By the time the last ice age arrived, evolution had already “invented” mammals. The animals that decided to breed and reproduce during the Ice Age were quite large and covered in fur. Scientists have given they are collectively called "megafauna" because they managed to survive the Ice Age. However, since other, less cold-resistant species could not survive it, the megafauna felt quite good.

Megafaunal herbivores are accustomed to foraging in icy environments, adapting to their surroundings in a variety of ways. For example, Ice Age rhinoceroses may have had a shovel-shaped horn for removing snow. Predators like saber-toothed tigers, short-faced bears and direwolves (yes, the wolves from Game of Thrones actually once existed) also adapted to their environment. Although times were cruel, and the prey could very well turn predator into prey, there was plenty of meat in it.

Ice Age people

Despite their relatively small size and little hair, Homo sapiens survived in the cold tundra of ice ages for thousands of years. Life was cold and difficult, but people were resourceful. For example, 15,000 years ago, Ice Age people lived in hunter-gatherer tribes, building comfortable homes from mammoth bones and making warm clothing from animal fur. When there was plenty of food, they stored it in the natural refrigerators of permafrost.

Since hunting tools at that time consisted mainly of stone knives and arrowheads, sophisticated weapons were rare. People used traps to capture and kill the huge Ice Age animals. When an animal fell into a trap, people attacked it in a group and beat it to death.

Little Ice Ages

Sometimes small ice ages occurred between large and long ones. They were not as destructive, but could still cause famine and disease due to failed harvests and other side effects.

The most recent of these small ice ages began sometime between the 12th and 14th centuries and peaked between 1500 and 1850. For hundreds of years, the northern hemisphere has had damn cold weather. In Europe, the seas regularly froze, and mountainous countries (for example, Switzerland) could only watch as glaciers moved, destroying villages. There were years without summer, but nasty ones weather influenced every aspect of life and culture (perhaps this is why the Middle Ages seem dark to us).

Science is still trying to figure out what caused this minor ice age. Among possible reasons- a combination of severe volcanic activity and a temporary decrease in solar energy from the Sun.

Warm Ice Age

Some ice ages may have been quite warm. The ground was covered with a huge amount of ice, but in fact the weather was quite pleasant.

Sometimes the events that lead to an ice age are so severe that even if the atmosphere is full of greenhouse gases (which trap heat from the sun in the atmosphere, warming the planet), ice still continues to form because if there is a thick enough layer of pollution it will reflect the sun's rays back into the atmosphere. space. Experts say this would turn the Earth into a giant Baked Alaska dessert - cold on the inside (ice on the surface) and warm on the outside (warm atmosphere).

The man whose name recalls the famous tennis player was in fact a respected scientist, one of the geniuses who defined the scientific milieu of the 19th century. He is considered one of the founding fathers of American science, although he was French.

Among many other achievements, it is thanks to Agassiz that we know at least something about the ice ages. Although this idea had been touched upon by many before, in 1837 the scientist became the first person to seriously introduce ice ages into science. His theories and publications on the ice fields that covered most lands, were foolishly rejected when the author first introduced them. Nevertheless, he did not renounce his words, and further research ultimately led to the recognition of his “crazy theories.”

It is noteworthy that his pioneering work on ice ages and glacial activity was a simple hobby. By occupation he was an ichthyologist (studying fish).

Man-made pollution prevented the next ice age

Theories that ice ages recur on a semi-regular basis, no matter what we do, often conflict with theories about global warming. While the latter are certainly authoritative, some believe that it is global warming that may be useful in the future fight against glaciers.

Carbon dioxide emissions caused by human activities are considered a significant part of the global warming problem. However they have one strange one by-effect. According to researchers from the University of Cambridge, CO2 emissions may be able to stop the next ice age. How? Although the planetary cycle of the Earth is constantly trying to start an ice age, it will only begin if the level carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will be extremely low. By pumping CO2 into the atmosphere, humans may have inadvertently made ice ages temporarily unavailable.

And even if concerns about global warming (which is also very bad) force people to reduce their CO2 emissions, there is still time. We've currently sent so much carbon dioxide into the sky that an ice age won't start for at least 1,000 years.

Ice Age Plants

Predators had it relatively easy during the Ice Ages. After all, they could always eat someone else. But what did the herbivores eat?

