Peer Review and Creation Science? Oh, yeah!!!

It has been brought to my attention that I do not publish peer-reviewed articles.  This is a ludicrous claim, as I have often posted excerpts or full abstracts of scientific papers and also linked to them.  There is a long history on this blog of making sure to attribute articles and make sure they are correct and that references are included.

One of many Peer Societies in North America is the Creation Research Society, which is having their next convention in 2013.

Since my blog began publishing in 2004 I have published abstracts from AIG, ICR, RMCF, CMI, The Discovery Institute and several other groups that have peer-review and publish at least quarterly technical publications.   I have a vast library of the magazines and journals and books as well as DVD and VHS presentations from numerous sources.   While I generally publish either ID or Creationist articles, many of them are peer-reviewed and many have a large secular set of references.  From time to time I publish findings from PNAS and other secular sources as well.  The idea that I do not present peer-reviewed materials is laughable.   Here is one of interest from CRS along with their mission statement:

The Creation Research Society is a professional organization of trained scientists and interested laypersons who are firmly committed to scientific special creation. The Society was organized in 1963 by a committee of ten like-minded scientists, and has grown into an organization with worldwide membership.

The primary functions of the Society are:

	Publication of a quarterly peer-reviewed journal.
	Conducting research to develop and test creation models.
	The provision of research grants and facilities to creation scientists for approved research projects.
	Providing qualified scientists to speak to groups or churches.

Other functions of CRS include maintenance of a comprehensive directory of creationist organizations throughout the world. The CRS also runs a secure online bookstore for ordering books and videos on special creation.

The CRS was incorporated in the state of Michigan as a nonprofit corporation for educational and scientific purposes. Shortly thereafter it was granted 501(c)(3) not-for-profit tax-exempt status by the IRS. The first issue of the Creation Research Society Quarterly was published in July, 1964.

The CRS is independent and unaffiliated with any other organization, religious group or church body.
The CRS advocates the concept of special creation (as opposed to evolution), both of the universe and of the earth with its complexity of living forms. Membership in the Society requires agreement with the CRS Statement of Belief. Members of the society include research scientists from various fields of scientific accomplishment who are committed to full belief in the Biblical record of creation and early history.

The CRS does not engage in any political lobbying. Though its primary purpose is research and publishing, the CRS occasionally sponsors or co-sponsors seminars and field trips. These events serve to promote the purposes of the Society, to facilitate dialogue between creation scientists, and to serve the interests of our members. An open meeting is sometimes held in conjunction with the annual Board of Directors meeting to update members and other interested individuals on current activities of the Society.

For more detailed information on the CRS, please see the History and Aims of the Creation Research Society.

Copyright © 2001 by Creation Research Society. All rights reserved.

Scanning Electron Microscope Study of Mummified Collagen Fibers in Fossil Tyrannosaurus rex Bone

Mark Armitage

CRSQ Vol 38 No 2 pp 61-66 September 2001

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Abstract

A specimen of hip bone from a Tyrannosaurus rex, excavated from a ranch in Wyoming over 100 years ago, and thought to be 65 million years old is shown, by scanning electron microscopy, to have intact, mummified microscopic collagen fibers and other ultrastructural features within compact bone. Bone Haversian canals as well as lacunae and canaliculi are well preserved. Networks of collagen fibers remain intact within lacunae and what may be mummified osteocytes are shown to be present. Twenty-year-old, similarly fractured natural human hip bone shows comparable patterns of canals, collagen networks and cells, including crenated erythrocytes. Hip bone from “Moab man,” human remains collected from Utah and thought to be less than 200 years old, contains no such soft tissue features within compact bone. Moab man specimens appear cleanly stripped of soft tissues and harbor burrowing insect remains. These data call into question the long ages ascribed to these dinosaur fossils and support their rapid preservation in the absence of decomposers. The high level of ultrastructural preservation also implies that these dinosaur bones are simply not very old.

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Introduction

The remarkable preservation of macro and microscopic structures of fossils in general and fossilized dinosaur bones in particular, has been the subject of many creationist books, articles and reviews (Calais, 1994; Helder, 1992; Howe, 1997; Taylor, 1999; Weiland, 1997b). 

What appear to be red blood cells have been described from Tyrannosaurus rex bones (Weiland 1997a), while other dinosaur bones have been found which “cannot be distinguished from modern bone” (Weiland, 1999). Additionally, soft muscles, internal organs and even microscopic fibers have been well preserved in a juvenile dinosaur recovered in China (Snelling 1998). 

