The July 22, 1991, issue of The Scientist [page 12] includes a letter from Thomas H. Jukes about my debate with Arthur Caplan over the cancellation of my assignment as a columnist for Scientific American (The Scientist, Feb. 18, 1991, page 11). Jukes poses a series of curious questions. Here are his questions and my responses:
"According to creationists, fossils are bones of animals that drowned in the Great Flood, with the best swimmers on top. Does Mims agree?"
I collect fossil insects, arachnids, and plant material preserved in amber. These fossils are certainly not "bones of animals," and they are encapsulated in plant resin, not flood mud.
"How could he write about dinosaurs if he has the creationist belief that they coexist [sic] with humans, and that Noah took dinosaurs on the Ark?"
I am unaware of any creationists who believe dinosaurs coexist with humans, and there is nothing ...
