It seems that this week I have been thinking a lot about the past, and events that make, break or simply change what we perceive to be the truth and how we prepare for the future.

On March 29 this year it was reported in Science Daily that “Scientists Refine Earth’s Clock: Some Events in Planet’s History Happened More Recently Than Previously Thought“

New research has revealed that some events in Earth’s history happened more recently than previously thought. Scientists from the British Geological Survey and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, publishing recently in the journal Science, have refined the data used to determine how much time has passed since a mineral or rock was formed. They report uranium isotopic composition of minerals, used to date major geological events, which are more accurate than previously published. The major effect of this is to reduce previous age determinations by up to 700,000 years.

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A major effect of this work will be to decrease all previous uranium-lead (U-Pb) age determinations, by up to 700,000 years for samples that are about 4.5 billion years old — the age of Earth. In particular, the new 238U/235U ratio will allow geologists to place more accurate limits on the exact timing of a broad range of geological processes, from the initial formation of our planet, continents and economic mineral deposits, to past evolutionary events and climate change.

There are so many things in this world that change our perspectives, that tell us what has been and indicate what is to be, yet at the same time, what if what we perceive to be the truth has been miscalculated…  Does that really have an effect on what the future holds?  Or does it simply help us to understand the rates of evolutionary change, and make us better prepared for our earths future?