September 2010

9/30/10

MIGRAINE Gene Discovered - New Hope!

"It is a once in a generation find that could one day lead to treatments that could prevent migraines. Potentially it is even more exciting than that. It could potentially lead to a treatment for pain in general. That could impact everybody."

In a recent Telegraph UK report, scientists have discovered a "once in a generation" finding that could spell huge relief for the many migraine headache sufferers in the world today.

The report notes that the gene TRESK seems to be at the root of migraines, as it "controls the sensitivity of pain nerves in the brain and, if faulty, can bring the threshold so low that just living is painful."

The research and the subsequent discovery, published in Nature Medicine, bring a new avenue of controlling pain.

Understandably excited, Dr Zameel Cader, a consultant neurologist at the Medical Research Council Functional Genomics Unit at the University of Oxford, explained, "We have now made a major step forward in our understanding of why people suffer with migraines and how in certain cases, your family can literally give you a headache.

"Previous studies have identified parts of our DNA that increase the risk in the general population but have not found genes which can be directly responsible for common migraine. What we've found is that migraines seem to depend on how excitable our nerves are in specific parts of the brain.

"Finding the key player which controls this excitability will give us a real opportunity to find a new way to fight migraines and improve the quality of life for those suffering."

To read the full report, follow the source link provided.

Richard Alleyne – Telegraph UK

This is great news for those of us who suffer from migraines!

2010 Christian Nature

9/29/10

Unbelievable Triple Rainbow!

"I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth." -Genesis 9:13

I've always been a rainbow lover, and have been known to pull my car over just to sit and watch them. I've seen some pretty striking rainbows, even double ones, but I've never seen a triple rainbow. (Photo by: Daryl Pederson)

Recently, a friend sent me a link to a photo of a triple rainbow captured this month in Alaska (they seem to have all the beautiful weather phenomena up there!).

According to SpaceWeather.com, double rainbows are not uncommon at all. They note that "sunlight reflected once inside raindrops produces the primary arc and sunlight reflected twice produces the secondary."

Photographer Daryl Pederson of Anchorage, Alaska shot this photo of a triple rainbow on September 20th this year.

Says Daryl, "Here's something you don't see every day—three rainbows at once! The bonus third rainbow was caused by an image of the sun reflected from Potter's Marsh into the falling rain above."

SpaceWeather.com maintains that a triple rainbow is not the record though. They note that "atmospheric optics expert Les Cowley has documented cases of four, five and even six bows in the same scene." Check them out!

For me though, each one is a beautiful reminder of God's mercy and grace.

Notes: Aimee Herd, reporter; Source: Spaceweather.com

2010 Christian Nature

9/28/10

Even Leaves Use Math!

There I was in Jr. High, asking, "Why should I learn this math? I'm never going to use it! I'm going to be a musician!" Little did I know...even leaves use math!

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," (pictured) 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.

notes: Science News

2010 Christian Nature

Behold, God is mighty, and despises not any: he is mighty in strength and wisdom. Job 36:5

9/27/10

The Extraordinarily Beautiful Monster

So you don't believe monsters exist? Monsters DO exist! And some of them are extraordinarily beautiful to the human eye. Some have only two arms, and they are bad enough. But this one has 24 arms! Let's see... that would be 1200 percent worse!

This monster prowls the ocean floor from the Aleutian Islands to Southern California. It is a terror to even relatively large bottom dwellers. It eats many things, including hermit crabs, clams, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, and even abalone. This monster goes by the seemingly innocent name of the Sunflower Star.

The Sunflower Star begins life as a microscopic larva, much like other sea stars. But... as it grows, it surpasses anything that other sea stars can achieve. Its five arms become more arms as it grows until it finally has 24 arms. By this time it can be 39 inches across. But its size does not limit its speed.

It uses 15,000 tube feet to move over 5 feet per minute! This is possible because, like other sea stars, the Sunflower Star’s skeleton is made up of just a few pieces of skeletal mesh, making it more flexible.

It is such a terror to other creatures that when they sense its approach they flee at surprising speed. Even the Northern Abalone, which normally moves sluggishly, flees in the hope that the Sunflower Star will not capture it.