In some of these writings it is often charged or implied by creationists that evolutionists are reluctant to make these startling revelations, even in recent times because it does not support their position that these fossils are over 65 million years old, or that they took millions of years to fossilize. Although the process of fossilization is not completely understood, it is assumed by both evolutionists and creationists that most fossils must be buried or stabilized very quickly in order to stand any chance of being preserved. Briggs states: “Of course fossilization is time dependent. But although the age of most fossils is measured in millions of years (and some diagenic processes are certainly long term), whether or not an organism is destined to become a fossil may be determined very rapidly” (Briggs, 1995). Mineralized and petrified oddities such as bowler hats, fencing wire and sacks of flour (Walker, 2000; Weiland 2000) certainly show us that fossilization can take place quite rapidly, “freezing” the feeding practice or even the process of giving birth, forever into rock. 

It is incorrect, however, to state that evolutionists have not been forthcoming with data that may show that fossilization and mineralization of biological materials can happen so rapidly as to preserve microscopic structures. As early as 1962 these scientists have shown that microscopic structures, such as bone collagen are well preserved in dinosaur bones (Little, Kelly and Courts, 1962). This work was followed by a series of studies by Pawlicki and his associates demonstrating by scanning and transmission electron microscopy that not only were collagen fibers found in dinosaur bones (thought to be 80 million or more years old), but that blood vessels, osteocytes (bone building cells) and even intact proteins, lipids, mucopolysaccharides and DNA were found (Pawlicki, Korbel and Kubiak, 1966; Pawicki, 1975; 1977a; b; 1985; 1995). There are also good data in the literature that rapid fossilization of soft body structures may occur under certain anoxic or pH regulated (low pH level) conditions (Briggs and Kear 1993a; 1993b; Briggs, 1995). Experimental taphonomy (the study of the transition of organic remains from biosphere to lithosphere) is ongoing in many paleontology laboratories. To quote Briggs (1995, pp. 539, 544), “Unless the morphology of the most labile tissues is ‘stabilized’ before the decay (within days or weeks) nothing remains…The results demonstrate that replication of soft-tissue can take place within weeks, even where the only major source of the phosphate is the carcass itself. They also show that the closure of the system is as important, at least in some cases, as the absence of oxygen.” 

In addition, some paleontologists are quite candid about the fact that the excellent preservation in many fossils must mean that fossilization or burial was instantaneous (Martill, 1989, p. 204). Martill even demonstrated muscle banding and cell nuclei in highly magnified fossilized fish muscle and stated that phosphatization (mineralization) must have been complete “within a few (probably less than 5) hours.” Thus, for over 40 years evolutionist workers have reported openly on the presence of such remarkable preservation in dinosaur and other fossils. 

In this study, fossilized bone from a T. rex dinosaur recovered from a dig at New Castle, Wyoming was evaluated for the presence of microscopic cells, vessels and fibers under the scanning electron microscope. These results were compared to recent human hipbone fragments supplied by an anatomical supply company and human hip fragments from a mine at Moab, Utah.

Materials and Methods
 

This study examined a museum specimen of T. rex hipbone (compact bone), approximately 3 X 2 cm in size. The specimen had been shellacked on one side and was indicated to have been in a museum drawer in Newcastle, WY for about 100 years (Taylor, 2000) The bone fragment was pressure fractured in half, exposing the inner structure. It was affixed to a metal SEM stub, sputter coated in gold, and viewed at 15kv on a JEOL scanning electron microscope. Low power light micrographs were also made of the unprocessed bone fragments under a dissecting microscope. Recent human hipbone was used as a comparative control. The control bone was acquired from Carolina Biological Supply Co. (Burlington, NC) in a “kit” of processed human bones for the purposes of anatomical education approximately 20 years ago. According to the supply company (Hardy, 2001), these bones were fixed, cleaned of tissues by maceration, degreased in gasoline and air dried, but were not lacquer coated. They were shipped from India to the U.S. in the 1980’s. Additionally, specimens of “Moab man” (AKA Malachite Man) hipbone were received from Mr. Joe Taylor (Taylor, 1999, p. 62). Moab man human skeletons were discovered in Big Indian Copper mine in 1971 and are considered by some to be intrusional skeletons and not in situ fossils (Berger and Protsch, 1989). These human bone fragments were similarly pressure fractured and processed for electron microscopy as above.

