RT @WorldAndScience: A glass of whisky could help you get your head around deep time
https://t.co/dufbxNCCFiA glass of whisky could help you get your head around deep time — Universal-Sci
The Scottish geologist James Hutton made a proposal in 1788 that, at the
time, was extraordinarily controversial. He described Earth as a “beautiful
machine”, constantly subjected to long-term decay and regeneration, that
could only be understood over many millions of years. This may not sound
that contentious, but the challenge this posed to humanity’s sense of time
was substantial. Popular contemporary estimates of Earth’s age, such as
Bishop Ussher’s calculation that it was created in 4,004 BC, were dwarfed
by the magnitude of what Hutton described.
