Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs:

Science vs. Religion

AB

Mrs. Carroll

College Preparatory

11/30/2004

Outline

Thesis: Dinosaurs: Science vs. Religion

Thesis Statement: How old are Dinosaurs?

1. Introduction: Science vs. Religion

2. How Old Are Dinosaurs?

3. What Science Believes

a. Where does Science get its facts

b. Paleontology findings

c. How do Paleontologists tell time

4. What Christians Believe

a. Where do Christians get their facts

b. How do Dinosaurs fit into the Bible

c. Modern Evidence

5. Conclusion

AB

Mrs. Carroll

College Preparatory

11/30/04

Dinosaurs: Science vs. Religion

Science and Religion both agree on one thing: dinosaurs existed. We have known this ever since the discovery of the first dinosaur bones. Science and Religion differ on other subjects, however, such as: the origin and age of the earth and dinosaurs. I chose this subject because I feel like it is commonly accepted that the earth is millions of years old, and that dinosaurs and man did not exist at the same time. No one really knows the answers to these mysteries, yet we teach them in our schools. I chose this subject because I wanted to find the answer to the question "how old are dinosaurs?".

Since Darwin first published his theory of evolution, most people have believed that common man evolved from apes. People have commonly accepted what scientists and paleontologists have told us. Science believes that the earth is 4600 million years old. Science also believes that dinosaurs are 220 million years old. Dinosaurs ruled on a huge single land mass for 150 million years (Benton 15). All of these things are what the science community calls "facts". One of the most important beliefs is that man and dinosaurs did not exist at the same time. How does science know all these things? They have taken information from the findings of fossils (Brett-Surman 15).

Fossils give us so much information about a prehistoric world that existed before us. They give us an idea of the creatures and plants that inhabited the earth before us. There are several ways to date the fossils. The easiest way to date fossils is by rock layers. Over time, rocks develop in sheets. Geologists can tell how old the rock layers are. Paleontologists can then tell how old the fossils are by seeing what sheet the dinosaur fossil is found in. This is also how scientists have measured how old the earth is (Benton 17). There are also three more, much more sophisticated ways of measuring the age of fossils. These three ways are: radiometric, paleomagnetic, and fossil tracking (Brett-Surman 20).

Radioactive dating is measuring the amount of the potassium isotope K40 tapped in a fossil. When the fossils are buried, many gasses are trapped in the spaces in fossils. The easiest to measure is K40. Over time, the K40 turns to Ar40. Scientists have an idea how old the fossil is by measuring the amount of Ar40 compared to the amount of K40. And since K40 turns to Ar40 at a constant rate, they can guess how old the fossil is (Brett-Surman 20).

When measuring the age of a fossil paleomagnetically, they look inside the fossil for clues about the earth's polarity. Scientists believe that over time, the earths polarity suddenly switches. What we know as the North Pole would switch to become the South Pole. These reverse polarities make indentations inside the fossil. They then can measure the indentations and guess how old the fossil is (Brett-Surman 20).

Another way to date fossils is to look at the fission track. Fission tracks are not present in all fossils. Fission tracks are actually a rarity. Scientists count the number of scratches on the wall of the fossil. These scratches are caused by the reaction of fission inside the fossil. Since fission happens at a controlled rate, they know how old the fossils are by counting the number of scratches. All of these methods can be very close, but none of them are 100% proven (Brett-Surman 20).

Another way that we can get a clue to how old fossils are is by knowing how fossils are made. Fossils are actually very rare, and a dinosaur fossil is extremely rare. For a fossil to be made, the conditions have to be perfect. A fossil needs three important factors: a quick burial, a suitable amount of water, and suitable minerals (Origin of the Dinosaurs. October 29, 2004. http://www.christiananswers.net/dinosaurs 17). Many fossils are found near rivers or where rivers have once been. This is a good place for them because dinosaurs could have died, and sank to the bottom of the river and been buried by mud and dirt very quickly, especially where there is running water (Benton 16).

Another point that must be made is that it doesn't take millions of years for something to become fossilized. Under the right conditions, it happens very quickly. More than half of all fossils found still have original bones in them. Some fish fossils that have been found still smelled like fish. These are important facts for the other side of my thesis because the conditions for quick fossilization were excellent during the Great Flood. (Origin of the Dinosaurs. Internet online 18)

For us to understand when dinosaurs existed, according to science, we must understand how science divides time. The history of earth is divided into 4 age groups. The Precambrian age (4,600-600 million years ago), Phanerozoic age (600-250 millions years ago), Mesozoic (250-65 million years ago), and the Cenozoic age (65-0 million years ago). Science groups the dinosaurs into the Mesozoic age. The Mesozoic is divided into 3 ages, (Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous) with certain dinosaurs fitting into each age. The dinosaurs became extinct somewhere near the end of the Mesozoic era. The Cenozoic age doesn't start where the dinosaurs no longer existed; it