FAST WATER, QUICK CANYONS
Genesis 8:3a
"And the waters returned from off the earth continually..."
Visitors to the Grand Canyon will recall the Park Rangers saying that it took millions of years for water to carve out the Canyon. We have looked at examples of rapid canyon formation in previous programs, and today we have one more example.
Back in 1926, a canal in the desert of Walla Walla, near Washington, became clogged with tumbleweeds. When heavier-than-normal spring rains occurred, water began to back up. So workers diverted the water to a ditch leading to a nearby creek. The old ditch was not large, six feet wide and never more than ten feet deep, but the large water flow – 80 cubic feet per second – began to carve out the ditch. The fast-moving water soon created what many have called a miniature Grand Canyon. Over six days, the water moved five million cubic feet of dirt and rock. The result is a canyon over a quarter of a mile long, 120 feet deep and 120 feet wide.
Canyons throughout the world have undoubtedly been formed by large volumes of water moving a large amount of rock in a short time. While none of these canyons are as large as the Grand Canyon, the return of waters to the ocean after the Genesis Flood provides more than enough power to carve a feature as large as the Grand Canyon.
I rejoice, dear Father, that You have judged my sins in Christ and have given me forgiveness. Amen.
Back to Genesis, 12: 2001, p. d, John D. Morris, "How Long Does It Take for a Canyon to Form?" Photo: Canyon walls in Coyote Gulch, a tributary of the Escalante River in Utah, US. (PD)
Genesis 8:3a
"And the waters returned from off the earth continually..."
Visitors to the Grand Canyon will recall the Park Rangers saying that it took millions of years for water to carve out the Canyon. We have looked at examples of rapid canyon formation in previous programs, and today we have one more example.
Back in 1926, a canal in the desert of Walla Walla, near Washington, became clogged with tumbleweeds. When heavier-than-normal spring rains occurred, water began to back up. So workers diverted the water to a ditch leading to a nearby creek. The old ditch was not large, six feet wide and never more than ten feet deep, but the large water flow – 80 cubic feet per second – began to carve out the ditch. The fast-moving water soon created what many have called a miniature Grand Canyon. Over six days, the water moved five million cubic feet of dirt and rock. The result is a canyon over a quarter of a mile long, 120 feet deep and 120 feet wide.
Canyons throughout the world have undoubtedly been formed by large volumes of water moving a large amount of rock in a short time. While none of these canyons are as large as the Grand Canyon, the return of waters to the ocean after the Genesis Flood provides more than enough power to carve a feature as large as the Grand Canyon.
I rejoice, dear Father, that You have judged my sins in Christ and have given me forgiveness. Amen.
Back to Genesis, 12: 2001, p. d, John D. Morris, "How Long Does It Take for a Canyon to Form?" Photo: Canyon walls in Coyote Gulch, a tributary of the Escalante River in Utah, US. (PD)
TICKLED LOCUSTS
Proverbs 30:27
"The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands..."
Normally, the desert locusts mentioned in the Bible are shy and reclusive and are green in color. What turns them into the multi-colored army that sweeps across the land, eating every leaf in sight?
Even the book of Proverbs marvels at how locusts, without any leaders, behave like a destructive army. Yet they live most or all of their lives as grasshoppers. However, there are seven species of these locusts that now and again can become a destructive swarm. It happens when their population spikes, usually due to an abundance of food. But what triggers the change? Researchers put a rolling ball around in a cage to jostle a solitary locust. After a few hours the locust was ready to jostle fellow locusts. Then researchers next took a small paintbrush and began to tickle various parts of the insect. After long, tedious hours of locust tickling they found that simply touching a locust's hind leg made it ready to swarm. They concluded that when the locust population spikes, the insects begin to jostle each other, and that touching turns them into a destructive swarm.
One might conclude that when God wanted to punish people in Old Testament times with a plague of locusts, He simply blessed the locusts until they began to jostle against one another. Then they were ready to swarm at His bidding.
Lord, do not let me be plagued by my sin, for I believe that You have earned my forgiveness on the cross. Amen.
