Critics of the announcement objected to the lack of peer review on Cornuke's findings. Looking at the expedition's photos, experts in geology and ancient timber disputed the possibility that the object was petrified wood. The expedition included many "business, law, and ministry leaders," but no professional geologists or archaeologists. Cornuke's interpretation of scripture was also criticized, as Genesis does not indicate whether Noah's descendants migrated to Shinar directly from Ararat, or from some unnamed intermediate location. Moreover, Genesis 11:2 can be plausibly translated to indicate that the clan migrated "eastward", suggesting a point of origin west of Shinar.