Piltdown Superman

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 creationists go

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 meat fro

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 allegedly 3

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

When the hand one is dealt is not playing well, cheat. After all, secular scientists seem to be doing that more and more. One example is the definition of archosaur . It has certain physical characteristics and includes crocodilians, dinosaurs, pterosaurs — and birds. Quite a broad category, and includes the tendentious assumption  that birds evolved from dinosaurs. Evidence and logic differ about that last part. A new fossil pseudosuchian (expensive word for crocodile) species was discovered in Nevada. That is counterintuitive, since those critters do not live so far inland. Crocodile, Pixnio /  Steve Hillebrand , USFWS Another species? That's nice. That also fits with biblical creation science models. Of course, like the assumption that birds evolved from dinosaurs and are related to archosaurs, secular scientists assume that crocodiles evolved even though there is no evidence of it. They also have to deal with the location of this one, as well as mixtures of organisms fossilized

People who have read material or watched videos about fossils have invariably come across trilobites, since there was a passel of them. They are associated with the Cambrian Explosion , where way down yonder in the Cambrian layer, life forms suddenly appeared — with no signs of evolutionary ancestors. Trilobites are icons of evolution, but they are quite trying to Darwin's disciples. Aside from appearing fully formed, they were intricate. Advances in technology allowed scientists to learn that they had impressive optics , for example. Recent pristine trilobite fossils further trouble evolutionists. Trilobite, US Dept / Interior,  BLM  (usage does not imply endorsement of site contents) The fossils were discovered in a Morocco mountain range, which is not exactly the kind of place to seek marine organisms. They were preserved in ash, and even the complex digestive tract was preserved. What has been discovered about trilobites, including this bunch, fits the expectations of biblical

Humans have always been inquisitive, seeking to use things to their advantage. In biomimetics , people attempt to imitate what is observed in nature, but seldom give credit to the Creator whose work they are copying. A product of military secrecy (and probably the subject of UFO reports in its early days) is a bomber known as the B-2 Spirit. Twenty-one stealth bombers were made and they had impressive capabilities. While delta wing  designs (the capitalized fourth letter of the Greek alphabet looks like a triangle) are common, the B-2 was more unique. B-2 bomber, Unsplash / Steve Harvey (modified at PhotoFunia ) This child has a memory of an F-14 Tomcat moving its extended wings because of a "need for speed" into a delta shape. What a thrill when it flew overhead! The B-2 also has moveable wings. Peregrine falcons have an aerodynamic design that helps them in their missions despite their low strike rate. It can be clearly seen that the Master Engineer built falcons and other

The science of genetics originated with creationist Gregor Mendel (peas be upon him), and believers in universal common descent claim that it refutes creation. Not hardly! Indeed, the more genomics progresses, the more the work of the Master Designer becomes obvious. DNA, genes, chromosomes, molecular motors, and all that good stuff has to be working together with great precision. Part of their job is to produce genetic variation where sperm and eggs form in sexually-reproducing organisms. This is for the health of the species. An amazing process called recombination  comes into play. Shuffling cards, Pexels / Kristóf Sass-Kovan The genome is shuffled like a deck of cards. This process could easily go wrong if the Creator had not designed it to have safeguards. Our genome has twenty-two regular chromosomes nicely paired up, then they switch sides, get cut into pieces, and put back together in a controlled way. One might expect the chromosome sets from parents to produce offspring that

Proponents of universal common descent are highly skilled in the scientific principle of Making Things Up™, and they make lotsa grotzits for it. Peer review approves rubbish , they use bushwa logic to compare human and ape Y chromosomes , etc. The secular science industry is doing a number on hearts. Although they say all life came from a common ancestor, there is a variety of hearts in the animal kingdom. The Creator designed hearts to meet the needs of various creatures. Humans and apes share some similarities in design, so there are similarities in some in hearts as well. Heart diagram, Pixabay /  burlesonmatthew Did they consider other research that says we have heart problems because we evolved from fish ? Asking for a friend. These jaspers first presupposed evolution (and rejected creation), then told a story about the distant past. A few weasel words crept in like may suggest , but ignored the stark differences not only between heart styles. The physical differences between huma

In the late sixteenth century, it was speculated that continents were not static, but moved. Others considered this, and eventually Alfred Wegener ran continental drift up the flagpole in 1915, but nobody saluted it. Arthur Holmes provided a better version in 1931. Eventually, it evolved into plate tectonics. Biblical creation science takes plate tectonics up several levels. Dr. John Baumgardner proposed catastrophic  plate tectonics. The ocean floor during the Genesis Flood was subducted into the earth's mantle, and it was done much faster than is happening today. Common Cross Section of a Subduction Zone, Wikimedia Commons / Eround1 ( CC BY-SA 3.0 ) That's easy to say, especially since rapid subduction is not seen now. Scientists demand evidence for models (or should do so), and creationists even more so because they go against uniformitarian assumptions (slow and gradual processes; the present is the key to the past). Dr. Baumgardner pointed out evidence for his ideas sever

Lampreys are unattractive, seldom invited to dinner parties outside of the secular science industry. They are jawless fish. Several species exist, some are freshwater and there are also sea lampreys. Sea lampreys divide their time between fresh and sea water. They are not eels. Interesting that the design of their mouths are used in different ways. Young sea lampreys are parasitic and attach to other fish, while some other kinds use their sucker power to latch onto something to hitch a ride. Believers in fish-to-fool evolution think they are in our lineage. Sea lamprey, Flickr / NOAA Great Lakes ( CC BY-SA 2.0 ) Let's go back to the basics of evolution. Things change, yes? Lots of changes due to time, chance, mutations, evolutionary pressures, environment, natural selection, and all that good stuff. Lampreys have not seen fit to change over millions of Darwin years and are considered living fossils. Research also has a passel of maybes  and other weasel words trying to link us to

Evolutionists are willingly chained to their paradigm, which affects their reasoning abilities. They constantly seek how  evolution happened, but seldom ask if  it happened in the first place. Also, many observations in nature are falsely called evolution. A serious flaw in the science of Darwin's Disciples is believing almost everything they see is evidence for evolution. Explanations for observations that are not rooted in atheistic naturalism are rejected out of hand. These include Intelligent Design, creation, and others. Notice what happens when they evosplain powered flight in different creatures. Bald eagle in flight, Unsplash / Hans Vleth (modified at PhotoFunia ) The story goes that powered flight evolved separately in birds, insects, and other creatures. There is no evidence, but the convergent evolution  claim is so big, people believe it. (See " Homology, Convergence, and Evolutionary Mythology .") New research makes their claims even more absurd. It has been

Something unlikely to appear in a dinosaurs-go-bezerk-and-eat-people movie is  Psittacosaurus.  The largest species is not all that impressive. There is a prairie schooner-full of specimens, including intact skeletons. Adults were bipedal like the iconic T. rex . This particular specimen from China had an interesting fossilization characteristic. Some of its skin was turned to glass, so to speak. Instead of the usual minerals, silica found its way in. Watch how Darwin's acolytes get bizarre — and illogical — promoting dino-to-bird and also feather evolution. Psittacosaurus specimen, Nature Communications / Maria McNamara   et al . ( CC BY 4.0 ) Once again, evolution is assumed despite lack of evidence. (Stories, inferences from stories, and so on, yes, but not real evidence.) Although they admit that feather evolution is "profound," feathers are loaded with specified complexities because they were created, not evolved. There is no evidence of feather evolution. Researche