin of the genetic code ; The origin of sex ; The origin of language and speech ; The origin of consciousness-"the greatest of miracles" : Importance of human consciousness ; "Mystery" of human consciousness : Consciousness in general ; Consciousness and the brain ; Consciousness and the mind. Consciousness defined ; Why-and how-did consciousness arise? : Why did consciousness arise? ; Why do we need consciousness? ; How did consciousness arise?. Evolutionary bias and the origin of human consciousness ; What does all of this have to do with the origin of human consciousness? ; Radical materialism-a "fishy" theory ; Do animals possess consciousness? ; The brain, the mind, and human consciousness ; Materialism, supernaturalism, and the brain/mind connection ; The concept of mind
The evolution of consciousness [part II] : Theories of the origin of human consciousness ; The "hard problem" of human consciousness : "Failure is not an option". Theories of human consciousness : Dualism ; Monism ; Psychical monism ; Radical materialism (functionalism) ; Panpsychism ; Epiphenomenalism ; Identity theory ; Nonreductive materialism/emergent materialism ; Dualist-interactionism. Conclusion
The problem of skin color and blood types : What is a "race"? ; Why so many racial characteristics? ; The origin of man's "colors" ; Other factors ; Differences between human and animal blood types ; Components of human blood ; Different blood types ; The Adam and Eve issue ; Humans, animals, and blood ; What about blood types of other animals? ; What about hibernation? ; What about birds? ; What about fish? ; Conclusion
Conclusion