Results

In the dinosaur bone, Haversian bone canal systems (arrows, Figure 1) with their associated lacunae (Figure 2, arrows) are quite visible under low magnification and appear as deep impressions within the bone matrix under higher magnification (Figures 3, 4). Haversian canals contained no remnants of vessels and little loose collagen or other tissues, although their surfaces had a matte appearance. This was due to a carpet of collagen, thus, the calcium phosphate crystalline nature of the bone surface was not visible (Kessel and Kardon, 1979). Canaliculi were also observed along the walls within canals. Lacunae, on the other hand, were often surrounded and filled with large masses of unconsolidated, mummified (or otherwise preserved) fibers, probably polymerized collagen or possibly fibrin (Figures 3, 4, 5). Often there appeared a network of fibers (probably a precursor to the calcium phosphate bone matrix) as seen in Figure 5. Mummified cellular debris, including possible osteocytes, was also found within the bottom of many lacunae (Figure 4, arrows). Canaliculi could be easily seen perforating the lacunae walls and are seen as black dots also surrounding lacunae (Figures 3, 4). It was clearly evident that no mineralization of these collagen fibers had occurred, since well-rounded birfurcations characterized fiber junctions (Figure 6).

Figure 1.

Figure 2.

 

Collagen fibers from a fresh human wound scab (Figure 7) and similarly positioned T. rex bone collagen at the same magnification (Figure 8) are remarkably similar. The T. rex collagen appears somewhat shrunken and deformed compared to the human specimen, but in all other respects could pass as recently laid down collagen. In comparison, the Moab man samples seemed devoid of any soft tissue at all. A Haversian system is shown in Figure 9, and there are no fibers associated with the canal, nor were there any fibers or other soft tissues seen in or around lacunae. In addition, when pressure fractured, a minute (1–2 mm in size) insect exoskeleton (resembling a Springtail of the Order Collembola) was observed, affixed to the surface of a trabecular process in the cancellous bone section of the sample. This exoskeleton, probably the remains of a molt, was lost in processing. If boring insects had access to this Moab man skeletal sample, as have been discovered at other fossil sites in Utah (Hasiotis and Fiorillo, 1997), then this might explain the lack of soft tissue remains in the Moab man samples examined. In stark contrast, however, are the results from the recent human hipbone from the anatomical supply company. Internal bone surfaces were thickly populated with collagen mats while canaliculi showed up well on the inner surfaces of Haversian canals (Figure 10, arrows). In addition to webs of collagen, compressed soft tissues, resembling what might be osteocytes were observed (Figure 11), as well as crenated erythrocytes which were plentiful (Figure 12).

Figure 3.


Figure 4.

Figure 5.

Figure 6.

 

There is also good correlation between dinosaur collagen and human collagen fibers at similar magnifications, which are otherwise indistinguishable (Figures 8 and 12).

Discussion
 

Controversy surrounds the “Moab man” skeletons in several regards. There is general consensus that these remains are unfossilized and that they represent an intrusive aspect to the Dakota sandstone (Cretaceous) rock where they were found and not humans buried in situ (Taylor, 2000; Berger and Protsch, 1989). They have been renamed by Mr. Taylor as “Malachite man” (Taylor, 1999) due to the bright green patina they display as a result of the high concentration of copper (solution?) from the formation in which they are buried. This green stain was observed to extend almost completely through the compact bone, but it did not extend into the cancellous sections of the bone. The discovery of insect remains inside this bone indicates that they may have been exposed to the elements and to decomposers prior to the infiltration of the copper into the bone matrix, but in any event it seems the copper was not sufficient to preserve collagen fibers. This might explain the lack of soft tissues within the bone as it may have been consumed before any preservation or mummification could have taken place. Preserved human collagen fibers have been found, however, in ancient human remains from Egypt (Hino, Ammitzboll, Moller and Asboe-Hansen, 1982). Even though preservation of collagen and other ultrastructural features were observed (as a result of the embalming process), they were approximately one half normal size and were significantly deformed after only 1700 years postmortem. Alternately, osteocytes have been discovered in a state of perfect preservation within the temporal bone of a 2600-year-old Egyptian mummy, but in this case, the bone was impregnated and preserved by a hard resin polymer (Benitez and Lynn, 1975).

Figure 7.

Figure 8.


Figure 9.


Figure 10.

