On March 30, 2021, Matt Miles and Bob Dugas were conducting an event in Libby, MT when Steve and Patty Johnson invited them to their home. Steve had worked throughout Montana and other northern states as a surveyor for the railroad. Through the years of surveying, he amassed quite a fossil collection of all sorts of creatures. Matt and Bob had a wonderful time examining several dinosaur fossils. As they were leaving the Johnson home, Matt was handed a box with three Edmontosaurus fossils in it. The Johnsons’ generous gift would be a great addition to our collection.
Fossil Research Update
Matt Miles & Ryan Cox • July 5, 2024
Fossil Research Update
“I will enlarge no more on the evidence, but submit it to you.—Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence”
~ John Adams: December 4, 1770 ¹
As Creation Truth Foundation celebrates 35 years of ministry, we remain committed to our mission statement laid forth by Dr. G. Thomas Sharp to “train disciples to trust the Bible’s history for its accuracy so they will trust its promise for their destiny.” We have been charged to defend the perfect accuracy of the Biblical record, divinely revealed by our Creator God.² To this end, we research and share the latest results and evidences from the many disciplines of study (paleontology, geology, biology, genetics, biochemistry, archeology, history, etc.). As expected, real observable, testable, repeatable, falsifiable science ALWAYS confirms the Word of God, and such was the case with recent laboratory observations conducted by CTF staff.
Two months later in Ponca City, OK, those fossils were on display with the rest of the CTF collection for an event with the Institute for Creation Research (ICR is based in Dallas, TX). As Bob and Ryan Cox were packing up, they were informed that Dr. Brian Thomas, ICR scientist and good friend of our ministry, had taken the largest of the three Edmontosaurus fossils. Dr. Thomas, who earned his PhD in paleobiochemistry from the University of Liverpool (UK) and specializes in original biomaterial in fossils, hoped to extract a sample and examine it for original biomaterial, specifically collagen. We were excited about this possibility and awaited the opportunity to conduct the procedure in a laboratory.
Vertebrates (animals with backbones) contain several types of collagen, with the most prevalent being Type I, comprising over 90% of organic bone matrix and 80% of total proteins in bones.³ Upon death, collagen, as with all organic compounds, begins to decay away. Scientists admit that collagen and other protein molecules decay at fast rates and cannot last more than 4 million years.⁴⁻⁵ Yet, it is frequently and consistently found in dinosaur fossils, even in “eight dinosaur bones from the Cretaceous period, none of which are exceptionally preserved.”⁶ How is there such an abundance of original biomaterial in fossils that are supposed to be tens or hundreds of millions of years old in an evolutionary worldview, when the biomaterials cannot last that long according to their research?
To make matters worse for evolutionists, the calculated decay rate of peptides (short protein segments), such as those found in collagen locked in bone, indicate they should be completely gone in less than 30,000 years if kept in optimum cool and dry conditions; otherwise, it will all be gone sooner!⁷⁻⁸ Additionally, Dr. Thomas has published with other scientists two peer-reviewed articles in secular journals demonstrating an even faster rate of collagen decay!⁹⁻¹⁰
If the evolutionary mythos was true, there should not be any original biomaterial in any dinosaur or other fossils believed to be millions of years old; it is scientifically impossible according to observational science. Rather, if the Biblical record is true of Creation 6,000 years ago and the Global Flood 4,300 years ago (in which billions of animals would have been buried and fossilized all over the planet), then it is scientifically possible that original biomaterial might be present according to observational science.
On March 22, 2024, Matt Miles, Ryan Cox, and Ryan’s 13-year-old son Justus were joined by Dr. Thomas and lab technicians Julie Hastings and Clayton Turner to test the Edmontosaurus fossil at the Dinosaur Discovery Lab in the Creation Evidence Museum of Glen Rose, TX.¹¹ It was such a special occasion as Dr. and Mrs. Sharp also made the trip to join us for the momentous day.
