|
| Title | Archaeopteryx The Primordial Bird |
| Author | Hoyle, Fred / Wickramasinghe, Chandra |
| Asset Number | 00504 |
| Publisher | Christopher Davies (Publishers) Ltd. |
| ISBN | 0715406655 |
| Published Date | 1986 |
| Edition | 1 |
| Printing | 1 |
| Description | Blue cloth hardcover with unclipped dust jacket.
Archaeopteryx, The Primordial Bird: A Case Of Fossil Forgery.
After reading "Archaeopteryx: The Primordial Bird" one can only feel absolutely convinced that the book's subtitle "A case of fossil forgery" is perfectly justified. Sir Fred Hoyle and Professor N. Chandra Wickramasinghe have made a thorough investigation of the fossil housed in the British Museum and have clearly demonstrated that Archaeopteryx cannot possibly have been the forerunner of modern birds. It certainly seems to be a case of what we may term "Piltdown Bird"!
In the first chapter of their book, the two authors examine the origin of birds within an evolutionary context. Here they draw upon their previously expounded theory which essentially places evolution within a cosmic rather than a merely terrestrial dimension. It is within this dimension that the origin of birds are placed, namely by what the authors term "genetic storms" incident upon the Earth from outer space. According to their panspermia theory, it is microbial invasions from space which provide the driving engine of evolution. Genetic storms from space will wipe out much of the existing biological stock. However, by viral material incident from space grafting onto surviving stock, new species will suddenly appear in the fossil record. It is by a grafting process of viral material onto reptilian stock during a genetic storm which occurred at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary around sixty five million years ago that gave rise to birds. Archaeopteryx is supposed to have been found in Jurassic strata which dates back 160 million years. This would apparently negate the theory that birds had their origin at the Crataceous-Tertiary boundary. Yet, the authors clearly show that "Archaeopteryx" is nothing more than the dinosaur Compsognathus with modern feathers fraudulently imprinted onto it. The general framework of Hoyle's and Wickramasinghe's investigation into Archaeopteryx is their rejection of the neo-Darwinian account of evolutionary processes.
The bulk of the book is mainly devoted to a detailed technical examination of the fossil, the feathers and the rock in which Archaeopteryx was discovered. It is chiefly by a comparison of slab and counter slab that the authors demonstrate the incongruities which make the Archaeopteryx fossil a highly suspicious artifact. The authors also comment on the skeleton of Archaeopteryx and state that the structure of its anatomy could not possibly have permitted for flight as an option of locomotion for the creature.
Apart from their painstaking scientific investigation of the forgery, Hoyle and Wickramasinghe look closely at the historical background of the "discovery" of "Archaeopteryx" and at the dramtis personae in the play. They note that this fossil came hot on the heels of Darwin's "Origin of Species" when just such a fossil discovery was predicted. The authors also examine the character and motives of Richard Owen, the Superintendent of the British Museum's Natural History Section, who bought the fossil on behalf of the Museum. Owen was a vociferous opponent of Charles Darwin's and Thomas Henry Huxley's evolutionary theory and it would seem that Owen acquired the dubious fossil in order to discredit Darwin and Huxley; yet, as the authors clearly point out, this was a ruse that neither Darwin nor Huxley fell for.
This book is a great read for both professional paleontologist and interested lay reader alike. Though many paleontologists still cling to the authenticity of Archaeopteryx, they still have not successfully countered the strong evidence presented by Hoyle and Wickramasinghe that so obviously shows Archaeopteryx to be a fraud. |
| Category | Life Science |
| Epoch | Vintage |
| Date Acquired | 09/06/2022 |
| Condition | (1) Fine |