It turns out that everything they wanted. In those days there were many plants that could survive the Ice Age. Even in the coldest times, steppe-meadow and tree-shrub areas remained, which allowed mammoths and other herbivores not to die of hunger. These pastures were full of plant species that thrive in cold, dry weather - such as spruce and pine. In warmer areas, birch and willow trees were abundant. In general, the climate at that time was very similar to Siberian. Although the plants were most likely seriously different from their modern counterparts.

All of the above does not mean that the ice ages did not destroy some of the vegetation. If a plant could not adapt to the climate, it could only migrate through seeds or disappear. Australia once had the longest lists of diverse plants, until glaciers destroyed a good portion of them.

The Himalayas may have caused an ice age

Mountains, as a rule, are not famous for actively causing anything other than occasional collapses - they just stand there and stand there. The Himalayas may disprove this belief. They may be directly responsible for causing the Ice Age.

When the landmasses of India and Asia collided 40-50 million years ago, the collision grew massive rock ridges into the Himalaya mountain range. This brought out great amount"fresh" stone. Then the process of chemical erosion began, which removes significant amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere over time. And this, in turn, could affect the planet's climate. The atmosphere "cooled" and caused an ice age.

Snowball Earth

During most ice ages, ice sheets cover only part of the world. Even a particularly severe ice age is believed to have covered only about one-third of the globe.

What is “Snowball Earth”? The so-called Snowball Earth.

Snowball Earth is the chilling granddaddy of ice ages. It's a complete freezer that literally froze every bit of the planet's surface until the Earth froze into a huge snowball floating through space. What little was able to survive the complete freeze either clung to rare places with relatively little ice or, in the case of plants, clung to places where there was enough sunlight for photosynthesis.

According to some sources, this event occurred at least once, 716 million years ago. But there could have been more than one such period.

Garden of Eden

Some scientists seriously believe that that same Garden of Eden was real. They say it was in Africa and was the only reason our ancestors survived the Ice Age.

Just under 200,000 years ago, a particularly hostile Ice Age was killing off species left and right. Fortunately, a small group early people were able to survive the terrible cold. They came across the coast, which is now represented South Africa. Even though ice was taking its toll all over the world, this zone remained ice-free and completely habitable. Its soil was rich in nutrients and provided plenty of food. There were many natural caves that could be used for shelter. For a young species struggling to survive, it was nothing short of paradise.

The human population of the "Garden of Eden" numbered only a few hundred individuals. This theory is supported by many experts, but it still lacks conclusive evidence, including studies that show that humans have much less genetic diversity than most other species.

Edition: GEOS, Moscow, 2018, 320 pp., UDC: 551.4+551.1.4+551.32:551.2+551.24

Language(s) Russian

The monograph analyzes the main problems of the geology of the so-called ice age, taking into account the results of geological and geophysical studies of the Barents-Kara shelf, its continental and oceanic framing. It is shown that ideas about glacial morpholithogenesis largely do not correspond to the theoretical principles of glaciology and mechanics, as a result of which a consistent interpretation of new data for the region as a whole within the framework of the dominant paradigm is impossible. Using the example of the Timan-Pechora plate, the cyclical nature of recent sedimentogenesis and its connection with the tiering of the relief of low-lying accumulative plains is illustrated. The question of the physical nature of seismoacoustic images of geological sections is considered. It has been established that the cover of weakly consolidated sediments of the Barents shelf is separated from the underlying diamicton by the diachronic boundary of a long hiatus, and its composition includes diamicton silts identical in granulometric composition and sorting to the consolidated diamicton, tidal rhythmites and seismogenic gravitites. Based on the results of radiocarbon dating of sediments from 28 complete sections of this cover, an empirical equation was obtained that proves the geocratic nature of the marine transgression that formed it. The universality of the identified pattern is substantiated, which is incompatible with the prevailing opinion about the connection between the last planetary transgression of the sea and the last deglaciation. The facts are presented in favor of increased neotectonic, including late Pleistocene-Holocene, activity of the earth's crust in the region, which makes it possible to explain the origin of fiords without the participation of the glacial factor. Discussed theoretical aspects glacioisostasy, which determines the impossibility of its manifestations within the Baltic and Canadian shields during the time periods postulated by the glacial theory. Using the example of the Kola Peninsula and the North-Eastern Upland of the Barents Shelf, the incorrectness of substantiating the hypothesis of glacioisostatic “floating” with factual material is illustrated.

