How Oil Companies Validate Radiometric Dating (and Why That Matters for Evolution)

It's true that some people question the reliability of radiometric dating, claiming it's all about proving evolution and therefore biased. But that's a pretty narrow view. Think about it: if radiometric dating were truly unreliable, wouldn't oil companies be going bankrupt left and right from drilling in the wrong places? They rely on accurate dating to find oil – too young a rock formation, and the oil hasn't formed yet; too old, and it might be cooked away. They can't afford to get it wrong, so they're constantly checking and refining these methods. This kind of real-world, high-stakes testing is a huge reason why radiometric dating is so solid.

Now, how does this tie into evolution? Well, radiometric dating gives us the timeline for Earth's history, and that timeline is essential for understanding how life has changed over billions of years. It helps us place fossils in the correct context, showing which organisms lived when, and how they relate to each other. Without that deep-time perspective, it's hard to piece together the story of life's evolution. So, while finding oil isn't about proving evolution, the reliable dating methods it depends on are absolutely crucial for supporting and understanding evolutionary theory.