 

In contrast, the dinosaur specimen exhibits remarkable preservation of soft tissues to the ultrastructural level. The state of preservation in this T. rex bone resembles that of fixed tissues found in recent human bone, thus the preservation, or fossilization process must have immediately followed or have been concurrent with death. It must also have been rapid enough to foil decomposers, but the fine structure of the soft tissue does not exhibit the effects of any mineralization. Additionally, the fact that this level of preservation has remained to this day casts doubts on the time period that may have elapsed between fossilization and the present. The collagen fibers in the dinosaur bone appear to be mummified and not fossilized, therefore they would have been subject to the same sorts of time-related processes that have affected human remains embalmed in Egypt in 100–300 A.D (Hino, et. al, 1982). The T. rex specimen examined does not show these age-related effects.

Conclusion
 

Numerous microscopic structures such as bone lacunae, canaliculi, osteocytes and collagen fibers, protected from the elements deep within bone, have been found under scanning electron microscopy in a T. rex hip bone specimen which has been in a museum for about 100 years. These structures appear to be mummified and were not mineralized by the fossilization process. It is possible that fossilization events might be so rapid that preservation of such structures is guaranteed, and perhaps these specimens are not as old as the literature suggests.

Acknowledgments
 

The author thanks Mr. Joe Taylor, curator of Mt. Blanco Fossil Museum, (Crosbyton, TX), for T. rex and “Moab man” specimens and for his assistance during the project. The author is also indebted to Dr. George Howe and the anonymous reviewers of this paper for critical comments.

References

CRSQ: Creation Research Society Quarterly

CEN:  Creation Ex Nihilo

Benitez, J.T., and G.E Lynn. 1975. Temporal bone studies: findings with uncalcified sections in a 2,600-year- old Egyptian mummy. Journal of Laryngology and Otology 89(6):593–599.

Berger, R. and R. Protsch. 1989. UCLA Radiocarbon dates XI. Radiocarbon 31(1):55–67

Briggs, D.E.G. 1995. Experimental taphonomy. Palaios 10:539–550.

Briggs, D.E.G., and A. Kear. 1993a. Decay of Branchiostoma: implications for soft tissue preservation in conodonts and other primitive chordates. Lethaia 26: 275–287.

Briggs, D.E.G., and A. Kear. 1993b. Fossilization of soft tissue in the laboratory. Science 259 (5100):1439–1442.

Calais, R. 1994. Rapid fossils. CEN 16(3):50.

Froede, C. 1995. Surficial replacement of dinosaur bone by opal in Big Bend National Park, Brewster County, Texas. CRSQ 32(1):11.

Gurley, L.R., J.G. Valdez, W.D. Spall, B.F. Smith, and D.D. Gillette. 1991. Proteins in the fossil bone of the dinosaur Seismosaurus. Journal of Protein Chemistry 10(1): 75–90.

Figure 11.


Figure 12.

 

Hardy, Alan. 2001. Personal communication.

Hasitosis, S.T., and A. Fiorillo. 1997. Dermestid beetle borings in sauropod and theropod dinosaur bones, Dinosaur National Monument, Utah: keys to the taphonomy of a bone bed. Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs 29:13

Helder, M. 1992. Fresh dinosaur bones found. CEN 14(3):16–17.

Hino, H., T. Ammitzboll, R. Moller, and G. Asboe-Hansen. 1982. Ultrastructure of skin and hair of an Egyptian mummy. Transmission and scanning electron microscopic observations. Journal of Cutaneous Pathology 9(1):25–32

Howe, G.F. 1997. Living bacteria and other living microbes have been isolated from the abdomens of fossil bees thought to be 30 million years old. CRSQ 34(3): 187–188.

Kessel. R.G., and R.H. Kardon. 1979. Tissues and organs, a text-atlas of scanning electron microscopy. W.H. Freeman, New York.

Little, K., M. Kelly, and A. Courts. 1962. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery 44(B) 503.

Martill, D.M. 1989. The Medusa effect: instantaneous fossilization. Geology Today 5:201–205.

Pawlicki, R. 1975. Studies of the fossil dinosaur bone in the scanning electron microscope. Zeitschrift fur Mikroskopiche Anatomiche Forschung. 89(2): 393–398.

   . 1977a. Histochemical reactions for mucopolysaccharides in the dinosaur bone. Studies on Epon- and methacrylate-embedded semithin sections as well as on isolated osteocytes and ground sections of bone. Acta Histochemica 58(1):75–78.

   . 1977b. Topochemical localization of lipids in dinosaur bone by means of Sudan B black. Acta Histochemica 59(1):40–46.

   . 1985. Metabolic pathways of the fossil dinosaur bones, Part V. Folia Histochemica et cytobiologica 23(3):165–174.

