GLASS INSECTS IN SPACE!
Psalm 9:1
"I will praise Thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all Thy marvelous works."
Brine shrimp and water bears are tiny animals that are able to basically freeze dry into a state of suspended animation and then return to active life. Scientists have learned that they do this by replacing the water in their cells with a sugar called trehalose.
The larvae of a fly native to Africa makes its living eating organic material that settles at the bottom of puddles. During periods of drought, the larvae replace the water in their cells with trehalose. The sugar acts just like other sugars, solidifying into a glasslike state. In this state, the sugar acts to stabilize the larvae's tissues. The larvae can remain in this state for up to 17 years and still come back to life when water is again available.
Scientists would like to learn more about this ability. Their hope is to apply such knowledge to preserving blood for transfusion in a dry form. They may also learn how to preserve organs for transplant. As part of their research, they have sent dry larvae to the International Space Station. They want to see if the larvae can be revived after they have been exposed to space outside the space station.
Not only are the wonders that God has created marvelous, but we can learn from them for our own betterment.
Father, I praise You for the wonders that You have made and that we can learn from how You made things. Amen.
Science News, 3/29/08, p. 197, Davide Castelvecchi, "Live Another Day." Photo: Mating pair of brine shrimp. Courtesy of Hans Hillewaert. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Psalm 9:1
"I will praise Thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all Thy marvelous works."
Brine shrimp and water bears are tiny animals that are able to basically freeze dry into a state of suspended animation and then return to active life. Scientists have learned that they do this by replacing the water in their cells with a sugar called trehalose.
The larvae of a fly native to Africa makes its living eating organic material that settles at the bottom of puddles. During periods of drought, the larvae replace the water in their cells with trehalose. The sugar acts just like other sugars, solidifying into a glasslike state. In this state, the sugar acts to stabilize the larvae's tissues. The larvae can remain in this state for up to 17 years and still come back to life when water is again available.
Scientists would like to learn more about this ability. Their hope is to apply such knowledge to preserving blood for transfusion in a dry form. They may also learn how to preserve organs for transplant. As part of their research, they have sent dry larvae to the International Space Station. They want to see if the larvae can be revived after they have been exposed to space outside the space station.
Not only are the wonders that God has created marvelous, but we can learn from them for our own betterment.
Father, I praise You for the wonders that You have made and that we can learn from how You made things. Amen.
Science News, 3/29/08, p. 197, Davide Castelvecchi, "Live Another Day." Photo: Mating pair of brine shrimp. Courtesy of Hans Hillewaert. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
WHAT LANGUAGES DID JESUS SPEAK?
John 7:35b
".will He go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles?"
What languages did Jesus speak during His ministry on Earth? Of course He spoke Aramaic, since that was the common language of the people He taught. When He read from Isaiah in the synagogue in Nazareth, He would have read it in Hebrew. But did Jesus also speak Greek?
Greek was in common use in Israel in the first century. Greek inscriptions are frequently found in Jewish graves from the period. This is evidence that many Jews knew the Greek language. Some scholars point to some of the terms in Jesus' recorded sayings that have Greek origins; however, their arguments are not universally accepted.
But Jesus did grow up in Nazareth, which is in "Galilee of the Gentiles," where Greek as well as Aramaic would have been spoken. Nazareth was only an hour's walk from Sepphoris, where one would have to speak Greek to do business. As scholars point out, Jesus was educated and as a carpenter, He was a skilled artisan. He would have to speak Greek to deal with customers. At one point His disciples wondered whether He would go to teach the Gentiles, a task that would require Greek.
Language is a gift of God. It is through this gift that God gives us the greater gift of His saving Gospel which assures us of the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ.
Thank You, Father, for the gift of language, for this is how You give us Your Word of salvation in Jesus Christ. Amen.
Biblical Archaeology Review, 9-10/92, pp. 58-63, Joseph A. Fitzmyer, "Did Jesus Speak Greek?" Photo: "Mona Lisa of the Galilee", ancient mosaic in Sepphoris. Courtesy of Tomisti. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
John 7:35b
".will He go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles?"
What languages did Jesus speak during His ministry on Earth? Of course He spoke Aramaic, since that was the common language of the people He taught. When He read from Isaiah in the synagogue in Nazareth, He would have read it in Hebrew. But did Jesus also speak Greek?
Greek was in common use in Israel in the first century. Greek inscriptions are frequently found in Jewish graves from the period. This is evidence that many Jews knew the Greek language. Some scholars point to some of the terms in Jesus' recorded sayings that have Greek origins; however, their arguments are not universally accepted.