For specialists in Quaternary and marine geology, glaciology, tectonics and paleogeography of the late Cenozoic

Edition: Nedra, Moscow, 1967, 440 pp., UDC: 551.79

Language(s) Russian

The proposed book is the final link of the monograph, the first two volumes of which were published under the same title by the Moscow State University Publishing House in 1965. The book reflects the current level of knowledge of the history of nature in the Pleistocene (Quaternary period) all over the world. It examines the evolution of nature the entire surface of the Earth over large areas (within the main geographical zones of the past, superimposed on the modern zonal structure of the globe).

Editor(s): Singh P., Singh V.P., Haritashya U.K.

Published: Springer, 2011, 1253 pp.

Language(s) English

The earth's cryosphere, which includes snow, glaciers, ice caps, ice sheets, ice shelves, sea ice, river and lake ice, and permafrost, contains about 75% of the earth's fresh water. It exists at almost all latitudes, from the tropics to the poles, and plays a vital role in controlling the global climate system. It also provides direct visible evidence of the effect of climate change, and, therefore, requires proper understanding of its complex dynamics. This encyclopedia mainly focuses on the various aspects of snow, ice and glaciers, but also covers other cryospheric branches, and provides up-to-date information and basic concepts on topics relevant. It includes alphabetically arranged and professionally written, comprehensive and authoritative academic articles by well-known international experts in individual fields. The encyclopedia contains a broad spectrum of topics, ranging from the atmospheric processes responsible for snow formation; transformation of snow to ice and changes in their properties; classification of ice and glaciers and their worldwide distribution; glaciation and ice ages; glacier dynamics; glacier surface and subsurface characteristics; geomorphic processes and landscape formation; hydrology and sedimentary systems; permafrost degradation; hazards caused by cryospheric changes; and trends of glacier retreat on the global scale along with the impact of climate change. This book can serve as a source of reference at the undergraduate and graduate level and help to better understand snow, ice and glaciers. It will also be an indispensable tool containing specialized literature for geologists, geographers, climatologists, hydrologists, and water resources engineers; as well as for those who are engaged in the practice of agricultural and civil engineering, earth sciences, environmental sciences and engineering, ecosystem management, and other relevant subjects.

Editor(s): Avsyukov G.A.

Edition: Progress, Moscow, 1988, 264 pp.

Language(s) Russian (translation from English)

The book by the famous American geologist J. Imbrie and his daughter, writer Katherine Imbrie, is devoted in many respects to the still mysterious periods of the Earth's evolution - the Ice Ages

A popular and fascinating style of presentation is harmoniously combined with scientific depth and accuracy of presentation of problems. The book will be of interest to both a wide range of readers and specialists in the field of geosciences

Editor(s): Pidoplichko I.G.

Edition: Publishing house "Naukova Dumka", Kyiv, 1970, 176 pp.

Language(s) Russian

The collection presents the results of studying the hipparion fauna from the construction area of ​​the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, provides new data on the absence of glaciation in the past on the Kola Peninsula, on some features of anthropogene deposits in the North of the Russian Plain and on radiocarbon dating of anthropogene paleontological remains from Fennoscandia and North America.

Designed for paleontologists, zoologists, geologists, botanists, archaeologists.

Editor(s): Pidoplichko I.G.

Edition: Naukova Dumka Publishing House, Kyiv, 1965, 166 pp.

Language(s) Russian

The book discusses methodological issues in studying the history of faunas and floras, paleogeography and geochronology. The results of studying individual localities of fossil faunas, zoogeographical and phytogeographical materials are presented.

Designed for paleontologists, zoologists, botanists, geologists, archaeologists, and paleoanthropologists.

WORLDVIEW FOUNDATIONS OF THE HYPOTHESIS ABOUT PERIODIC GLACATIONS OF THE GLOBE

Modern advances scientific research in the field of natural sciences mark a turning point in their development and open up prospects for broad generalizations concerning the history of the earth’s crust, the development of the organic world, the origin and development of man and more specific problems of geology, physical geography, soil science, zoology, botany, climatology, as well as paleoanthropology and archaeology. At the same time, a number of concepts and theories, outdated in their essence, continue to exist in scientific use, often coming into sharp conflict with modern data, and still have a noticeable negative impact on the development of certain branches of knowledge. And although the bearers of outdated concepts and their apologists try to show that there is nothing wrong with the fact that in the second half of the 20th century. sometimes level XVIII and misconceptions surface early XIX Art., it would be deeply mistaken to simply take note of this and not reveal and criticize any concepts and theories that have not justified themselves and have not been confirmed by many facts and experiments. One of these incorrect concepts in the history of the Earth that has long deserved widespread refutation is the concept of periodic “great” glaciations of vast areas on the surface of the globe, not only in the polar, but even in temperate and subtropical zones. IN scientific literature This concept is called the glacial hypothesis, the glaciation hypothesis, the glacial hypothesis, and its adherents are called glacialists (from the Latin word glades - ice). The authors of this article wrote in detail about this in a number of works (Pidoplichko, 1946, 1951, 1954, 1956, 1963; Pidoplichko and Makeev, 1952, 1955, 1959; Makeev, 1963), but one more side of the issue remained insufficiently covered - the methodological , and more broadly speaking, ideological.

