Piltdown Superman

Those other jellyfish get the media attention, what with their bell shapes, lack of brains, deadly stinging tentacles and such. What about the "immortal jellyfish" that scientists call  Turritopsis dohrnii ? Of course, they are 0.18 inches (4.5 mm) long, so they are difficult to see — but are in pretty much every ocean. Nothing physical is immortal, but T. dohrnii makes a good try though, barring accidents and such. They essentially regenerate themselves (no word if any carry sonic screwdrivers), reverting to an immature stage. Sometimes they even skip that stage. The process is amazingly complex. Turritopsis dohrnii , enlarged from Wikimedia Commons / Bachware ( CC BY-SA 4.0 ) On a side note, it has been said that youth is wasted on the young... Can you imagine starting over as someone much younger but retaining the knowledge you have? Of course, these critters lack brains, so there's not a whole lot of knowledge to draw from as they progress. Sometimes the jellyfish e...

Admit it, you have occasionally tried to avoid bad luck or enhance good luck. If you study on it a spell, you can see that luck is treated like an entity that dispenses favorable or unfavorable events. Mayhaps it is like the Force of Star Wars , or  the Fates . Many superstitions are widespread but have no known origins. A remark attributed to Groucho (Julius Henry) Marx is if a black cat crosses your path, it means the animal is going someplace. It is bad luck in some places but good luck in others. Groundhog, Pexels / Abdullah Dawud It is interesting that Groundhog Day actually has an old history, and the rodent was first associated with it by Germans. Many of them settled in Pennsylvania, so their traditions eventually blossomed into Punxsutawney Phil, the weather predictor with a lousy track record. Why that name, Cowboy Bob? I dunno. This burrowing cousin of squirrels (who can climb trees) has other monikers. How about Woodchuck Day? Better yet, Whistle-pig Day? How ...

No, abiogenesis — chemical evolution — has not, and cannot  be scientifically demonstrated. Thanks for reading. Good day. Okay, you want a mite more. People calculate astronomical odds against life coming from non-life , and it has been proven to be impossible , some atheists and other evolutionists still cling to that absurd hope. Dr. James Tour challenged secularists to answer some origin of life (OoL) questions. They did not answer . Also, there is a $10 million dollar prize waiting for someone to meet the standard and become comfortably well-off. Taken from public domain images  here  and  here , then heavily modified The ID article featured below made grandiose claims about the importance of abiogenesis happening. However, even if it was demonstrated, it would only show that it was made possible in that prize-winning instance. Pull back the reins on that pony and slow down, Hoss! Many questions would then be raised. Also, the same unethical secular science indus...

Readers who are not Americans can still learn useful things from this material. After what has been seen with the secular science industry's politically leftist associations, it should not be surprising that they hate President Donald Trump. (Ideally, science activities should be untainted by politics.) Consider who else they hate. By extension, secular science leaders (and their lapdog media) are going against tens of millions of people who voted for Trump. Those leftist elitists promote causes like global warming, evolution, abortion, and other things. They are better people and smarter than the rest of us. Just ask them. Krasnoyarsk rebellion , Vasily Surikov, 1902 Leftists are undertaking their own little rebellions. In addition to whining on social media posts, certain federal employees disrupt their jobs. Leftists are also attempting to undermine the President, assuming that everything Trump and his party does is bad, and essentially having tantrums that hurt themselves and o...

Posting may be sporadic this week. Comet Tsuchinshan–ATLAS, so named because two observatories discovered it at almost the same time, dazzled the sky in late 2024. It has naturally prompted a great deal of discussion about orbits, eccentricities, and all that good stuff. Biblical creationists have pointed out that short-term comets would have ceased to exist if the solar system was billions of years old. Comets orbit, burn off some of their mass near the sun, repeat and fade. Also, some comets have collisions, get ejected from the solar system, and have their orbits changed, so those disappear as well. Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, NASA / Eric Bordelon (usage does not imply endorsement of site contents) Of course, secular scientists are committed to a universe that is billions of years old and the solar system of about 4.5 billion years. One rescuing device for the problem of comets is the Kuiper Belt out yonder around Pluto. That has been disappointing them. Also to the rescue is the Oo...