Reading about this puts me in mind of The Bible's warning to be vigilant because our spiritual enemy is a monster who seeks to entrap us in sin, which can also appear to be pleasant, even beautiful. But the end is spiritual death.

Notes: Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria, British Columbia, “The Sunflower Star”

2010 Christian Nature

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour...1 Peter 5:8

9/26/10

Continual Change of the Universe

We live in a world - indeed a universe - that is in continual change. Things have been designed that way for a very important reason. Unfortunately, some people choose to define evolution as simply change. However, that's not the kind of continuous change that surrounds us.

The change we see around us serves to keep things the same. Biologists call this stasis. That might sound contradictory, but think about it for a moment. A baby is born - that's change. The baby grows into a child and then a young adult. That's more change. In the end, though, a new generation is born to replace the last generation, and things are as they were. It's the cycle of life, common to all living things.

What's more, the interrelated life cycles of all living things complement each other. Plants use sunlight and carbon dioxide to make oxygen and food, which are needed by the animal kingdom and human beings. Each generation of living things reproduces after its own kind, helping to keep this balance in tune.

The change we see all around us was designed by the Creator to renew the creation so that it might remain stable - the same. We can truly say that the more things change, the more they stay the same. However, this state of affairs will not go on forever. One day - and perhaps soon - the world will end. The Son of God who was the instrument of our creation and the instrument of our salvation will return. I am so ready for that day!

2010 Christian Nature

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 2 Peter 3:10

9/24/10

Birds, Herbs, and Pleasant Aromas

One of the most enjoyable things about Autumn and Winter is the aromas, both in the house and outside. Did you know even birds are partial to aromatic herbs?

Many people like to have a nice perfume around the house. They brew a potpourri of mint, citronella, lavender and similar fragrant plants to make home smell more like home. But humans aren’t the only creatures that appreciate a nice smell around their house.

During field studies scientists have found that a small bird called the Corsican Blue Tit also like to have a pleasant-smelling nest. This was an unexpected discovery, made quite accidentally when one researcher discovered various sprigs of aromatic plants in dozens of nests.

When she starts to lay her eggs, the female bird will begin keeping her nest stocked with fresh, fragrant herbs until all the eggs hatch. The birds prefer yarrow, citronella, mint and lavender.

When researchers secretly removed these herbs from the nests that they were observing, the parent birds were quick to replace the fragrant sprigs with others.

It also turns out that these herbs also have disinfectant and anti-pest characteristics. They inhibit bacteria and fungi and act as mosquito repellents. Rather than simply beautifying their nests or adding a nice perfume, the birds are also protecting their offspring from diseases and pests. You might wonder, Who taught them to do this?

As the Bible says, herbs are a blessing from God. They are not just a blessing to man, but also to many of God’s creatures.

Notes: Discover

2010 Christian Nature

Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. Hebrews 6:7

9/22/10

Your Baby Is Smarter Than They Thought!

You knew, from the very first day, that your baby was a genius, didn't you? You gazed at his (or her) eyes, noticed how they were tracking you, and you got puffed up with pride over your 'special child'!

Traditional approaches to early childhood development have relied heavily on the claims of those who don't believe in the Creator. As a result, these approaches see human beings as simply another animal. Along with this, they usually think that humans are born into the world as a blank slate with no knowledge. As a result, the traditional view has assumed that everything an infant does is based on instinct.

Few have ever tested these beliefs scientifically. Since the viewpoint agrees with evolution, theorists figured they must be correct. At the same time, many Christians simply accepted the claims because they thought they had been tested and proved scientifically.

Evolutionary thinking led Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget to say that infants are not able to imitate facial gestures until they are about a year old. He further said that infants are not able to imitate actions they have seen before until they are 18 months to two years old.

It wasn't until the last few years that these claims were tested. Researchers found that infants were much smarter than they ever imagined. Infants only 72 hours old – in one case, only 42 minutes old – will imitate someone sticking out his or her tongue. Infants as young as 14 months will imitate actions they saw the day before.

Researchers concluded that infants are born with eagerness and ability to begin to learn from adults. This simple truth makes our example as Christians important to even the youngest child. (Be careful what you say and how you act: eager eyes are watching as eager ears listen!)

