Zeresenay Alemseged: Finding the origins of humanity

[crudhousefull]

How great is this man. So young and probably had to work to reach the top amidst incredible challenges

[merawi100]

The most successful species in the universe. heh? I like that anyways.

[griskrossaren]

tell us more about the writings of the elephants!

[liyish]

I cannot concentrate on this speech! I find u so hot!

[Davelad7]

I love archaeology and Palaeoanthropology :D. shut up xtrashed. Intelligent Design is misleading.

[xtrashed]

African people will be and will always be a spiritual and religious people. It is at our core That will never change.

Even though we have differing views, I hope that you understand what I am saying, and if you don't understand something within the Bible you actually do some research, instead of making false assumptions based on something you dont understand. I hope that doesn't sound rude! Anyway, I'm leaving this board now, won't be posting, I wish you a Happy Christ-Mass and God Bless You :D

[xtrashed]

Even Time magazine in 1988 I think, Richard Osling made the comment 'One thing we can not deny the Christians, he said, is the documentation that is available across the centuries, nothing in ancient literature matches. So when you've got this kind of documentation, this kind of accuracy, that kind of a person, in the person of Christ, I think you've got compelling pretty evidence to see why it is we need to take Christ seriously.

[xtrashed]

Bruce Metzeger who is a scholar from Princeton made the comment, he said' After you take the 20,000 lies of the New Testament, it is safe for any scholar to say there is a at least a 99.6% accuracy. No ancient document, none, has the kind of documentary support that the Bible has. Over 5000 documents!

[xtrashed]

Do you know how many Prophecies in the Old Testament were fulfilled!? Look at the prophecy of Isaiah, and see how Christ is going to suffer, you immediately see the supernatural. You take the miraculous element, you take the historical element, you look into the scriptures and you see there is an authenticity. And it all points to one perfect person, the person of Christ.

[xtrashed]

Ravi Zacherias once said a great thing, He said, if the Bible made several assertions, one after another, that you have found out to be false, either historically or philosophically, or in the existential realm, and you continue to see that kind of systemic contradiction and failure, then you have reason to believe that I can not really trust this document. It is not in keeping with history, or indeed reality.

[xtrashed]

The Big Bang itself shows as dramatically as possible that the universe in its entirety came into being and is therefore contingent, that is to say, in need of a cause. Since time and space commenced with the Big Bang, the cause of the universe must be outside of space and time, which is to say, infinite and eternal.

[Astwa2]

Zeresenay because you are also from Ethiopia like me i came to check out your speech but didn't hear a single word i was lost in your hottness!!! DEMN u r one sexy habesha maybe the hottest according to me. LOL!!!

[unionafricaine]

The only effective way to improve live in Africa is to reverse the division of the continent in 53 countries at Berlin conference on November 15 , 1884.Africa doesn't need 53 countries,53 presidents,53 armes forces ,....

[xtrashed]

In Genesis 1, Verse 24: "And God said, 'Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.' And it was so." Could that not be understood to mean that God had already designed into the Plan that life would learn for itself how to manage and grow and progress in the environment provided!

[Hottides]

Better still to STRAP THE BIBLE and embrace our true origins and heritage. Forget about Genesis and other ignorant myths, and honor the struggle and triumph of our ancestors, as revealed and crowned by our scientific achievements and revelations.

[xtrashed]

Mind your language. There are no 'ignorant myths' in the Bible! If you think there is, either you have never read the Bible properly, you have grossly mis-interpreted something, or you have done no research. The Bible is part of African heritage. Do you know many times Ethiopia is in the Bible? Never mind Egypt and other African states.

[Hottides]

The Bible is composed of ignorant, barbaric superstition that condones slavery, misogyny, irrationality, genocide and tyranny. Furthermore, most of the Bible is a lie! Anthropological discoveries in Ethiopia and elsewhere, such as are explained in this video, reveal our true heritage. Humanity wasn't sired by god in Eden, but by our hominid forefathers in the brutal desolation of prehistoric Ethiopia.

[xtrashed]

Most of the Bible a lie!? That is only a lie from YOU. You know nothing about religion and Ethiopia, nothing at all! We have archaeological evidence, and primary and secondary source material. And when I say secondary, I mean credible documentation, aside from Church writings which confirm either events in the Bible to be true or historical people to be real.

