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Showing posts with the label Marine Biology

Human and Octopus Evolution Research Conundrum

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Fun fact: Octopi  is an incorrect plural for  octopus  because octopus is an English word, not Latin. So it does not receive a Latin plural. Octopuses  is correct even though it may mess with the tongue. Anyway, they are classified as mollusks belonging to the arthropod phylum. Octopuses come in various sizes and show remarkable characteristics, especially intelligence. Their brain neurons have an element that is important for thinking, and are also found in human brains. Humans and octopuses are so clearly different, they could not have evolved from a common ancestor. Octopus, Pexels / Pia B The phrase "Thinking outside the box" is often used to describe how someone goes beyond limitations, often to find a solution or new way of doing things. Evolutionists essentially put their thinking into boxes with phylogenetic trees and homology . These work together, but are illogical. Not only do they limit thinking, but are illogical because they use circular reasoning: Assume evolut

Evolutionists Getting Nutty over Lampreys

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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

Killer Jellyfish Means No God

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Atheists and other anti-creationists try to put biblical creationists on the defensive, a tactic that works on those that re under-informed. As we have seen, they use "bad design, therefore evolution" arguments (dysteleology). Another trick is to try to make the Creator seem immoral. Either God is bad, or he does not exist. It is interesting that they often pretend their arguments are scientific. That'll be the day! Those alleged arguments are feckless theological opinions. In addition, they are examples of bad logic. Consider the challenge that a loving God made a killer jellyfish. Box jellyfish, Wikimedia Commons / Guido Gautsch ( CC BY-SA 2.0 ) As stated before, when attempting to refute someone's argument, it is intellectually honest to see if the argument is consistent from the other person's framework. Atheists tend to take fragments of creationist views and filter them through materialistic glasses, which means they presuppose that the creationist is wrong

The Puzzling Narwhal Tusk

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A creature lives in Arctic waters, and much of the time in darkness. It is the stuff of legends. The horn growing out of its head adds to the mystery. It is the narwhal whale. One scientific puzzler is the fact that it can mate with beluga whales. There is no actual horn, but the narwhal is sometimes called the unicorn of the sea . Actually, that is a tusk growing through its lip — and keeps growing to impressive lengths. Is the tusk of Biggus Toothus a fluke of nature, or does it serve a purpose? Narwhal, Flickr / Jessica Simpson ( CC BY 2.0 ) Narwhals are difficult to study . The tusk sticks out straight instead of curving like the tusks on other critters, and as a bonus, it spirals. Sometimes it appears that narwhals use those tusks for play or to wave, "Howdy, neighbor!" They have been seen whacking fish with the tusks, stunning them before eating them. There are other functions being studied. One of those is that it senses water conditions. How the narwhal got its tusk

Concrete, Cement, and Algae

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It seems that many people do not know the difference between concrete and cement, so here is the hard truth. There are several stages involved in making concrete , the porous stuff that people drive on or live in. It begins with limestone, which is thought to take millions of years to form. Limestone and a silica source are heated, then the result is ground to powder. Other ingredients are added. When this mixture is going to be turned into concrete, cement , water, and other things are mixed in to make the concrete. Algae is turning those deep-time assumption upside-down. Coccolithophore bloom SW of Ireland, Flickr / NASA Goddard Space Flight Center ( CC BY 2.0 ) Coccolithophores  are marine algae that build protective shells around themselves. The shells of these bad boys make chalk (a form of limestone) deposits, and uniformitarian scientists say chalk takes millions of years to form. Not in this case! Further, coccolithophores could have been producing huge quantities of the stuff

Corals Rescued by — Sea Cucumbers?