Editor(s): Makarevich A.P.

Edition: Publishing House of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, Kyiv, 1954, 221 pp.

Language(s) Russian

The work highlights the history of the fauna of the European part of the USSR in individual landscape-geographical zones: mountain ranges (Caucasus, Crimea, Carpathians, Ural), steppe, forest-steppe, forest and tundra zones; criticism of a number of foreign theories concerning the history of fauna is presented.

The book is intended for paleontologists, zoologists, botanists, geologists, geographers and archaeologists, as well as university teachers of the relevant profile.

This paper examines the origin of the fauna of the mountain ranges of the European part of the USSR, the steppe, forest-steppe, taiga forests and tundra.

Research into the history of fauna must first of all be based on paleontological data, but we do not always have it. Due to this great importance acquire biogeographical data, which in some cases is no less important for understanding the history of modern fauna than paleontological data.

The origin of the modern terrestrial fauna of the European part of the USSR is not always possible to trace back centuries, even using paleontological data. Only for mountainous regions, for steppe and forest-steppe zones, in some cases the origin of individual elements of the fauna can be traced back to the Oligocene. In this regard, when reviewing the history of the fauna of individual zones, we will hardly touch upon issues relating to eras older than the Oligocene. Anticipated “fc

Preventing further conclusions, we can say that the basis of our modern fauna is ultimately the Miocene fauna, greatly updated and in places greatly impoverished. This impoverishment and renewal, both in time and space, affected different groups of animals in different ways. Many terrestrial mollusks, many birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals of aquatic and other relatively stable biotopes have reached us from the Miocene in little changed form.

The relative morphological stability of such forms as the muskrat, mole, beaver from mammals, raven, ostrich, pelican, marabou and many other birds, terrestrial turtles and mollusks, which have survived to this day from the Miocene and Pliocene, should also indicate the relative stability of conditions environment in which these forms could live. This position regarding individual forms, expressed by us (Pidoplichko, 1936b, p. 16), Stroganov (1948, p. 312) and other authors, is very important for paleogeographical conclusions. Of course, the preservation of relatively stable environmental conditions is not possible in all or continuous belts and zones of the earth’s surface, but only in certain areas or regions of a particular zone. Conversely, the greatest changes in the morphological characteristics of fauna representatives should be found where environmental conditions changed sharply due to certain reasons, primarily tectonic, leading to major paleogeographic transformations.<...>

Editor(s): Makarevich A.P.

Edition: Publishing House of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, Kyiv, 1951, 265 pp.

Language(s) Russian

History of fauna development Quaternary period a large number of works are devoted, which contain a huge amount of factual material concerning the geographical distribution and characteristics of modern forms of animals, finds of fossil bone remains and their burial in different parts of the USSR and adjacent countries. Many attempts have been made to summarize this factual material in order to restore the climatic conditions of the past, to clarify the reasons for the extinction of many forms of animals and to illuminate issues of the formation and development of modern fauna. However, all these attempts have not yet led to the desired results. This is evident from the often diametrically opposed assessments of the significance of individual fossil forms as indicators of climate and landscape features. For example, the most common animals of the Quaternary fauna - the mammoth and the rhinoceros - are even now considered either as representatives of the tundra, or as representatives of the steppe and forest, and regardless of this - as indicators of the “harsh glacial climate of the past.”

The fact that the woolly elephant mammoth and woolly rhinoceros were classified as glacial animals led to the fact that the finds of their remains in conditions contrary to the concept of glaciation were questioned or such remains were attributed to “new” forms.

Until now, we do not have a satisfactory scientific reconstruction of the external form of many animals, including the mammoth, we do not have a correct idea of ​​their history, and, in addition, individual researchers often interpret the generic and species affiliation of one or another in very different ways. animal. Especially great ambiguities arise when trying to interpret the ecology of representatives of the Quaternary fauna. Oddly enough, biologists who are well aware of the ecology of modern forms have paid very little attention to the issues of restoring the biological characteristics of animals of the recent geological past and often use in their conclusions false positions put forward by paleontologists of the geological school that underestimated the data of modern biology.<...>

Edition: Nauka, Leningrad, 1979, 195 pp.