As a child, I watched what we called helicopter leaves (maple tree seeds) spinning to the ground. Sometimes they were plentiful, so other kids and I would scoop them up and fling them in the air, watching them spin down again. Do kids play with Javan cucumber seeds? The Javan cucumber is misnamed, more closely related to the pumpkin. It is not edible and seems to live to reproduce. Gourds swell and get quite large. When conditions are right, they open up and release the seeds. The seeds are also large and can travel surprising distances. Alsomitra macrocarpa seed, Wikimedia Commons / Scott Zona ( CC BY 2.0 ) While birds, insects, and flying mammals are the obvious choices for studies related to flight, these seeds have garnered a great deal of attention over the years for biomimetics (applying things found in nature for human applications). The seeds have inspired several aircraft designs. In addition, wind currents around the gourds that take the seeds on their journeys are also stu...

There are pictures usually taken at strategic moments, then captioned with things like, "Have you ever been so angry that you tackled a horse ?" Well, have you ever been so angry that you defaced classic artwork and also Darwin's tomb? A group known as Just Stop Oil believes that because global temperatures allegedly reached a certain number, we are now in the sixth great extinction. These t3rrorists are stupid on several levels, not the least of which is like other t3rrorists, they enrage people, then expect sympathy for their cause. Darwin's Tomb at Westminster Abbey, Flickr / Amanda ( CC BY 2.0 ) The denizens of Just Stop Oil are buying into evolutionary mythologies including deep time and the so-called great extinctions. Well, those extinction events are based on assumptions merged with storytelling, and they should have considered possibilities outside the evolution box. One in particular is how the Genesis Flood covers the data of one catastrophic event instead...

There have been numerous instances where secular scientists have been amazed when the facts do not fit their assumptions. This frequently happens in astronomy and cosmology. Conventional approaches of geologists and astronomers/cosmologists presuppose deep time, which often does not pan out. A big push has been on to find signs of life way out yonder in the universe, and that would prove evolution in their minds. Exoplanets have secularists excited, as do some of the moons and planets in our own solar system. Mars and the moon are comparatively close, but they still cause consternation. Moon and Mars, WikiComm / NASA (PD), usage does not imply endorsement of site contents A word about date ranges before we continue. When biblical creationists present evidence for a young earth, solar system, or universe, those dates are often upper limits. Remember when we touched on how misotheists criticize what they do not understand ? Those uninformed criticisms happen regarding age limits. For ex...

When attempting to make a point with rational arguments, misotheists are generally unwilling to "allow" Christians (and especially biblical creationists) to be right about anything of importance. I recently scanned a Page by a bigoted atheist whose material I had used for demonstration purposes a spell back, and he is still at it. That is, he shares Christian material to ridicule and makes comments that display his foolishness. In one share, a valid point was made but he refused to admit it. Monkey in snow, cropped from Unsplash / Shino Nakamura Professing atheists and other defenders of molecules-to-monkey evolution on social(ist) media are often committed to attacking their opponents instead of having any kind of intelligent discussion. It is ironic because they claim to have the upper hand over "theists" regarding reason, yet frequently violate laws of logic. Indeed, many times they clutch their pearls and holler because they do not grasp an argument, nor can the...

As many people know, particles-to-painter evolution is fundamental to atheism. One can have a reasonable dialogue for a short time with a professing atheist on a few subjects, but must not criticize evolution. (Indeed, I remember a discussion where the atheist woman thought the Christian was going to criticize evolution, and began to arch her back and extend her claws. It was  civil before.) Most of the vocal proponents of evolution are atheists, but the quality of supporters has declined over the years. Blur of sun and trees image by Cowboy Bob Sorensen One can often judge the substance of a position by its proponents. (No, a comely face and dulcet tones do not make something correct, nor do wise-sounding words. Intelligent supporters may prompt someone to listen more closely to a claim, yes?) Quality opponents can give someone serious pause. In days of yore, Darwin's disciples were plentiful and famous. They presented what appeared to be valid science according to what was known...

