Re: dinosaurs and man

From
Date
Cc
Megan wrote: 
>>>	I am a grad student at Boston University's science journalism 
>program, and I am writing an article on why the age of dinosaurs, and 
>subsequently the age of humanity, is constantly under fire.  The impetus 
>for this article was the 2/25/96 program NBC ran called "Mysterious 
>Origins of Man" which claimed, among many other things, that man and 
>dinosaurs lived at the same time.  Why is this such a point of 
>contention?  When exactly did scientists nail down the exact age of 
>dinosaurs?  Why is this so pivotal to the evolution debate?  Any thoughts 
>or comments would be greatly appreciated.
>

The Paluxy "man tracks" and other alleged evidence of human and dinsoaur 
cohabitation meant a lot to strict creationists, because they felt such 
evidence provided clear, dramatic proof against the standard evolutionary 
timetable, and in favor of their young-earth position.  Also, in comparison 
to the countless examples of fossils in the proper geologic order, the 
creationists had relatively few counter examples to point to--and those 
that they did have therefore took on an almost devine status.  Many 
creationists seemed to regard the Paluxy "man tracks," for example, as 
"short-cuts" to disproving evolution without having to deal fully with the 
huge variety and weight of evidence from many fields that supported an old 
earth.  The Paluxy controversy also involved an interesting (and somehow 
alluring) mixture of science, religion, philosophy, and colorful 
characters.  The same could be said of creationism in general.  
    Unfortunately for the young earth advocates, the Paluxy "man tracks" 
(on which I have worked extensively) turned out to involve a variety of 
misidentified phenomena, including elongate (metatarsal) dinosaur tracks, 
erosional markings, and some loose carvings.  Other claims of human remains 
or artifacts in pre-Cenozoic rocks have likewise not stood up to rigorous 
scientific investigation.   However, like the Paluxy tracks, they often 
provide a form of sensational, tabloid-level science that appeals to many.  
Perhaps a final reason that many creationists (and the public at large) are 
fascinated with such claims is that people like anything having to do with 
dinosaurs, and especially the idea of humans living or interacting with 
them.  After all, they are remarkable, monster-like beasts from the past 
that bring out the kid in many os us.  Witness the _Jurassic Park_ 
phenomenon. 
    For more information on the history and evidence of the Paluxy "man 
track" controversy, please visit my web site at

http://members.aol.com/paluxy2/paluxy.htm

For more information on the Creation/evolution controversy in general, 
there is a large collection of pertinent articles in the talk.orgins 
archives at:

http://rumba.ics.uci.edu:8080/

Thanks.

Glen J. Kuban
paleo@ix.netcom.com