| ent discovery of soft tissue inside a fossilized T-rex | | | | the dinosaurs, 65 million years ago. I would not |
| femur has the young earth creationist world buzzing. | | | | expect a young earth theorist to recognize the |
| They claim this startling evidence clearly supports a | | | | significance of this fact, since they believe the Flood |
| young earth. However, as usual, young earth creation | | | | deposited all of these rock formation. However, it is |
| science is grasping at straws while ignoring the | | | | clear from stratigraphy that dinosaurs were not all |
| whole haystack (for links to the Answers in Genesis | | | | killed by Noah's Flood. To learn more, read |
| article, see below). Even more interesting is what | | | | Stunning Omissions |
| Answers in Genesis omits from the original article, as | | | | What is even more stunning is that Wieland ignores |
| they "pick and choose," as is their style, only those | | | | over half the article, which compares pictures and |
| portions that supports their position. | | | | data from the T-rex to pictures and data from a |
| The young earth author calls this a "stunning rebuttal | | | | fossilized Ostrich. The similarities are stunning. More |
| of millions of years." Nothing could be further from | | | | than anything, this one fossil of T-rex lends support |
| the truth. Instead of focusing only on the soft tissue | | | | to the theory that birds evolved from dinosaurs. |
| alone (the "straw"), let's examine the whole picture. | | | | In response to this omission, three days later (28 |
| Expectations | | | | March 05) Answers in Genesis published another |
| First, some expectations. If we were to find some | | | | article addressing the Ostrich comparisons (see below |
| soft tissue of dinosaurs, where is the most likely | | | | for link). The new author (Dr. David Menton) says this |
| place to find it? The answer is obvious...in the most | | | | is not the first time that soft tissue has been found, |
| recent fossils. The T-rex was one of the last of the | | | | and he provides a link back to the already disproven |
| dinosaurs, living in the last five million years of | | | | AiG report on T-rex blood cells. Dr. Menton appears |
| dinosaur existence, from 70-65 million years ago. | | | | to bring up some valid arguments about Dr. |
| Second expectation...what body part would we | | | | Schweitzer's article, mainly that the comparisons of |
| expect to contain the soft tissue? Here again, the | | | | the structures of the T-Rex and Ostrich would be |
| answer is obvious. The soft tissue stands the best | | | | common to most amphibians, reptiles, birds, or |
| chance of being preserved in a large bone, such as | | | | mammals. The assumption made by Dr. Menton is |
| the femur of the T-rex. The larger the bone, the | | | | that there is an unstated conclusion that dinosaurs |
| more "insulation" the soft tissue has from outside | | | | evolved into birds, and thus he is attempting to |
| elements. The original source report for this article, | | | | discredit the similarities between the ostrich and |
| which came from Science magazine, gives several | | | | T-Rex. However, Dr. Schweitzer does not mention |
| key phrases, such as the "dense compact bone | | | | evolution at all in her article. She is merely showing |
| typical of therapods," and "dense mineralization of | | | | similar features between two organisms, which were |
| dinosaur bone." A large bone such as a therapod | | | | obtained in similar procedures when applied to two |
| femur would be the most likely source of soft tissue, | | | | different creatures. |
| as the larger bone provides an opportunity for the | | | | Dr. Schweitzer may be using the comparison for |
| outer bone to be sealed by mineralization, entombing | | | | proof of dinosaur to bird evolution, but it is more |
| the inner contents and protecting them from the | | | | likely that she is merely showing a modern example, |
| elements. | | | | for the sake of clarity of understanding. Dr. Menton |
| Third expectation...if the earth was young, then we | | | | admits that he sees an unstated conclusion that "this |
| would expect most, if not all large dinosaur fossils to | | | | similarity in microscopic structure proves that |
| show evidences of soft tissue...after all, according to | | | | dinosaurs and birds are closely related through |
| young earth theory, large dinosaurs from 200 million | | | | evolution." Nowhere does Dr. Schweitzer make this |
| years ago died at the same time T-rex did, during | | | | claim. |
| the flood of Noah. Thus, you should expect all large | | | | In the end, the layman reading these articles must |
| dinosaur bones to be possible sources for soft tissue. | | | | decide which scientist to believe. Since Dr. Schweitzer |
| However, this is not the case. With this fossil, we | | | | has no religious motivations for proving a young or |
| have one sample of soft tissue, out of millions of | | | | old earth, hers is the more objective, or fair and |
| dinosaur bones that have been collected. Thus, this | | | | balanced approach, and in this case is a more reliable |
| young earth "expectation" is completely unfounded. | | | | scientific source than Dr. Menton (see |
| Stratigraphy | | | | Conclusion |
| Young earth creation science "expert" Carl Wieland | | | | The find of T-Rex soft tissue in no way supports a |
| ignores the stratigraphic location of the fossil. | | | | young earth. In fact, when you consider the fact |
| According to the Science Magazine article, it was | | | | that we should find much more soft tissue in all large |
| located "at the base of the Hell Creek Formation, 8 | | | | dinosaur bones, it actually supports an old earth even |
| m above the Fox Hills Sandstone." The Hell Creek | | | | better! Neither article presents convincing information |
| Formation is Late Cretaceous in age, and actually | | | | that supports their cause. |
| crosses the K/T boundary, the extinction point of | | | | |