On March 30, 2021, Matt Miles and Bob Dugas were conducting an event in Libby, MT when Steve and Patty Johnson invited them to their home. Steve had worked throughout Montana and other northern states as a surveyor for the railroad. Through the years of surveying, he amassed quite a fossil collection of all sorts of creatures. Matt and Bob had a wonderful time examining several dinosaur fossils. As they were leaving the Johnson home, Matt was handed a box with three Edmontosaurus fossils in it. The Johnsons’ generous gift would be a great addition to our collection.
Fossil Research Update
Matt Miles & Ryan Cox • July 5, 2024
Fossil Research Update
“I will enlarge no more on the evidence, but submit it to you.—Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence”
~ John Adams: December 4, 1770 ¹
As Creation Truth Foundation celebrates 35 years of ministry, we remain committed to our mission statement laid forth by Dr. G. Thomas Sharp to “train disciples to trust the Bible’s history for its accuracy so they will trust its promise for their destiny.” We have been charged to defend the perfect accuracy of the Biblical record, divinely revealed by our Creator God.² To this end, we research and share the latest results and evidences from the many disciplines of study (paleontology, geology, biology, genetics, biochemistry, archeology, history, etc.). As expected, real observable, testable, repeatable, falsifiable science ALWAYS confirms the Word of God, and such was the case with recent laboratory observations conducted by CTF staff.
Two months later in Ponca City, OK, those fossils were on display with the rest of the CTF collection for an event with the Institute for Creation Research (ICR is based in Dallas, TX). As Bob and Ryan Cox were packing up, they were informed that Dr. Brian Thomas, ICR scientist and good friend of our ministry, had taken the largest of the three Edmontosaurus fossils. Dr. Thomas, who earned his PhD in paleobiochemistry from the University of Liverpool (UK) and specializes in original biomaterial in fossils, hoped to extract a sample and examine it for original biomaterial, specifically collagen. We were excited about this possibility and awaited the opportunity to conduct the procedure in a laboratory.
Vertebrates (animals with backbones) contain several types of collagen, with the most prevalent being Type I, comprising over 90% of organic bone matrix and 80% of total proteins in bones.³ Upon death, collagen, as with all organic compounds, begins to decay away. Scientists admit that collagen and other protein molecules decay at fast rates and cannot last more than 4 million years.⁴⁻⁵ Yet, it is frequently and consistently found in dinosaur fossils, even in “eight dinosaur bones from the Cretaceous period, none of which are exceptionally preserved.”⁶ How is there such an abundance of original biomaterial in fossils that are supposed to be tens or hundreds of millions of years old in an evolutionary worldview, when the biomaterials cannot last that long according to their research?
To make matters worse for evolutionists, the calculated decay rate of peptides (short protein segments), such as those found in collagen locked in bone, indicate they should be completely gone in less than 30,000 years if kept in optimum cool and dry conditions; otherwise, it will all be gone sooner!⁷⁻⁸ Additionally, Dr. Thomas has published with other scientists two peer-reviewed articles in secular journals demonstrating an even faster rate of collagen decay!⁹⁻¹⁰
If the evolutionary mythos was true, there should not be any original biomaterial in any dinosaur or other fossils believed to be millions of years old; it is scientifically impossible according to observational science. Rather, if the Biblical record is true of Creation 6,000 years ago and the Global Flood 4,300 years ago (in which billions of animals would have been buried and fossilized all over the planet), then it is scientifically possible that original biomaterial might be present according to observational science.
On March 22, 2024, Matt Miles, Ryan Cox, and Ryan’s 13-year-old son Justus were joined by Dr. Thomas and lab technicians Julie Hastings and Clayton Turner to test the Edmontosaurus fossil at the Dinosaur Discovery Lab in the Creation Evidence Museum of Glen Rose, TX.¹¹ It was such a special occasion as Dr. and Mrs. Sharp also made the trip to join us for the momentous day.