But Jesus did grow up in Nazareth, which is in "Galilee of the Gentiles," where Greek as well as Aramaic would have been spoken. Nazareth was only an hour's walk from Sepphoris, where one would have to speak Greek to do business. As scholars point out, Jesus was educated and as a carpenter, He was a skilled artisan. He would have to speak Greek to deal with customers. At one point His disciples wondered whether He would go to teach the Gentiles, a task that would require Greek.
Language is a gift of God. It is through this gift that God gives us the greater gift of His saving Gospel which assures us of the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ.
Thank You, Father, for the gift of language, for this is how You give us Your Word of salvation in Jesus Christ. Amen.
Biblical Archaeology Review, 9-10/92, pp. 58-63, Joseph A. Fitzmyer, "Did Jesus Speak Greek?" Photo: "Mona Lisa of the Galilee", ancient mosaic in Sepphoris. Courtesy of Tomisti. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
CATERPILLARS REMEMBER
Matthew 6:19
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal."
The metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a moth or butterfly completely restructures the creature internally and externally. Scientists at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. wondered whether that included the caterpillar's brain as well.
To find out, they placed tobacco hornworm caterpillars inside a hollow tube shaped like a Y. Scientists then put a bad-smelling gas in one of the arms of the Y. When a caterpillar went down that arm of the tube it received a mild shock. Since the caterpillars go through several molts, researchers performed the experiment on caterpillars at various stages of their moltings.
They found that caterpillars that underwent the experience before their fifth and final molt did not remember their experience with the gas after metamorphosis. However, 77 percent of those caterpillars that encountered the gas and experienced a shock after their final molt remembered their dislike of the gas after metamorphosis. Scientists point out that caterpillars, moths and butterflies are not social creatures. This means they have more need for memory because there is no division of labor among them.
Just because the Bible associates moths with decay doesn't mean that God didn't provide them with all they need to live successful lives. To God, no creature is unimportant.
Father, I thank You that You are generous with Your gifts. Let me never forget Your goodness. Amen.
Science News, 3/22/08, p. 189, Rachel Ehrenberg, "Moths' Memories." Photo: Tobacco hornworm caterpillar. Courtesy of Daniel Schwen. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Matthew 6:19
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal."
The metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a moth or butterfly completely restructures the creature internally and externally. Scientists at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. wondered whether that included the caterpillar's brain as well.
To find out, they placed tobacco hornworm caterpillars inside a hollow tube shaped like a Y. Scientists then put a bad-smelling gas in one of the arms of the Y. When a caterpillar went down that arm of the tube it received a mild shock. Since the caterpillars go through several molts, researchers performed the experiment on caterpillars at various stages of their moltings.
They found that caterpillars that underwent the experience before their fifth and final molt did not remember their experience with the gas after metamorphosis. However, 77 percent of those caterpillars that encountered the gas and experienced a shock after their final molt remembered their dislike of the gas after metamorphosis. Scientists point out that caterpillars, moths and butterflies are not social creatures. This means they have more need for memory because there is no division of labor among them.
Just because the Bible associates moths with decay doesn't mean that God didn't provide them with all they need to live successful lives. To God, no creature is unimportant.
Father, I thank You that You are generous with Your gifts. Let me never forget Your goodness. Amen.
Science News, 3/22/08, p. 189, Rachel Ehrenberg, "Moths' Memories." Photo: Tobacco hornworm caterpillar. Courtesy of Daniel Schwen. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
ABIMELECH THE WATERMELON
Judges 9:53
"And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech's head, and all to brake his skull."
In the book of Judges we read of how "a certain woman" gave the Philistine leader Abimelech a skull fracture when she threw a millstone on him from a tower. Some biblical scholars concluded that no woman could lift a millstone to throw it. Besides, what would a millstone be doing at the top of a tower?
However, archaeologists easily answered these questions. First, the large round stones, often powered by a donkey, weren't invented until a thousand years later. The type of millstone in use at the time of this incident was a round, loaf-shaped stone that weighed between four and seven pounds. Archaeologists have found many of them in the Holy Land. It was used to grind flour in a stone base at a time when every household ground their own flour every day. This job was often done on a roof, in the cool breeze, under an awning.
To test the story, archaeologists in Israel assembled the type of stones that would have been used and a watermelon. They used a magic marker to give the melon a face and named it Abimelech. Then, with the help of several women volunteers, they tossed their stones from an ancient two-story tower. Abimelech did not survive.
Whether the Bible is talking about salvation or history, we know we can trust it as God's Word.
