Creation Science Rebuttals

Institute for Creation Research News Report

Hadrosaur Soft Tissue

First Published 10 June 09

A recent report on the discovery of soft tissue in another dinosaur has the young earth community excited.¹ Brian Thomas of the Institute for Creation Research reports that soft tissues with proteins were found in a hadrosaur fossil. Interestingly, the discovery comes from the same scientist who discovered the soft tissue in the T-Rex, Dr. Mary Schweitzer.

The specimen in this study was an 80 million year old hadrosaur from Montana. Thomas claims that "She found all of the primary proteins of a common connective tissue called the basement membrane matrix, as well as blood cells inside blood vessels similar to what she discovered earlier in the T. rex bones." Not having the resources of ICR, I do not have access to the actual published work of Dr. Schweitzer, so I cannot verify the claims of Thomas. In reference to the T-Rex, it is known that young earth authors stretched the truth about it, so I suspect the same is probably true here.

Contrary to the claims of young earth creationists, this is not evidence that the earth is only 6,000 years old. It is further evidence, however, that proteins can survive millions of years, when preserved under the proper conditions. Dr. Jack Horner said he doesn't know if the latest find will satisfy everyone who doubts that protein can survive for millions of years, but commented, "The nay-sayers can only say the world is flat for so long. It will be interesting to see what they say."² The result of this hadrosaur study is that it will prove that proteins are able to survive millions of years. Unfortunately for young earth creationists, dinosaur protein does not support their beliefs in a young earth.

As Thomas notes, Schweitzer is an evolutionist. She firmly believes that her findings support the idea that proteins can survive for millions of years. He fails to mention the most important fact, however. Schweitzer is a Bible-believing Christian³, who sees no conflict between her discoveries and the creation account of Genesis.

Notes:

¹ Hadrosaur Soft Tissues Another Blow to Long-Ages Myth, by Brian Thomas, ICR. 12 May 2009

² http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=7152

3 http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/dinosaur.html

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