Language(s) Russian

This book tells about mammoths and other animals of the Ice Age, their living conditions, the causes of death and extinction, and the primitive hunts of ancient tribes. In a popular science form, the author summarized many new materials from his research in the mountains and plains of the Soviet Union.

Preface.

The reasons for the vitality and long existence of some genealogical branches of organisms and the rapid extinction of others - these basic problems of biology have long occupied the minds of scientists and all inquisitive people. And these days, the study of the causes of extinction has become especially relevant, since, recklessly developing the resources of the lands and oceans, we unexpectedly found ourselves witnessing the increasingly rapid disappearance of a number of populations of animals and plants from the face of the planet. Timid attempts to protect them are often unsuccessful due to the lack of knowledge of the true causes of the extinction of species in ancient times and in our days.

Among many historical examples, the most impressive was the very recent, in a geological sense, extinction of our northern hairy elephant - the mammoth. Attention to mammoths and their fateful fate has become international. The Japanese, French, and Americans have now eliminated special exhibitions and are making films dedicated to mammoths. The problem of the disappearance of mammoths has become quite fashionable, and people from various professions are trying to solve it. The proposed hypotheses are sometimes original, but more often they are just dad's.<...>

The last ice age ended 12,000 years ago. During the most severe period, glaciation threatened man with extinction. However, after the glacier disappeared, he not only survived, but also created a civilization.

Glaciers in the history of the Earth

Last ice age in the history of the Earth - Cenozoic. It began 65 million years ago and continues to this day. To modern man lucky: he lives in the interglacial period, one of the warmest periods of the planet’s life. The most severe glacial era - the Late Proterozoic - is far behind.

Despite global warming, scientists predict the onset of a new ice age. And if the real one will come only after millennia, then the Little Ice Age, which will reduce annual temperatures by 2-3 degrees, may come quite soon.

The glacier became a real test for man, forcing him to invent means for his survival.

Last Ice Age

The Würm or Vistula glaciation began approximately 110,000 years ago and ended in the tenth millennium BC. The peak of cold weather occurred 26-20 thousand years ago, the final stage of the Stone Age, when the glacier was at its largest.

Little Ice Ages

Even after the glaciers melted, history has known periods of noticeable cooling and warming. Or, in another way - climate pessimums And optimums. Pessimums are sometimes called Little Ice Ages. In the XIV-XIX centuries, for example, the Little Ice Age began, and during the Great Migration of Nations there was an early medieval pessimum.

Hunting and meat food

There is an opinion according to which the human ancestor was more of a scavenger, since he could not spontaneously occupy a higher ecological niche. And all known tools were used to cut up the remains of animals that were taken from predators. However, the question of when and why people began to hunt is still a matter of debate.

In any case, thanks to hunting and meat food, ancient man received a large supply of energy, which allowed him to better endure the cold. The skins of killed animals were used as clothing, shoes and walls of the home, which increased the chances of survival in the harsh climate.

Upright walking

Upright walking appeared millions of years ago, and its role was much more important than in the life of a modern office worker. Having freed his hands, a person could engage in intensive housing construction, clothing production, processing of tools, production and conservation of fire. The upright ancestors moved freely in open areas, and their life no longer depended on collecting the fruits of tropical trees. Already millions of years ago, they moved freely over long distances and obtained food in river drains.

Upright walking played an insidious role, but it still became more of an advantage. Yes, man himself came to cold regions and adapted to life in them, but at the same time he could find both artificial and natural shelters from the glacier.

Fire

Fire in life ancient man was initially an unpleasant surprise, not a blessing. Despite this, the human ancestor first learned to “extinguish” it, and only later use it for his own purposes. Traces of the use of fire are found in sites that are 1.5 million years old. This made it possible to improve nutrition by preparing protein foods, as well as to remain active at night. This further increased the time to create survival conditions.

Climate

The Cenozoic Ice Age was not a continuous glaciation. Every 40 thousand years, human ancestors had the right to a “respite” - temporary thaws. At this time, the glacier was retreating and the climate became milder. During periods of harsh climate, natural shelters were caves or regions rich in flora and fauna. For example, the south of France and the Iberian Peninsula were home to many early cultures.