   . 1995. Histochemical demonstration of DNA in osteocytes from dinosaur bones. Folia Histochemica et cytobiologica 33(3):183–186.

Pawlicki, H., A. Korbel, and H. Kubiak. 1966. Cells, collagen fibrils and vessels in dinosaur bone. Nature 211(49):655–657.

Snelling, A. A. 1998. Exceptional soft tissue preservation in a fossilized dinosaur. Creation Ex Nihilo Technical Journal 12(2):130–131.

Taylor, J. 1999. Fossil facts and fantasies. Mt. Blanco Publishing, Crosbyton, TX.

   . 2000. Personal communication.

Walker, T. 2000. Petrified flour. CEN 23(1):17.

Weiland, C. 1997a. Sensational dinosaur blood report! CEN 19(4):42–43.

   . 1997b. Frozen feeding. CEN 19(2):52.

   . 1999. Dinosaur bones, just how old are they really? CEN 21(1):54–55.

   . 2000. The Earth: how old does it look? CEN 23(1):8–13. 

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The "Moab" or "Malachite Man" is controversial because there were actually two different sites in the same area.  One yielded some bones in relatively loose material not far below the surface, while the other group was 58 feet down in actual rock that was labeled "Cretaceous" and associated with dinosaur fossils. 

Talkorigins and Bible.Ca have had a war of words over the findings.   Here is an overview of that particular discussion:

Malachite man was found in Cretaceous sandstone (Talk.Origins)

Response Article 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This article (Malachite man was found in Cretaceous sandstone (Talk.Origins)) is a response to a rebuttal of a creationist claim published by Talk.Origins Archive under the title Index to Creationist Claims.

Index

Claim CC111:

Ten modern human skeletons have been excavated from 58 feet deep in the Lower Cretaceous Dakota Sandstone, which is dated as 140 million years old and is known for the same dinosaurs as in Dinosaur National Monument.

Source: Patton, Don, n.d. Official world site Malachite Man.

 





CreationWiki response:
 
(Talk.Origins quotes in blue)

1. The skeletons are the same bones as the discredited Moab man bones, apparently with skeletons from eight nearby Indian burials added. [Kuban 1998]

Both sides seem to be making the same mistake. They are both associating the two skeletons found in 1971 with the eight found in 1990. The two sites are about 100 feet apart so it is not unreasonable that they may be unrelated.

2. All details given in the account are apparently false. The bones were found 15 feet deep in soft, unconsolidated sand.

The top of the hill seems to drop by about 40 feet as can bee seen in an image of the site. The result is that the 1971 Moab man site is 15 feet deep and the 1990 Malachite Man site is about 58 feet deep.

* They were clearly intrusive (i.e., buried there long after the sediments were laid down).

This seems to be based on the idea that the Moab man find and the 1990 Malachite Man are related. There are reasons to question this conclusion.

The bones found in 1990 do not appear to have been carbon 14 dated. If you look at the large images, it is clear that these bones are in solid rock. Even if the bones were in soft material, the layers of rock above them were hard. It was the hardness of the rock that forced the closure of the copper mine that lead to their discovery. 58 feet is really too deep to be intrusive burials, particularly given the rock that would had to have been carved through to dig a grave. It is not clear from the two in situ images if these bones are fossilized or not, but the images of those bones that were removed including a femur and a jaw do seem to be fossilized.

The conclusion is that while the two finds are in the same area, they are separate finds. The two 1971 skeletons are recent, but the 1990 find is probably as old as the rock.

* The Dakota Formation is approximately 90-115 million years old, straddling the Early and Late Cretaceous. Dinosaur National Monument is in the Morrison Formation, which is Jurassic. [Kuban 1998]

Evolutionists date this rock at about 100 million years, but creationists would date it to the flood about 5,000 years ago.

3. The people making claims about Malachite Man have not been cooperative in supplying information which might be used to verify their claim. This would be surprising if they thought their claims could actually be verified.

Maybe they just don't trust those are making the request like Talk Origins. By the way when was the last time evolutionists made a major fossil find available to creationists so that their claims could be verified.

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It is quite true that Talkorigins is not famous for correcting their errors but rather cling to them like their last dollar.    It is also true that Don Patton is not friendly with their membership after the famous dinosaur track destruction a few years back.  In any case the idea that I do not publish or reference peer-reviewed sources is now dead.  I am a member of a short list of such organizations as a lay member but there are multitudes of great and good scientists who make up the heart of them.