Piltdown Superman

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...

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...

Although the secular science industry shuns evidence for design, occasionally its members slip up and imply that it actually happens. Design has been demonstrated when looking at biology from an engineering perspective which leads to better science. The word bullseye  can refer to a target at the center of the flower. It is inviting to bees. Researchers used the word blueprint , which implies an engineer, when they evosplained how  Hibiscus trionum developed its own bullseye and the way petals form to attract pollinating bees. Hibiscus bullseye, Wikimedia Commons / Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova  ( CC BY-SA 4.0 ) Getting bees to the pollen is an example of mutualism, benefiting both flower and bee. See? But evolution is supposed to happen without purpose. Mutualism here supposedly means that both parties evolved so they could help each other, and have this happen through random processes. That'll be the day! It's a much more reasonable conclusion that the Master Engineer makes...

Al Buehterawl of the Darwin Ranch near Deception Pass (not the one in the state of Washington, by the way) was on the prod . He was complaining to Russell Watchtower of the Ministry of Truth about a fossil discovery. Russell looked at him and then me and exclaimed, "I have to rewrite textbooks yet again!" While scientists have to do research and they make discoveries and reassessments, writing papers and rewriting material is inevitable. It gets far more frequent for evolutionists because they have assumptions based on a fundamentally flawed worldview. Pyritized macrofossils, WikiComm / El Albani A, Bengtson S, et al . ( CC BY 3.0 ) Several of Darwin's disciples have said there are no fossils in the wrong places. If there were, it would overturn evolution. Fossils have been found in the wrong places (according to their reckoning) many times, so excuses are made and rescuing devices are employed. There are some evolutionists who admit that out-of-order fossils exist, howev...

Out Colorado way,  Gunnison National Forest takes up parts of five counties. It is bordered by other national forests. Quaking aspens (the leaves tremble in the breeze) are widely distributed across North America, and may be mistaken for birch trees due to their white bark and size. Aspens have several features that indicate the design work of the Master Engineer. The bark is thin, so some critters munch on it. However, the bark performs photosynthesis, a job normally done by leaves. These trees also have interesting growth techniques. Gunnison, CO scene with rainbow, Unsplash / Abby Santurbane In another part of the forest is Taylor Park Reservoir. When the rock was blasted to make the dam and reservoir, bent rock strata were revealed. Biblical creationists point out that rocks cannot be folded or bent over the millions of years in the uniformitarian stories; rock will break. This sedimentary rock was deposited in the Genesis Flood and was pliable, so it was compatible to folding...

Scientists recently discovered assorted bits and pieces of plants and insects in central Greenland via an ice core. They were bothered because it showed that this part of Greenland did not have ice a spell back. The radiometric dating method used can be viewed with suspicion. They think that the microfossil is younger than the ice sheet by a substantial amount of time. The secular science industry is politically leftist at heart , they played the Global Warming and a Rise in Ocean Levels card — showing their lack of understanding of climate change . Greenland glacier, Flickr / Stuart Williams ( CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 ) Further, secularists are opposed to any possible explanations for observed items that are not from their uniformitarian camp. That means creation science evidence of the Genesis Flood as well as models for that, how it caused the Ice Age and climate change, and more are rejected out of hand. That is indeed unfortunate, as science is supposed to be a search for knowledge and ev...

A rather baffling creature name is the triggerfish , but it has nothing to do with shooting. It has to do with spines. It has a larger dorsal spine that is locked upward by a smaller trigger spine. This can help it stay put in a hiding place, then it can "deflex" to release the trigger spine and then the dorsal. Hawaii's Reef Triggerfish is officially the state fish. It has an interesting jaw mechanism that defies evolution with its specified complexity. Humans use industrial linkage mechanisms to transfer energy, and this triggerfish has something similar in its jaw. Reef Triggerfish, Wikimedia Commons / Qyd ( CC BY-SA 3.0 ) Everything in the assembly has to work, or the fish will not be able to work its jaw and become extinct. It all has to be there are working. Actually, other animals have similar mechanisms. This testifies to the design work of the Creator. Another testimony is how the system in the triggerfish can adapt over generations.  Yippie ky yay, secularists!...

It often prompts outrage when someone uses infirmity or disability for their own advantage, and some of Darwin's disciples have done just that. In a new low, a family in Turkey does not walk properly, essentially walking on all fours like a bear. It was claimed that they reverted to an animal state. Such a statement reeks of desperate storytelling to further belief in evolutionism. It is not even incorrect speculation according to science, as the proponents had no idea what they were talking about regarding bipedalism. Chimpanzee out for a stroll, Wikimedia Commons / Tony Hisgett ( CC BY 2.0 ) Not only do those sidewinders make numerous assumptions made about the past, they also invoke disputed speculations. That is, evolutionists slap leather with each other about the origin of bipedalism. Some Darwinists wanted to set the record straight, the family walking with the aid of their hands suffered from a genetic disability. The whole lot of these scientists need to cowboy up and ad...

