Review of the book, Scientific Theology. Published in Origins v. 24, n. 2.

Any of the proposed resolutions to the conflict between radiometric dating and biblical chronology has problems. The pros and cons of each need to be considered.

  FOREWORD byClyde L. WebsterPh.D. Senior Research Scientist Geoscience Research Institute Very few things capture one's imagination quicker than finding a fossil while on a nature walk or even a walk through a museum. There is an almost mystical drawing power associated with fossils. Questions of What? Where? When? Why? and How? immediately flood one's mind, and in some cases may remain there forever,…

Research in the Yellowstone "fossil forests" includes study of the sediments, purported paleosoils, and paleoecology. Together, these indicate the "forests" are not in situ, but have been transported. Comparison with the effects of the eruption of Mt St Helens and the floating log raft in Spirit Lake provide an example of a possible mechanism for emplacement of the fossil trees in Yellowstone. Published in Origins v. 24, n. 1.

Radiometric dating is an interpretive science. The complex chemical and physical processes taking place within Earth's mantle and crust are neither completely known nor understood. This is especially true when the radioactive isotope parameters are considered.

Examples of false fossils warn us to be cautious, especially when dealing with ill defined objects which, in spite of varied claims, may or may not be real fossils. Published in Origins v. 23, n. 2.

Various examples adequately establish that a radioisotope age does not necessarily have a real-time significance. A relationship of a radioisotope age with real-time must be based on an interpretation.

A collection of short commentaries on scientific papers published in 1996, covering topics such as Homo erectus, the Permian mass extinction, mutations in Chernobyl rodents, dropstones, yeast genome, Heart Mt detachment, carbonate cycles, eye development gene, RNA World, Archaeopteryx, Cambrian chordate, turtles, stromatolites, and pseudogenes. Published in Origins v. 23, n. 1.

Study of the Bridgewater "Fossil Forest" of Victoria, Australia shows calcification of plants of two distinct appearances. One group is more superficial and consists of branching structures that appear to have grown in place. At a lower level is a series of layers of larger, hollow stump-like structures for which a suitable explanation is not known. Published in Origins v. 23, n. 1.

A review of the book, Grand Canyon: Monument to Catastrophe. Published in Origins v. 21, n. 2.

The catastrophic burial of plant debris and its subsequent change to coal is not accepted by most coal geologists. However, the dominant "peat bog" theory presents problems that have remained unanswered for more than a hundred years. A Flood model for the formation of coal answers some of these problems and provides a scientifically reasonable explanation for the origin of the vast quantities of coal that exist worldwide.

A review of the book, New Concepts in Plate Tectonics. The theogy of plate tectonics is questioned on geological grounds. Published in Origins v. 21, n. 1.

The fact that animals need plants poses a problem for the evolutionary model, since the record of past life sometimes reveals non-viable ecosystems. Published in Origins v. 21, n. 1.

The oceanic patterns of magnetic anomalies are thought to be one significant evidence supporting the general notions of plate tectonics. Arguments are presented suggesting that important characteristics of the anomaly patterns could be due to the measurement process itself rather than being a direct reflection of geomagnetic reversals and plate movement. Published in Origins v. 20, n. 1.

A collection of short commentaries on scientific papers published in 1991, covering topics such as Permian trees, molecular genetics, epigenetics, inheritance of paternal mtDNA, water and formation of petroleum, water in mantle rocks, impacts, Ordovician volcanism, molecular phylogenies of ratites, termites, cichlids and sabertooths, osteocalcin in dinosaur bones, fossil flowers, origin of life, Precambrian predation, stromatolites, Cambrian Explosion, quality of fossil record, rapid speciation, tree biogeography, Miocene ape, fossil dermopteran, Asian marsupial, dinosaurs, mammal-like reptile. Published in Origins v. 19, n. 2.

A review of the book, The Age of the Earth. Presents the standard interpretation of radioisotope data. Published in Origins v. 19, n. 2.

The pipes and dikes in Kodachrome Basin have come from the sedimentary layers below, and raise interesting questions regarding the amount of time involved in their formation. Published in Origins v. 19, n. 1.

The unnatural mixture and the rapid stratigraphic shifts of fauna seem to require catastrophic water transport into the area. The large geographic extent precludes a local event. Creationists suggest that a world-wide flood could produce results as seen in the Santana Formation and is a better explanatory model.

A review of the book, Absolute Age Determination. An authoritative description is provided of the methods of age-dating used to estimate the age of the earth. Published in Origins v. 17, n. 2.

The approach outlined in this paper suggests that the radiometric age assigned to the inorganic minerals associated with a fossil is more a reflection of the characteristics of the source of this inorganic material than an indication of the age of the fossil. Published in Origins v. 17, n. 2.