Dinosaur Shocker (YEC say dinosaur soft tissue couldn’t possibly survive millions of years)

Smithsonian Magazine ^ | May 1, 2006 | Helen Fields

[SirLinksalot]

Key paragraph for your focus :

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Meanwhile, Schweitzer’s research has been hijacked by “young earth” creationists, who insist that dinosaur soft tissue couldn’t possibly survive millions of years. They claim her discoveries support their belief, based on their interpretation of Genesis, that the earth is only a few thousand years old. Of course, it’s not unusual for a paleontologist to differ with creationists. But when creationists misrepresent Schweitzer’s data, she takes it personally: she describes herself as “a complete and total Christian.” On a shelf in her office is a plaque bearing an Old Testament verse: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

[Sols]

Creationists cherry-picking and misrepresenting the scientific research of others? A shocking development.

[dead]

Meanwhile, Schweitzer’s research has been hijacked by “young earth” creationists, who insist that dinosaur soft tissue couldn’t possibly survive millions of years. They claim her discoveries support their belief, based on their interpretation of Genesis, that the earth is only a few thousand years old.

Goofballs.

Nice article. Fascinating science.

[Son Of The Godfather]

>>>dinosaur soft tissue couldn’t possibly survive millions of years.

Then explain how there is a Helen Thomas.

[printhead]

I remember when capri's were clamdiggers and I thought that was prehistoric.

[sr4402]

Soft Tissues can't exist in fossils over a million years old, they should all be completely turned to rock over that period of time.

How is this explained? Is her research suspect?

[trashcanbred]

This drives Schweitzer crazy. Geologists have established that the Hell Creek Formation, where B. rex was found, is 68 million years old, and so are the bones buried in it. She’s horrified that some Christians accuse her of hiding the true meaning of her data. “They treat you really bad,” she says. “They twist your words and they manipulate your data.”

Gee what a shock... ID is a cult like scientology. Only difference is Scientology has this cool dude named Xenu to look out for.

[sine_nomine]

Missing headline:

What About Bob?

[mlc9852]

I find Darwinism to be more of a cult. No room for any arguments against it. Not that it matters really - students for the most part still believe God created us.

[Onelifetogive]

briefly taught remedial biology to high schoolers.

Sex education class?

[Coyoteman]

No room for any arguments against it.

No room from arguments based on belief.

Bring data and you will be listened to.

[GourmetDan]

I saw a Discovery Channel show on this subject. Ms Schweitzer, when encountering the Hell's Creek fossil for the first time said something like, "This thing smells like a cadaver."

The response was, "All Hell's Creek fossils smell like that."

So, even when faced with olfactory evidence that these fossils aren't 68 million years old, the 'scientific' paradigm must be protected at all costs.

What exactly is the misrepresentation?

[From many - one.]

It might be more accurate to say that we have thought, due to lack of contrary evidence, soft tissues were not preserved.

The current data indicates that they might be.

[pabianice]

This is wonderful! Who would have believed that soft tissue could survive for so long?

[FourtySeven]

Another key paragraph:

This drives Schweitzer crazy. Geologists have established that the Hell Creek Formation, where B. rex was found, is 68 million years old, and so are the bones buried in it. She’s horrified that some Christians accuse her of hiding the true meaning of her data. “They treat you really bad,” she says. “They twist your words and they manipulate your data.” For her, science and religion represent two different ways of looking at the world; invoking the hand of God to explain natural phenomena breaks the rules of science. After all, she says, what God asks is faith, not evidence. “If you have all this evidence and proof positive that God exists, you don’t need faith. I think he kind of designed it so that we’d never be able to prove his existence. And I think that’s really cool.”

Also a key quote in that paragraph.

I think a lot of YECers and IDers around here and elsewhere who seem to want to cram science and religion together into some bizarre amalgam could take a lesson from that.

[Old_Mil]

Meanwhile, Schweitzer’s research has been hijacked by “young earth” creationists, who insist that dinosaur soft tissue couldn’t possibly survive millions of years. They claim her discoveries support their belief, based on their interpretation of Genesis, that the earth is only a few thousand years old.

In other words, let's set aside the obvious conclusion drawn from the empirical data because we're slaves to old-earth evolution and all data must be fit into our hypothesis of origin. If it does not, it must imply that dinosaurs had magic blood vessels.

[mlc9852]

Any data not embracing evolution is automatically rejected so why bother? What happened to the scientist at the Smithsonian whose article was published?

[Manic_Episode]

PING