Fossil Hunter 5 amber

There is a very special substance created by God, that is called 'amber'. The life forms trapped inside amber can last for centuries without going through any decay, which provides us today with the opportunity to examine them with ease. And we come to the realization that life forms have undergone no changes, not even in the 'micro' sense. We are now heading to a place famous for its ambers; Denmark in Northern Europe. The Fossil Hunter is starting.

Denmark is located in Northern Europe, south of the Scandinavian countries. It borders Sweden, Norway and Germany. It is one of the lushest places on earth, where bicycles are one of the most common forms of transportation. In fact, the latest censuses showed that solely in the capital of Copenhagen, the number of bicycles surpassed cars, hitting a staggering number of 265,700. By the way, the total population of Denmark is 5,731,000 and its surface area is 45,000 km². About half the size of Turkey, the population of the Kingdom of Denmark is little over that of Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. This being the case, the population density decreases significantly outside the downtown Copenhagen.

Home to a rich, well-designed and broad architectural cultural heritage, Denmark is very particular about the preservation of its past. Located in Northern Europe, the Baltic Sea has the largest amber reserve on earth. Dating back to the Eocene epoch, the amber fossils are aged between 44 to 50 million years. We did an interview with Anders L. Damgaard, the President of the Danish Amber Association, regarding this richness offered by the sea. Owning a remarkable collection at such a young age, Anders provided us with significant insight on the subject.

During our interview with Anders, we noticed a life form that was unique to that epoch. Since we had the fossil of the life form available, it enabled us to make a comparison.

(5:14) On my left, there is a 50-million-year-old amber containing a flying ant. It is a species that appears only during this week of the year in Denmark, a flying ant that appears outdoors on this time of the year. On the left, you can see its 50-million-year-old form and on the right its present-day counterpart. There is no difference between them. This is an evidence that proves the total invalidity of the theory of evolution, masha'Allah.

Ambers are a type of fossil created in a very special way by God. Also known in paleontology as "organic traps", ambers, like asphalts, are substances consisting of organic molecules, and although they are supposed to decompose in nature, they contrarily do not. Amber is a fascinating substance. Just like every organic molecule, it is comprised of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. However, they do not decompose and preserve whatever life form is trapped inside for millions of years, allowing the paleontologists and amber collectors who discover them to display these fossils to the public, giving the humanity the opportunity to make a comparison between the fossilized life forms and its present-day counterparts. This interesting structure of ambers is also seen in asphalt. Asphalt, too, is an organic molecule. Asphalt is thought to be formed by a group of microalgea called diatoms. Asphalt, a petroleum derivative, is the black-colored, primary material used in the construction of highways. We can safely say that both amber and asphalt are organic, sticky substances with a hardened gel-like consistency inside. As I have mentioned, ambers are also called organic traps in paleontology and they stand the effects of decay no matter how many years have passed. Amber is colloquially known as "resin". Actually the resin of a pine tree with the Latin name Pinus succinifera, ambers are usually formed by the resins released by coniferous trees and can last for millions of years. And they originate from seas. Now, to show you an example on how asphalt and amber, that is, organic traps, can last for millions of years without decay, preserving both themselves and the life forms trapped within, we are going to visit the Silkeborg Museum in Silkeborg, Denmark. The Museum is home to an interesting finding; let's go and investigate it together.

Located in Northern Denmark, Silkeborg Museum is a place where "human face" themed works are on display; its main theme is humankind from past to present.

We are currently at Silkeborg Museum in Silkeborg, Denmark. There is a very exclusive finding on display here, which I will show you now. Now we are at Silkeborg Museum, in front of the finding named Tollund Man. I wanted to share this fossil finding with you, because it is vital for its clear display of how the fossilization mechanism, that is, the preservation of the bodies of life forms occurs. Tollund Man is a 2400-year-old human body discovered in the Tollund region of Denmark. It has been very well-preserved because the owner of this body lived near a bog, at the bottom of which the body was discovered. It has the most well-preserved face of any fossils found around the world. It is 2400 years old and serves as a great example in terms of having a better understanding of the mechanisms of fossilization. Just like ambers, the asphalt found at the bottom of bogs and other similar environments is capable of preserving life forms and organic tissues for millions of years without any decay.

So, what is the secret of amber and asphalt, which, unlike common fossils, do not undergo petrification? How can they last for millions of years without any sign of decay? We asked these questions to Ole Nielson, the Manager of Silkeborg Museum..... Before we leave, we thank Ole and the Silkeborg Museum for the interview.

Aside from having tremendous scientific value, ambers have also been used as ornaments for thousands of years. We are now headed to the amber museum named the House of Amber in Copenhagen. Ambers, a blessing from the sea, have always been an object of attraction and an indispensable ornament for people. A lot of ornaments you can conceive of are made from amber. After being extracted from sea and classified according to their color and hardness, ambers are given shape by skillful hands and sent to be displayed at stores. House of Amber earned a spot on the Guinness Book of World Records in 2015 for housing the biggest amber fossil on earth. The amber weighs a little over 80 kilograms and was determined to be 15 to 20 million years old. We thank House of Amber for their hospitality.

Ambers are unique fossil formations that actually offer an absolute proof for God's creation. Because although their interior dense gel-like structure is comprised of organic substances, they can still last for millions of years due to their ability to prevent bacteria reproduction. When life forms that are trapped within amber are compared with their present-day counterparts, one can clearly see that there is not even a single difference between them. Wings, eyes, hairs, body parts, husks and myriad other details examined under a microscope show us how utterly erroneous the theory of evolution is.  God's gift to the world of paleontology, ambers are a clear calling for the humankind, proving us that creation is a scientific fact by showing down to the smallest detail how the life forms preserved within them did not undergo any change whatsoever. See you on the next episode of the Fossil Hunter.