Science News, 3/31: 2001, p. 199, S. Milius, "Touching legs turns shy locusts gregarious." Photo: Desert locust. (PD)
Proverbs 30:27
"The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands..."
Normally, the desert locusts mentioned in the Bible are shy and reclusive and are green in color. What turns them into the multi-colored army that sweeps across the land, eating every leaf in sight?
Even the book of Proverbs marvels at how locusts, without any leaders, behave like a destructive army. Yet they live most or all of their lives as grasshoppers. However, there are seven species of these locusts that now and again can become a destructive swarm. It happens when their population spikes, usually due to an abundance of food. But what triggers the change? Researchers put a rolling ball around in a cage to jostle a solitary locust. After a few hours the locust was ready to jostle fellow locusts. Then researchers next took a small paintbrush and began to tickle various parts of the insect. After long, tedious hours of locust tickling they found that simply touching a locust's hind leg made it ready to swarm. They concluded that when the locust population spikes, the insects begin to jostle each other, and that touching turns them into a destructive swarm.
One might conclude that when God wanted to punish people in Old Testament times with a plague of locusts, He simply blessed the locusts until they began to jostle against one another. Then they were ready to swarm at His bidding.
Lord, do not let me be plagued by my sin, for I believe that You have earned my forgiveness on the cross. Amen.
Science News, 3/31: 2001, p. 199, S. Milius, "Touching legs turns shy locusts gregarious." Photo: Desert locust. (PD)
SMART LEAVES
Job 36:5
"Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any: he is mighty in strength and wisdom."
As science learns more about the universe, some are suggesting that they see basic mathematical principles that underlie everything. This principle, which one scientist has called "cellular automata", might be at the root of everything from astronomy to zoology.
The leaves of plants have pores that let in carbon dioxide. However, if the pores open too far or remain open too long, the plant may lose too much water. How does a plant, that has no brain or nervous system, keep these factors in balance? Researchers had always thought that the pores work independently. However, close study has shown that patches of pores in a leaf open and close together. In fact, over several minutes, open and closed patches of pores move across a leaf in patterns. As scientists studied these patterns, they realized that the pattern they were looking at was what they call "distributed, emergent computation" or "cellular automata." The individual cells of the leaves are working with each other to perform complex large-scale computations. In short, the cells of plant leaves are working together as a computer, even though they lack a central processor.
While evolutionists would hope to explain this built-in intelligence by chance, it is difficult to get around the fact that intelligence is built into the creation. Such intelligence can only be ascribed to an intelligent source, our Creator.
Dear Father, I thank You for Your wisdom, and I pray that I may grow in wisdom, guided by Your Word. Amen.
Science News, 2/21 2004, pp. 123-124, Erica Klarreich, "Computation's New Leaf." Photo: Leaf structure. Courtesy of Zephyris. (CC-BY-SA 3.0)
Job 36:5
"Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any: he is mighty in strength and wisdom."
As science learns more about the universe, some are suggesting that they see basic mathematical principles that underlie everything. This principle, which one scientist has called "cellular automata", might be at the root of everything from astronomy to zoology.
The leaves of plants have pores that let in carbon dioxide. However, if the pores open too far or remain open too long, the plant may lose too much water. How does a plant, that has no brain or nervous system, keep these factors in balance? Researchers had always thought that the pores work independently. However, close study has shown that patches of pores in a leaf open and close together. In fact, over several minutes, open and closed patches of pores move across a leaf in patterns. As scientists studied these patterns, they realized that the pattern they were looking at was what they call "distributed, emergent computation" or "cellular automata." The individual cells of the leaves are working with each other to perform complex large-scale computations. In short, the cells of plant leaves are working together as a computer, even though they lack a central processor.
While evolutionists would hope to explain this built-in intelligence by chance, it is difficult to get around the fact that intelligence is built into the creation. Such intelligence can only be ascribed to an intelligent source, our Creator.
Dear Father, I thank You for Your wisdom, and I pray that I may grow in wisdom, guided by Your Word. Amen.