Notes:
Miller, Julie Ann. 1985. "Born smart: imitation of life." Science News, v. 127, June 15. p. 376.

2010 Christian Nature

And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4

9/21/10

How Do Bees Keep Hives At Right Temp?

At what temperature are you most comfortable? Did you ever wonder about what other creatures prefer? Like bees, for example. How hot should their hives be? And how do they keep their hives at that temperature?

We all like to live at a comfortable temperature. Excavations from the most ancient human sites show that homes and entire cities were often positioned to catch the prevailing winds in the summer or to avoid cold blasts in the winter.

In a similar way, honeybees like to keep their hives at a constant 95° F and their way of doing it is quite ingenious. When the weather is cold, bees collect at the center of the hive where they generate extra heat by increasing their metabolisms through rapid breathing.

Other bees position themselves around the sides of the hive to serve as insulation. If it remains cool outside, the bees at the warm center of the hive rotate with the bees at the cooler walls of the hive.

If the weather gets too warm, some of the bees act as fans, circulating outside air into the hive. If this does not provide enough cooling, other bees leave the hive to bring water back that will be spread on the hive walls by other bees. Now the fanning of the other bees will actually cause the walls of the hive to cool by evaporation of the water.

The intelligence we see at every level of the creation offers strong evidence against the claim that intelligence is a product of evolution. Intelligence is a gift of the Creator to His creatures!

Notes:
Joanne E. DeJonge. Bats and Bugs and Snakes and Slugs. Baker Book House. P. 61-63

2010 Christian Nature

And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creeps upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25

9/20/10

We Are 'Lords of Creation'?

Science is based on the premise that God created an orderly universe. And the scientific method was a Christian contribution to our civilization.

Western culture has an undeniable fascination with scientists, and with good reason. Patiently using the scientific method, they have brought us many good things, from the telephone to the airplane to antibiotics. And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that many of the world’s first scientists were Christians who were seeking to discover not whether God created, but how he created the universe.

Science is based on the premise that God created an orderly universe. And the scientific method was a Christian contribution to our civilization.

But later some scientists, in their pursuit to find the Holy Grail, began to question the God hypothesis. Many today (at least the most outspoken among them) have become determined atheists, insisting that science makes the God hypothesis unnecessary.

Well for a while, Stephen Hawking, the brilliant scientist at Cambridge, was more in line with the traditional view. In his famous book, A Brief History of Time, he said, “If we discover a complete theory, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason—for then we should know the mind of God.”

Unfortunately, in his new book, The Grand Design and in a companion piece in the Wall Street Journal, Hawking now says God is unnecessary after all.

Hawking and his coauthor, American physicist Leonard Mlodinow, are seeking a so-called “theory of everything” to explain life and the universe. They first address the undeniable reality that the cosmos seems incredibly fine-tuned for life. This reality, called the Anthropic Principle, has led many thinking scientists to make room in their equations for a Creator.

But not Hawking. In The Grand Design, he takes refuge in the unproven, un-testable, and completely theoretical hypothesis that we live in one of a multitude—perhaps an infinite number—of universes, each created spontaneously, run by unplanned physical processes that in a few cases could make life possible. But is this flight of fancy called the multiverse any more scientific than the simpler and more satisfying declaration, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth”?

Of course not! It’s based on an unscientific, unproven presupposition. But opting for atheism, Hawking still gives human beings—who are apparently alone in the multiverse—at least a fig leaf of dignity. He writes, “Although we are puny and insignificant on the scale of the cosmos, this makes us in a sense lords of creation.”

Lords of creation? Those are stirring, but meaningless words. Actually, a godless multiverse would make us the puny inhabitants of a dead creation—a creation, mind you, without a Creator!

Whether or not there’s anything to Hawking’s theory—and Christians, who believe in heaven and hell, should be the very first people to acknowledge the possibility of dimensions that we cannot see—the fact remains that the great physicist has left the world of science with a breathtaking leap of faith.

Which, after all, is easier to believe—an infinite, soulless, universe-making machine, or a loving and powerful Creator who has set in motion the awesome, just-right creation we are still only beginning to explore?

Whichever answer you choose is, of course, ultimately a matter not of science, but of faith.

