Young Earth Creationism Is Improbable

C1) The universe is older than 10,000 years The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological model for the ongoing large-scale evolution of the universe [1]. It states that the universe was in a high-density state as a gravitational singularity [2], and then expanded. According to research by the 2014 ‘Planck collaboration’, the moment of the universe being in a state of singularity was 13.798 ± 0.037 billion years ago, which is, thus, considered the age of the universe due to its beginning of expansion then [3][4]. Thus, if the Big Bang cosmological model is true, the age of the universe is approximately 13.8 billion years, much older than the creationist prediction of 5,700-10,000 years. The Big Bang theory rests on two assumptions -- that physical laws are the same throughout the universe, and that the universe is homogeneous. That physical laws are the same throughout the universe is a basic prediction of special relativity [5]. I shall now make a case for the homogeneity of the universe. The Las Campanas Redshift Survey was an attempt to map a large area of the universe out to a redshift of z = 0.2 [6]. What is ‘redshift’? “In physics, redshift happens when light or other electromagnetic radiation from an object is increased in wavelength, or shifted to the red end of the spectrum.” [7] According to observations from the Las Campanas Redshift Survey, galactic distribution seems to suggest that the universe is homogeneous [8]. In the image from the survey below, “[e]ach dot represents a galaxy (about 20,000 in the total survey) where they have measured both the position on the sky and the redshift and translated that into a location in the universe. Imagine putting down many circles of a fixed size on that plot and counting how many galaxies are inside each circle. If you used a small aperture, then the number of galaxies in any given circle is going to fluctuate a lot relative to the mean number of galaxies in all the circles: some circles will be completely empty, while others could have more than a dozen. On the other hand, if you use large circles, the variation from circle to circle ends up being quite small compared to the average number of galaxies in each circle. This is what cosmologists mean when they say that the universe is homogeneous.” [9] A stronger case for the homogeneity of the universe is made by the cosmic microwave background (CMB), thermal radiation left over from the initial singularity [10]. The radiation of the CMB is virtually homogeneous and isotropic to roughly 1 part in 10o,000. This spectrum has been redshifted by the expansion of the universe, and today corresponds to approximately 2.725 K [11]. There is abundance of light elements such as helium in the universe. There is a variation in different light element ratios, e.g. the ratio of helium to deuterium (an atom of hydrogen with both a proton and a neutron in its nucleus, as opposed to normal hydrogen isotopes that have only a proton). This is explained only by the BBT. “[T]here is no obvious reason outside of the Big Bang that, for example, the young universe should have more helium than deuterium or more deuterium than 3He, and in constant ratios, too.” [12] Thus, the Big Bang model is probably true, confirming an age of the universe much greater than 10,000 years. C2) Evolutionary history of life This contention shall follow the following structure. P1: Evolution predicts that new species arose via. natural selection over a period of 3 billion years. P2: Evolution is likely true. C: New species arose via. natural selection over a period of 3 billion years, thus contradicting YEC. P1 is true by evolution’s definition, thus I need only affirm P2 to affirm this contention. a) Universal genetic code The genetic code is the set of rules by which information encoded within genetic material (DNA or mRNA sequences) is translated into proteins by living cells [13]. The genetic code used by all known forms of life is nearly universal with few minor variations [14]. Evolution is the sole biological theory that explains the universality of the genetic code [15], thus is likely true. b) Genetic commonalities There are various genetic commonalities between species that is only explained by evolution, e.g. the genetic commonalities between chimpanzees and humans. “The DNA sequence differences between humans and chimpanzees is about thirty-five million single-nucleotide changes, five million insertion/deletion events, and various chromosomal rearrangements. Typical human and chimp protein homologs differ in only an average of two amino acids.” [16] This means that human and chimp DNA are around 96% alike [17]. “Sequence differences from the human genome were confirmed to be ∼1% in areas that can be precisely aligned, representing ∼35 million single base-pair differences. Some 45 million nucleotides of insertions and deletions unique to each lineage were also discovered, making the actual difference between the two genomes ∼4%.” [18] This is only explained by evolution. Thus, evolution is likely true. The premises entail the conclusion. C3) The Earth is older than YEC predicts Uranium-lead zircon dating via. radiometric methods has affirmed a date of the origin of the Earth’s crust to be much greater than 10,000 years, as some papers show land masses existing far greater than 10,000 years ago (the example I shall show is Gondwanaland) [19]. Thus, all I need to demonstrate is that U-Pb zircon dating has sound assumptions to show that the Earth is > 10,000 years old. Zircon (ZrSiO4), i.e. zirconium silicate, is a nesosilicate mineral that naturally excludes trace lead during crystallization [20]. Using zircon U-Pb dating, one can date a sample via. equations for exponential decay [21], e.g. Fig. 6. In the above equation: Nnow = no. of U atoms measured now Norig = no. of Pb atoms measured now + no. of U atoms measured now λ = decay rate of U t = age of ZrSiO4 rock (which one wants to determine) These are said to yield high-precision ages for ZrSiO4 rock [22]. Thus, ZrSiO4 Pb-U radiometric dating has sound assumptions, and has yielded dates for land masses much older than 10,000 years, indicating the Earth is older than YEC predicts. The resolution is resoundingly negated. 1. Joseph Silk (2008). Horizons of Cosmology. p. 208. 2. http://fqxi.org... 3. Ibid. 4. http://www.aanda.org... 5. Paul Davies (1992). The Mind of God. p. 82. 6. http://en.wikipedia.org... 7. http://en.wikipedia.org... 8. http://www.talkorigins.org... 9. Ibid. 10. http://aether.lbl.gov... 11. http://adsabs.harvard.edu... 12. http://csep10.phys.utk.edu... 13. http://en.wikipedia.org... 14. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov... 15. http://www.mun.ca... 16. http://en.wikipedia.org... 17. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov... 18. Ajit Varki and David L. Nelson (2007). “Genomic Comparisons of Humans and Chimpanzees.” Annual Review of Anthropology. 36:191-209. 19. http://www.sciencedirect.com... 20. http://www.jstor.org... 21. http://en.wikipedia.org... 22. http://en.wikipedia.org...