Pete.. "experiments ON the past" is not a fair way to characterize what scientists do. In one sense, any experiment done today IS on the status of some material as it 'was'... even if that's only minutes, hours or days ago.
When bones are found..or even buried carcasses of Wooly Mammoths...or Otze the Ice Man.., science can do radio-carbon dating and determine approximate age. That, in one clear sense, is an experiment on the past.
   I know you have objected to that sort of science because you 'believe' that dates over 8000 years or so are precluded by religious texts... but we will of course differ on that. Scientists WILL continue to refine techniques and measure "the evidence from the past". Some aspects of *now* don't make sense without it.

(good cop, Steve?. Just a quick reminder to Pete that he is outnumbered... which he already knows.)