BRAIN DISAPPOINTS EVOLUTIONARY THOUGHTS
Psalm 119:130
"The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple."
According to evolutionary thought, humans came from ape-like creatures. These ape-like creatures came from reptiles through many steps. Likewise, reptiles ultimately came from fish, through many steps. Evolutionists say that with each major stage, more parts were added to the brain. The final development, and the greatest of all, is the cerebral cortex.
According to this theory, one of the oldest parts of the brain is the part deep inside. Evolutionists claim that this part of the brain, called the basal ganglia, comes from our reptilian past. They have described this part of the brain as "primitive." It controls such simple things as movement and spatial memory. These are basic functions needed by reptiles. Of course, the evolutionary view that the basal ganglia is primitive was never scientifically researched.
Then researchers started to examine the workings of the basal ganglia. They have concluded that the deep structures of the brain that are supposed to be primitive are actually quite sophisticated. In fact, these so-called reptilian structures rival the cerebral cortex in sophistication. These structures receive input from all parts of the cortex. And all the neurochemicals found anywhere else in the body are also found in these structures. In other words, there is absolutely no evidence of their being primitive.
Once again, scientific research has not found what evolutionists expected. The human brain has not developed by adding parts to reptile brains. It was specially created just for human beings.
I thank You, dear Lord, for the wonderful abilities of my brain. Forgive me for those times when I have failed to use the abilities You have given me – especially when I have failed to use them in Your service. Amen.
Miller, Julie Ann. 1985. "Deep core of brain gains respect." Science News, v. 128, Nov. 9. p. 297.
Psalm 119:130
"The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple."
According to evolutionary thought, humans came from ape-like creatures. These ape-like creatures came from reptiles through many steps. Likewise, reptiles ultimately came from fish, through many steps. Evolutionists say that with each major stage, more parts were added to the brain. The final development, and the greatest of all, is the cerebral cortex.
According to this theory, one of the oldest parts of the brain is the part deep inside. Evolutionists claim that this part of the brain, called the basal ganglia, comes from our reptilian past. They have described this part of the brain as "primitive." It controls such simple things as movement and spatial memory. These are basic functions needed by reptiles. Of course, the evolutionary view that the basal ganglia is primitive was never scientifically researched.
Then researchers started to examine the workings of the basal ganglia. They have concluded that the deep structures of the brain that are supposed to be primitive are actually quite sophisticated. In fact, these so-called reptilian structures rival the cerebral cortex in sophistication. These structures receive input from all parts of the cortex. And all the neurochemicals found anywhere else in the body are also found in these structures. In other words, there is absolutely no evidence of their being primitive.
Once again, scientific research has not found what evolutionists expected. The human brain has not developed by adding parts to reptile brains. It was specially created just for human beings.
I thank You, dear Lord, for the wonderful abilities of my brain. Forgive me for those times when I have failed to use the abilities You have given me – especially when I have failed to use them in Your service. Amen.
Miller, Julie Ann. 1985. "Deep core of brain gains respect." Science News, v. 128, Nov. 9. p. 297.
TALKING ABOUT THE TAKIN
Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."
In has a bulky, humped body like a bear. Its hindquarters slope downward like a hyena. It has legs like a cow. Its tail looks as if it were borrowed from a goat. It has the horns of a wildebeest and a face like a moose with mumps. Some scientists think the golden fleece Jason brought to Greece in classical times was from a takin. One scientist commented that if the camel was designed by committee, the same committee designed the takin from the parts that were left over.
The takin is a large, hoofed animal that can weigh up to 650 pounds and stand five feet high at the shoulders. It lives in China's remote, rugged mountain forests, where it is protected. Takins are herding animals that eat plants. Scientists have noted over 100 species of plant that the takin eats. One scientist suggested that it might be easier to put together a list of the plants takins don't eat.
