AboutRalph Salier Expertise Archaeologist for the last 30 years. Norh American generalist and Hopwell culture/Red Ocher culture specifically. Lithics Expert and Ground Stone tools.
Experience
Past/Present clients Numerous museums in US and Canada. Several University Anthropology Departments.
Question Why would we find dinasaur bones that aren't fossilized? Also why do i see any layers of strata laid one on top another. Why did the procurator of the largest collection of fossils in England say that he didn't have even 1 bone that he could make an airtight case for a transitional creature. Why do science books show Haekels embryos? Java Man? Pilthdown man? Why don't archaeologists mention the assumptions they make when they are dating rocks and why if you are so confident in your craft can't you address on national TV the concearns of Creationists and how easy it is for you to defend your position? Why won't you debate creationists so the public can understand both sides of the issues?
Answer Hi Bill.
There are several dating methodologies that are based on Physics and the physical characteristics of the materials inherent in those chemistries. One is Carbon 14 which is a radioactive version of Carbon 12. When the Carbon 14 deteriorates, it turns into Nitrogen gas and "floats away". But Carbon 14 is accumulated in all living things during their life times and the decay rate for C14 is long enough to date organic materials reliably to more then 50 thousand years old. Thus, as an archaeologist, I can confidently that Man has been around for at least this long (and longer). Thus, I know that the Earth was not "created" in 4004 BC as some creationists insist. Other view the concept of evolution as nonsensical but this too is no longer viewed as Theory but as factual.
How do we know this? Not only is C14 dating very reliable (regardless of what some creationists say) there are other similar radioactive isotopes that break down over even longer periods of time like Potasium Argon and U236. These materials occur naturally in volcanic rock at the time of the eruption of those volcanos. OVer the millions of years the Earth has been around, layer upon layer of volcanic material has been spewed out of the Earth and some of these layers have covered once living materials. Based on the age of the volcanic materials, the layers below them MUST be older. From this, we know that there has been life on earth for the last 3+ billion years. Of this there is no equivocation. We also have fossilized materials from these layers that show changes over time and we can see how species have differentiated and evolved over time. In some cased the changes have taken millions of years and in other cases, much faster. The fast changes may have been due to sudden changes in the environment that "forced" a change.
Creationism is at best a theoretical perspective with little or no basis in fact. The Piltdown man for instance is a known hoax, Java man on the other hand is not and it is better known as a type of Homo Erectus (upright man) who made fire and hunted. But was not yet fully modern man. As for Haekels embryos, I haven't heard of this but will look it up to see what this is.
Also please understand that Archaeology deals (in general) the remains and cultrual remains of Modern Man from about 250 Thousand years ago to the present. Paleontologists deal with fossils of Homo Erectus and other animals,plants and marine live etc...
As for what TV says, well, in my view, they need to sensationalize to hold an audiance so often times the "science" as shown is questionable and at times bull.
The other thing that is very important for you to know as an individual is that I am a very relitious individual. However, I can easily reconcile the first 7 days of creation by viewing them as not days so much as potentially billions of years. After all for G-D what is a day? A day is a "creation" by G-d to help us have a time frame. G-d doesn't need a time frame.
