From Michael Elson:

Re: Did insects take down T. rex? (Jan. 4): I like [Poinar’s] original idea - it is about time we had a fresh approach to that dumb asteroid theory. I have for ever been at odds with that 65 million year old asteroid theory killing off the dinosaurs. I have written a short paper on that subject, and if you are interested, I will e-mail it to you. Otherwise, instead of viewing planet earth as a man standing on it, imagine that you are a giant looking at planet earth as though it were a mere large beach ball. Then make a solid sphere of concrete one metre in diameter. Then using your imagination - just as palaeontologists do when they pick up a newly discovered follized bone - and fire a miniature rifle bullet at that sphere, from any range you choose. From then onwards, work out the impact and see if you would still support the theory of the 10 year long envelopment of planet earth by the dust and debris thrown up by that so-called ‘massive’ collision. To scale on my model, that asteroid would be the size of a grain of sand(!), and I’ve quadruple-checked my maths and still get the same answer. My concrete model weighs 1½ tons and I haven’t even bothered to weigh a grain of sand... .

Darwin claimed that the evidence for the evolution of reptiles to birds is based on (in part) reptilian scales being made of the same material (keratin) that feathers are, ignoring that dinosaurian bone structure alone is vastly different from birds, aside from their massive teeth, thick horny skin and heavy body mass. Admittedly, there were smaller dinosaurs, but nevertheless... Additionally, and most importantly, keratin is also the protein that forms the epidermis of the skin, as well as the hair, nails, scales, feathers, beaks, horns, and hooves of animals. So I am amazed that this was brought in as ‘evidence’, claiming that scales and feathers prove the fallacious exclusive relationship between reptiles and birds. The internal organs of birds are wildy different to lizards and the rest - very especially their lung development and their air sacs, as well as their breathing cycle which is totally exclusive to them. I have spent many years ‘studying’ reptilian and avian skeletons and have never come close to seeing any similarity between the two that would lead a land dwelling reptile to ‘become’ a flight gifted bird. Nor is there anywhere near sufficient evidence to even indicate that birds evolved from reptiles, let alone form a theory.

Where are the bones of the millions of interrelated beings that evolved? There should be millions of them over the millions of years claimed for everything to have taken place. And what could the reason or necessity be for a lizard ‘changing’ into a bird? After all, we still have lizards.....

I would dearly like to hear that just one scientist like yourself perhaps, who sees what I’m on about, and who will specifically investigate that perforated Darwinian theory - like so many others of his, such as his 15 kilogram ‘dog’ to modern day ½ ton horse - and his ‘pig’ to elephant theories.

If you would let me have your postal address I have a few drawings to clearly illustrate my own denigration of certain palaeontological theories - if you like. All food for thought.

Michael Elson
Cape Town
South Africa