2010 Christian Nature

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1

9/19/10

Lazy, Selfish and Quarrelsome Ants?

I grew up reading about the industrious ant in the Bible, so it was quite a shock to learn there is a society of ants who are lazy, selfish and quarrelsome!

It’s a challenge, even for the Christian, to get along with lazy, selfish people. This is because they also tend to be quarrelsome, especially when their desires are not met. Now scientists have discovered that the phrase “industrious as an ant” does not apply to all ants. They report that they have found an entire ant society that is lazy, selfish and quarrelsome.

Sometimes a society is pleasant to live in and sometimes it’s not. Not all ant societies are harmonious examples of cooperation. One ant society, popularly called the slave-makers, must be a miserable place to live. Slave-making ants make their living by plundering the nests of other species and making slaves of their captives. Slave ants are forced to feed, house, and even defend their masters.

This leaves the slave-making ants with a great deal of idle time. Most of that idle time is spent in endless squabbles with each other over social status. The higher a slave-maker’s status, the more service from a slave she receives. It would seem that just as idle human hands can lead to strife between people, idle ants tend to fight with each other, too.

This universal linking of selfishness, laziness and fighting tells us that there are indeed universal moral truths. It shows us that those who say there is no absolute morality are wrong. Perhaps God has allowed this ant society to corrupt itself so we could have a scientific basis to reject today’s moral relativism.

Notes: Discover

2010 Christian Nature

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Philippians 2:3

9/17/10

Koko Isn't the Only Monkey Who Talks!

Remember Koko the gorilla that spoke sign language - 2,000 words in English - and loved kittens (video)? This was the gorilla that amazed scientists and the public by apparently learning enough of the rudiments of the English language to communicate simple thoughts.

Now, studies on wild vervet monkeys suggest that Koko's achievement might be

nothing more than a normal, God-given ability.

Anthropologists from UCLA report that wild velvet monkey communication shows much more language development than scientists ever expected. It took years of study in the wild before anthropologists began to hear subtle differences in the grunts and screeches offered by the monkeys.

They confirmed these differences by recording the different sounds and the actions that went with the sounds. Then they analyzed the sounds electronically and found that there was indeed a pattern of differences in the sounds that corresponds to specific actions.

Anthropologists then set up their sound equipment in the monkeys' home territory to test their interpretation of the sounds. When the grunt that researchers thought meant "open plain" was played, monkey listeners looked out toward the open plain. Likewise, when the "other group" grunt was played, the monkeys searched the open plain even more carefully. The scientists had discovered that they had successfully understood two other monkey phrases as well.

These vervet monkeys teach us that language is not the evolutionary development of early humans, but a gift from God, the Author of language.

Notes: Science News

2010 Christian Nature

"Talk no more so very proudly; let no arrogance come from your mouth, for the LORD is the God of knowledge; and by Him actions are weighed." I Samuel 2:3

9/16/10

Recognizing Mama Sounds and Animal Sounds

My children always knew when they were in deep trouble. My voice changed. It got lower and more controlled. Animals also have different voices for different emotions.

Have you ever noticed that we can usually sense whether an animal is hostile or friendly, simply by its sound? Did you ever wonder about the universal features that allow for important basic information to be shared between animals and humans?

None of us ever had to be taught that a dog, growling deeply and showing its teeth, was trying to threaten us. We're all familiar with the high-pitched yips that same dog makes to welcome its owner home. Research shows that the motivations expressed by high-pitched and low-pitched sounds are universal among most creatures.

Researchers say that almost all animals bark (the high-pitched sounds) or growl (the low-pitched sounds). Yet they were surprised to learn that animals don't simply make arbitrary noises. Sound has meaning.

Even the higher-pitched voice of birds has a barking mode that can be seen on a graph and heard when a slowed-down recording is played. Animals make lower, harsher sounds when they're being aggressive. This is the growl. When friendly, an animal makes higher-pitched sounds. The bark seems to mean that an animal is neither hostile nor friendly, simply curious. Human speech follows the same general pattern.

These universal features of communication reflect the work of our Creator who intended for many different kinds of creatures to coexist. He gave us all a universal method for understanding important basic messages like fear, aggression and joy.