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There are over 1,200 species of sea cucumber, ranging in size from tiny to about as long as a man is tall, living in very deep water or very shallow. Ugly lumps for the most part that eat algae, waste products, other things. They have been likened to vacuum cleaners for the ocean floor, so sea cucumbers do serve a function. Some folks think they are good to eat. Coral reefs are ecosystems that resemble condominiums for a variety of residents, but also provide food. The growth rate has been wrongly used to support deep time . Unfortunately, these systems have been dying. This is where the lumps of the sea come in. Sea cucumbers, NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research (usage does not imply endorsement of site contents) In what seems to have been an almost accidental discovery, the symbiotic relationship between corals and sea cucumbers (one gets fed, the other gets a clean and healthy living environment) was discovered. When there are plenty of sea cucumbers around coral reefs th

Stargazer Fish Challenges Evolutionists and Creationists

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That is one ugly fish! Actually, more than one in this group. The stargazer is built with eyes on the top of its head (hence the name), and a downturned mouth reminiscent of  Grumpy Cat . Stargazers come in a range of sizes, and they have some startling traits. One is that it buries itself in the sand so it can hide or hunt. The bobtail squid does this as well. On land, there are snakes, lizards, spiders, and other things that hide in sand. Like the even uglier anglerfish of the deep sea, it has an appendage to use as a lure for prey. Stargazer, Flickr / Etienne Gosse ( CC BY 2.0 ) These traits and more that are rather startling are challenging to both evolutionists and biblical creationists. To simply assert evolution is not demonstrating it. Creationists need to provide plausible explanations as to what may have happened in the once very good creation to have a predator like this, including how the Creator frontloaded genetic information that was later modified. ‘Monster of the oce

Two Living Things that Give Off Salt

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There are words with phile  or similar in them that often mean a love of something, such as philosophy (love or wisdom or learning). The word structure can also make it seem like an organism has a fondness for something, actually meaning that it thrives in a certain environment. A thermophile  lives in extremely hot areas such as the thermal vents on the ocean floor. Want to take a crack at halophyte ? That one is a bit tricky, but it uses the word for salt. There are plants that thrive in saline conditions inhospitable to many other plants. Athel Tamarisk, iNaturalist / Xochitl Zambrano ( CC BY 4.0 ) Athel tamarisk is one of those stubborn plants that lives in deserts and is found in many parts of the world. One of its handels is the Athel pine, and it does resemble pine in some ways. It is also useful as a windbreak, and since it doesn't burn easily, it can be used to hinder fire. When it lives in saline conditions, it actually gives off salt! Athel tamarisk was designed by the

Sunflower Motion — More Complex than Thought

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Sunflowers are one of the easiest flowers to identify, what with those big yellow heads loaded with sometimes 2,000 seeds and such. They are also a provision of the Creator for our benefit, grown and harvested for oil and the seeds, which are healthy — and may be a substitute for people with nut allergies . Of course, a famous characteristic is how young sunflowers track the sun from east to west. It was thought that this was a kind of phototropism, which is when plants and fungi grow toward (or away from) a light source. Sunflowers, Pixnio / Bruce Fritz It has been learned that this ability of young sunflowers to follow the sun across the sky (even on cloudy days) is heliotropism . It is not fully understood and is very complex. Plants adapt to changes in conditions, and different genes are expressed in response to certain conditions. This is yet another example of the Master Engineer at work. Botanists have long wondered how heliotropism works to allow this amazing plant to track th

These Jellyfish can Learn

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While box jellyfish are notorious for having painful or even lethal stings from their tentacles, this one is harmless to humans. Mayhaps it is because they are so tiny. These little fellas are north of South America and the Caribbean Sea around mangroves. They swim vigorously near the surface. One would not expect anything interesting out of these brainless creatures, but the Creator shows his design skill in even the tiniest organisms. These box jellies have a complex nerve system. Researchers were amazed that they showed associative learning, not just reflexive responses. Box jellyfish, iNaturalist / snigdhasehgal ( CC BY-NC 4.0 ) Of course, foolish scientists gave praise to Darwin and made up some unsupportable speculations about the "dawn of the evolution of the nervous system," since we're all related. Because evolution. Even with all the evidence of creation and design in extreme details, Darwin's acolytes still refuse to give glory to God for what they discove

Creatures Underfoot Improving our Lives

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It is easy to forget something or someone when we do not see them — or know that they are affecting us in the first place. American kids sign highschool yearbooks with pledges to always be friends, but those promises were just words. Did they know the names of the janitors? We see robins, the early birds, getting the earthworms but seldom realize that those creatures are marvels of design for their own ecosystems. In fact, earthworms and other organisms under our feet (ofttimes way under) were put here by the Creator to help our lives. Earthworm, Pexels / Karolina Grabowska , modified at PhotoFunia Watch a video of how earthworms move and you'll see that they were designed for their place in this world. They have muscles, and brains that tell the muscles how to work. Interesting that there are fossils of them dated to the Cambrian, but Darwinists can evosplain that away. People talk about "numbers of species" in the world, but soil biodiversity is not exactly understood.