The previous day was spent by Matt, Ryan, and Justus familiarizing and practicing the lab procedures for extracting and examining a fossil specimen. Then on Friday, Dr. Thomas assisted as (1.) Matt drilled into the fossil for extraction, (2.) Matt, Ryan, and Justus prepared the microscope slides, and (3.) everyone, including Dr. Sharp, examined the specimens through a microscope using polarized light microscopy. This procedure permits certain wavelengths of light to pass through a filter and the sample. By rotating the sample (called cross-polarizing), it permits other wavelengths to pass through if there is material in the sample that is birefringent. In a bone sample, collagen is birefringent, meaning it will refract the filtered light waves, changing colors when rotating the sample. If collagen is not present, the sample will not change colors.
The CTF samples from our Edmontosaurus fossil changed from gold to a teal color, meaning original collagenous material is present in the fossil! It is, therefore, thousands not millions of years old! Also, clearly defined dark spots (called lacunae) with little tentacles (called dendritic processes) indicated the presence of numerous bone cells called osteocytes.
VIDEO: Edmontosaurus specimen #20210330, sample 2 - Cross Polarization Microscopy: change from gold to teal indicates presence of collagen
Human bones contain roughly 42 billion osteocytes. The calculated half-life of their decay upon death is 25 years.¹² When one does the math, after 1,000 years there should not be any detectable osteocytes under present-day conditions. For fossils created and preserved by the conditions of the Flood, it is possible to see evidence of osteocytes still present after 4,300 years, but not after millions of years. The lab techs noted they had never seen that many highly defined lacunae (where osteocytes are found) in a fossil sample!
Today, the fossil, slides, and microscope pictures and videos are being displayed and presented at almost every CTF event. Matt and Ryan are able to share with audiences across the country this incredible, scientifically observable evidence acquired in a laboratory under the supervision of a PhD paleobiochemist that declares dinosaur fossils are thousands instead of millions of years old, confirming the Bible’s history! Whatever may be the wishes, inclinations, or dictates of the passions of evolutionists, “they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence,” as John Adams reminded the court.
Rather, “facts are stubborn things,” and for 35 years it has been, still is, and always shall be the solid conviction and bold proclamation of Creation Truth Foundation that “Thy Word is truth” (John 17:17).
Special thanks to Dr. Carl Baugh, Julie Hastings, and Clayton Turner of the Dinosaur Discovery Lab at the Creation Evidence Museum for the use of their time and facilities and to Dr. Brian Thomas for taking the time to join and guide us in a day of discovery, through which God continues to be glorified.
- “Adams’ Argument for the Defense: 3–4 December 1770,” Founders Online, National Archives, <https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/05-03-02-0001-0004-0016>.
- II Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is God-breathed…”
- Morten Karsdal, Biochemistry of Collagens, Laminins and Elastin: Structure, Function and Biomarkers, 2ⁿᵈ ed., Academic Press: London, 2019, p. 1.
- N. Rybczynski. et al., “Mid-Pliocene warm-period deposits in the High Arctic yield insight into camel evolution”, Nature Communications 4 (1550), 2013, <https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms2516>.
- M. Schweitzer, et al., “A role for iron and oxygen chemistry in preserving soft tissues, cells and molecules from deep time”, Proceedings of the Royal Society B 281 (20132741), 2014, <https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.2741>.
- S. Bertazzo, et al., “Fibres and cellular structures preserved in 75-million–year-old dinosaur specimens”, Nature Communications 6 (7352), 2015, <https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms8352>.
- B. Thomas, “How Long Can Cartilage Last?”, Institute for Creation Research, 29 October 2010, <https://www.icr.org/article/how-long-can-cartilage-last/>.
- J. Berg, et al., Biochemistry, 8ᵗʰ ed., W.H. Freeman and Co., New York: 2015, p. 253.
- B. Thomas and S. Taylor, “Proteomes of the Past: The Pursuit of Proteins in Paleontology”, Expert Review of Proteomics 16 (11-12), 2019: 881-895.