The previous day was spent by Matt, Ryan, and Justus familiarizing and practicing the lab procedures for extracting and examining a fossil specimen. Then on Friday, Dr. Thomas assisted as (1.) Matt drilled into the fossil for extraction, (2.) Matt, Ryan, and Justus prepared the microscope slides, and (3.) everyone, including Dr. Sharp, examined the specimens through a microscope using polarized light microscopy. This procedure permits certain wavelengths of light to pass through a filter and the sample. By rotating the sample (called cross-polarizing), it permits other wavelengths to pass through if there is material in the sample that is birefringent. In a bone sample, collagen is birefringent, meaning it will refract the filtered light waves, changing colors when rotating the sample. If collagen is not present, the sample will not change colors.
The CTF samples from our Edmontosaurus fossil changed from gold to a teal color, meaning original collagenous material is present in the fossil! It is, therefore, thousands not millions of years old! Also, clearly defined dark spots (called lacunae) with little tentacles (called dendritic processes) indicated the presence of numerous bone cells called osteocytes.
VIDEO: Edmontosaurus specimen #20210330, sample 2 - Cross Polarization Microscopy: change from gold to teal indicates presence of collagen
Human bones contain roughly 42 billion osteocytes. The calculated half-life of their decay upon death is 25 years.¹² When one does the math, after 1,000 years there should not be any detectable osteocytes under present-day conditions. For fossils created and preserved by the conditions of the Flood, it is possible to see evidence of osteocytes still present after 4,300 years, but not after millions of years. The lab techs noted they had never seen that many highly defined lacunae (where osteocytes are found) in a fossil sample!
Today, the fossil, slides, and microscope pictures and videos are being displayed and presented at almost every CTF event. Matt and Ryan are able to share with audiences across the country this incredible, scientifically observable evidence acquired in a laboratory under the supervision of a PhD paleobiochemist that declares dinosaur fossils are thousands instead of millions of years old, confirming the Bible’s history! Whatever may be the wishes, inclinations, or dictates of the passions of evolutionists, “they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence,” as John Adams reminded the court.
Rather, “facts are stubborn things,” and for 35 years it has been, still is, and always shall be the solid conviction and bold proclamation of Creation Truth Foundation that “Thy Word is truth” (John 17:17).
Special thanks to Dr. Carl Baugh, Julie Hastings, and Clayton Turner of the Dinosaur Discovery Lab at the Creation Evidence Museum for the use of their time and facilities and to Dr. Brian Thomas for taking the time to join and guide us in a day of discovery, through which God continues to be glorified.
- “Adams’ Argument for the Defense: 3–4 December 1770,” Founders Online, National Archives, <https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/05-03-02-0001-0004-0016>.
- II Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is God-breathed…”
- Morten Karsdal, Biochemistry of Collagens, Laminins and Elastin: Structure, Function and Biomarkers, 2ⁿᵈ ed., Academic Press: London, 2019, p. 1.
- N. Rybczynski. et al., “Mid-Pliocene warm-period deposits in the High Arctic yield insight into camel evolution”, Nature Communications 4 (1550), 2013, <https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms2516>.
- M. Schweitzer, et al., “A role for iron and oxygen chemistry in preserving soft tissues, cells and molecules from deep time”, Proceedings of the Royal Society B 281 (20132741), 2014, <https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.2741>.
- S. Bertazzo, et al., “Fibres and cellular structures preserved in 75-million–year-old dinosaur specimens”, Nature Communications 6 (7352), 2015, <https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms8352>.
- B. Thomas, “How Long Can Cartilage Last?”, Institute for Creation Research, 29 October 2010, <https://www.icr.org/article/how-long-can-cartilage-last/>.
- J. Berg, et al., Biochemistry, 8ᵗʰ ed., W.H. Freeman and Co., New York: 2015, p. 253.
- B. Thomas and S. Taylor, “Proteomes of the Past: The Pursuit of Proteins in Paleontology”, Expert Review of Proteomics 16 (11-12), 2019: 881-895.
- B. Thomas, et al., “Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR FT-IR) Spectroscopy Sensitivity to the Thermal Decay of Bone Collagen”, Applied Spectroscopy 77 (1), January 2023: 53-61.
- www.creationevidence.org
- L. Bonewald, “The Role of the Osteocyte in Bone and Nonbone Disease”, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinics of North America 46 (1), March 2017:1-18, <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecl.2016.09.003>.
