Dinosaurs and Evolution

Jeff Poling with David Buckna

INTRODUCTION

Toward the end of 1995, a gentleman by the name of David Buckna submitted an article for inclusion in my Journal of Dinosaur Paleontology. This article questions whether dinosaur fossils support evolution. The article is, in my opinion, full of half-truths and obfuscations designed to confuse the reader. I traded several e-mails with Mr. Buckna, outlining my concerns, in the hope he would rewrite the article with an eye toward facts rather than innuendo. Mr. Buckna never responded to my last e-mail, and never submitted a rewritten article. As this article appeared in a Canadian newspaper (or newspapers), I feel an obligation to publish a response.

The following series of 11 web pages consist of an unedited (except for spelling) copy of the article, followed by e-mails, put together to seem more like a discussion, regarding problems with the "facts" contained in the article. I have added additional commentary to elaborate some of my points. Because of the problems with this article, I want to encourage you to read the entire series (over several days, if necessary) rather than only part.

Hopefully, you will find these pages .... enlightening.

1. Dinosaurs and Evolution: Do Dino Fossils Support Evolution? by David Buckna
2. Dinosaurs and Evolution: Dinosaur hips.
3. Dinosaurs and Evolution: Archaeopteryx, dinosaur skin, and the progression of evolution.
4. Dinosaurs and Evolution: Mononykus, Linnean Taxonomy and Cladistics.
5. Dinosaurs and Evolution: Feathers.
6. Dinosaurs and Evolution: Fossilization and the dinosaurian "death pose."
7. Dinosaurs and Evolution: Slides and floods.
8. Dinosaurs and Evolution: Dr. Duane Gish and transitional forms.
9. Dinosaurs and Evolution: Dr. Duane Gish and Giganotosaurus
10. Dinosaurs and Evolution: Punctuated equilibrium.
11. Dinosaurs and Evolution: Evidence for evolution in the fossil record.
12. Dinosaurs and Evolution Endnotes.