[xtrashed]

As is often the case in the spiritual life, it's not the what; it's the how. atheists, Buddhists, Hindus, and Christians all see the same world, the same data. But they interpret the data differently. What matters is the pattern. You atheists say that the pattern is time, matter, random mutation, and natural selection; we Christians say that the pattern (the Logos) precedes matter and time and became apparent in Jesus. Hence, we experience the same tragedies, but we read them differently.

[xtrashed]

The basis of science is the fundamental intelligibility of being. Where does that come from, pray tell. How do you explain the fact that every corner of existence is imbued with reason. The physical sciences emerged precisely from a Christian intellectual milieu, and that is not accidental.

[xtrashed]

Believe me, friend, you don't know what you're talking about! The creation narrative in the book of Genesis is not a child's story, but a theological account of the beginnings of things. It is teaching us, in poetic, evocative language, many fundamental truths about God and his relation to the world. It teaches that all reality comes from the creative power of an intelligence that stands outside of nature and finitude

[xtrashed]

My point is that the universal intelligibility of reality---which must be the starting point for all science, is a mystery that calls out for an explanation. Why should it be the case that laws of tremendous mathematical complexity should obtain at both the microcosmic and macrocosmic levels? Science can't dispute this, precisely because it rests on it. I think that a very reasonable explanation is that these laws are the work of a supreme personal intelligence.

[xtrashed]

Science is brilliant, but even Science Professors and Scholars have said that it will never answer everything, such as the origin of the Universe!

Look up: Theistic evolution

[xtrashed]

If you believe that everything on this planet comes from nothing, from an universal accident, then you must be mad! People cry out for proof constantly, never remembering that Christ Himself said that there would be NO PROOF.

The Bible contains a great deal of information about the natural world that has been confirmed by scientific observations and research. Some of these passages include Leviticus 17:11, Ecclesiastes 1:6-7, Job 36:27-29, Psalm 102:25-27 and Colossians 1:16-17.

[xtrashed]

Sorry. I meant Christ said there was no proof to those in doubt

[champagnevoluptuous]

This is really exciting!

[gillumine]

excellent, beautiful message from a beautiful man.

[muusashi01]

the thing with the teeth-how can one explain from just one specimen?what if that person just had big teeth?we all dont look the same-

[befra27]

being created by who ? a old guy with a fake beard ? don't talk if you can't say anything intelligent...

should we teach that the women were created from a man's rib also ? just shut up please.

[joerez8]

your an idiot! your telling me that from nothing we all came to be? there was nothing then all of a sudden SOMETHING! Ah yeah, if you belive that your the moron. We were created PERIOD!

[marianth]

Hahaha you don't believe in evolution. You're funny. Please, go back to school, read a book (and please anything but the bible). Evolution is a FACT, not a theory. And YES we have evidence to prove it. We share more than 90% of our genetic material with chimps, if that doesn't prove you anything I don't know what will. Also, we have many many fossiles of huminids reporting our ancient origins. Please, do us all a favor and educate yourself before you make a horrible statement like that. Peace.

[joerez8]

Evolution a fact? LOL OMG your an idiot! Do yourself a favor and follow your own instructions.

[marianth]

You are a very articulated person. Bravo on the sophistication.

[befra27]

Do you really think that there is someone who cares enough to create someone as stupid as you ? I don't believe that a so-called "punk-ass-santa-god" would be dumb enough to create someone who'll say some stupid things on his behalf on youtube. ;)

[marianth]

God is a concept By which we measure Our pain ... I don't believe in Jesus I don't believe in Bible I don't believe in Beatles I just believe in me Yoko and me And that's reality Hahaha.

[joerez8]

well you and yoko will both be in the same place soon. how sad for your ignorance.

[marianth]

Haha, if I'll finish in the same place as Yoko, that makes me John Lennon? Haha.

[joerez8]

yes i do as do most people with common sense and logic.

[DatFwad]

If you think evolution is not a fact you are the idiot!!

[marianth]

Hahaha you don't believe in evolution. You're funny. Please, go back to school, read a book (and please anything but the bible). Evolution is a FACT, not a theory. And YES we have evidence to prove it. We share more than 90% of our genetic material with chimps, if that doesn't prove you anything I don't know what will. Also, we have many many fossiles of huminids reporting our ancient origins. Please, do us all a favor and educate yourself before you make a horrible statement like that. Peace.

[atypicalguy]

Don't you see the logic? God sculpted a pile of mud and waved his staff over it, hence man. Then he ripped out one of his bones and waved his staff again, hence woman. He even made a garden where they could live but had to kick them out after a talking snake told the woman to eat an apple. It's pretty obvious once you think about it.