I thank You, Lord, for the joy that animals add to our lives. I also thank You that You have made us able to share some basic but important features of communication.

Notes: Science News

2010 Christian Nature

"So the donkey said to Balaam, 'Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever disposed to do this to you?' And Balaam said, 'No.'" Numbers 22:30

9/14/10

Delicate Beauty Seaweed - Miraculous Plant

Delicate Beauty grows off the coast of Australia and researchers long wondered why biofilms never form on this seaweed.

Bacteria and fungi form biofilms on just about every wet surface, like that bowl of water you left out last night! In this biofilm state, bacteria cause 70 percent of all human bacterial infections. On underwater pipelines, biofilms cause corrosion. Such biofilms even form on seaweed. That is, except for the seaweed called Delicate Beauty.

Delicate Beauty grows off the coast of Australia and researchers long wondered why biofilms never form on this seaweed. Researchers have now discovered that Delicate Beauty secretes chemicals called furanones.

Furanones don’t kill the bacteria, but prevent it from colonizing by repelling them. This observation is important because it is believed that since the furanones don’t kill the bacteria, the bacteria will not develop a resistance to the furanones.

Commercial production of these chemicals are now beginning to be used in water-cooling towers to prevent biofilm buildup and in clinical trials on contact lenses to prevent bacterial growth. So far these trials have been successful, and further applications are under study.

It was not God’s desire that disease and death should come into His creation because of our sin. But He knew that it would. So He stocked the creation with things for us to discover that would alleviate and avoid some of our suffering in this world. Christians know that there is no disease or death in heaven.

Notes: Science Illustrated

2010 Christian Nature

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:4

9/13/10

By the Scent of the Bee

Did you know bees communicate with scents? Yes, I guess you could say they know each other 'by the scent of the bee'! Who knew there was such a thing as bee cologne?

Imagine being at a party that's all packed into one room and everyone is talking. Under these conditions it's often difficult to hear, or at least understand, what others around you are saying.

Now imagine that all of these people look nearly identical. No one has any noticeable distinguishing features that make him different from anyone else in the room.

Now, to make matters worse, you have been informed that you are to find the person in the room who was not invited to the party.

That's the impossible situation that honeybees constantly face. However, the noisy room that was just described is noisy in two ways.

Bees not only communicate through sound. They also use scents to communicate.

And the hive is full of scents. Yet honeybees are constantly alert to bees who are not members of the hive. Invaders are killed.

How can bees so successfully protect the hive?

Entomologists have discovered that members of a hive all carry the same chemical password. The scent must be very distinctive because the hive is filled with smells.

It also seems that all honeybees may use a specific combination and subtle variations of only two chemicals. Yet, each hive can instantly tell whether another bee carries the specific chemical password.

The complexity of this avenue of beehive defense shows not only a wise and powerful Creator. It also shows us that He cares for what He has created. He cares for You, too. Learn more about the specific details of His love for You in the Bible.

Notes: Creation Moments

2010 Christian Nature

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

9/12/10

The Super Amazing Self-Healing Brain!

There is nothing that fascinates me more than the brain. As stated before, if I could live my life over, I would study the brain. Just the fact that this super amazing brain can heal itself is awesome!

It is one of the most studied but least understood organs in the human body. The human brain is the most complex arrangement of matter in the universe. There are many different theories about how the brain works, but one universally recognized fact is that the brain is more sensitive to damage than any other organ.

Scientists studying the brain have learned that when the brain is injured, it triggers the release of some very special chemicals called neuronotrophic factors.

While researchers aren't sure how these chemicals actually work, studies show that the chemicals seem to help the brain repair damage to itself. They believe that each of the different chemicals works to repair a specific structure in the brain.

Medical researchers are continuing their study of these factors with the hope of using artificially created versions to help those suffering from brain damage due to stroke and trauma. They hope to learn from the body how to help the body do what it now tries to do for itself.

Surely the advanced knowledge of biochemistry necessary to create a way for the brain to repair itself does not come from matter itself. Only a powerful and wise Creator - the Creator described in the Bible - could have made this system. But we speak here of more than His wisdom. For His gift of the brain's ability to repair damage to itself also shows that He looks upon us with love.