- B. Thomas, et al., “Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR FT-IR) Spectroscopy Sensitivity to the Thermal Decay of Bone Collagen”, Applied Spectroscopy 77 (1), January 2023: 53-61.
- www.creationevidence.org
- L. Bonewald, “The Role of the Osteocyte in Bone and Nonbone Disease”, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinics of North America 46 (1), March 2017:1-18, <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecl.2016.09.003>.
One of the most important ministry focuses CTF has is the Sharp Institute for Biblical Worldview Studies (SIBWS). Dr. Sharp began this division of our ministry in 2005 because of a specific call from the Lord. As Doc would share often, the Lord challenged him. He saw that even with all of the programming and books sold in the church programs that we did year after year, and as impactful and Kingdom-building as that was, when we left there was most often no one in the local body to continue our message and teaching on Genesis 1-12 and its importance to the Gospel. The Lord directed Doc to multiply the teaching and mission of CTF in the local body. So Doc heard the call and accepted the challenge, as he always did from the Lord, and IBWS was born. Doc called a few people to join him for study that first meeting of the IBWS at a dude ranch in north Texas. I was one of those first invited to come and study, as many of you know from my personal testimony shared over the years. It was Providence that directed me to this Cadre study group and laid the foundation for me to be in the position I am today. As the four of us in that first group studied, the Lord connected, emphasized, and exhorted the importance of Genesis in our worldviews. When I left that first meeting, I was full and ready to teach and preach what the Lord had just challenged and changed in my worldview. Now, 21 years later, Doc’s original calling and direction for the IBWS continues. Over the course of these years, 146 members have completed the training. Each one has been challenged to use what they have learned wherever the Lord places them in ministry. For some it is from the pulpit, others are in vocational student ministry, and some have been called to primarily impact their own families with worldview training. We send them off with all of our outlines and presentation slides to help accomplish this task. It is quite exciting to look back and see what the Lord has done through this endeavor. Ryan and I literally might not be where we are today if we hadn’t first studied in our Cadre program. When Doc retired and passed the mantle of the presidency to me in 2018, it seemed fitting to honor his enduring call to Biblical worldview training by renaming the Institute to bear his name. So now it will forever be called the Sharp Institute for Biblical Worldview Studies. Over the course of its history we have had consistent numbers of invited members desiring to learn more of the Word of God. However, we have never had a consistent location to provide the training. It’s through the generous offerings of borrowed church facilities that we have been able to continue SIBWS without a home of its own. It is time to change that. We are in need of our own facility to house the SIBWS presently and for future expansion of this CTF ministry division. We have been pursuing different options, from renovating our present office building to the purchasing of additional space. Providence would have it that 2 doors north of our offices there is a property for sale. It is a great fit for the SIBWS Cadre program needs, and it would also provide room for our books and resources department to expand out of its present cramped space. It has a room for a training facility, a kitchen (needing renovation), dining room options, possible sleeping quarters for a Cadre member in need, 3 bathrooms and a shower, parking out back (which we have been blessed to utilize for years by permission), and the afore mentioned room for our books and resources department. We have no idea how we could ever afford such a property without the Lord’s help, as we are devoted to being as debt free as possible moving forward in this ministry. In the midst of seeking the Lord for this need to be met, He has already sent us a generous offer of a $100,000 matching gift toward the purchase of a property , even if the building up the block is not the one. Truly, our financial position has never been more blessed at any other time in our history than at present, being completely debt free. So, I share all of this to ask for your prayers as we move forward to find a solution to our need of a home for the SIBWS and it’s continued effectiveness for the Kingdom. Also lift up the matching gift offer: I must exhort you to seek the Lord if you are one to help us do what, at this moment seems impossible, to purchase property without incurring debt . The mission of CTF is accomplished month in and month out with the exceeding blessings of churches, family members, and individuals that support us. The Lord’s faithfulness through all these years is unmistakable and we look forward to seeing Him do more of the impossible. May the Lord bless, keep, and challenge you for His Kingdom!
The First Prayer In Congress by T.H. Matteson, 1848