People know that a mongoose will win out against a cobra, not only because of its speed but it is also highly resistant to its venom. (Never mind that Snake and Mongoose funny car racers were friends off-track.) For that matter, house cats have speed and flexibility to dodge venomous serpent strikes . So what about a mouse? They are fast and can be fierce, and videos exist of them making cats back off. If you have a skill, may as well use it. Over yonder in Grand Canyon, the grasshopper mouse can be a fierce little hunter! Southern grasshopper mouse, WikiComm / National Park Service  (PD) "Hey, Jerry! What's fer supper?" "Well, I'm a mite tired of grasshoppers, but I hear tell there are tarantulas in these parts. Mayhaps a scorpion or two. I gotta find me some baked beans and coffee to go with them..." Sure, I got creative about the conversation. If you talked to a wild mouse and got too close, you might get your nose bitten by those sharp teeth. Like the m...

Unusual title, yes? As discussed here several times, the secular science industry supports causes that are dear to the cold hearts of leftists. Many scientists simply want to do their jobs and probably have little regard for political details. False climate change reports and abortion are at the top of their list. One very big reason is that politicians promise them money. Secular science advocated for leftist politicians , clutching their pearls because they believed folks on the political right would ruin their funding. Political benefactors have long been a part of financing science. Aldrin by US flag on moon (PD), WikiComm / NASA , usage does not imply endorsement of site contents The Soviet Union and now Russia engaged in espionage to get scientific and technological secrets. Communist China is far more crafty. One reason to steal secrets is because they are not as skilled at developing their own technologies. More importantly, they are expanding their influence and will use what ...

Here is a fun fact: The Neanderthal valley was renamed in the 19th century for theologian Joachim Neander, who also wrote the hymn "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation." Interesting that a supposed evolutionary ancestor of humans was discovered in "his" valley. There is a prairie schooner-full of information showing that the Neanderthal people were fully human . Many of us have Neanderthal DNA. Information supporting their humanness keeps pouring in. A new bit of research was quite interesting and also puzzling to evolutionists. Neanderthal Woman, PLOS One / WikiComm /  Bacon CPH  (now deleted) ( CC BY 2.5 ), Modified at  PhotoFunia Apparently these bad boys were built for speed. Not marathons, but sprinting. They were considered slow brutes and adapted for extreme cold of the Ice Age in earlier years. Well, even the Ice Age climate there gets a rethink because not as many areas were in the deep freeze as previously thought. Genetics show that...

It is amazing that professing atheists proclaim that they are " good without God ," but so many lie. A lot. I wrote an article about Dr. Duane Gish and the legendary "Gish gallop" debate tactic. It has never been shown to exist , but they gleefully spread this falsehood. Misrepresentation and ridicule should be red flags to thinking people that someone has no valid material to use against his target. (It may also indicate laziness.) Dr. Andrew Snelling is a prominent figure in biblical creation science, and he has to deal with a dishonest decades-old attack. Angry atheist monkey, Freeimages / vangeldere (modified) Many of the assaults we face are actually laughable in their schoolyard simplicity. I'll allow that it's difficult to not respond in kind, which may very well be the kind of distraction that such misotheists are seeking; we go off-topic to chase every little dog that nips at our ankles. Indeed, I have challenged some to show where the science in a...

The internet can be considered a tool for information gathering, and like any tool, can be used for good or bad. It has helped promote atheism, which pretends to be about rational thinking. The internet also helped advance the Intelligent Design movement and biblical creation science. But the atheism that infested the internet was erroneously said to promote reason and science. It did not go well. Whether or not people actually became atheists and stayed with it, the damage was done and people became...soulless. Their thinking was mechanistic and reductionist . Waters are falling at the Falling Waters Preserve near Glasco, NY, Unsplash / Cowboy Bob Sorensen Although atheists usually deny it, they are very religious. In their jumble of beliefs,  Scientism usually comes out on top. That view reduces humans and everything else into its components, and that hard sciences are the only path to reality. Such a worldview is saturated with absurdities and arbitrary definitions, not the lea...

