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150 Years Later, Fossils Still Don't Help Darwin
ICR ^ | March 4, 2009 | Brian Thomas, M.S.

Posted on 03/04/2009 7:16:11 PM PST by GodGunsGuts

150 Years Later, Fossils Still Don't Help Darwin

by Brian Thomas, M.S.*

“Creationists claim there are no transitional fossils, aka missing links. Biologists and paleontologists, among others, know this claim is false,” according to a recent LiveScience article that then describes what it claims are 12 specific transitional form fossils.1 But do these examples really confirm Darwinism?

Charles Darwin raised a lack of transitional fossils as a possible objection to his own theory: “Why, if species have descended from other species by fine gradations, do we not everywhere see innumerable transitional forms?”2 Later in this chapter of his landmark book, he expressed hope that future discoveries would be made of transitional forms, or of creatures that showed some transitional structure—perhaps a half-scale/half-feather.

Although some creationists do say that “there are no transitional fossils,” it would be more accurate to state that there are no undisputed transitional forms. Although the article asserts that the fossil record “is full of them,” the reality is that it does not contain a single universally accepted transitional form. Every transitional fossil candidate has both proponents and doubters even among evolutionary “biologists and paleontologists.”

The first supposed transitional form offered in the report is Sahelanthropus. This 2001 discovery was first hailed as a transitional form in the ape-to-human line, but controversy over its transitional status immediately ensued. Brigitte Senut of the Natural History Museum in Paris was skeptical, saying that its skull features, “especially the [canine teeth],”3 were characteristic of female gorillas, not human-like gorillas. Senut and her colleagues also disputed that Sahelanthropus was even in the ancestry of humans at all: “To represent a valid clade, hominids must share unique defining features, and Sahelanthropus does not appear to have been an obligate biped [creature that walked on two feet].”4 In other words, Sahelanthropus is at best a highly disputed fossil of an extinct ape, having no clear transitional features.

LiveScience also listed a medium-neck-length fossil giraffe named Bohlinia and the “walking manatee” as transitional forms. However, Bohlinia is just variation within what is still clearly the giraffe kind and doesn’t answer the question, “Where did the giraffe kind come from?” Such variations within kinds do not refute the creation concept, but rather are predicted by it.5 And the “walking manatee” walked because it had fully formed, ready-to-walk legs, hips, nerves, and musculature. The article does not mention that this particular fossil is shown elsewhere to be a dead-end species, “transitioning” to nothing, according to evolutionists.6

The LiveScience article, borrowing from geologist Donald Prothero, also claimed that Moeritherium is “the ultimate transitional fossil,” the ancestor of elephants. This was an amphibious mammal, shaped like a hippo, with a mobile, muscular lip fused with its nostril. But it had none of the real characteristics of an elephant—not the trunk, size, tusks, nor the specialized weight-bearing knee joint structure.7

The “classic fossil of Archaeopteryx” is not a transitional form either, but was fully bird. Its “reptile-like” teeth and wing claws are found in some birds today.8 Many reptiles have no teeth, but nobody claims that they evolved from birds. And the discovery of a “frog-amander” has yet to be agreed upon as transitional by evolutionists. John Bolt, a curator at the Field Museum in Chicago, told National Geographic that “it is difficult to say for sure whether this creature was itself a common ancestor of the two modern groups, given that there is only one known specimen of Gerobatrachus, and an incomplete one at that.”9

Other extinct creatures had “shared features,” physical structures that are found in different kinds of living organisms. However, “shared features” are not transitional features, which is what Darwin needed. There is no scientific evidence to refute the idea that shared features were designed into creatures by a Creator who wisely formed them with the equipment to live in various shared habitats.

Fossils do reveal some truth about Darwin’s theory—they reveal that the same inconsistencies he noted between his theory and the fossil data persist, even after 150 years of frantic searches for elusive transitions.10 Not only is there no single, undisputed transition, but real fossils reveal that animals were fully formed from the beginning.