Lord, I thank You for Your love to me in Jesus Christ and Your love in giving us Your Word, faithfully preserved. Amen.
Biblical Archaeology Review, 1-2/02, pp. 34-37, 62, Denise Dick Herr and Mary Petrina Boyd, "A Watermelon Named Abimelech." Illustration: Gustave Doré, The Death of Abimelech.
Judges 9:53
"And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech's head, and all to brake his skull."
In the book of Judges we read of how "a certain woman" gave the Philistine leader Abimelech a skull fracture when she threw a millstone on him from a tower. Some biblical scholars concluded that no woman could lift a millstone to throw it. Besides, what would a millstone be doing at the top of a tower?
However, archaeologists easily answered these questions. First, the large round stones, often powered by a donkey, weren't invented until a thousand years later. The type of millstone in use at the time of this incident was a round, loaf-shaped stone that weighed between four and seven pounds. Archaeologists have found many of them in the Holy Land. It was used to grind flour in a stone base at a time when every household ground their own flour every day. This job was often done on a roof, in the cool breeze, under an awning.
To test the story, archaeologists in Israel assembled the type of stones that would have been used and a watermelon. They used a magic marker to give the melon a face and named it Abimelech. Then, with the help of several women volunteers, they tossed their stones from an ancient two-story tower. Abimelech did not survive.
Whether the Bible is talking about salvation or history, we know we can trust it as God's Word.
Lord, I thank You for Your love to me in Jesus Christ and Your love in giving us Your Word, faithfully preserved. Amen.
Biblical Archaeology Review, 1-2/02, pp. 34-37, 62, Denise Dick Herr and Mary Petrina Boyd, "A Watermelon Named Abimelech." Illustration: Gustave Doré, The Death of Abimelech.
HOW OLD IS HUMAN DNA?
Genesis 11:8
"So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city."
Mitochondria generate energy inside each of your cells. They have their own DNA, which is passed directly from mother to child. This fact and the known rate at which mitochondrial DNA mutates has led to some conclusions which would be expected by those who accept the biblical history of mankind.
Both creationists and evolutionists who study mitochondrial DNA are agreed on several conclusions. They agree that at some time in the past there was a single dispersal of humankind. They also agree that there are three mitochondrial DNA lines represented in all of mankind. (Evolutionists, however, would not connect these three lines to Noah's three sons' wives.)
Both are also agreed that the dispersal of the human population happened fairly recently in the Middle East. The pattern indicates that this dispersal from a common place led to small, related groups or clans moving into new territory. Creationist researchers, seeing a parallel between the agreed-upon scientific conclusions and biblical history, have explored the evidence further.
Human mitochondrial DNA mutates at a known rate. Based on this known rate, the human genome is very young - much younger than evolutionary theory says it should be. It is only thousands of years old.
Father, I thank You that You have loved us so much that You have saved us and given us the Gospel in Your Word. Amen.
Acts/Facts, 5/08, p. 6, Larry Vardiman, "Mitochondrial DNA and a Recent Human Origin." Photo: Electron microscopy of mitochondrial DNA. Courtesy of Francisco J Iborra1, Hiroshi Kimura2 and Peter R Cook. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
Genesis 11:8
"So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city."
Mitochondria generate energy inside each of your cells. They have their own DNA, which is passed directly from mother to child. This fact and the known rate at which mitochondrial DNA mutates has led to some conclusions which would be expected by those who accept the biblical history of mankind.
Both creationists and evolutionists who study mitochondrial DNA are agreed on several conclusions. They agree that at some time in the past there was a single dispersal of humankind. They also agree that there are three mitochondrial DNA lines represented in all of mankind. (Evolutionists, however, would not connect these three lines to Noah's three sons' wives.)
Both are also agreed that the dispersal of the human population happened fairly recently in the Middle East. The pattern indicates that this dispersal from a common place led to small, related groups or clans moving into new territory. Creationist researchers, seeing a parallel between the agreed-upon scientific conclusions and biblical history, have explored the evidence further.
Human mitochondrial DNA mutates at a known rate. Based on this known rate, the human genome is very young - much younger than evolutionary theory says it should be. It is only thousands of years old.
Father, I thank You that You have loved us so much that You have saved us and given us the Gospel in Your Word. Amen.
Acts/Facts, 5/08, p. 6, Larry Vardiman, "Mitochondrial DNA and a Recent Human Origin." Photo: Electron microscopy of mitochondrial DNA. Courtesy of Francisco J Iborra1, Hiroshi Kimura2 and Peter R Cook. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
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