Something of interests to both secular and creation scientists is mutualism  (or symbiosis ), but believers in particles-to-parole officer evolution have a mighty difficult time explaining it. The usual response can be restated as, "It evolved." Not an answer , old son. Another form of mutualism is endosymbiosis , where one organism lives inside another and both are the better for it. Evolutionists believe that endosymbiosis was a vital step forward in the evolution of life. Basically, an archaeon (a kind of microorganism) gulped down a bacterium and evolution took a big step forward. Endosymbiosis, Wikimedia Commons / Signbrowser (PD) Got evidence? It's a mite difficult since we're talking about historical science, after all. Researchers first presupposed evolution (of course), and they injected a bacterium into a fungus. That happens in nature anyway, but they extrapolated madly backward in time and claimed they had evidence supporting this phase of evolution. Not ...

Science material prompts people to learn vocabulary, but reading "bivalve mollusk known as Corculum cardissa " is not a romantic description for heart cockle shells. Mollusk  is a large grouping that includes clams, oysters, and other things. Bivalve  are the mollusks that have a pair of hinged shells. Dinoflagellates  are single-celled organisms that live in water and have characteristics of both plants and animals. They are important in water ecosystems because of their oxygen production. Also, they have a unique relationship with heart cockles. Corculum cardissa , Wikimedia Commons / Jan Delsing (PD), modified at PhotoFunia These tiny creatures live inside the shell and do photosynthesis with the sunlight. Heart cockles benefit from what the dinoflagellates give off. This is another example of mutualism (or symbiosis ). Except...shells are opaque. There is a special process where a kind of window lets them have the sunlight they need. Darwin's disciples use the s...

Like a number of other critters, spiders exist on every continent except Antarctica. This may be disconcerting news to many people who fear and loath the arachnids. Let me make it worse: All  spiders have venom. Not that many are dangerous to humans, though. People fear spiders from horror stories, being startled at home by them, and by ignorance, but it is useful to put aside the heebie-jeebies and consider creatures for what they are. The Master Engineer displayed his skill in designing them. Golden orb-web spider ( Nephila pilipes ), Flickr /  Lip Kee  ( CC BY-SA 2.0 ) Indeed, scientists are studying spider silk for our own applications (biomimetics). The black widow's silk is under scrutiny , others are being studied for their strength and,  surprisingly, nerve repair . Although evolution gets the glory as if it was a person, Darwin's disciples admit that they cannot backtrack a plan for their origin. That's because it's not a product of evolution, old son. Take...

Stevia Dolce, the baker at the Darwin Ranch, made one of her stealth visits to my place. (This is because she does not dare show doubts about evolution for fear of her job.) As I chewed on a croissant she brought, Stevia said that her questions may have been tolerated by foreman Rusty Swingset, but she was not sure. The first question is quite reasonable for believers and unbelievers alike: In the Genesis Flood scenario creationists describe, how could the Ark avoid capsizing? Second, why were the animals punished and called "corrupted?" Ark Encounter, Pixabay /  Michael Wysmiersk Those are  good questions. After complimenting Stevia about her thinking (and baking), I admitted that I had a bit of work to do because I had not considered either question very much. Now, I don't think the Ark was the very first ship built, ever; Noah and his sons would have had shipbuilding skills . Also, while the Flood and many aspects of it were miraculous, not everything involved was . Co...

Burrowing rodents known as pocket gophers  (the pocket part of the name could refer to pocketing  food in cheeks) are widely considered pests. Farmers try to grow plants, gophers burrow and eat them. Sometimes they pull the small plants down into their burrows. We recently saw how nature reclaims urban areas and devastation , so that may have been in the minds of scientists who saw volcanic ash from Mount St. Helens. They took a notion to see what gophers can do to help the soil for one day. The rodents said, "Challenge accepted." Pocket gopher, Wikimedia Commons / LeonardoWeiss ( CC BY 3.0 ) Our Creator has designed things to have an ecological niche, but obviously some critters get rambunctious. Even so, burrowing and recycling the soil by bringing deeper soil up and upper soil deep, could help seeds grow. Other creatures got involved in bioturbation, and the one-day pocket gopher project had results that show forty years later. Reporter Jules Bernstein relates experiments...