A few weeks ago, we looked at " Woolly Mammoths, DNA, and the Genesis Flood ." There was an article by a different organization that I almost deleted because I thought it was an echo of the one linked above. Nope. Different after all. Mammoths and other creatures are getting a great deal of attention lately. Interesting genetic research was contaminated by secular assumptions of deep time. Mammoths are dated at tens of thousands of years, and dinosaurs at millions of years. Secular scientists assume DNA can last such a long time because they assume the animals are so old. Mammoths, Wikimedia Commons /  Honymand  / ( CC BY-SA 4.0 ) There have been several interesting discoveries, including that mammoths and elephants both have twenty-eight pairs of chromosomes, showing their relationship to elephants. (Is anyone surprised?) A gene that controls hair and skin growth is not active in mammoths, but they have it, which may be why they were so shaggy. Scientists said the organic ma...

In the 1970s, molecular biology was quickly growing. Unfortunately, scientists brought a prairie schooner-full of assumptions with them instead of being objective. DNA was getting sequenced and a large section of it was labeled as "junk" leftover from our alleged evolutionary past. There are classes of RNAs that are puzzling, and they are are not always linear. Some RNAs were considered junk because they did not code for proteins, but some were involved in that after all. In reality, scientific hubris was defeated because RNAs have important functions. Then circular RNAs were discovered. Metabolism of circular RNA, Wikimedia Commons / Wei-Yi Zhou ( CC BY 4.0 ) There are three classes of circRNAs (so far). They surprised researchers by setting up camp in unexpected areas of genes. Their functions are quite complex, and like other things, have a say in gene expression. Mayhaps if secularists realized that there is a Master Engineer who put things in their places for good reaso...

Salamanders are amphibians that looks somewhat like lizards, and many types are found in North America. They may bite when they feel threatened but have no venom. Some have secretions in their skin that may make someone sick, so refrain from licking them. Like humans, amphibians, birds, and many other critters, they are classified as tetrapods . That simply means vertebrates that have two pairs of limbs. Salamanders are also cold-blooded, which means the environment controls their temperature, not from an internal mechanism. A fossil was found in a cold place. Reconstruction of Gaiasia jennyae , Wikimedia Commons / Olmagon ( CC BY-SA 4.0 ) (background modified) Down Argentina way, a fossil of a large tetrapod that resembles a salamander was discovered in the cold of Gondwana. The scientists wonder how a cold-blooded critter could have survived up there, and they are having some arguments. Still protecting deep time, though. Also, other organisms were found nearby, so a shallow lake wa...

Near Los Angeles (translation: the angels) was an area known as Rancho La Brea  ( la brea  translation: the pitch, or, the tar), and a part of that became Hancock Park. Savvy readers know that it is the location of the famous La Brea Tar Pits. Much research has been done regarding this natural asphalt. The story goes that animals would get trapped by the tar and cry out in distress, attracting predators who would also get trapped. That tale is popular but the reality is quite different. Indeed, there are reasons to doubt current speculations. Mastodon display at La Brea Tar Pits, Flickr / Ingrid Richter ( CC BY 2.0 ), modified at PhotoFunia Study on it a spell. Thousands of fossils recovered from La Brea, many of large plant eaters and carnivores. If those were trapped and pulled down, wouldn't the bones be together? In fact, most skeletons are disarticulated (spread out). Biblical creationists agree with secular scientists that the area shows massive flooding, but creationis...

As many people already know, the solar system is about 4.5 billion years old according to standard dating ideas. The moon looks like a cold inactive rock. Other planets have moons that should also be uninteresting rocks, as are some planets and other objects up yonder. However, that is the opposite of the truth. Believers in deep time and cosmic evolution presuppose billions of years, but are constantly being surprised when planets, moons, comets, asteroids, and other things do not "act their age." Many of those things show comparative youth and geologic activity. Silvery Moonlight ,  John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1882 Our own moon has quakes, indicating tectonic activity — it is still cooling and shrinking after its recent creation. There is water (in the form of ice) on it as well, but the shaking and other activity makes some of the ice go away. Even so, that is a threat to deep time ideas because water can't last billions of years up there . Not so long ago, a ChiCom probe...

In the Southwestern United States, there is a place popular with geologists and paleontologists called the Green River Formation . There are several rivers and tributaries called Green River, and this area is a tributary of the Colorado River. The formation and basins include several states. Since so much research is done in the formation, it is not surprising to get news from there. What may have been surprising to secular scientists is how the new bat fossils they discovered gave no clues to an alleged evolutionary ancestor of bats. Since secularists don't play the hand they're dealt, they reshuffle and deal from the bottom of the deck. In this case, the unevolving bat fossils did not fit their paradigm, so they tacked on two million years to bad origins. Sure, why not? If it helps keep the story going and avoid the fact of recent creation by the God of the Bible, they'll find ways. The Green River Formation is also interesting because of varves (thin layers of sediment)....