Standing on their hind legs, takins can reach branches eight feet high. They will push over thin trees to get at the leaves. And they're large enough to straddle a five-foot tree and bend it down until they can get at the leaves. Scientists were puzzled because for some time they never saw any young takins in the grazing herds. Then they discovered that the young are often tended in the takins' version of a day care center, while the rest of the herd goes off to socialize and feed.
Our Creator's imagination knows no limits. In its uniqueness, the takin glorifies our Creator God.
Father, Your unlimited imagination has done things that we cannot imagine or understand. Help me to remember this fact when I am tempted to trust in those things that my limited imagination can understand in place of Your clear Word of truth. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Miller, Julie Ann. 1985. "Observations on a legend: takin in the wild." Science News, v. 128, Aug. 31. p. 148.
Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."
In has a bulky, humped body like a bear. Its hindquarters slope downward like a hyena. It has legs like a cow. Its tail looks as if it were borrowed from a goat. It has the horns of a wildebeest and a face like a moose with mumps. Some scientists think the golden fleece Jason brought to Greece in classical times was from a takin. One scientist commented that if the camel was designed by committee, the same committee designed the takin from the parts that were left over.
The takin is a large, hoofed animal that can weigh up to 650 pounds and stand five feet high at the shoulders. It lives in China's remote, rugged mountain forests, where it is protected. Takins are herding animals that eat plants. Scientists have noted over 100 species of plant that the takin eats. One scientist suggested that it might be easier to put together a list of the plants takins don't eat.
Standing on their hind legs, takins can reach branches eight feet high. They will push over thin trees to get at the leaves. And they're large enough to straddle a five-foot tree and bend it down until they can get at the leaves. Scientists were puzzled because for some time they never saw any young takins in the grazing herds. Then they discovered that the young are often tended in the takins' version of a day care center, while the rest of the herd goes off to socialize and feed.
Our Creator's imagination knows no limits. In its uniqueness, the takin glorifies our Creator God.
Father, Your unlimited imagination has done things that we cannot imagine or understand. Help me to remember this fact when I am tempted to trust in those things that my limited imagination can understand in place of Your clear Word of truth. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Miller, Julie Ann. 1985. "Observations on a legend: takin in the wild." Science News, v. 128, Aug. 31. p. 148.
THE YOUNG LIZARD'S CANTEEN
Isaiah 43:20
"The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen."
When you go into the desert, it's always a good idea to take a canteen of water with you. Our Creator applied that same simple wisdom when he designed the Yarrow's spiny lizard.
Like many desert dwellers, Yarrow's spiny lizards are well designed to conserve water in the dry desert climate. For example, they don't even have a urinary bladder. Their bodies are designed to remove water from their waste before it is released. The water is recycled within the body, since water is a precious resource in the desert.
Unlike many reptiles, Yarrow's spiny lizard bears live young. The two-inch-long newborn lizards can dry out quickly in the desert. To increase their ability to survive, the Creator gave the newborns a built-in canteen of water. At birth, a full canteen makes up 10% of the lizard's weight. After the first month of life, the canteen shrivels and is no longer used. This, too, is a wise design, since the growing lizard has learned the ways of the desert and now has a greater need for speed than it has for a bulky water reservoir.
None of us can fully appreciate God's limitless imagination and creativity that we see in the living world around us. However, we can appreciate the fact that He is willing and able to provide practical and workable solutions to every problem that we face. His solutions – beginning with our greatest need, the forgiveness of sins – are found in the Bible. The trust to apply His solutions to our lives is found in faith, worked by His Holy Spirit.
I thank You, dear Father in heaven, for Your limitless love and patience with me. Forgive me for those times when I have sought my own solutions rather than Yours. Grant me Your Holy Spirit so that I may make better use of Your Word in my life. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
"Canteen for a young lizard." Science News, v. 128. p. 124.
Isaiah 43:20
"The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen."
When you go into the desert, it's always a good idea to take a canteen of water with you. Our Creator applied that same simple wisdom when he designed the Yarrow's spiny lizard.