The Persian Gulf 20,000 years ago was a river valley rich in forests and grassy vegetation, a truly “antediluvian” landscape. Wide rivers flowed here, one and a half times larger in size than the Tigris and Euphrates. The Sahara in certain periods became a wet savannah. The last time this happened was 9,000 years ago. This can be confirmed by rock paintings that depict an abundance of animals.

Fauna

Huge glacial mammals, such as bison, woolly rhinoceros and mammoth, became an important and unique source of food for ancient people. Hunting such large animals required a lot of coordination and brought people together noticeably. The effectiveness of “teamwork” has proven itself more than once in the construction of parking lots and the manufacture of clothing. Deer and wild horses enjoyed no less “honor” among ancient people.

Language and communication

Language was perhaps the main life hack of ancient man. It was thanks to speech that important technologies for processing tools, making and maintaining fire, as well as various human adaptations for everyday survival were preserved and passed on from generation to generation. Perhaps the details of hunting large animals and migration directions were discussed in Paleolithic language.

Allörd warming

Scientists are still arguing whether the extinction of mammoths and other glacial animals was the work of man or caused by natural causes - the Allerd warming and the disappearance of food plants. As a result of extermination large quantities animal species, humans harsh conditions threatened death from lack of food. There are known cases of the death of entire cultures simultaneously with the extinction of mammoths (for example, the Clovis culture in North America). However, warming became an important factor in the migration of people to regions whose climate became suitable for the emergence of agriculture.

Elements of spiritual culture were already found in communities of Pithecanthropus (Homo erectus), but Neanderthals had a fully developed spiritual culture. The beginnings of religion, magic, healing, sculpture, painting, dances and songs, musical instruments, spiritualization of nature were characteristic of the Cro-Magnons. Burying the corpses of dead and fallen comrades distinguishes humans from animals. Grief for the deceased speaks of the strength of people’s attachment to each other, of friendship and love. In the burials of ancient people, tools, jewelry, and bones of killed animals are found. Consequently, already in that distant time our ancestors believed in afterlife and equipped their dead for this life. All these questions are well covered in the literature and I will not dwell on them.

The number of people and population density are closely related to the type of culture and the method of food production. The area of ​​territory that is needed to support three people getting their own food different ways different. For hunter-gatherers, a family of 3 requires at least 10 square meters. km, for farmers who do not use irrigation - approximately 0.5 sq. km, and for farmers using irrigation - 0.1 sq. km. Consequently, with the transition from hunting and gathering to irrigated agriculture, the population must have increased by about 100 times. This is a very important factor that anthropologists clearly do not take into account enough. All ancient technologically advanced civilizations were created by farmers.

However, it should be noted that agricultural civilizations are more vulnerable to sudden climate changes. When the climate dried out, the civilizations of farmers either died or were transformed into the civilizations of nomadic pastoralists. Some may have returned to hunting and gathering again.

The future of humanity

From a group of primates poorly protected from environmental influences, evolution selected our fertile species, which has a unique ability to reproduce, migrate and transform our planet.
Will the evolution of man as a biological being continue? Nowadays, many say: “No. Cultural evolution protected us from biological overloads that eliminated the weak, slow and poorly thinking individuals. Now the use of machines, computers, clothing, glasses and modern medicine have devalued the previous, inherited advantages associated with a powerful physique. intellectual abilities, pigmentation, visual acuity and resistance to diseases such as, say, malaria. Every society has a high percentage of physically weak or ill-built people, as well as people with weak eyesight or skin color and weak resistance to diseases that do not correspond. climatic conditions of the area in which they live. Physically imperfect people, who 100 years ago would have died in childhood, now survive and give birth, passing on their genetic defects to future generations.
Migration also contributed to the halt in human evolution. Nowadays, not a single group of the Earth’s population lives in sufficient isolation. long time, necessary for its transformation into the new kind, as happened in the Pleistocene era. And racial differences will be smoothed out as the number of mixed marriages between representatives of the peoples of Europe, Africa, America, India and China increases." Yes, this gloomy scenario for the future of humanity is quite real. The extinction of humanity as a biological species seems more likely than its further evolution.

However, the development of technology can lead to the emergence of some hybrids - people and mechanisms. Even now, teeth are being safely replaced, and, if necessary, artificial kidneys and an artificial heart are being inserted into the human body. Prosthetic arms and legs are controlled by brain signals. Connecting the human brain to a powerful computer or the Internet can create a monster whose actions are incomprehensible and unpredictable. Hybrids of people and mechanisms (robot people) may well explore other worlds and penetrate into the depths of space. This is the second scenario for the development of humanity and the evolution of creature-mechanisms.