The Flood during Noah’s day was a devastating judgement against the sin and wickedness of the time. Most people focus on what the Lord did as He saved the eight people and animals on the Ark. Yet while they were being saved, the Flood destroyed the earth and left behind some remarkable things. Geology around the globe shows water burial of plants and animals. Many of the animal remains show signs of drowning and then burial. One particular reptile that shows this is the Ichthyosaurus. From what we can understand, water was her home for everything in life, even giving birth to live young. This well designed creature may even help us trust the Word of God when it comes to the history of the Flood. In our Mobile Museum of Earth History we exhibit a research replica of an ichthyosaur called Stenopterygius quadriscissus . She is from Holzmaden, Germany and is one example of hundreds that have been found in the area. The reason we can so confidently state this fossil is a “her,” when we rarely know for sure about fossil animals, is because she is pregnant. She has three babies present with her remains: one under her tail, one in or near the birth canal, and one still inside. Our fossil is in situ, which means the fossil remains in the rock matrix it was buried in. So, the presence of momma and babies are how they were buried and not articulated in some manner after excavation. This is important to show the rapid, watery burial that must have taken place to lock this scene in the fossil record. The Flood trapped organisms all over the world in different life positions. Sometimes the fossils left behind have shown eating, hunting, sleeping, swimming, nesting, or drowning. When it comes to ichthyosaurs around the planet, there is a significant number of females that seem to be pregnant. They have been found in the fossil record on at least four continents. A fair assumption would be that Ichthyosaurs had a certain time of year they mated and gave birth to young, much like sea turtles today that nest from late spring to late fall depending on the region around the world. So it should come as no surprise that we find pregnant ichthyosaurs all around the world as the Flood lasted an entire year. It would have buried the females that were pregnant near their location of habitat. Evolutionists maintain that ichthyosaurs lived tens to hundreds of million years ago and each of the mothers found in the fossil record just died while giving birth. This is difficult to support in a millions magnitude time scale. That would mean every time a disaster happened, millions of years apart, the right conditions existed to quickly bury ichthyosaurs that just so happened to be pregnant. It just might take some “faith” to trust that “miracle” would happen over and over again through eons of time. Or you can have faith that the Word of God’s history is correct with a judgement of man’s sin bringing global devastation through the Flood during Noah’s 600th year of life. The Word of God is trustworthy, with even the fossil record showing us glimpses of historical evidence in support of our faith. I’m so thankful we don’t need blind faith to trust our salvation! Blessings.
14 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up? 15 …if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?” 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” Daniel 3:14-18 In the 6th century BC, three young men stood up for their faith in the one true God, for which someone attempted to kill them. Today, in the 21st century AD, one young man was gunned down for his faith in the one true God. And sadly, Charlie Kirk is not the only one. According to The Esther Project, martyrdom for the cause of Christ is commonplace around the world ( theestherproject.com/statistics ). On average: 322 Christians are killed monthly. 214 churches or Christian properties are destroyed monthly. 772 forms of violence (beatings, kidnappings, etc.) against Christians are committed monthly. 100,000 to 160,000 Christians are killed annually in the 21st century. 1.093 million Christians were martyred between 2000 and 2010. And more than 70 million Christians are believed to have been martyred since the 1st century, with more than half killed in the 20th century alone under communist and fascist governments. And how should Christians respond? Peter wrote, “ if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but glorify God in this name ” (I Peter 4:16). Jesus took this a step further; He told us, “ …love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you ” (Matthew 5:44). Now, as Shawn Grant, minister at Kissimmee Christian Church, FL, preached on the Sunday following the assassination, th at may not be what you want to hear right now, but that is what Jesus has told us we must do. Why? So the world will see the difference Jesus makes! The night of and the days after the assassination, businesses did not have to board up their stores. Police and soldiers did not have to be deployed. There were no riots, no property damages, no police spat upon – only tears, prayers, and a witness to the world that Jesus is the answer. So noticeable is this to the world, there were more international press requests for the Charlie Kirk memorial service than are requested for Super Bowls. Within seven days of his death, Kirk’s ministry Turning Point USA had received over 54,000 campus chapter requests. And most importantly, scores of videos of young people considering or even deciding to give their lives to Jesus have been posted to social media platforms.