Marx Toys’ classic Trachodon
Today’s science is tomorrow’s poppycock.
Poor Trachodon! One of my favorite dinosaurs. And they’ve drummed him out of the corps.
I had the books, I had the toys, I saw the skeletons–waddaya mean, “No such thing as Trachodon”? But then they always do this, don’t they? In fact, we wouldn’t have any science if they didn’t. Science requires constant revision.
The problem crops up when scientists pontificate to the public and suddenly you have this Settled Science that must never be questioned.
And then they base public policy and law on Settled Science that will be laughed at 20 years from now.
Maybe I’m wrong but I’ve always thought of science as the collection of studies and the methods of study and analysis, not the “final product”.
And one of my biology professors (who I still admire) said that—and I am paraphrasing her, it was 20+ years ago) if you do science right, you end up with more questions than answers.
It’s supposed to be called “the scientific METHOD”–not the carved-in-stone dogma that’s gonna change pretty soon.
Exactly! It’s about learning from the natural world, not defending prior conclusions.
I only had snow white and the seven dwarfs figures when I was little; nothing like this. I would probably have like them though.
I’ve kept a box full of them. If you ever visit, we can play “dinosaurs.”
OK, sounds like fun.
You can have the Brontosaurs.
I thought you promised me the Brontosaurs. 🙂
I have enough for all three of us.
Sounds like a plan to me.
The scientific method is a tool to prove or disprove theories and ideas. When I hear people say that the science settles whatever, I think of the Shroud of Turin. Scientists have examined it and tested it and researched what they can about it but when they appear to settle on some conclusion, here comes another scientist with a different angle or way of looking at it. And now the scientists need to go back to studying it.
The Shroud of Turin is not the burial cloth of Christ. A lot of time has been wasted studying it. Why have they not taken a look into the word of God, what sayeth the Word? “Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices…” (John 19:40). “And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself” (John 20:7). He was not covered by a single piece of cloth. He was wrapped like a mummy! A napkin is a cloth for wiping the face or a head-covering for the dead.
I had that one, plus a host of others.
Here is a bit from “Reindeer Don’t Fly: Exploring the Evidence-Lacking Realm of Evolutionary Philosophy.”
“Q: How many complete dinosaur bone sets have been found?
A: Good question, and I’ll be darned if I know the exact answer. One scientist estimated there are only about 2,100 good skeletons of any dinosaur in museums around the world. But a complete skeleton is another thing. It’s not like a model kit that comes with all the parts included. When we are lucky enough to find whole dinosaurs it is usually because sand from a stream bottom or a sand dune has covered over the dinosaur soon after it died. But even then, the little bones of the tail are often washed or blown away. For instance, we have about 15 good skeletons of T. rex now, including two that are nearly complete. That’s a lot compared to most dinosaurs, which are only known from a single tooth or bone. But we still don’t have a complete T. rex.8
Was Don Lessem, our dinosaur expert, really serious when he said, “most dinosaurs…are only known from a single tooth or bone”? Well, yes he was. On July 30, 2016, Brian Switek’s story “Paleo Profile: The Mystery Titanosaur” appeared in Scientific American. Yes sir, a caption stated: “A single bone gives away the existence of a previously unknown dinosaur in Brazil.”9 Only a single corroded, blemished fibula (one of the lower leg bones) was found. Let us hope they find the rest of the skeleton and reunite the fibula with its body, or for the remainder of eternity that beast will definitely walk with a limp. From that one bone, scientists estimated he stood about 4.5 ft at the hip, and was not a fully-grown individual. Apparently, his birth certificate was also found, for they dated his demise at 129 million years ago, give or take a year or two. Along with that document they must have found a family photo, for there was even a picture with the story, a speculative restoration of this beast, along with two other much larger specimens, presumably its father and mother. Just imagine what they would know if two or even three bones had been found.”