Like many desert dwellers, Yarrow's spiny lizards are well designed to conserve water in the dry desert climate. For example, they don't even have a urinary bladder. Their bodies are designed to remove water from their waste before it is released. The water is recycled within the body, since water is a precious resource in the desert.
Unlike many reptiles, Yarrow's spiny lizard bears live young. The two-inch-long newborn lizards can dry out quickly in the desert. To increase their ability to survive, the Creator gave the newborns a built-in canteen of water. At birth, a full canteen makes up 10% of the lizard's weight. After the first month of life, the canteen shrivels and is no longer used. This, too, is a wise design, since the growing lizard has learned the ways of the desert and now has a greater need for speed than it has for a bulky water reservoir.
None of us can fully appreciate God's limitless imagination and creativity that we see in the living world around us. However, we can appreciate the fact that He is willing and able to provide practical and workable solutions to every problem that we face. His solutions – beginning with our greatest need, the forgiveness of sins – are found in the Bible. The trust to apply His solutions to our lives is found in faith, worked by His Holy Spirit.
I thank You, dear Father in heaven, for Your limitless love and patience with me. Forgive me for those times when I have sought my own solutions rather than Yours. Grant me Your Holy Spirit so that I may make better use of Your Word in my life. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
"Canteen for a young lizard." Science News, v. 128. p. 124.
BACTERIA THAT DISSOLVE STEEL
Matthew 6:19
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:"
They work silently and in the dark. While most of Earth's inhabitants need oxygen for life, they merely tolerate it. They prefer to build their own environments where there's no oxygen. Then they go to work. And they love metal. Using complex chemistry, they begin dissolving metal. The can make a sixteenth-of-an-inch hole through an inch-thick pipe in six months. Stainless steel isn't so tough – it doesn't slow them down a bit. Even modern space age metals like titanium can't stand up to them.
No, we're not talking about some hideous creatures from outer space. These strange-sounding creatures are called sulfate-reducing bacteria. Each year, metal corrosion causes about $167 billion in damage. And a large part of that damage is caused by bacteria destroying metal pipes.
Sulfate-reducing bacteria begin by sealing off their colony from liquid in a pipe or tank. Once sealed off, bacteria begin forming hydrogen gas. Sealed under the biosphere, the hydrogen accumulates and is absorbed by the metal. The absorbed hydrogen begins to corrode and make the metal brittle. Researchers, using pipes coated with epoxy, couldn't stop the bugs. It appears that the bugs thought the pigment in epoxy made a great change of diet.
Despite our modern scientific sophistication, moth and rust continue to afflict our efforts. This is God's way of reminding us that we, along with the creation, are afflicted with sin and are in need of the forgiveness of sins that is ours only through Jesus Christ.
I pray, Lord, that You would keep me mindful of the vanity of placing my trust in my own or others' efforts. I know that ultimately You are my only hope for meaning here and in eternity. Forgive me for those times I have trusted in my own wisdom and efforts and grant me Your peace. Amen.
Raloff, Janet. 1985. "The bugs of rust." Science News, v. 128, July 20. p. 42.
Matthew 6:19
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:"
They work silently and in the dark. While most of Earth's inhabitants need oxygen for life, they merely tolerate it. They prefer to build their own environments where there's no oxygen. Then they go to work. And they love metal. Using complex chemistry, they begin dissolving metal. The can make a sixteenth-of-an-inch hole through an inch-thick pipe in six months. Stainless steel isn't so tough – it doesn't slow them down a bit. Even modern space age metals like titanium can't stand up to them.
No, we're not talking about some hideous creatures from outer space. These strange-sounding creatures are called sulfate-reducing bacteria. Each year, metal corrosion causes about $167 billion in damage. And a large part of that damage is caused by bacteria destroying metal pipes.