2010 Christian Nature

Then God's Message came again to Jeremiah: "Stay alert! I am God, the God of everything living. Is there anything I can't do? Jeremiah 32:26a

9/11/10

Recipe for Water

The European Space Agency's Herschel infrared space observatory has discovered that ultraviolet starlight is the key ingredient for making water in space. It is the only explanation for why a dying star is surrounded by a gigantic cloud of hot water vapor.

Every recipe needs a secret ingredient. When astronomers discovered an unexpected cloud of water vapor around the old star IRC+10216 in 2001, they immediately began searching for the source. Stars like IRC+10216 are known as carbon stars and are thought not to make much water. Initially they suspected the star's heat must be evaporating comets or even dwarf planets to produce the water. Photo: ESA Space Science

Herschel's PACS and SPIRE instruments have revealed that the secret ingredient is ultraviolet light, because the water is too hot to have come from the destruction of icy celestial bodies.

"This is a good example of how better instruments can change our picture completely," says Leen Decin, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium, the lead author of the paper about this work. The superb sensitivity of Herschel's instruments has revealed that the water around IRC+10216 varies in temperature from about –200°C to 800°C, which indicates that it is being formed much closer to the star than comets can stably exist.

IRC+10216 is a red giant star, hundreds of times the Sun's size, although only a few times its mass. If it replaced the Sun in our Solar System, it would extend beyond the orbit of Mars.

It is 500 light years away and while it is barely detectable at visible wavelengths, even in the largest telescopes, it is the brightest star in the sky at some infrared wavelengths. This is because it is surrounded by a huge envelope of dust that absorbs almost all its visible radiation and re-emits it as infrared light. It is in the envelope that the water vapor has been found. But how did the water get there?

The vital clue was found by Herschel. Observations had already revealed the clumpy structure in the dusty envelope around IRC+10216. The Herschel water detection made the astronomers realize that ultraviolet light from surrounding stars can reach deep into the envelope between the clumps and break up molecules such as carbon monoxide and silicon monoxide, releasing oxygen atoms. The oxygen atoms then attach themselves to hydrogen molecules, forming water.

"This is the only mechanism that explains the full range of the water's temperature," says Decin. The closer to the star the water is formed, the hotter it will be.

Decin and her colleagues now plan to extend the observations to other carbon stars. "We are very hopeful that Herschel will find the same situations around those stars too," she says.

On Earth, carbon compounds and water are the key ingredients for life. Now, thanks to Herschel, we know that both can be made around IRC+10216, and that the secret ingredient for water is ultraviolet light from surrounding stars.

Source: Staff - ESA News

2010 Christian Nature

God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth. -Genesis 1:16 -17

9/10/10

Is It a Moth or a Hummingbird?

There seems to be no end to the variety and wisdom of design in the creation. Most interesting are those creatures that share important traits and yet are nothing like each other. The whale is one example, it is constructed like a fish but is really a mammal.

The sphinx moth is another such creature. While definitely a moth, it behaves in every way like a hummingbird and feeds on the nectar inside tobacco blooms. As a normal moth, the sphinx could never reach the nectar in these deep-throated blooms but it has a special tongue like a humming bird.

The moth hovers over the flower while inserting its long tongue into the flower. Its tongue, which is actually longer than the rest of its body, has two grooved halves, which, when fitted together, create what amounts to a long straw to draw out nectar. If the two halves don't fit perfectly, the moth would starve to death.

Obviously the tongue of the first sphinx moth had to be fully formed! As it hovers, the sphinx moth actually rivals the hummingbirds' 50 wing beats per second with its own wing beat of 25 to 45 times per second!

The wonderfully varied patterns in creation do not speak of relationships forged by millions of years of evolution. Rather, they speak of creative relationships, carefully designed by one all-wise Creator!

Notes: National Geographic

2010 Christian Nature

O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep. A brutish man knows not; neither does a fool understand this.
Psalm 92:5-6

9/9/10

Music and Language - Sibling Gifts

New research along several lines is showing that there is a close connection between music and language. They probably did not develop independently.

Researchers have been studying the effect of music on verbal comprehension. Electrical activity within the brain was tracked, using electrodes attached to the scalps of volunteers. They found that those volunteers who had just heard the trilling of flutes, for example, identified the word "bird" a split second faster than those who had not heard the music. This effect is called priming.