Science News, 2/21 2004, pp. 123-124, Erica Klarreich, "Computation's New Leaf." Photo: Leaf structure. Courtesy of Zephyris. (CC-BY-SA 3.0)
HORNBILLS THAT UNDERSTAND MONKEY
Colossians 1:28
"Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus..."
With the exception of basic messages such as aggression, communication between two entirely different species has seldom been observed among animals in the wild. We know that many animals among the same species give each other specific warnings about an impending danger. However, scientists have never noted one species recognizing the specific warning given by a second species.
Diana monkeys on the Ivory Coast of Africa face two primary threats: leopards and crowned eagles. When one of these threats appears, the spotter gives a very specific bark-like call depending on the type of threat. Of course, the monkeys need to respond differently to each threat, whether it comes from the leopard below or the eagle above. So it helps them to know what they are facing. On the other hand, a bird named the yellow hornbill is threatened only by the crowned eagles. Researchers noted that these birds ignored the monkeys' warning about the leopards. But when the monkeys signaled danger from the eagle, the yellow hornbill took defensive measures. Researchers confirmed their observations using tape-recorded monkey calls. The researchers were amazed that these birds understood the monkey warnings in an intelligent manner.
Such intelligence comes from the Creator, Who has given the gift of such intelligence to His creatures in a way that provides for their survival. This shows His loving care for His creation.
Father, thank You for Your love, especially for Your forgiving love to me in Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Science News, 3/20: 2004, p. 188, "Hornbills know which monkey calls to heed." Photo: Diana monkey at Cincinnati Zoo. Courtesy of Greg Hume. (CC-BY-SA 3.0)
Colossians 1:28
"Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus..."
With the exception of basic messages such as aggression, communication between two entirely different species has seldom been observed among animals in the wild. We know that many animals among the same species give each other specific warnings about an impending danger. However, scientists have never noted one species recognizing the specific warning given by a second species.
Diana monkeys on the Ivory Coast of Africa face two primary threats: leopards and crowned eagles. When one of these threats appears, the spotter gives a very specific bark-like call depending on the type of threat. Of course, the monkeys need to respond differently to each threat, whether it comes from the leopard below or the eagle above. So it helps them to know what they are facing. On the other hand, a bird named the yellow hornbill is threatened only by the crowned eagles. Researchers noted that these birds ignored the monkeys' warning about the leopards. But when the monkeys signaled danger from the eagle, the yellow hornbill took defensive measures. Researchers confirmed their observations using tape-recorded monkey calls. The researchers were amazed that these birds understood the monkey warnings in an intelligent manner.
Such intelligence comes from the Creator, Who has given the gift of such intelligence to His creatures in a way that provides for their survival. This shows His loving care for His creation.
Father, thank You for Your love, especially for Your forgiving love to me in Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Science News, 3/20: 2004, p. 188, "Hornbills know which monkey calls to heed." Photo: Diana monkey at Cincinnati Zoo. Courtesy of Greg Hume. (CC-BY-SA 3.0)
FOSSIL INVENTORY: SURPRISES FOR SOME
Genesis 1:24
"And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so."
Everyone will remember those school textbook diagrams showing the ever-upward progression of living organisms, including man. We recall the horse series, found in textbooks and the museum displays showing the evolution of the horse – the first stage as a small mammal and, after several transitions, the modern horse. The claim that fossils in the rock layers show a progression from simple life in the lowest layers to the most complex life at the top accompanies these diagrams.
Recently, the journal Science, reported that paleobiologists who study these fossils reevaluated all the fossil-bearing rocks that have been found in the last 180 years. What was their reaction to the meaning of the fossil record after their new inventory? "We may have been misled for twenty years," said one scientist. Another commented, "For the first time, a large group of people is saying paleobiology has been making a mistake." Why are they reacting this way? They have had to conclude, on the basis of the fossil evidence, that there never was an ever-upward progression of complexity of life forms as they had expected. The species that are represented in the fossil record show no evidence of the classic evolutionary development traditionally found in school textbooks.
In short, the fossil record supports the biblical claim that all the kinds of animals appeared about the same time.
I thank You, Lord, for the great diversity and beauty You have created in the living world. Amen.
