july 20, 2019

Chris Rupe, (B.S., Biology), a Logos Research Ambassador,  described the culmination of four years intense research in the field of Paleoanthropology - his new book, "Contested Bones," co-authored with Geneticist, Dr. John Sanford.  Chris is currently a graduate student at Loma Linda University, studying Geology.

New fossil discoveries are being made all the time. These new finding are often promoted to the world as compelling evidence for ape-to-man evolution. [Incidentally, the most strident evolutionary claims are usually made by a very small cast of self-promoting fossil hunters, darlings of the pseudo-scientific media!]  Meanwhile, the actual experts in the field (called paleoanthropologists) dispute almost every major claim that is made, including the ancestral status of "Lucy" and the latest findings such as Australopithecus sediba and Homo naledi. Unfortunately, the full controversy is not being widely communicated to students and the general public. Does the fossil record actually reveal an ape-to-man progression? Why haven't we been told the full story of these hotly contested bones? ​​

Paleoanthropology hijacked!  By the late 1970's, the ape-to-man story was in disarray. Such paleoanthropologist luminaries as Mary and Richard Leaky, Time White, and Donald Johanson had published findings that anatomically modern humans coexisted with the southern apes who were supposed to their ancestors!  But then Tim White and Donald Johanson contrived a new story, renaming Leaky's fossils and consolidating a single new species from previously distinguished apes and humans - Australopithecus afarensis - "Lucy."  Dramatic differences between the two types of bones were explained away as extreme sexual dimorphism, the tenancy of males and females to exhibit different features.  Anatomically human bones were said to be males of the species, while smaller bones with apish features were said to be females! Next, White and Johanson re-dated all the previously discovered human fossils, dropping their ages by nearly half, in order to support the illusion that humans had evolved from earlier ape ancestors.

About our speaker:  Chris graduated from Geneseo University in 2009 with a degree in biology. After, he felt led by the Lord to start a creation ministry called Back2Genesis. Since his early twenties, he has been speaking on the topic of creation/evolution as a way to present the Gospel in various settings including local radio and televsiion stations, colleges, universities, middle and senior high schools, teen centers, and church venues from 1st grade to adult-level discipleship classes. Since the fall of 2011, Chris has worked for Feed My Sheep Foundation (FMS). In collaboration with Dr. John Sanford, Chris has been doing numerical simulation research aimed at better understanding the historical problem of Haldane's Dilemma, as well as the problem of fixation of deleterious mutations over deep-time. In August of 2013, Chris presented their research results at the 7th International Conference on Creationism held in Pittsburg, PA. Since then, much of Chris’s research with FMS has focused on the topic of hominin fossils, culminating in the new book, "Contested Bones."  Chris is currently enrolled as a graduate student at Loma Linda University.

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