When volunteers heard a church anthem, they more quickly identified the word "devotion" than those who had not. The study showed that these effects were consistent, whether the words had concrete meanings, were cultural references or were abstract concepts.

Other research has shown that when a region of the brain called Broca's area (pictured) is damaged, both recognition of harmonic chords as well as language are impaired, also suggesting a connection between language and music. (Broca's area is the speech area.)

Both music and language are gifts of God. As the Psalmist noted, the songs he sang were placed into his mouth by God.

Genesis tells us that Adam and Eve could talk the day they were created. While music isn't mentioned, we see that within a couple of generations, they were making musical instruments and must therefore have played music.

Notes: Science News, 2/28: 2004, p. 133, B. Bower, "Song Sung Blue."

2010 Christian Nature

"And he has put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD." Psalm 40:3

9/8/10

The Largest Creature That Ever Lived

Which creature do you believe is the largest on earth? Many people think that the greatest of the dinosaurs were the largest creatures ever to live on Earth. But while a few of the very largest dinosaurs may have been longer than the blue whale, the blue whale has the largest actual body size of any creature that ever lived.

The blue whale can reach a length of 100 feet and weigh up to 170 tons. That's about as much as a whole town of twenty-seven hundred people! It has to eat a million calories a day, which is equivalent to about 1,000 banana splits. The blue whale’s tongue weighs more than an elephant and its arteries are big enough for a man to swim through. Its heart, which has to pump the whale's entire supply of eight tons of blood, weighs 1,000 pounds.

In addition to its great size, the whale is intelligent. Besides showing forth God's great creative power and imagination, the whale also shows us that neither size nor other standards of human measurement give us an indication of how God places value on things.

Though we human beings are not the largest, nor the only intelligent creatures on Earth, we are the only ones responsible to God for the way we live. That is why, when sin separated us from our Creator, He sent His only Son to save and restore us to Himself.

Note: Creation Moments.com

2010 Christian Nature

And God created great whales, and every living creature that moves, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:21

9/7/10

She Has Offspring, But Never Any Children?

Yep, you read right. This creature gives live birth to thousands of offspring, but never has any children. How could this be? This creature is a very unusual creature.

This unusual creature is the aphid. The first aphid of spring is a fully grown female, has no wings, and hatches from an egg early in the season.

After about ten days, she will give live birth to another fully formed adult female aphid. There have been no males around.

Within ten days the new female, too, is ready to give live birth to another fully formed adult female.

By the end of the summer, that first female aphid could have almost six million offspring! Obviously, one plant can't hold that many aphids. So those offspring born with wings fly off to another plant to continue this mysterious process.

Once cold weather begins, the female aphids begin giving birth to both male and female aphids, some with wings and some without. The winged males fly back to the original plant, mate, and this time the females produce eggs that can withstand winter so the entire cycle can start again the next year.

The word “understanding” is often used in Scripture and refers to the sense in which God created all things in such a way that they interact and react to countless situations in precisely the way He designed them. The lowly aphid is an astonishing example of this principle!

Notes: Joanne E. DeJonge. Bats and Bugs and Snakes and Slugs. Baker Book House.

2010 Christian Nature

He hath made the earth by his power, He hath established the world by His wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by His understanding. Jeremiah 51:15

9/6/10

A Social Event I Do Not Want To Attend!

There are social events I would not want to attend. You probably wouldn't put them on your calendar, either! First, a little back story.

About 300 years after the Genesis Flood, when all people spoke the same language, they decided to work together to build a great city. Working together for a common goal is called "social intelligence." Do animals practice social intelligence? Of course! There are the bees, the ants and the beavers, but even bacteria – among the lowliest of all creatures – also show social intelligence!

Several types of common bacteria have shown evidence of social intelligence. Contrary to expectation, sometimes this cooperation takes place between unrelated types at the expense of genetically related individuals. Bacterial colonies where cooperation is taking place always attract freeloaders. Such colonies often find ways to discourage or even kill the freeloaders.

