Time and Evolution

Time, Extraterrestrials, and Evolutionary Change:

Time period does not equal genetic change

(the pearl of great price)

In response to Steven M. Greer and others who have stated that any extraterrestrials visiting Earth are probably millions of years "more advanced" than us ordinary humans, is not a scientifically sound theory, because… time alone is not the cause of significant evolutionary genetic changes.

We are aware of several species of animals that have survived with little or no genetic change over a time period of about 500 million years (sharks, turtles, horseshoe crabs). We are aware of cyano-bacteria, a small organism that has not changed genetically over a period of 2 billion to 3.5 billion years. Many species have survived unchanged for a million years or more. Therefore, it is scientific to conclude that there is an operating principle in the living universe that long time periods of existence/survival do not necessarily produce or require meaningful genetic changes, certainly not gross changes in size, morphology or intellect. Organisms do not evolve as individuals, but as members in a biological group that includes a physical environment and multiple species that evolve together over time, each member with no change, some change, or great change.

Further, our accepted science does not suggest to us that if a person who had the genetic content of a human being of 10,000 years ago would not be able to join a current human family, go to our current educational institutions (elementary, high school, college) and learn advanced mathematics, physics and electronic computing technology.

Therefore, the answer to the question: "Why do we not have the same level of knowledge as an extraterrestrial that is accompanied by superior technology?" should not be, scientifically speaking, due to the other (extraterrestrial) species having a longer period of evolutionary development. The fact of superior knowledge or superior technology, or ESPECIALLY superior intellectual powers, can be due primarily to the detailed facts of genetic content rather than to the expression of genetic changes over long periods of time. Evidence: many animals, including closely related mammals such as dolphins, gorillas, lemurs, and horses, have been evolving on Earth along with the same creatures who call themselves "wise apes," and these other mammals possess nowhere near the intellectual capacity to comprehend, name, and discuss how the universe works. Therefore, it is THE GENETICS OF INTELLECT that is the mystery that would explain any superior species, and not the duration of their genetic evolution at some other place over an extended period of time. It is like a game of rummy: one can have a set of four numbers of different colors, and in our fantastic universe we can have four species, all of which evolved over the same period of time, where one of the four species writes poetry, symphonies, and computer code, and the other three hunt bananas. Time does not equal genetic change. Certain genetic changes produce the development of greater intellect. Precisely which genetic changes is the pearl of great price!

Why do I not understand what extraterrestrial visitors understand? The answer is that I do not have the same genetic combinations, not that they have been around longer. With the right genes, we can be as smart as other species that have been around for millions of years, or more. I believe this view is consistent with our current accepted science. The characterization of the ancient Greeks is a permanent philosophical condition. If they possessed the same genetic science, the Athenians would have sought the genetic codes for wisdom, and the Spartans would have sought the genetic codes for military power. Somehow, whatever we learn about ourselves and the cosmos, we can still fail to choose the best course of action, which is … .

Further evidence: A study led by researchers at Lund University in Sweden suggests that ravens can be as clever as chimpanzees, despite having much smaller brains, indicating that rather than the size of the brain, the neuronal density and the structure of the birds' brains play an important role in terms of their intelligence. --- I added the emphasis on "structure of the [bird's] brains" because that is determined by the chemical details of genetic development, not the time period of genetic development.