Sulfate-reducing bacteria begin by sealing off their colony from liquid in a pipe or tank. Once sealed off, bacteria begin forming hydrogen gas. Sealed under the biosphere, the hydrogen accumulates and is absorbed by the metal. The absorbed hydrogen begins to corrode and make the metal brittle. Researchers, using pipes coated with epoxy, couldn't stop the bugs. It appears that the bugs thought the pigment in epoxy made a great change of diet.
Despite our modern scientific sophistication, moth and rust continue to afflict our efforts. This is God's way of reminding us that we, along with the creation, are afflicted with sin and are in need of the forgiveness of sins that is ours only through Jesus Christ.
I pray, Lord, that You would keep me mindful of the vanity of placing my trust in my own or others' efforts. I know that ultimately You are my only hope for meaning here and in eternity. Forgive me for those times I have trusted in my own wisdom and efforts and grant me Your peace. Amen.
Raloff, Janet. 1985. "The bugs of rust." Science News, v. 128, July 20. p. 42.
PHYSICIAN WASP?
Job 36:5
"Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any: he is mighty in strength and wisdom."
On previous "Creation Moments" programs we've talked about wasps that control crop pests. Natural controls – such as these wasps – show the Creator's hand in designing the creation. New facts about how wasps control pests make our Creator's hand even more evident.
There are several thousand species of wasps that lay their eggs inside crop pests or use the pests for food. These wasps have become a popular form of natural pest control among farmers and gardeners.
Researchers have now discovered that the wasps do more than simply feed on the pests or use them as food for their young. Typically, the wasps will inject their eggs into worm-like pest larvae. It has been discovered that the wasp eggs are coated with a virus that holds the pest larvae in the immature stage until the developing young wasps have no more need of the egg. The virus appears to move to an organ inside the pest larva and affects the insect's immune system. It also acts on the larva's endocrine system to take away the larva's appetite. So the pest larva destroys less crop, and being starved for food, fails to develop into an adult. This gives the wasp eggs plenty of time to develop into young wasps who will finish off the pest.
Researchers are still trying to discover exactly how the virus's carefully orchestrated attack strategy works. However, clearly no creature, nor the creation itself, invented this strategy. It could only have been conceived and built by a Master Biochemist and Physician!
I thank You, Lord, that You have built into Your creation natural ways to control creatures that can become unwanted pests. Help us to learn more about the natural controls You have made so that we will be better able to feed a growing population. And with that food, let Your people bring others Your saving Word. Amen.
Raloff, Janet. 1985. "Virus allows wasps to kill crop pests." Science News, v. 128. p. 22.
Job 36:5
"Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any: he is mighty in strength and wisdom."
On previous "Creation Moments" programs we've talked about wasps that control crop pests. Natural controls – such as these wasps – show the Creator's hand in designing the creation. New facts about how wasps control pests make our Creator's hand even more evident.
There are several thousand species of wasps that lay their eggs inside crop pests or use the pests for food. These wasps have become a popular form of natural pest control among farmers and gardeners.
Researchers have now discovered that the wasps do more than simply feed on the pests or use them as food for their young. Typically, the wasps will inject their eggs into worm-like pest larvae. It has been discovered that the wasp eggs are coated with a virus that holds the pest larvae in the immature stage until the developing young wasps have no more need of the egg. The virus appears to move to an organ inside the pest larva and affects the insect's immune system. It also acts on the larva's endocrine system to take away the larva's appetite. So the pest larva destroys less crop, and being starved for food, fails to develop into an adult. This gives the wasp eggs plenty of time to develop into young wasps who will finish off the pest.
Researchers are still trying to discover exactly how the virus's carefully orchestrated attack strategy works. However, clearly no creature, nor the creation itself, invented this strategy. It could only have been conceived and built by a Master Biochemist and Physician!
I thank You, Lord, that You have built into Your creation natural ways to control creatures that can become unwanted pests. Help us to learn more about the natural controls You have made so that we will be better able to feed a growing population. And with that food, let Your people bring others Your saving Word. Amen.
Raloff, Janet. 1985. "Virus allows wasps to kill crop pests." Science News, v. 128. p. 22.