One such cooperative community is a common soil bacterium (pictured). When they locate prey, they swarm over the prey like a pack of wolves. Many species of bacteria remain relatively singular until they sense that they have enough to form a community. Then, they communicate to each other by releasing certain molecules which the others sense, and they form slime mold colonies, or a biofilm.

Cooperation and a result of social intelligence can be used to do good or evil. But it doesn't matter where they are on the imagined evolutionary tree. God has given social abilities to many of His creatures as a means of helping their kind to survive.

Notes: Science News

2010 Christian Nature

"And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do...." Genesis 11:6a

9/3/10

The Symphony You Don't Hear

We are surrounded by sounds, some of which can be louder than an airliner taking off. Yet, we never hear these sounds. It's called infra sound. It's real sound that can be recorded if you have the right equipment.

Infra sound waves are below 20 hertz, the lowest frequency we can hear. Because the sound waves are long, they can travel hundreds or even thousands of miles. Volcanic eruptions regularly generate infra sound and so does the wind.

But, perhaps most interestingly, those beautiful Northern Lights that often color the night sky also generate infra sound. The sound is produced when the incoming solar particles push the air outward. While we are not able to hear infra sound, it does influence us.

Researchers in England placed an infra sound generator in a concert hall and, during the performance, infra sound was added at selected points. After the concert, the audience was asked about their emotions during certain passages of music, or if they had had experienced any strange feelings during the concert.

Researchers concluded that infra sound intensified whatever emotional state the music had produced in people. So, if you have ever watched the Northern Lights and thought you were almost hearing something, it was likely the infra sound you were sensing.

The more we learn about the creation God has given us, the more we find to marvel at how excellent is His workmanship.

Notes: Science News

2010 Christian Nature

"The clouds poured out water: the skies sent out a sound: thine arrows also went abroad." Psalm 77:17

9/2/10

Reef Fish Seem Like a Contradiction

I love the beautifully bright colors of reef fish. But I have often wondered why God made them so bright. Doesn't that make them even more noticeable to their predators? The beauty of the bright colors and inevitable predators seems, like so much in life, to be contradictory! Why would God do that?

Researchers have learned that while we appreciate all the bright colors, when we see fish as other fish see them, most of these fish are perfectly camouflaged. Really?

Almost fifty percent of the fish so far studied can see ultraviolet light. Further, fish such as the damsel fish, have markings that can be seen only in the ultraviolet range. Researchers studying the effect of water depth on light color and the pigments in various fish's eyes have concluded that fish cannot see, for example, the subtleties of all the shade of yellows around them.

What appears to us as a bright yellow trumpet fish is seen by fish eyes to be the same color as a coral reef ten feet away. And what looks to us as a bright yellow and blue striped angel fish appears to fish eyes several feet away like the reef itself.

God has here designed a color scheme that brings delight to the eye, and yet offers his creatures protection so that they can continue from generation to generation.

Well, don't I feel silly! Of course God knew what He was doing!

Notes: Science News

2010 Christian Nature

"Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever...." Psalm 146:6

9/1/10

Stinky, Complex Flower

A flower called the dead-horse arum has a problem. (Besides its name, I mean.) The individual flowers are able to receive pollen for only one day. To make matters worse, its male parts are not mature that day. The next day, the male parts of the flower produce pollen, but the female parts of the flower have shriveled up and cannot receive it.

The dead-horse arum, which grows on islands in the Mediterranean, has a unique solution to this problem. When it's ready to pollinate, the flower begins to generate heat and scent. The scent smells like rotting flesh, which attracts blow-flies.

The flies, looking for a place to lay their eggs, crawl into a pocket around the base of the flower stalk. There, the blow-flies are trapped by spines and filaments. If these flies had previously visited another dead-horse arum, they transfer the pollen they picked up there to the female parts of the plant.

The next day, when the male parts of the flower are producing pollen, the flies, now coated with this pollen, are released to pollinate another arum.
The complex dependence of the arum on the blow-flies, with its custom-designed features to lure and hold the flies just long enough to ensure pollination, had to come into existence all at the same time and in perfected form, making it a testimony to the genius of our Creator.

Notes: Science News

2010 Christian Nature

"The grass withers,, the flower fades: but the word of our God shall stand for ever." Isaiah 40:8

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