Birds of the Galápagos and Natural Selection

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It may seem that when creationists mention natural selection, we are giving Darwinists a foothold. Wrong-o! Natural selection was first discussed by creationists, then the Bearded Buddha hijacked and twisted it for his own agenda. The true concept is very real. Darwin was on what must have been an exciting five-year mission aboard the Beagle , and there was a long stop at the Galápagos islands. We looked at the tortoises , now we will consider the even more iconic birds. Flightless cormorant, WikiComm / Lip Kee ( CC BY-SA 2.0 ), modified at PhotoFunia Environments change, so living things must adapt to survive. Interestingly, evolutionists maintain that the loss of features  (such as when certain insects and birds — cormorants — become flightless) is evidence for their conjectures, but the truth is quite the opposite. Also, the islands have boobys, which are closely related to gannets. There are three main varieties that have differences in their actions. Natural selection at work. T

RNA Editing in Octopuses Defies Evolution

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Sometimes a search on free-to-use graphic sites for alien  yields octopuses. While most of those search engines are terrible, there are people who think that because the octopus has so many amazing traits, it is actually an alien being. In reality, the Creator blessed them with several amazing characteristics.  They are cold-blooded, but their heads are susceptible to temperatures. Some researchers got a notion to study the two-spot octopus and its neurological functions. The genome was sequenced, so they had that going for them, which is nice. Two-spotted octopus, Flickr / Jerry Kirkhart ( CC BY 2.0 ) According to evolutionary speculations, mutations gradually accumulate over a long period of time. However, they are nowhere near as random as thought . In addition, the RNA is changing the coding and proteins. Mutations are not permanent, and the RNA editing happens very quickly. This is clearly evidence of the Master Designer's work. Octopi are incredible and intelligent creatures

The Surprising Seahorse and Backward Breeding

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A spell back, I mentioned that Lisa Myworries from the Darwin Ranch took some time to visit the beach and bring back seashells and sand dollars . Roland Meadows and I were in town yesterday to get a few things. Lisa and other hands from the ranch arrived to get some supplies. We talked for a while and I learned that she likes to do snorkeling, was amazed by the seahorse. She saw a few that had anchored themselves to objects by their tails, and wondered why these things are considered a kind of fish in the first place. Seahorse, Unsplash / David Clode Would you do me the honor of being monogamous throughout the breeding season? Actually looking  like a typical fish is not a requirement to be classified as one. The seahorse has a resemblance to a horse, especially its head. They are not strong swimmers, but use that tail to hitch a ride or stay in place. One of the strangest traits (I wonder if this is an example of the Creator's pranks on naturalists) is that the female deposits the

Sand Dollars, Sea and Shore

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Lisa Myworries, Winkie Guard supervisor at the Darwin Ranch up near Deception Pass, needed some time away. She went to the ocean and brought back sea shells (some purchased from Sara's shop at the seashore). In the mix were those things often called sand dollars . Many things on the beach are actually discarded by their former owners, some are even skeletons. A diver may see a colorful  living sand dollar and not make the connection with that white thing on the shore. They actually give testimony of the Creator's ingenuity. Sand dollar via PxHere They are sea urchins that burrow. The hairlike cilia help bring their tiny bits of food to their mouths, and they don't seem to be in a hurry to chew on and swallow lunch. The way they get their colors is rather difficult for scientists to determine. Also, their remains have been found up on mountains, which is yet another indication of the Genesis Flood. According to researchers, there are 150 different extant sand dollar species

