A Publication of Alpha Omega Institute March/April, 2000; Vol. 17 No.2 The Archaeoraptor Hoax found in the same area as by Dave Nutting Archaeoraptor was reported in Nature's April, 1999 edition. It, ational Geographic went out Evidently some faker from China, too, had a reptile tail pinned to N on the limb (and fell off) by pinned a reptile's tail onto a fossil the body of another creature--in ---JJ.Ui.U.Lhl.ll·l.lg._articles in their _ - birdand National Geographic this casea pterosaur. It has-­ November, didn't look fooled scientists and publishers 1999 issue closely enough at alike. stating they "When they put that it. They will be Yes, there have been hoaxes. found the long- feathered dinosaur on publishing a Anyone can make a mistake. sought-after- retraction soon. Unfortunately, the damage will missing link the cover last year, I ewe hope.) live on. Most of the adults and between threw 30 years' worth Although children who saw the original dinosaurs and of magazines out of Archaeoraptor articles, as well as the 110,000 birds. Their was only one of that viewed the displays at the great artwork, my house. National several "links" National Geographic Explorer's of feathered Geographic's embellished with Hall, will still believe that dinosaurs, journalism is a joke." great artwork in dinosaurs had feathers because including -Alan Feduccia, expert on bird evolution, [The their article, it they saw the great artwork. This Archaeoraptor, Report Newsmagazine l2!6199} really makes you makes our job of de-evolutionizing looked extremely wonder about the the country even harder.® believable. rest of them. Newspapers across the country National Geographic was carried the story. Suddenly the just too eager to promote the feathered dinosaurs, were the in new find since it has been - thing. They would soon replace pushing the dinosaur to bird the familiar reptilian dinosaur evolution for a long time. look. Within days, kids began Chinese forgers were also learning of the new discovery. quite happy to help them out. Even Tyrannosaurus-Rex began to They really should have sprout feathers. listened to experts who were Everything was fine until adamant against the concept. National Geographic received an There are just too many email written in December. The problems with the theory (see news reports broke in January: the other articles in this issue). Archaeoraptor has now crashed National Geographic on the runway! It was a big isn't the only one to get hoax that left National Geographic burned with a fake. USA Today staff "tarred and feathered." reports that another fossil "link" Paleontologist Birthday Party : ~ .., l-JI"'!!I rtt~.,- Think & Believe :' ·•~: · . · -: t5: March/April 2000 ..-.: ...- .llo... ~ rl(! Other Scientists React unsubstantiated, tabloid' journalism. by Dave Nutting 'Clearly,' he wrote, '[the magazine] is not receiving competent consultation l\ Jrany scientists were absolutely fossils come from beneath the skin. I in certain scientific matters. ' He is 1 V.lcti smayed over National can duplicate the effect by skinning especially 'galled' by the societies Geographic's promotion of the tail of a modern lizard." assertions that a wide variety of feathered dinosaurs well before the In the same dinosaurs definitely unveiling of the Archaeoraptor hoax. publication, wore feathers. 'This is 11 Their expressed concerns were Storrs Olson, •••A wide variety of just a _lie,' he says. ignored. fossil bird dinosaurs wore 'There is not one Alan Feduccia, bird evolution expert from the feathers." -Natl. Geographic undisputed example of specialist, was quoted as saying, a dinosaur with Smithsonian 11just a •.• lie. There is "When they put that feathered Institute (also an feathers. None. The not one undisputed dinosaur on the cover last year, I evolutionist), public deserves to threw 30 years' worth of magazines was reported to example of a dinosaur know this. ' " out of my house. National have written an with feathers. None." Yes, we do. Otherwise -Storrs Olson, Smithsonian Institute Geographic's journalism is a joke." open letter to children for more [The Report Newsmagazine 12/6/1999] National Geo- generations to come He went on to say, " ... the hairlike graphic where he lambasted them for will grow up believing that evolution filaments that accompany some engaging in '"sensationalistic, has "proven" its case. It hasn' t. Gl) Along the 11Path" to Birds Fossil creatures compiled from charts in July 1998 and November 1999 National Geographic used to promote dinosaur-to-bird evolution. r25 mya rso mya 1140-120 mya 115 mya f 90 mya 180-70 mya G) ® @ Sinosauropteryx L@ Velociraptor Proto-Avis Archaeopteryx - Liaoning, China ® Unenlagia -Mongolia - Texas fossil more - Bavarian fossil @ Beipiaosaurs -Patagonia (J) Tyrannosaurus modern than with reptile/bird - Liaoning, China -US,China Archaeopteryx. characteristics. If @ Caudipteryx ® Unnamed (Not mentioned by feathers are genuine, - Liaoning, China Oviraptorosaur Eoa/ulavis Nat. Geographic.) it was a strong, @ Protarchaeopterix @ -Mongolia -Spain (true bird) flying bird. - Liaoning, China @ Sinornithorsaurus Note: The progression of evolutionary - Liaoning, China Also note: Of the Chinese fossils listed, traits does not match the chronological one. Archaeoraptor 3c & 3d were flightless birds, 3f was a hoax, @ and the rest were dinosaurs with fibrous-type mya = millions of years ago (according to -Liaoning, China (hoax) evolutionary dating methods) fillaments speculated to be feathers. 