A third scenario is also possible. By the way, it seems to me the most likely. The world's rapidly increasing population is dependent on increased food and energy production. But both require excessive exploitation natural resources of our planet. Increased tillage leads to soil erosion, which reduces fertility, and depletion of fossil fuels poses a threat to energy supplies. Climate change can exacerbate both of these problems. Over-populated and starved of food and fuel, Homo sapiens can see its numbers sharply reduced by war, famine and epidemics. The remaining handful of surviving humans will be returned to hunter-gatherer status. The natural factors of evolution - mutations and natural selection - will begin to operate again. Groups of people will be isolated from each other by long distances, water barriers, language barriers and prejudices. I can say one thing - in this case, the people who will survive and pass on their genes to their descendants will not be residents of multimillion-dollar policies and large cities, not residents of so-called civilized countries, but the aborigines of Australia, the Arctic, residents of tropical rainforests, in whose oral traditions there are references to iron birds and wars. demon titans, etc.

As you know, there is a grain of truth in every joke... In the first part of the popular animated film released by the film company 20th Century Fox, you will not immediately notice how the scriptwriters reflect the problems of the theory of evolution, or, in other words, its weak links, every now and then making caustic remarks about a philosophy that is widely rooted in the consciousness of society. This is done jokingly, simply and naturally. At first you have no idea about the seriousness of the criticism. Let's try to focus our attention on five episodes that most clearly illustrate our remarks.

Weak link number one:
ONE BORN TO CREEL CANNOT FLY

Twice in the film the idea of ​​the, so to speak, natural “unobservability” of evolutionary processes is emphasized. The first time is when two armadillos migrating south discuss their friend's evolutionary beliefs, expressed in his attempts to fly like a bird by throwing himself off a cliff. The second time is Sid the sloth's attempt to climb a steep cliff, holding a human baby in his paws. “Nature does not provide for this,” notes the mammoth Manfred. Armadillos don't fly, and sloths don't climb cliffs. When sowing a field with cotton, it is foolish to expect an abundance of corn, but not for adherents of evolutionary theory. For them, it is acceptable that cotton can change so much that it ceases to be cotton. Genetics is not at all friendly with evolution here. Through random recombinations and errors, new information does not appear, only the supply of old information is depleted. Fact unprovability evolutionary theory was noted in 1959 by evolutionist Sir Arthur Keith in the preface to the 100th anniversary edition of Charles Darwin's book The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection and the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life (1859)

“Oh yes, this is a breakthrough!”

Weak link number two:
NO INTERMEDIATE FORMS

In the chapter "Problems of Theory" of the previously mentioned book by Charles Darwin, the author asks a question, to which he immediately answers: “Why don’t we discover the most diverse intermediate forms in countless quantities in the earth’s crust? Geology by no means provides us with such a complete and consistent chain; and this is probably the most serious objection that can be raised against my theory.". Over the past 150 years, geology and paleontology have not become friends with the theory of evolution. No clear samples were found that could relate the “branches” of the evolutionary “tree of life” either to each other, much less to its single-celled “roots”.

Many evolutionists have been forced to admit the absence of the so-called fossil record. "transitional forms", combining the characteristics of different classes. Not only were no half-scale-half-feather or half-scale-half-fur prints found in the fossilized specimens, but also no remains of any “under-” or “half-” developed trilobites, fish, reptiles or birds were found. How could a three-chambered heart gradually develop into a four-chambered one while continuing to function profitably? Many hypotheses were invented to try to explain this discrepancy between theory and facts. But in these hypotheses Blind case appears to be extremely shrewd and resourceful in his almost fabulous transformations. In fact, so far only man is known as a master of cunning inventions. How Blind case was it possible to think it all through so cleverly? Let us recall that Eoanthropus, Pithecanthropus, Australopithecus “Lucy”, Hesperopithecus were used as evidence of human evolution, HOWEVER, behind these scientific-like terms there are actually only speculative ideas built on the basis of either falsified data or a false interpretation of these data. And this was done not by primitive representatives of the genus Homo Sapiens, but by educated people. In the same evolutionist publications, nature is endowed with unambiguously divine epithets, such as “wisdom”, “strength” or even “design”. This somehow does not fit with their purely materialistic basis.

It is unfortunate, but despite the constant exposure of such frauds, people remember better the arguments in favor of evolution, but not their subsequent refutations. And therefore, modern school textbooks still contain data that has been rejected by science for more than half a century. But few people worry about this, because the theory itself is so attractive: everyone wants to be the “strongest”.