References

  1. Lloyd, R. Fossils Reveal Truth About Darwin's Theory. LiveScience. Posted on Livescience.com February 11, 2009, accessed February 18, 2009.
  2. Darwin, C. 1902. On The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection: or The Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life, 6th Edition. New York: P. F. Collier & Son. 233.
  3. Chalmers, J. Seven million-year-old skull 'just a female gorilla.' The Sun-Herald. Posted on smh.com.au July 14, 2002, accessed February 18, 2009.
  4. Wolpoff, M. H. et al. 2002. Palaeoanthropology (communication arising): Sahelanthropus or 'Sahelpithecus'? Nature. 419 (6907): 581-582.
  5. Gish, D. 1981. Summary of Scientific Evidence for Creation. Acts & Facts. 10 (5).
  6. Rose, K. D. and J. D. Archibald. 2005. The Rise of Placental Mammals: Origins and Relationships of the Major Extant Clades. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 87.
  7. Weissengruber, G. E. et al. 2006. The elephant knee joint: morphological and biomechanical considerations. Journal of Anatomy. 208 (1): 59-72.
  8. Denton, M. 1986. Evolution: A Theory in Crisis. Bethesda, MD: Adler and Adler, 175, 176.
  9. Casselman, A. "Frog-amander" Fossil May Be Amphibian Missing Link. National Geographic News. Posted on news.nationalgeographic.com on May 21, 2008, accessed February 18. 2009.
  10. Gish, D. 1995. Evolution: The Fossils Still Say No! El Cajon, CA: Institute for Creation Research.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: 150years; archaeopteryx; bohlinia; creation; darwin; evolution; fossilrecord; fossils; gerobatrachus; goodgodimnutz; intelligentdesign; nationalgeographic; of; origin; sahelanthropus; species; transitional
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To: tacticalogic

Exposing liberalism is healthy, for all.

Dejau-vu.


181 posted on 03/05/2009 3:34:25 PM PST by tpanther (The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing---Edmund Burke)
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To: GodGunsGuts
No transitional fossils?

Care to tell me what each of these skulls is, without googling for the answer?


182 posted on 03/05/2009 3:34:25 PM PST by Lurking Libertarian (Non sub homine, sed sub Deo et lege)
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To: tpanther
Dejau-vu.

Dozens of crevo threads that ended in bitter flame wars.

183 posted on 03/05/2009 3:37:58 PM PST by tacticalogic ("Oh bother!" said Pooh, as he chambered his last round.)
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To: Lurking Libertarian

What does it matter. The Evos keep putting forward transitionals and then taking them back. To be quite frank, so-called human evolution is a subjective mess, as many Evos admit.


184 posted on 03/05/2009 3:48:13 PM PST by GodGunsGuts
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To: DallasMike; metmom
super bacteria which have developed resistance to antibiotics? That is evolution. There is no denying it

You are looking at it backwards. The antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria were already there with the other strains, when those other strains are killed off by the antibiotic, the resistant strains become visible.

185 posted on 03/05/2009 3:48:32 PM PST by valkyry1
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To: GodGunsGuts
Once a person has exposed himself as a liar, you don’t give that person credence by debating them. If you must waste your time on that person at all, you expose them each and every time the rear their ugly head.

Taken in the context of post it references, does that mean you disagree with the personal attacks?

186 posted on 03/05/2009 3:49:15 PM PST by tacticalogic ("Oh bother!" said Pooh, as he chambered his last round.)
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To: Buck W.; Gordon Greene; Longhair_and_Leather; tpanther
You’re not suggesting that there is something that God is not capable of, are you?

God can't lie and God can't change. Of course there's things God is not capable of doing.

That whole argument is a logical fallacy started by atheists in an attempt to try to disprove God. It makes them feel good to think they pulled a fast one over on Christians.

You really need to get a grip on your thinking if you've fallen for that one.

187 posted on 03/05/2009 3:50:11 PM PST by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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To: GodGunsGuts
What does it matter. The Evos keep putting forward transitionals and then taking them back. To be quite frank, so-called human evolution is a subjective mess, as many Evos admit.

You don't see a steady, gradual increase in brain size and a steady, gradual decrease in brow ridge in those skulls?

