The validity of the theory of special relativity and E=mc2 holds the key to evolution's being false

Pro never states why he believes that the theory of evolution would be invalidated if the speed of light is proved not constant. The implication he makes is that the only way the age of the universe is known is by assuming the speed of light to be constant, so if the speed of light were not constant then the earth might be too young for evolution to have taken place. There are several errors in Pro's argument: The age of the universe is determined independently of the speed of light The speed of light is in fact constant Large uncertainties in the speed of light still would make the universe old enough Evolution is verified to have occurred using the fossil record and DNA 1. The Age of the Universe is Determined Independently A Wikipedia article describes how estimates of the age of the universe are cross-checked. "The estimated age of the universe is 13.75 ± 0.17 billion years,[1] the time since the Big Bang. The uncertainty range has been obtained by the agreement of a number of scientific research projects. These projects included microwave background radiation measurements by Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe and other probes, and more ways to measure the expansion of the universe. Background radiation measurements give the cooling time of the universe since the Big Bang. Expansion of the universe measurements give accurate data to calculate the age of the universe. " . http://en.wikipedia.org... Another check is to date objects in the universe: "Since the universe must be at least as old as the oldest thing in it, there are a number of observations which put a lower limit on the age of the universe; these include the temperature of the coolest white dwarfs, which gradually cool as they age, and the dimmest turnoff point of main sequence stars in clusters (lower-mass stars spend a greater amount of time on the main sequence, so the lowest-mass stars that have evolved off of the main sequence set a minimum age). On 23 April 2009 a gamma-ray burst was detected which was later confirmed at being over 13 billion years old. " Still another independent check is with the decay of uranium 238, totally independent of the speed of light The uranium dating is 12.5 billion plus or minus three billion. . http://physicsworld.com... 2. The speed of light is in fact constant Newtonian mechanics determined that force equals mass times acceleration, and so forth. So when Special Relativity overthrew Newtonian mechanics, was it no longer useful to say that force equals mass times acceleration? No, Newtonian mechanics were as useful as ever. The reason Newton was preserved is than relativistic effects are only observed a speeds approaching the speed of light, which is to say under circumstance where Newton's laws had never been applied. Newton's laws failed where the failure could not have been observed, and for that reason the law had endured up to that point. The new claim about the speed of light is that it may be exceeded under very peculiar circumstances. The new theory does affect the speed of light being a known constant under circumstances such as traveling from the stars. A wikipedia article . http://en.wikipedia.org... explains apparent faster-than-light phenomena. The experiment Pro cites is one of these. . http://arstechnica.com... One example is to imagine a galaxy size pair of scissors. As the blades close, a point is defined by where they cross. That point can move faster than the speed of light, because it is a coordinate system, not an object. It cannot transmit any information, such as the distance to an object. Light slows down in media because the photons are absorbed and re-emitted by the atoms of the media. The claim of constant maximum velocity is only for a vacuum. The speed of light was first measured in 1676 using eclipses of the moons of Jupiter as a distant clock. . http://galileoandeinstein.physics.virginia.edu... Since then there have been many verifications of the constant speed of light in a vacuum. The distance to stars can also be measured by triangulation, with the angle to the star measured in different places on the earth's orbit. there is also very good evidence that the fundamental constants of the universe have not changed over time. . http://www.weburbia.com... 3. Large uncertainties in the speed of light still would make the universe old enough If the speed of light varied due to completely unexpected media with a high refractive index, the error would not upset evolution. What matters for evolution is the age of the earth, not the age of the universe. The earth is dated at 4.54 billion years old using multiple radiometric methods. It is confirmed by cosmic ray track methods. . http://en.wikipedia.org... Interestingly, the rate of evolution is used to estimate the age of the earth as over three billion years. 4. Evolution is verified to have occurred using the fossil record and DNA Suppose for the sake of argument that there were no estimates of the age of the earth or the universe. The theory of evolution is nonetheless verified by evidence of fossils and the mis-named "junk DNA. " DNA analysis shows, for example, that whales are most closely to hippos and most distantly related to camels. . http://www.world-science.net... Junk DNA provides valuable information on evolutionary pathways. . http://www.world-science.net... In other words, if some problem were discovered with the accuracy of dating the age of the earth or the age of the universe, the validity of evolution is not likely to be overthrown as a consequence. Scientists would attempt to figure out how conflicting data could fit within laws of nature. ----------------------- It is logically possible that the earth with all it's creatures was created miraculously 5000 years ago. For that matter, it might have been created last week, with all the memories and artefact's of history. I cannot disprove such conjectures. However, scientific explanations, those excluding miracles, have multiple cross-checks by different methods. The age of the universe, the age of the universe, that the speed of light in vacuum is constant are well-established. The resolution is negated.