zoegirl wrote:Whether or not we can see that higher pressure affects things does not prove that the conditions were that way. That's my issue. Saying that "this condition" makes something better does not necessary mean that the conditions were that way. Most of his assertions are simply that, assertions. There is no way we can ever know
Initially I would agree that the asserted conditions may not prove his theory and you can indeed simply discount it as having any explanitory power but, this may just be the tip of the iceberg that can tie many unexplainable facts together. In one of the references I gave there was talk about how it may explain the ability of huge dinosaurs to fly. As a mechanical engineer I analyse many things from a perspective that most others don't and the extremely large flying dino's has been a huge one for me because under current conditions they would not have been able to fly. Thus, it becomes logical to look for any evidence for an environmental change having occured in the distant past. The assertions made by a number of people in conjunction with biblical inferences makes the concept more than just a possibility. I will reference the largest flying dino so that you can see what science has found in the fossil record and see for yourself what I am refering to;
Quetzalcoatlus was a pterodactyloid pterosaur known from the Late Cretaceous of North America (Maastrichtian stage, about 68–65.5 million years ago), and one of the largest known flying animals of all time...
...recent estimates based on greater knowledge of azhdarchid proportions place its wingspan at 10–11 meters (33–36 ft).
There are quite a few sites that discuss the point about flight by the giants. Here is one you can peruse;
...The Paradox of Flying Pterosaurs
...Currently the 12 m wingspan Quetzalcoatlus is the largest known pterosaur, but it is not alone as some freak of nature. There are at least half dozen pterosaurs with wingspans over five meters. For comparison, a few of the largest flying birds of today are the 2.9 m wingspan 10.4 kg California Condor, the 3.5 m wingspan 11 kg Wandering Albatross, and the 2.4 m wingspan 15 kg Mute Swan...
...When flying the Quetzalcoatlus has the same profile as the Mute Swan. When we scale the data for the Mute Swan to the Quetzalcoatlus’ 12 m wingspan the estimated mass for the Quetzalcoatlus is 1900 kg...
...While standing the Quetzalcoatlus stands as tall and has a similar profile to a giraffe...
...The largest pterosaurs, the Quetzalcoatlus, had a wingspan greater than the recreational plane Cessna 172. The size of a Quetzalcoatlus could also be compared to an extremely large horse, yet it is questionable if the cold-blooded Quetzalcoatlus could produce the power of a horse. The Cessna flies because it is equipped with a 160 horsepower engine. If an object of this size requires 160 hp to fly yet does not have even one horse power, then any rational aerodynamic engineer would conclude that the Quetzalcoatlus is not even close to having the power required to fly in today’s atmospheric environment...
...It is possible for the density of the atmosphere to change. This may be important since air density is one of the variables in the flight equations. A lot can happen in millions of years and there is evidence that some changes in the Earth’s atmosphere did occur. This will be addressed in the later chapters.
http://www.dinosaurtheory.com/flight_animals.html
So just possibly when God said:
Job 40:15 Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox.
Job 40:16 Lo now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly.
Job 40:17 He moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his stones are wrapped together.
Job 40:18 His bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron.
Job 40:19 He is the chief of the ways of God: he that made him can make his sword to approach unto him.
There is also the evidence that plants and such grew to tremendous sizes compared to todays types and logically there would be a reason. Environmental change would most probably explain the difference IMHO. Anyway that is about all I have on this subject at the moment and it may not be enough to pique your interest in the theoretical scientific end but I have hopes that experimentation will continue in this vein and then just maybe we might know how God may have eliminated the giants by changing the environment faster than the creatures could adapt.