[marianth]

Hahahaha :):):)

[scootscr15]

ohhhh, now i get it

[DatFwad]

OK explain how god came into being. Suddenly there was nothing and then there was God and then he created the earth? If the universe can't come from nothing how does god come from nothing? And if you don't think the existence of a creator requires an explanation you're even more stupid than I thought.

[ligyro]

So evolution went from Gorilla to Chimpanzee to African American to Humans

[waori]

aAparently you don't understand evolution. No organism living today is a primitive organism. We didn't evolve from a chimpanzee or a gorilla, we share common ancestors with both.

[IAteYourTV]

African american? Wow, i didn't know our ancestors in Africa were americans.

[marianth]

Race is a concept that does not exist among human beings. We should use the word "ethnie" instead. There are no genetic differences between White and Black people (or any other ethnies). No one is more "evolved" or less "evolved" than the other. We are all Homo Sapiens Sapiens. The only difference there is, is physical because of the geographical adaptation that occured over 100 000 years (skin color, height, body buils).

[marianth]

We say we all come from Africa because that's where our human ancestors developed and we became Homo sapiens sapiens and then we spread out of Africa to the rest of the world (Homo erectus actually spread out of Africa first). Anyway, it's more complicated than that. But Africans are NOT our ancestors.

[DK0526]

Yes they have/are evolving and in different ways...in fact potatoes have a larger chromosome more (genetic information) Then humans. So semantically and technically you are correct. It is very un-pc to point out differences in racial intelligence though..It invokes a knee jerk response.

[ABAisSCIENCE]

My thought is that the study of gene mutation will resolve history far more than archeology, but have at it.

[ABAisSCIENCE]

Seems weird to assume we are getting better through time as conditioning seems to validate who we are and what we are capable of intellectually. History has only so much to offer known as true and what is true is that Africa has the original leaders of the world that accomplished more towards unification then any subsequent leader. Is unification the goal though?

[thejonnybomb]

There seems to be just a possibility, but zero evidence that this animal is really a human ancestor. Yet it is presented as a given.?! Why do they always do that?

[navnsi06]

super presentation...so informative

[wanore]

WOW, impressive and really logical and to the point and the way he presented is so awesome. he is the man who knows his business very much. thank you very much for the nice moment of sharing your knowledge

[sexdrugsRnR]

that was awesome.. great addition to science.

[robotaholic]

That was great- Thank You Zeresenay Alemseged

[miighankurt]

Little George Bush hahaha

[djfilitico]

isnt it great to see a man who thoroughly studied his craft and applied it in his field with results and presented them with hard evidence? and to have all that intellect tarnished by a bunch of monkeys on youtube who went on wikipedia (or the bible for that matter to prove their moot agenda?

[magick205]

@fdzwes: Considering that no genetic material has been found in any fosillized afarensis remains it's impossible to make that generalization. Please cite what paper or other peer-reviewed research you think supports your view in this (and not the Rak-Ginsberg paper).

[Galaktobourikoz]

I'd like to see a religious zealot give a presentation there.

LOL "wut r facts?"

[fdzwes]

It's funny. You were probably one who voted thumbs down on my comment on this subject. You probably thought my comment was religiously based. Now that Lucy is proven to not be a genetic ancestor to us modern humans can't you see how foolish a strictly materialistic worldview can make people appear?

[snotverdorie]

Austalopithecus might not be a direct ancestor, we really are not 100% sure about that . What we are sure of is that we share a common ancestor. The fact that Australopithecus was much more humanlike than any ape species living today, shows our close genetic relation. I don't want to be rude, but Jesus was in fact a descendant of a common ancester of both homo sapiens and australopithecus, shaped by natural selection. We all are, and it's nothing to be sad about.

[fdzwes]

Lucy is not related to humans. There are no examples of fossilized hominids which are genetic relatives to today's human beings. Can't believe he doesn't mention this.

[Io42]

All living things are genetic relatives.

[fdzwes]

No, not true. Though all have genetic code, a common earliest life form has yet to be demonstrated. Additionally, no hominid has been found to be in the genetic line to humans, my original point.

[fdzwes]

Now that Lucy has been proven to not be a genetic ancestor to us modern humans are you willing to amend your response here? Or does your worldview not rely on evidence?

[johnnyboylean]

this was great and fun to watch. he's a good speaker.

[HakatRe]

Excellent Video! Very well spoken.

[yancur]

very nice video! Thank you TED! :)

[revlic]

Win!

[thunderbow]

that was nice how he tied our ancestry into a positive wish for the future.