Researchers have recently found a “treasure trove” of “183-million-year-old” fossils on a farm in England. Included in the discovery near Gloucestershire were fish, ichthyosaurs, squids, insects and other ancient animals.

One of the more interesting fossils was a three-dimensionally preserved head of an extinct ray-finned fish of the Pachycormus genus. Embedded in limestone, the fossil contained exceptionally well preserved soft tissues including scales and an eye. The 3D nature of the fossil led the researchers to say they couldn’t compare it to any previous find.

Neville Hollingworth, a field geologist who along with his wife, Sally, discovered the site, said, “The eyeball and socket were well preserved. Usually, with fossils, they're lying flat. But in this case, it was preserved in more than one dimension, and it looks like the fish is leaping out of the rock."

"I've never seen anything like it before," Sally Hollingworth added. "You could see the scales, skin, spine — even its eyeball is still there." The Hollingworths were so astounded, they contacted a company to create an interactive 3D image of the fish to help researchers study it more closely.

At one time, the region in the UK was completely submerged by a tropical sea and sediments apparently helped preserve the fossils. "When the fish died, they sank to the bottom of the seabed," said fossil marine reptile specialist Dean Lomax, a member of the excavation group. "As with other fossils, the minerals from the surrounding seabed continually replaced the original structure of the bones and teeth. In this case, the site shows that there was very little to no scavenging, so they must've been rapidly buried by the sediment. As soon as they hit the seabed, they were covered over and protected immediately."

The researchers will continue studying the fossils and eventually publish their findings. Also, they plan to display some of the fossils in a museum.

Comments: The world of science was shaken in 2005 when paleontologist Dr. Mary Schweitzer reported finding soft tissue and red blood cells in a “68-million-year-old” Tyrannosaurus rex fossil. At first, secular scientists had a hard time accepting the idea tissue could remain soft for that long. Apparently, not all evolutionists even today will admit that fact, as I discovered recently in an online “discussion” with an evolutionist.

Yet, since then many more discoveries of soft tissue in fossils has been reported. One discovery involved the uncovering of thousands of rare soft-tissue fossils along a riverbank in China. The fossils were dated to the Cambrian period which supposedly occurred 541–485 million years ago. They included jellyfish, box jellies, anemones and other creatures.

This latest discovery of such an old soft-tissue fossil just reinforces the perception that perhaps scientists should be entertaining the idea that there is something seriously wrong with the system paleontologists use to date fossils. The extreme surprise the Hollingworths have shown over their finding just shows secular scientists are not yet willing to do this, likely because it would destroy the evolutionist timeline.

The explanationin the story of how the Pachycormus fish became fossilized describes how fossils usually form. The fish died, sank to the bottom of the sea, was not bothered by scavengers, was rapidly buried, and eventually minerals from the seabed replaced the original bones and teeth, except, in this case, not all of the tissue.

Creationists will surely see evidence of Noah’s flood in this discovery. The flood would have quickly buried creatures allowing them to become fossilized. The English farm was once underwater when the fish died. It is not underwater today, which is due to the flood waters eventually receding. But the fossils were left behind, embedded in the seabed as they were.

Scientists, like other people, can become stubborn when they observe evidence that contradicts their preconceived notions. Christians dare not be stubborn creatures. God says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but stubborn fools despise wisdom and discipline” (Proverbs 1:7). We humbly admit our sins and meekly come to the Lord Jesus Christ in faith for forgiveness and the promise of eternal life in heaven.

By Warren Krug

Reference: Jennifer Nalewicki, “'Never seen anything like it': Impeccably preserved Jurassic fish fossils found on UK farm,” Live Science [July 29, 2022]. (Artist conception of a Pachycormus fish by “the sesame tree,” from Wikimedia Commons.)

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QUESTION OF THE DAY

Can tick bites cause an allergy to meat?

A Lone Star tick bite can trigger Alpha-gal syndrome, a potentially life-threatening allergy to a molecule in red meat, dairy, and some food products such as gelatin. These ticks are found in the eastern, southeastern, and central U.S. are are now spreading to the Upper Midwest, Mississippi Valley and Great Lakes. An insect repellent with 25 to 30 percent deet can protect one’s skin and permethrin to protect clothing.

Source: “On Your Mind,” Consumer Reports On Health [August, 2022], page 12

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