Crabs and the Miracle of Convergent Evolution

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Do not be deceived, secularists are like Christians and creationists, believing in miracles. They do not admit it like we do. While Darwin's acolytes claim to believe in science and reject any semblance of faith, they presuppose evolution despite  the evidence, not because of it. Crustaceans have been around a mighty long time. They have no evolutionary history, but just popped into existence (an unacknowledged miracle). Crabs have adapted to a many ecological niches, so materialists evosplain their varieties through the miracle of convergent evolution . Crab, Unsplash / Kai Dahma , modified at Pixlr Secularists are so busy saying, "Hail Darwin! Blessed be!" that they don't notice the flaws in their reasoning. Many know the  Tree of Life stuff is bad enough, but appealing to convergent evolution actually makes things worse. If they realized that praising evolution's "flexibility" sounds like it is rooted in faith and not science, mayhaps they could cons

Comb Jellies Thought to be Last Common Ancestor

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The name comb jelly  does not sound like a real creature. (Indeed, the awful Pexels search engine produced none of them, instead showing people with gel in their hair.) They are almost transparent and seem gelatinous, often with colors that seem like something out of a science fiction movie. Comb jellies have tentacles so they can eat zooplankton and occasionally small fish. They are not jellyfish despite the resemblance, and their tentacles do not sting. They are common in oceans and seem to like being near the shores of the Americas best . Comb jelly, Wikimedia Commons / Alexander Semenov ( CC BY-SA 4.0 ) There are about 150 known species of these critters, but some believers in universal common ancestor evolution think they are the descendants of the common ancestor in the distant past. It seems almost a game, jelly fanciers or sponge folks, who will win the prize of determining the ancestor? Let's see if they can explain the complex nervous systems and reproduction of these &q

New Jellyfish Discovered, no Evolution

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In a way, it should not be surprising that a jellyfish was discovered way down in the deep blue sea — well, not so blue at such depths. More like black because light does not reach there. We have not explored the sea extensively because of darkness, pressure, temperatures, and more. We looked at how anemones are unfriendly to believers in descent with modifications evolution a while ago. They are so delicate, fossilization is rare. Jellyfish are also fragile and the proper conditions are necessary for fossilization. Jellyfish Atolla reynoldsi ,  NOAA ( CC BY-SA 2.0 ), modified at PhotoFunia The fossil record shows something that is unsurprising to biblical creationists: Jellyfish have always been jellyfish even after millions years in the conventional dating system. They were created to be what they are. Sure, there are varieties. But no sign of transitional forms in all that time. The eyes of the box jellyfish are baffling to secular scientists. Maybe A. reynoldsi  has some interes

Anemones are Unfriendly to Evolution

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Sea anemones are not helpful to evolution. These friends of clownfish did not fossilize easily, like their jellyfish cousins. Apparently anemone fossils are rarer than those of jellyfish. Like with so many other creatures, there is no sign of evolution in the fossil record. The old story of something dying and sinking, then getting covered up and eventually become permineralized into the fossils we all know and love is false, but secular dogma. That is why secular scientists are started by fossils of soft creatures, organs, and the like. Sea Anemone, Flickr / Bernard Spragg (public domain) For something to fossilize, it requires rapid burial. This provides the materials as well as the conditions lacking in the typical secular story. The overwhelming majority of the billions of fossils that were buried all around the globe are marine organisms. This easily indicates the Genesis Flood. Interestingly, secularists are also discussing rapid burial. Unsurprisingly, they do not mention the

Thalattosuchia, the After-While Crocodiles

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A fundamental tenet of universal common descent evolution is that humans evolved from fish, and ultimately, from minerals. There had to be creatures evolving limbs from fins, and  Tiktaalik roseae got evolutionists all het up, but that was a failure . Other critters supposedly evolved from land back into the water, and the Thalattosuchia are considered candidates for that as well. Here we get into word salad, where they are referred to as marine crocodiles, but are not classified with crocodilia. Whatever. Thalats and such were crocodile relatives, then. Saltwater Crocodile, Flickr / Bernard Dupont ( CC BY-SA 2.0 ) Just like the original transition from water to land, there is no evidence of moving from land to water. Some evolutionists got a notion to use computed tomography, and they think they found a confirmation for their biases. Their article used the complex scientific principle of Making Things Up™ in lieu of evidence. Sure is a great deal of time, money, education, and more