2 Think & Believe .::F-: ~:~ P.rl#' .. ~. March/April 2000 The Path to Birds? rocks older than the dinosaurs they million years old. If these findings by Mark Sonmor supposedly evolved from and newer hold true, it may force evolutionists than Archaeopterix the bird that they to leave dinosaurs outside the lineage ne of the benefits of being the were supposed to evolve to. Al­ of birds altogether. However, this OGraphic Artist at AOI is learn­ though this doesn't automatically places a possible, but unknown ing the truths of Creation as I work to falsify the dinosaur-to-bird scenario, ancestor even lower in the fossil visually communicate them. Last it does reveal what National Geo­ record. The problem is summed up year, I ran across the July 1998 and graphic failed to illustrate: The by Alan Feduccia, who says," ... you November 1999 issues of National fossils don't appear in the right order! can't be your own grandmother. .. To Geographic which promoted feath­ To complicate matters, a fossil­ sustain their theory, theropod [to ered dinosaurs. They showed several ized bird with very modem charac­ bird] supporters have to throw out fossil s and accompanying artwork teristics, named Proto-avis, was the geologic record." ® that, to a layperson like me, indicated discovered in rocks "dated" at 225 transitional forms between dinosaurs _ and birds. _Sill!iliarities Do Not Equal Evoluti~n __ After Archaeoraptor was ex­ by Mark Sonmor posed to be a fraud, I decided to n 1964, a small, leaping predator are "derived" from different digits. study further to reconcile the other I was uncoverd named Deinonychus. Also, similarities don' t necessar­ claims. As a result, I found revealing After studying it's anatomy, John ily equal an evolutionary relation­ information that I had overlooked. Ostrom (Yale) concluded that it ship. Even Time magazine (July For example, next to the chart resembled a bird. However, like 6, 1998 pp.82-83) concedes that, showing the evolution from dinosaur all meat-eatin g dinosaurs, "Sharks and dolphins ... have to birds, the text acknowledged this Deinonychus had lizard­ comparable body shapes, though was "not a chronological progres­ type (sauriscian) hips - one is a fish and the other a mam­ sion" but rather an illustration of exactly the opposite of mal. Such disparate creations as how the traits of the modem wing what would be expected. The bats, birds and butterflies all have evolved in different creatures at dinosaurs that did have bird hips wings in common." However, it goes different times. With this in mind, I (ornithiscian) are not seen on to say that finding a dinosaur decided to arrange the fossils accord­ as adequate evolutionary with feathers would seem to indicate ing to the evolutionary dates assigned ancestors for birds. an evolutionary relationship. After to them. I found major problems as Furthermore, all, "They had [emphasis added] to illustrated at the far left. dinosaur "hand" evolve from somewhere." Only faith This arrangement shows that bones and "correspond­ in evolution would require this kind the fossils from China were found in ing" bird bones do not match. They of reasoning.® ~-- -- Problems with Reptile-to-Bird Evolution ost evolutionists believe reptiles developed wings by either climbing trees and gliding after prey, or M flapping forearms trying to catch insects on the ground. This ignores the insurmountable gap of genetic information required for reptiles to become birds. Their differences pose many transitional problems. • Birds have bodies balanced for flight. Reptiles have short forelimbs and heavy tails. • Birds have light, hollow bones which are also part of the lung system. Reptiles don't. • Birds have powerful flight muscles. Reptiles don't. • Birds have tendons that run over pulley-like openings in their shoulders. Reptiles don't, • Feathers originate from follicles inside the skin while scales are merely folds of skin. • a-keratins make up feather proteins while cp-keratins make up scales. • Birds have a continuous flowing lung system while reptiles have an "in/out" lung system. For details regarding the above problems, see Dr. Jonathan Sarfati's book: Refuting Evolution (available from AOI for $9.95+ $3 SIH). 3 Elk Creek Training Schedule of Events Feb 21-Mar 13 Mexico City Seminars Center Update Mar 5,1 2,19,26 Grand Jet CO: Calvary Bible Contact: 970-242-9121 by Dave Harper Mar 28-April 9 Russia: Seminarsrrraining Contact Marilyn: 970-523-9943 Jesus sent seventy disciples out " ..