How should you respond to an "Oopart"?

[RBG]

Other than Brown Sugar!, I mean.

http://byerly.org/whatifo.htm

"Out of Place Artifacts. Things that show up where they shouldn't."

Like "spark plugs" in geods and nails found in coal and other minerals.

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof?
Anecdotal hooey?

RBG

[Aerik]

Ah, Out Of Place ARTifacts.

One good example of a significant oopart is a fossil or soil layer that's out of place in its geography. Is it proof that evolution is wrong? Maybe not. Archaelogists and Paleontologists do tons of examinations of OOPARTs in their fields, wether it be trying to see if a mudslide reversed the strata under a mountain or huge hil and thus also the fossils, or an anthropological oddity.

But for the kind of examples you've cited, you should always beware of people who make claims about the culture of the past when they are not qualified. You want to always be able to question an anthropologist and/or paleontologist and/or archaeologist.

[BioSci]

Like "spark plugs" in geods and nails found in coal and other minerals.

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof?
Anecdotal hooey?

Yep, anecdotal hooey.

See:

http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/coso.html

[RBG]

Perfect.

RBG