It’s “Three quarks for Muster Mark!” That’s the allusion I referenced; wasn’t trying to exclude mesons or any other quark combinations, including pentaquarks.

"Three quarks for Muster Mark!
Sure he hasn't got much of a bark
And sure any he has it's all beside the mark."

-- James Joyce, Finnegans Wake

Four quarks screw up Murray Gell-Mann’s perfect “allusion”.

Population size determined who disappeared. 40,000 years ago Homo sapien sapiens outnumbered Homo sapien neanderthalensis by a least ten to one.

A glass of water can disappear into the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Ocean can’t disappear into a glass of water.

Think about it.

Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) didn’t go extinct because they were outcompeted. They weren’t a separate species. They were a subspecies of Homo sapiens. Our superior numbers drove them into extinction, not our ostensibly superior technology, intellect or planning.

Our Paleolithic ancestors said, “Me love you long time,” and they simply disappeared into our gene pool.

Casey Anthony, thou art ephemeral.

A 100 year interstellar journey with an ensured population survival strategy, reminds me of a Dr. Stranglove quote:

General "Buck" Turgidson: Doctor, you mentioned the ratio of ten women to each man. Now, wouldn't that necessitate the abandonment of the so-called monogamous sexual relationship, I mean, as far as men were concerned?

Dr. Strangelove: Regrettably, yes. But it is, you know, a sacrifice required for the future of the human race. I hasten to add that since each man will be required to do prodigious... service along these lines, the women will have to be selected for their sexual characteristics which will have to be of a highly stimulating nature.

Ambassador de Sadesky: I must confess, you have an astonishingly good idea there, Doctor.

'This might sound ridiculous,' but suppose the marriage/domestic partnership is in trouble. Suppose the Google employee intends to leave the significant other. Given the decade 50% salary death benefit, isn’t the significant other incentivized to expedite the Google employee’s death?

And obliterated Manhattan when the 20 Megaton ICBM hit New York City.

Sputnik invented the Internet.

We call Earth a water planet. It seems preposterous that a bunch of rocks could bring in enough water to fill Earth’s lakes, rivers and oceans.

Yet Earth, in terms of its overall mass, is 0.06% water. With about 70% of its surface covered in water, Earth is considerably drier than it appears.

With regard to Texas, consider Gunny Sergeant Hartman.

Were the Higgs discovered in Texas, Perry would want its secession from the Standard Model.

On Titan, where surface temperature hovers at 94 K, or on Earth, where Octomom makes masturbation porn videos.

It’s difficult to be logical about something that’s so illogical.

Suppose Nessie was real.

Then either she’s an entirely new species of unknown lineage, or she’s an evolved plesiosaur. Her existence would enthrall paleontologists. However it doesn’t disprove Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection. Evolution is scientific fact. It’s been scientific fact for about 150 years. That boat sailed a long time ago.

The Free Exercise Clause ensures creationists can argue their beliefs. The Establishment Clause ensures they can’t masquerade their religious beliefs as pseudoscience in publicly funded schools.

Louisiana seceded once. She lost. If she secedes from science, she’ll lose again.

Congo’s plopped semi random fashioned paint stokes sold for $30,000 in the mid-1950s. That’s indubitable financial success. As to whether Congo’s art constitutes ‘genuine’ art, that’s a matter of idiosyncrasy, usually left to art critics, not /. posters. Human hubris is seductive. We overestimate our own talents, while underestimating the talents of other species.

In the mid-1950s abstract expressionism was the rage. Congo was a successful artist. Here are some of his paintings. Some sold for about $30,000. Most impressive, given Congo was a chimpanzee. It’s not surprising if Neanderthals did early cave art, cave art surpassing its contemporary human art. After all Congo has already established, artistic talent isn’t restricted to Homo sapiens sapiens.