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Showing posts with the label Evolution

Imagine Science Without Darwin

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February 12 is Question Evolution Day for those of us who care about free speech, intellectual and academic freedoms, and more. Many secularists call it Darwin Day since Charlie is treated like a religious icon. Speak ill of him and call down their thunder. Yet people also say that nobody believes Darwinism anymore, theories of evolution have progressed. Don't even refer to evolution as Darwinism . But they still have the day of observance. It would be amazing if secular scientists told the secular science industry, "We can work without evolutionary thinking. Send him packing." Charles Darwin hitchhiking, made with AI at Bing While atheists and other secularists may be screaming, "Katie, bar the door!" about such a heretical concept of science without Darwinism, there are some basic facts to consider. First, he was not a "great scientist," as his only earned degree was in theology. Second, he promised to back up his claims, but never followed through ...

Evolution and Bird Brains

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A possible missing link for bird evolution had been proposed, and the hands at the Darwin Ranch were all a-twitter. Indeed, they were celebrating so loudly, they could be heard all the way to Stinking Lake (which is not as bad as it sounds). But there was little reason for it. Consider that if universal common ancestor evolution were true, scientists would practically be tripping over the multitude of transitional forms. Instead, they are happy when they find a few possibilities. This bird skull find is packed with weasel words and dubious reasoning. Suspicious ostrich is suspicious, Pexels / Adriaan Greyling (modified, also used ImgFlip ) Several basic concepts have been neglected. A larger brain does not guarantee more cognitive ability. This bad boy is supposed to fit between Archaeopteryx  (a true bird) and modern birds, but birds have different sized skulls. Consider that the ostrich skull has a typical length of  almost 19 cm. (7.4 in.) and a house sparrow runs 2-1/2 cm...

Planetary Habitability and Water

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Habitability out there, thataway, was a simple concept: A planet had to be the right distance from a suitable star. There also had to be some water. Secular cosmologists and astrobiologists (yet there are no aliens to study) depend on atoms-to-alien evolution to happen. Aside from the silliness of believing in abiogenesis despite  science and reason, these folks also have to deal with how the habitability zone becomes increasingly complex. It gets more complicated the way water is vital for habitability in more ways than scientists previously considered. Desert world scene, Pixabay / Gordon Taylor There are books and movies about desert worlds where water is a precious commodity. Computer simulations greatly increase the suspension of disbelief in audiences because a world without water could not evolve  — a substantial amount of water, at that. Also, the water would have to be at a minimum level. Such information should inspire people to be thankful to the Creator for the wor...

Dinosaur Collagen Does Exist

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When soft tissues in dinosaurs were found, Darwin's disciples denied it. Accusations of faulty laboratory procedures, sample contamination, and other excuses were made. Even so, discoveries of soft tissues and saying those things should   not exist  continued. Things kept getting worse for evolutionists. Cellular proteins were found in dinosaur fossils , and so has DNA . Not only is the word fossil  used loosely because not all fossils are permineralized, a new study definitively confirmed that dinosaur collagen exists in fossils. Modified postage stamp of an  Edmontosaurus  head from the author's collection The hip bone of an  Edmontosaurus  was studied with several techniques and identified the remnants of collagen. Molecules had degraded, but they were clearly identified as collagen. When compared to protein sequences of other animals, those of dinosaurs were unique. It is commendable that the researchers admitted to the evidence, which is a huge pr...

Island Tiger Snakes and Natural Selection

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Off the coast of Australia is the island state of Tasmania, and off the coast of that is Mount Chappell Island (also called Hummocky). It is uninhabited private property used for sheep grazing. Some critters live there, one of which is the extremely venomous tiger snake. This snake gets its name from bands of color resembling a tiger, but there are color varieties. If you are uncertain about its identity, leave it alone — especially since that part of the world is chock full o' venomous things. Interestingly, that island tiger snake is a study in natural selection. Tiger snake, iNaturalist / Max Tibby (PD), modified at PhotoFunia Darwinists may be surprised that informed biblical creationists accept natural selection, and that it fits nicely with creationist models. Part of their confusion is from natural selection being a part of the evolutionary framework, but their adaptation by selection idea also requires mutations. Many creationists postulate that the Creator frontloaded liv...

Bad Design Arguments about Horse Riding

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While woolgathering the other day, I thought back to a small get-together at my prospector friend Stormie Waters' place. There were equine games. I knew Stormie's friend Ruby Slippers was skilled at horse riding, but in the speed, turns, and fine maneuvering, she and the horse were like a unit. In the heyday of the nineteenth century American cattle drives, riders and horses worked together. Such unity is common. Long ago, people were using horses for transportation (riding and pulling wagons), pack animals, and more. So why say there were not designed to be ridden? The Cowboy , Frederic Remington, 1902 We have looked at dysteleology  arguments (that something supposedly had bad design, so the Creator does not exist or is incompetent, therefore evolution) several times. Sorry, Wilbur, but the argument can be used about the horse. Of course. Although poor design imaginings are used to prop up evolution, they are theological opinions, not scientific, in nature. Interestingly, th...

A Mountain and an Elephant have Personhood?

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An exclamation of amazement at absurdity is, "How dumb can you get?" It implies that stupidity cannot get much worse. Someone pointed out that it seems like a challenge, so: "How dumb can you get? Hold my beer!" We have contenders from the nature rights movement. Those addlepated folks at the Nonhuman Rights Project tried to get personhood status for an elephant , but that was overturned. They are still trying. Also, there is no mention if hallucinogenic substances were a factor, but a mountain is legally a person with rights and responsibilities. Elephant reading a book, made with  Bing Image Generator  and enhanced The Nonhuman Rights Project keeps trying to get legislation for critters to be granted personhood. They failed in the People's Republic of New York, so they turned their attention to getting a pachyderm made a person in Colorado. Those people weren't having it . The whole idea is infested with ridiculous ideas and contradictions. In New Zealand,...

Noise in the Evolution Signal

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Not everyone has state-of-the-art audio receivers always available, and tuning in to a distant broadcast can include static and other noise. If there is too much, we may say "Fuggedaboudit" and move on. It would have been nice to hear the program, though. It is similar when using televisions with aerials. For something that is considered a "fact" or even a "law ," the signal from proponents of descent-with-modification evolution should be clear. It is not. Many scientists and those in academia do not understand evolution, so no wonder the common person is confused. Darwin on television with signal noise, public domain images including Clker clipart A researcher and a professor think they have tools to reduce the noise in statistical rates. However, they were talking about what some folks erroneously call microevolution , which is really just small changes: a bacterium is still a bacterium, a frog is still a frog, a chimpanzee is still a chimpanzee. Basical...

Immortal Jellyfish Defies Evolution

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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...

Ten Million Reasons to Show Abiogenesis

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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...

Elitist Secular Science Industry Hating on Donald Trump

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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...

Comet Tsuchinshan–ATLAS and the Age of the Solar System

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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 Oort Cloud, a huge collection of rock...

Javan Cucumber Seeds and Biomimetics

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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...

Defacing the Tomb of Darwin

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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...

Monkey Minds Disunderstanding Monkey Minds

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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...

Darwinism Continues to Devolve

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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...

Dangerous Eats for a Little Mouse

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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...

The Politics Behind Science

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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 ...

New Discoveries about Neanderthals

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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...

No Evidence for Endosymbiosis and Evolution

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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 ...