Evidence from the fossil record

A.	Cambrian rocks Ten Misconceptions About The Geologic Column Impact Supplemental Reading 1. Rocks are identified by what fossils they contain Circular Reasoning In Evolutionary Geology Impact 2. Billions of fossils are found of complex invertebrates in Cambrian rock 3. Conditions for fossilization (uniformitarianism vs. catastrophism) What are "Polystrate" Fossils? Back to Genesis Supplemental Reading How Long Does It Take For Wood To Petrify? Back to Genesis Supplemental Reading 4. No ancestor of invertebrates is found in Pre-Cambrian rock
B.	Invertebrate to fish—over a supposed 100 million years of evolution, there is not one example of in intermediate between invertebrates and fish Candidate Transitional Forms Between Invertebrates and Vertebrates (Sidebar 3)
C.	Fish to amphibian 1. Fins to feet and legs a. Coelacanth—has bony fins, but is a fish b. "First" amphibian is fully amphibian—feet, legs, large pelvic bone. Pelvic bone is firmly anchored to vertebral column. (Pelvic bone of fish is very small, loosely embedded in muscle. No connection between pelvic bone of fish and vertebral column—none needed, fins do not support body weight.) 2. Chicago Natural History Museum display—"intermediate inferred" 3. Coelacanth—found alive in 1938 An Update on Coelacanths (Sidebar 4)
D.	Reptiles—land and marine 1. Marine reptiles (one example is the Plesiosaur)—no intermediate forms of reptiles developing paddles 2. No intermediate forms of land reptiles forming from amphibians
E.	Reptiles to mammals; land mammals to marine mammals The Origin Of Mammals 1. Cow to whale; Basilosaur Evolution of the Whale (Sidebar 5) 2. Duck-billed platypus mosaic
F.	Flight 1. Insects a. Flying—dragonfly fossils supposedly 380 million years old same as modern b. Non-flying—ants, cockroaches, psuedo-scorpions (390 million years old) same as modern c. No intermediate fossils between non-flying and flying insect, though there are many fossilized flying and many fossilized non-flying insects fossilized 2. Flying reptiles—long fourth finger supporting wing membrane (up to 54 ft) a. Supposed evolution—gradual elongation of fourth finger by mutation and formation of muscles and membrane b. Intermediate stage never found 3. Bat—wing membrane supported by long fingers; sonar system a. Oldest known bat ("50 million years") same as modern b. No intermediate stage or ancestor; no change in last 50 million years 4. Birds—Archaeopteryx (supposedly 150 million years old) had feathers, teeth, claws on wings, long, bony tail a. Teeth—some other fossil birds also had teeth b. Claws on wings—juvenile Hoatzin; ostrich c. A fully formed bird was found in a layer that was 225 million years old (75 million years older than Archaeopteryx) As A Transitional Form Archaeopteryx Won't Fly Impact

Copyright © 1999 Institute for Creation Research
All Rights Reserved