188 posted on 03/05/2009 3:50:51 PM PST by Lurking Libertarian (Non sub homine, sed sub Deo et lege)
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To: MyTwoCopperCoins; taxesareforever

What’s your problem with talking serpents? (not snakes BTW-get your story straight)


189 posted on 03/05/2009 3:53:45 PM PST by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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To: DallasMike; allmendream; metmom; Alamo-Girl; Elsie; Fichori; valkyry1; GodGunsGuts; ...

God is an awesome God who cares for each one of us personally, down to the tiniest details of your life. If you care about something, he cares about it.Please Freepmail me if you want to talk privately.


With of course the exception of science class, because consistently, we’ve seen in these argumnents “God has no place in science class”.

Another memo you apparently didn’t get DM.


190 posted on 03/05/2009 3:57:26 PM PST by tpanther (The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing---Edmund Burke)
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To: valkyry1
The antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria were already there with the other strains, when those other strains are killed off by the antibiotic, the resistant strains become visible.

That's one scenario, but there are other scenarios as well. Note that the first penicillin-resistant bacteria was not observed until four years after the mass production of penicillin began. If penicillin-resistant microbes have always been present, they would have been found much earlier.

191 posted on 03/05/2009 3:57:45 PM PST by DallasMike
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To: tacticalogic

I’d like to see these “personal attacks”.


192 posted on 03/05/2009 3:58:17 PM PST by tpanther (The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing---Edmund Burke)
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To: tacticalogic

I take every person, and every reply, on a case by case basis. I was merely giving you an example of the type of person I try to avoid and (if they become a nuisance) EXPOSE.


193 posted on 03/05/2009 3:59:37 PM PST by GodGunsGuts
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To: Lurking Libertarian

Like I said, it doesn’t matter what those sculls look like to the untrained eye. Human evolution is a subjective mess, even the Evos admit it.


194 posted on 03/05/2009 4:01:16 PM PST by GodGunsGuts
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To: GodGunsGuts

Liberals tickle me when they think they’re actually fooling someone on FR of all places.

Actually, they fool themselves an awful lot, fool themselves into thinking it’s the conservative position to silence Christians, the Christian position to silence Christians, the conservative position to defend the indefensable NEA, etc.


195 posted on 03/05/2009 4:01:28 PM PST by tpanther (The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing---Edmund Burke)
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To: metmom
What’s your problem with talking serpents?

Same difference.

I'm sure snakes had the lung capacity to perform human speech.

Really.

196 posted on 03/05/2009 4:02:19 PM PST by MyTwoCopperCoins (I don't have a license to kill; I have a learner's permit.)
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To: tpanther
I’d like to see these “personal attacks”.

You've said my arguments are irrelvant, and that your responses are simply because it's me. Isn't that the essence of a personal attack?

197 posted on 03/05/2009 4:03:37 PM PST by tacticalogic ("Oh bother!" said Pooh, as he chambered his last round.)
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To: atlaw; Longhair_and_Leather; ninergold3; Gordon Greene
Analogy, allegory, metaphor, and all those other literary weasel words just mean lie, fable, and fiction. All of it is either literally true or literally a lie.

That's only an intellectually dishonest representation of creationists put forth by evos and atheists in a rather blatant attempt to discredit creationists or Christians.

198 posted on 03/05/2009 4:04:47 PM PST by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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To: GodGunsGuts
I take every person, and every reply, on a case by case basis. I was merely giving you an example of the type of person I try to avoid and (if they become a nuisance) EXPOSE.

In this case, the person came after me.

199 posted on 03/05/2009 4:04:48 PM PST by tacticalogic ("Oh bother!" said Pooh, as he chambered his last round.)
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To: tpanther; Alamo-Girl; TXnMA
DallasMike: God is an awesome God who cares for each one of us personally, down to the tiniest details of your life. If you care about something, he cares about it.Please Freepmail me if you want to talk privately.

tpanther: With of course the exception of science class, because consistently, we’ve seen in these argumnents “God has no place in science class”.

Another memo you apparently didn’t get DM.

I'm witnessing God's glory and the saving power of Jesus Christ to a non-believer and you choose at as an opportunity to insult me? Your insult might make the difference in that person's eternal salvation. Are personal attacks worth a person's soul to you?

200 posted on 03/05/2009 4:06:37 PM PST by DallasMike
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