When talking about origins, several words and phrases are used but people usually know the topic because of the context. Neo-Darwinian synthesis is cumbersome, some say Neo-Darwinism , descent with modifications , and more. The short form, Darwinism , raises hackles on some folks: "Nobody believes that anymore!" and then  use his version of natural selection, saying, "Natural selection is  evolution." (Or worse, that it is science!) Common descent  is also used. They want to find the last universal common ancestor that supposedly ties all living things together. Swamp near Hudson River, Unsplash / Cowboy Bob Sorensen (modified at photofunny ) LUCA (not to be confused with the short-lived Roman author Lucan ) is presumed to live billions of years ago, and it has several attributes. The components of LUCA also had to somehow break on through to the other side of the Creation Information Barrier  in chemical evolution. No, old son, only the Creator can make life, not...

It has been known for a mighty long time that animals communicate with each other, and with people as well. Some folks may say animals have languages but that is not very accurate. A true language must have certain components to make it work, and those are lacking in animal communication. Language expresses nuances and depth, and it testifies of the Creator . Indeed, I met my late wife online, and we got to know each other well — through a messenger service. A study of chimpanzee communication tries to link it to human language. Chimpanzees, Pixabay / Marcel Langthim (Pixel-mixer) Humans and chimpanzees have pauses in gestures and other communication. Darwin's disciples presuppose evolution, so the study of this tries to find a link to human language. Yes, animals pause and essential give the other animal a chance to respond. So do we. While a mite interesting, the study does nothing to further evolution. Animals communicate but not with language. Where did language come from and ...

Though many critters from the depths of time are extinct, some have living relatives today. There are living things that were thought to be extinct, then discovered to be alive and labeled living fossils . One animal from days of old is the dilly of armor, the armadillo. It is linked to the  glyptodont  group. As with some other creatures, even the largest of the armadillos are dwarfed by ancient relatives. DNA reveals that glyptodonts are actually giant armadillos — and may have been on the dining menu for some people. Glyptodon clavipes , Flickr / S. Rae (adjusted), ( CC BY 2.0 ) As to why animals were much larger back then, biblical creationists and secular scientists have differing ideas. Creationists have suggested longer lifespans and with them, delayed maturation. However, creationists are uncertain if the pre-Flood conditions on Earth played a part in bigness ( which included the Ice Age ). Also, secular scientists say cutting marks found on bones indicate slicing off...

In our neck of the woods, the autumnal equinox has just happened. The first day of fall...because that's what leaves on deciduous trees do. Some folks have fun admiring the autumn foliage, even taking trips to see it. They are sometimes given the silly epithet "leaf peepers." Nature is not tied to solar or manmade calendars. Some trees begin the leaf color-changing process before autumn, others hang on to their leaves a while longer. Conditions are the guiding force, including stress. Leaves changing colors and falling is by design. Late summer trees beginning to change color, Unsplash / Cowboy Bob Sorensen While scientists have a handle on the process, there is still much to learn. Since there will be less sunlight, the leaves that are used to catch it are burdensome. Before they are released from their duty, trees take back nutrients. There is no chlorophyll in the leaves, so their existing colors are revealed — except red leaves, those undergo a chemical transformation...

Descent with modifications evolution maintains that, biologically speaking, all life forms go back to a common ancestor. The claims of evolutionists should be verified in living things today as well as through the fossil record; there should be an uncountable number of transitional forms. Biblical creationists reject evolution partly through lack of evidence. While they believe in speciation, diversity, and the biblical kinds (similar to the family level in modern reckoning), they maintain that there are no transitional forms in the fossil record. Aerodactylus scolopaciceps  with soft tissue, Wikimedia Commons /  Steven U. Vidovic, David M. Martill  ( CC BY 2.5 ) What in the wild world of paleontology is a-goin' on here? Some recent examples show why creationists are not surprised because the discoveries fit their expectations. Secular reckoning has sharks as ancient critters, and a small group suddenly appeared in the fossil record. No evolution. A web-spinning spider a...

Off the southern edge of England, in the English Channel, lies the Isle of Wight. It is known for landscapes, chalk, and geological features, so the locals were probably not overly surprised to learn that a new ankylosaur was discovered there. Ankylosaurs were herbivores. These critters looked like turtles gone wrong, what with all that armor and all. One curiosity is that they are usually found fossilized on their backs . Also, like other creatures of that time, evolution is assumed but there is no evidence of it. Edmontonia rugosidens, Wikimedia Commons / Mariana Ruiz (PD) The way they were buried in sediment is a curiosity to secular scientists, and they have some ideas that do not pass the sniff test. So many ankylosaurs were clumsy, fell into rivers and floated out to sea where they were buried? This child lacks belief that such an idea is plausible. Indeed, the more reasonable explanation (although streng verboten  among Darwin's acolytes) is the mechanisms of the global Gen...