Posted on 10/28/2013 8:45:36 AM PDT by fishtank
Bloody Mosquito Fossil Supports Recent Creation
by Brian Thomas, M.S. *
Scientists recently found blood remnants in a mosquito fossil trapped in a supposed 46-million-year-old rock.1 Could blood really last that long?
Publishing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the researchers reported that they detected iron three times inside the fossil mosquito's abdomen, which strongly suggests the presence of still-fresh hemoglobin. They also confirmed the presence of heme groups (vitamin-like porphyrin molecules found in hemoglobin) only inside the abdomen, where living female mosquitos store the blood from their meals. The study authors wrote, "The combination of these two determinations indicates that the porphyrins are derived from the oxygen-carrying heme moiety of hemoglobin."1
No scientific evidence supports the assertion that heme groups can last, even under circumstances that would maximize their preservation, for one million, let alone tens of millions of years. In fact, all longevity studies of biomolecules like hemoglobin, DNA, and collagen show decay rates in ranges that show total sample disintegration in a matter of months to a maximum of several hundred thousand years—assuming reasonable Earth surface temperatures.2
Fundamental physical laws describe how highly organized systems like proteins constantly decay unless an outside agency—like an engineer or a robot—maintains them. The PNAS study did not explain how hemoglobin could defy these basic laws.
The study authors wrote, "The data reported herein provide incontrovertible documentation of the presence of heme and arguably hemoglobin-derived porphyrins in a 46-million-year-old compression fossil and localize the porphyrins to a specific anatomical structure within that fossil."1
Though they provided incontrovertible documentation for blood remnants, without something like a time machine, science cannot directly measure these ages.
They seemed to have overlooked more than just the fossil's blood remnants when assigning this age. The Kishenehn Formation also contains oil. Like blood's heme molecules, organic oils should have completely degraded long ago—if these rocks are indeed 46 million years old—especially considering how voracious oil-eating bacteria can be.3
Authors of a 1987 study wrote, "Average total organic carbon contents…in the Kishenehn Formation exceed 6%," meaning that over six percent of the material in the formation has organically-derived carbon. Unaltered, original plant molecules were found in the oil. "Specific molecular markers are present in these samples, including several suites of diagenetic [partly altered by burial and age] steroidal hydrocarbons. Land-plant molecular input [e.g., chlorophyll] suggests nearshore deposition for the southernmost samples," according to the same study.4
Even if bacteria were somehow excluded from this oil, it would still have fizzled into smaller inorganic forms like carbon dioxide long before 46 million years elapsed. But both the presence of blood and oil give evidence of a recent creation.
Secular science will continue to struggle with force-fitting findings into evolutionary schemes, but a recent Flood easily accommodates blood elements in fossils like this once hungry mosquito.5
References
Greenwalt, D. E. et al. Hemoglobin-derived porphyrins preserved in a Middle Eocene blood-engorged mosquito. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Published online before print October 14, 2013.
Thomas, B. 2013. A Review of Original Tissue Fossils and Their Age Implications. In Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Creationism. Pittsburgh, PA: Creation Science Fellowship.
Clarey, T. 2013. Oil, Fracking, and a Recent Global Flood. Acts & Facts. 42 (10): 14-15.
Curiale, J. A. and S. W. Sperry. 1987. Regional Source Rock Potential of Kishenehn Formation, Northwest Montana. Search and Discovery Article #91038. American Association of Petroleum Geologists. AAPG Annual Convention, Los Angeles, California, June 7-10.
Thomas, B. Are Iceman Blood Cells Really the Oldest? Creation Science Update. Posted on icr.org June 13, 2012, accessed October 21, 2013.
* Mr. Thomas is Science Writer at the Institute for Creation Research.
Article posted on October 25, 2013.
Pray tell, what would cause the iron molecules on which the presumption of a blood meal is based to NOT be present in a well preserved fossil specimen?
God made His wonders. A day with God is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as a day. That was written when few or none would have understood millions or billions. But the concept is clear.
“No truth discoverable from a study of nature will ever be found to contradict a truth set forth in the Bible.” Bishop Scheen
You would adhere to the above statement and I would not. Our differences are based in faith. I would just ask creationists not to misrepresent the science they are critiquing.
Nope, 46 million years is not far enough back to clone dinos. Maybe a few big mammals. Maybe we could get lucky and clone cave bears and sabre tooths, they would liven up the wilderness for sure.
Under such conditions, organic matter can persist without full decomposition for untold millions, tens of millions, or hundreds of millions of years....”
an assumption, when dating methods are fallible.
most all fossils underwent partial decay or dehydration, thus no fresh blood.
“still-fresh hemoglobin”..””
a relative term, compared to something that is supposed to be millions of years old.
The choir will buy that.
The choir will buy that....
“
yes, well, we shan’t waste time discussing assumption and errors in radio isotope dating methods.
Mostly because demons will believe their master regardless of the truth....
must be why they are lost!!!
Yep. It’s just you and the demons. No middle ground here.
I am a demon then???
Oh no. Not you. It’s everyone else (or at least the non-belivers).
(or at least the non-belivers)...”
define non-believers..
too bad, Christ was called a demon (et al) (using the power of the prince of demons
I would not mind the abuse for his name sake.
What is inside a “simple cell”, how does it function, and how did each part of it “evolve” from non-living chemicals?
Anyone who wasn't already convinced before they read this article.
“...billions of dead things, buried in rock layers laid down by water all over the earth...”
A simple cell (prokaryote) is a cell with DNA but no defined nucleus. How it came to be, I don’t know but people are getting closer to an answer. That’s the way with science. You keep looking. At one time, nobody knew what a cell is.
I detect sarcasm in last three replies.
The evolutionist will not consider a non-natural cause for the effect.
If somehing changes suddenly, I usually look for some event that happened right before that that might have set it off.
day with God is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as a day. That was written when few or none would have understood millions or billions. But the concept is clear...”
that reference is; God is not slack in his promises.....et al.
but he used thousands, not millions. Maybe for a reason(?)
oh.....
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