Weak link number three:
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTHEST

Let us clarify that the original phrase, born in Darwin’s mind, sounded like this: “survival of the fit.” In science, such a formulation is called “tautology,” when a synonym is used as a definition.

In the English version of m/f, this phrase is used as a play on words, since “the fittest” (adapted) can also be translated as “the most suitable in size.” So, the saber-toothed tiger turned out to be the most suitable size for the hole in which it got stuck.

Darwin, probably fully aware of this, offered an explanation for the phrase: supposedly natural selection and mutations make some more fit, which contributes to the emergence of new species. Darwin at that time was not familiar with molecular biology or genetics. Today his arguments have been refuted: natural selection only preserves existing look, but mutations are not added new information into the DNA code, usually turning out to be detrimental to the body. How did ants become collective, whose sterile “workers” are excluded from the process of transferring experience? How did the woodpecker's tongue and beak evolve? How could such defenseless animals as sheep survive? As science develops, it presents more and more questions that the theory of evolution cannot answer. The imaginary indisputability of the catchphrase has become firmly entrenched in the minds of millions and significantly influences their behavior.

Weak link number four:
THEORY THAT SHAPES THE WORLDVIEW

Let's remember this episode of the film: Dodo birds, living in an isolated society, are preparing for the Ice Age... Structure government controlled- totalitarian-ideological. They failed to answer a simple logical question posed by the mammoth Mannfred: “Are you going to live underground for millions of years, eating three watermelons?” Instead of a reasoned answer, the taekvodrons launched into physical And psychological attack. “Chu-man-yu! Chu-man-yu! It seems that there is a threat from the aliens, and they have no time to reason about the “logical arguments of their opponent”! Although the behavior of the leading Dodos, in fact, posed an equally obvious threat and real harm to all birds, up to and including the death of some of them. They were blinded by their own ignorance.

The structure of the communist system, which has not yet changed in China, North Korea, and some other countries, is based on evolutionary philosophy. The founder of communism, Karl Marx, dedicated his work Capital to Charles Darwin. According to Marx's own statement, his life's goal was: "The destruction of capitalism and the refutation of God." V.I. Lenin was reading Darwin. Mao Zedong and Joseph Stalin considered Darwin's book one of those books that influenced their character. Adolf Hitler considered Darwin's work to be brilliant. Each of these dictators is responsible for the deaths of millions of people. But few people realize that they committed these crimes only because they were firmly convinced of two things: you can live without God And the strongest survives. The logical conclusion of both phrases is the conclusion: “everything is permitted.” That is why these monstrous atrocities were committed against human lives. Few people today are prepared to critically evaluate the credibility of the arguments proposed by Darwin and the neo-Darwinists. Should we repeat the terrible mistakes of the past in the light of scientific discoveries and with such an abundance of scientific materials available in many languages ​​of the world?

So, weak link number four is the direct ideological influence of the theory of evolution on the moral corruption of the society in which we live and on the behavior of the people who run the state. And if literate people, who are already able to look into the near future today, do not respond to the theory of evolution, taught as the only scientific theory and as a fait accompli, then in the near future our society may turn into a truly wild jungle, where man is the enemy of man , and the only meaning of life is survival by exterminating the weak.

Weak link number five:
EXTINCTION GAME

In one of the first scenes of the film, tapir-like animals migrate south. Children from one such family decided to play extinction. They found some kind of puddle of oil (or mud), climbed into it and began to call for help.

In some films based on evolution, it seems that animals, once in swamps, cannot get out of there and get stuck. Their moans attract predators who, seduced by easy prey, try to get closer to the victim to feast on them, and end up getting stuck themselves. This is how oil allegedly appeared in the distant past. Today there is not a single basin on the planet where, according to this assumption, fresh oil is formed. Why? Because the assumption is not observed in nature and is not confirmed by natural science experiments. Much more accurately, the formation of organic minerals such as oil, coal and gas is explained by the catastrophic model in creation science. Their origin is connected with a gigantic water catastrophe that occurred in the past and which is captured not only in the legends of ancient peoples around the world, but also in the fossil record itself with its sedimentary deposits and billions of once living creatures buried in sedimentary rocks by the waters of the World Flood. And experimental science confirms this.

So if evolutionism as an ideology not right, then he must disappear, and if he rights, then by its own law due to its weakness should also disappear.

The article uses footage from the animated film “Ice Age” 20th Century Fox, USA, 2002, Director Chris Wedge