Creation, 9-11: 2001, p. 7, "Fossil re-count limits diversity." Visual: Horse series diagram promoting evolution. Courtesy of the Institute for Creation Research.
Genesis 1:24
"And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so."
Everyone will remember those school textbook diagrams showing the ever-upward progression of living organisms, including man. We recall the horse series, found in textbooks and the museum displays showing the evolution of the horse – the first stage as a small mammal and, after several transitions, the modern horse. The claim that fossils in the rock layers show a progression from simple life in the lowest layers to the most complex life at the top accompanies these diagrams.
Recently, the journal Science, reported that paleobiologists who study these fossils reevaluated all the fossil-bearing rocks that have been found in the last 180 years. What was their reaction to the meaning of the fossil record after their new inventory? "We may have been misled for twenty years," said one scientist. Another commented, "For the first time, a large group of people is saying paleobiology has been making a mistake." Why are they reacting this way? They have had to conclude, on the basis of the fossil evidence, that there never was an ever-upward progression of complexity of life forms as they had expected. The species that are represented in the fossil record show no evidence of the classic evolutionary development traditionally found in school textbooks.
In short, the fossil record supports the biblical claim that all the kinds of animals appeared about the same time.
I thank You, Lord, for the great diversity and beauty You have created in the living world. Amen.
Creation, 9-11: 2001, p. 7, "Fossil re-count limits diversity." Visual: Horse series diagram promoting evolution. Courtesy of the Institute for Creation Research.
THE EARLY BUG GETS THE WATER
Job 38:26
"To cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is; on the wilderness, wherein there is no man...."
How do you get the water you need in a desert in which it almost never rains? We have often looked here at how God's designs in nature show us practical designs we may never think of. The water-hoarding beetle provides us with one more such example.
This particular beetle is found in southwestern Africa in the Namibian Desert where it almost never rains. Early in the morning, a fog settles over the desert. Any water that might condense out of it is quickly evaporated by the sun and daily winds that come later in the day. But the beetles are up early to collect the water from the fog on their backs. Their back shell has tiny bumps about a half millimeter in diameter. The tops of the bumps are covered with a material that attracts water. The valleys between the bumps are coated with a waxy material that repels water. So, when large-enough droplets of water collect on the bumps, they roll down into the waxy valleys, and down those valleys into the beetle's mouth. Researchers have duplicated the beetle's covering and found that such coverings will aid desert survival for man.
This design also teaches us that these beetles and all the other myriad living things in creation were not produced by mindless evolution, but by a loving, caring Creator.
Lord, we thank You for all Your good gifts in season, even the rain, but most of all we thank You for Your love. Amen.
nytimes.com/2001/11/06/science/06OBSE.html. Photo: Racing Stripe Darkling Beetle from the Namibian Desert. Courtesy of Hans Hillewaert. (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Job 38:26
"To cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is; on the wilderness, wherein there is no man...."
How do you get the water you need in a desert in which it almost never rains? We have often looked here at how God's designs in nature show us practical designs we may never think of. The water-hoarding beetle provides us with one more such example.
This particular beetle is found in southwestern Africa in the Namibian Desert where it almost never rains. Early in the morning, a fog settles over the desert. Any water that might condense out of it is quickly evaporated by the sun and daily winds that come later in the day. But the beetles are up early to collect the water from the fog on their backs. Their back shell has tiny bumps about a half millimeter in diameter. The tops of the bumps are covered with a material that attracts water. The valleys between the bumps are coated with a waxy material that repels water. So, when large-enough droplets of water collect on the bumps, they roll down into the waxy valleys, and down those valleys into the beetle's mouth. Researchers have duplicated the beetle's covering and found that such coverings will aid desert survival for man.
This design also teaches us that these beetles and all the other myriad living things in creation were not produced by mindless evolution, but by a loving, caring Creator.
Lord, we thank You for all Your good gifts in season, even the rain, but most of all we thank You for Your love. Amen.
nytimes.com/2001/11/06/science/06OBSE.html. Photo: Racing Stripe Darkling Beetle from the Namibian Desert. Courtesy of Hans Hillewaert. (CC BY-SA 3.0)