Page 139 - The Evolution Impasse 1

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only 500 years old, whereas the jawbone decay, but the mould or cast remains. If
belonged to a newly deceased orangu- minerals subsequently fill the hollow,
tan! (See Piltdown Man.) the result is an exact copy of the orga-
nism’s outline. If the body parts are rep-
laced with different minerals, this is
Fossil known as petrifaction. So perfect can

This is the name given to the remains this petrifaction sometimes be that ana-
or traces of a plant or animal preserved tomical studies can even be carried out
in the Earth’s strata. The word itself is of on fossilized specimens. 172
Latin origin, signifying to dig. Fossils Fossils may include not only the hard
collected from all over the world provide parts of living things such as bones, te-
detailed information about the orga- eth, and shells, but can even preserve
nisms that have lived on Earth since life moulds of various organs and even sug-
began. gest lifestyles. The shape of bones and
Under normal conditions, when an how muscles were attached to them can
animal dies, all traces of it quickly di- tell us an animal’s posture and how it
sappear. The body may be removed by moved. 173
scavengers or broken down by micro-or- Fossil research also enables us to ob-
ganisms, after which no trace of the ani- tain information about extinct animals
mal is left. Remains are only preserved and plants, and when these particular
under exceptional circumstances. 171 species lived. However, evolutionists al-
For that reason, only a very few orga- so regard fossils as vital in terms of
nisms are preserved as fossils after they constructing genetic relationships bet-
die. The fossilization of any organism ween living things and indicating simila-
generally depends on two conditions be- rities in their development. They use fos-
ing met: sil remains to prove their claim that li-
1. Swift burial, so that it is protected ving things supposedly developed from
against attacks by scavengers, one another in stages. However, altho-
2. The presence of hard body parts, ugh some 80% of the fossil records have
capable of being fossilized. today been uncovered, they have no evi-
The most efficient environment for dence to offer, apart from a few fossils
fossilization is a muddy, clay-rich one. that subsequently proved to be fakes or
After any organism that falls—or is the product of distortion. In fact, the fos-
dragged—into such an environment, the sils in the layers of the Earth confirm
elements around harden, forming a mo- that living things have existed in their
uld. Later, the soft tissues of the orga- perfect forms ever since they were first
nism itself generally disappear, due to created. (See Fossil records, below.)

Harun Yahya (Adnan Oktar)