Is Fossil Discovery Darwin's "Missing Link"?-Tiktaalik Raises Unanticipated Problems for Evolution
NEWS ADVISORY, April 10, 2006, /Christian Wire Service/ -- Scientists have recovered 375-million-year-old fossils of a shallow-water fish in sediments in the Canadian Arctic near the North Pole.
Evolutionary biologists believe that this creature, dubbed Tiktaalikroseae, documents the transition that animals made from the sea to land. Tiktaalik is being touted as one of the most important fossil finds in history-Darwin's "missing link."
However, not all scientists agree that Tiktaalik proves the case for evolution. One such scientist is internationally respected biochemist Fazale 'Fuz' Rana, PhD, a Christian origin-of-life researcher and Vice President at the science/faith think-tank, Reasons To Believe.
"If Tiktaalik is a transitional intermediate, it means that evolution from fish to land-dwelling animals must have happened in less than 10 million years.
"When evolutionary biologists claim that the transition from sea to land is that fast-paced," argues Rana, "it raises very real questions about evolution as an explanation for life's history, even if this fossil is regarded as the 'holy grail' of paleontology.
"Evolution couldn't have happened that rapidly given the extensive biological changes needed for a creature to move from the water to land. Evolutionary biologists have made up their minds before they even examine the data," Rana continues. "They are so convinced that evolution is a fact they are unwilling to carefully weigh the evidence."
Dr. Fazale 'Fuz' Rana is the author of the books, Origins of Life and Who Was Adam?. In these books Dr. Rana, with astronomer Dr. Hugh Ross, makes the case that the origin of life and humanity stem from the work of a Creator. They also document numerous scientific problems with the theory of evolution.
"It's apparent that Tiktaalik was well-suited to live in a shallow-water environment near the land's edge. The biological characteristics that this creature needed to thrive in that environment are similar to those required to live on the land," maintains Rana. "These shared features could just as easily reflect the work of a Creator who reused a mosaic of designs."
Fazale 'Fuz' Rana, Ph.D.-Fazale 'Fuz' Rana did his undergraduate work in chemistry at West Virginia State College. He then completed his post-graduate studies at Ohio University and earned a Ph.D. in chemistry with an emphasis in biochemistry. After completing postdoctoral fellowships at the universities of Virginia and Georgia, he worked for seven years in product development research for Procter & Gamble
Prior to joining the scholar team at Reasons To Believe in 1999, he published more than 15 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals and made more than 20 presentations at international scientific meetings. Dr. Rana also coauthored a chapter on antimicrobial peptides for Biological and Synthetic Membranes and he holds one patent.
Since joining Reasons To Believe he has chaired three conferences and has written two books published by NavPress, Origins of Life: Biblical and Evolutionary Models Face Off and Who Was Adam: A Creation Model Approach to the Origin of Man. He has published numerous articles on the apologetic significance of recent discoveries in the life sciences. He appears each week on the live Web broadcast, Creation Update, and is a highly popular and frequent guest on a wide variety of nationally/internationally syndicated talk radio and television programs.
Reasons To Believe (www.reasons.org) is currently celebrating its 20th Anniversary. Founded in 1986 by renowned astrophysicist Hugh Ross, Ph.D. Reasons To Believe is unique in its position of demonstrating that science and the Bible complement one another. The mission of Reasons To Believe is to remove the doubts of skeptics, strengthen the faith of believers, and offer solid answers to questions about God and science.
Reasons To Believe provides resources that will keep you informed about up-to-the minute discoveries in the sciences and how they harmonize with God's revelation in the words of the Bible. It is our conviction that since the same God who 'authored' the universe also inspired the writings of Scripture, a consistent message will come from both revelations. In other words, the facts of nature will agree with, not contradict, the Bible. Recent scientific discoveries support this now more than at any other time in history.
