Hypergolic:
A pair of chemicals that spontaneously ignite when combined, without a separate ignition souce, is termed hypergolic. A hypergolic pair of chemicals includes a fuel chemical and an oxidizing chemical. [“Fire-breathing dinosaurs?“, Philip J. Senter, Skeptical Inquirer, July / August 2017 (online only)]
An interesting article – I had not heard that the Young Earth Creationist segment had decided they needed to prove that the legends about fire-breathing dragons could be traced to humans and dinosaurs co-existing. The cited article, not yet available online, is a takedown by Ph. D. vertebrate paleontologist Senter of the various theories advanced to justify such an assertion. It’s really like watching someone swatting a bunch of comatose flies.
There is a dark side to the article, and that is the fact that some of these theories are being cited in certain biology textbooks. Given their basic untenability, it’s frankly irresponsible to engage in such citations and theories. If you sit on a PTA board or are in some position of authority over textbooks at some school, you may wish to investigate whether you’re acquiring textbooks from BJU Press, and, if so, DON’T TRUST ME. Do your own investigation into the content of their textbooks. And, if it looks dubious, contemplate further action. These kinds of theories aren’t the type that are interestingly wrong – they’re just wrong. And it’s wrong to be suggesting to children they’re part of the accepted scientific consensus.
