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What are corals? Corals are marine organisms in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps." The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans, which secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.
Many people know that, despite its appearance, coral is actually a tiny animal. Even a small coral growth may be made up of billions of tiny animals, each living inside its limestone skeleton.
What many people don't know is that coral cannot live without the help of algae – a plant. Thousands of one-celled algae live in the tiny stomach of each coral polyp. The polyp requires the waste products of the algae to complete its nutrition requirements and to get the calcium with which it builds reefs. In return, the polyp's stomach provides an ideal protected living place for the algae. Incidentally, the wonderful colors in living coral come from the algae in each polyp's stomach.
Evolutionists have said that it must take millions of years for the tiny polyps to build large coral reefs – like the 2,000-kilometer-long Great Barrier Reef in Australia. The Great Barrier Reef, incidentally, is considered the largest structure ever built by living organisms.
However, it has now been shown that coral polyps can double their own weight in just over 10 days! As a result, the claim of millions of years for the age of the Great Barrier Reef has been reduced by a factor of 40!
Many of the long-age figures claimed by evolutionists have had to be drastically revised downward as we have learned more about the creation. The resulting figures fit the Bible's account of history much more closely.
Notes:
Langreth, R.N. 1990. "Bleached reefs." Science News, v. 138, Dec. 8. p. 364. Chen, I. 1990. "Great Barrier Reef: A youngster to the core." Science News, v. 138, Dec. 8. p. 364.
2011 Christian Nature
You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being. Revelation 4:11
What do you think when you hear a 'Bible scholar' speak with skepticism about the errancy of the Bible? Are you disheartened? Well, don't be! Science keeps proving that the Bible is true - of course, scientists don't mean to prove that!
Over the last couple of centuries, many Bible scholars have developed a skeptical approach to the Bible. Their treatment of the Bible as nothing more than a human document stems from their belief in evolution. According to them, Christianity has evolved from earlier religions just as humans evolved.
As a result, critics reject the idea that the Bible is God's inerrant, inspired, trustworthy Word. Because they hold this low view of the Bible, they believe that they have found many errors in the Bible over the years.
At one time they said that the Hittites mentioned in the Old Testament never existed. They said that ancient biblical writers invented these people so that Israel could make up pretend victories over them.
Eventually, the Hittites were discovered, one of the first evidences being hard-to-ignore six-foot-tall jars! Over the years, these critics have been consistently proven wrong by new discoveries.
Likewise, critics have said that the Israelis could not have entered Canaan when the Old Testament says they did. They reason that because the Old Testament mentions the Ammonites – which critics said didn't live in Canaan until later. The Bible's dating is in error, they say.
However, in the summer of 1989, biblical archaeologists proved that the Ammonites were in Canaan well before the Bible's date for the exodus. Again, Bible critics have been proven wrong.
As one biblical archaeologist wrote, "As usual, the absence of evidence is not necessarily the evidence of absence." When the Bible says something is true, there is no question of its truth.
Notes: "Late bronze city found in Jordan." Archaeology and Biblical Research, v. 4, n. 1., Winter 1991. p. 27. Photo: Hittite chariot from an Egyptian relief.
2011 Christian Nature
"Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabeshgilead: and all the men of Jabesh said unto Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will serve thee." 1 Samuel 11:1
read more "Science vs Bible"
Dogs are dogs. One species, yet look at the variation in the appearances of sub-breeds! There are different sizes, shapes, and colors. What causes this variety? How can there be so much diversity within a single species? Take just the hair, for example. Short hair, no hair, long hair, soft hair, wiry hair, curled hair - how do they get their particular hair?
With the rapid accumulation of genomic data, these questions are beginning to be answered. Several different genes have been associated with variation in coat color of dogs. Now, a new study has found that three genes account for most of the variation in canine fur patterns.
The researchers of this fascinating study looked at three different coat characteristics: 1) “furnishings,” a moustache and eyebrows commonly seen in wire-haired dogs, 2) hair length, and 3) curl. After performing genome-wide association studies on more than 1000 dogs from 80 breeds, it was found that 95% of the variation in these characteristics was attributable to just three genes: RSPO2, FGF5, and KRT71.
Read more on this fascinating discovery!
2011 Christian Nature
My son believes green tea heals everything. He has done tons of research on the subject. Even if my dog has a wound on her paw, his solution is a wet green tea bag. He's not the only one.
As a child, Isao Kubo's grandmother always told him to drink green tea after he ate something sweet. Today, as a University of California chemist, Kubo has shown that his grandmother's advice was scientifically sound.
It's been known for about ten years that tea can help fight dental cavities. A substance in the tea helps prevent the bacteria that cause cavities from latching onto the surface of a tooth.
But researchers found that this effect was too small to make tea as effective as it is known to be in preventing cavities. This led scientists to continue their search for something else in tea that makes it so effective.
Kubo discovered that a class of molecules found in abundance in green tea actually kills the bacteria that cause cavities. Tests show that these natural chemicals, while harmless to us, are also able to kill at least two different kinds of molds, three yeasts, and eight kinds of bacteria. It is effective against some of the bacteria that cause gastrointestinal disease and acne. However, you don't have to drink green tea to take advantage of this powerful, natural cavity fighter. It is also found in coriander, sage, thyme, and is added to some ice creams, candy, chewing gum, and baked goods. Because of this research, we may someday find it in toothpaste.
One wonders whether, in the perfection that existed before sin, the creation was filled with many additional natural substances that prevented the health problems we experience today.
Notes: Science News and Oodles of Personal Experience
2011 Christian Nature
Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Genesis 1:31
Why is the sky dark at night? There's more to the answer to this question than the fact that the stars do not appear as bright as the sun from Earth.
If stars were evenly distributed throughout an infinite universe – as predicted by the evolutionary big bang theory – a star would be shining no matter where you looked in the night sky. The night olbers paradox-sky, while not as bright as the daytime sky, would not be dark anywhere. The fact that this is not what we see at night has been named "Olber's Paradox," after the German amateur astronomer who first asked the question.
Ever since, astronomers have been trying to fit Olber's Paradox into whatever theory about the universe was current. Modern followers of the big bang theory have written that the main reason every inch of the night sky is not glowing with stars is that the expanding universe prevents space from filling with light.
New calculations and research now show that if the universe were expanding, it would have very little noticeable effect on the stars in the night sky. Even more interesting, concluded astrophysicist Paul Wesson, is the fact that the main reason the night sky is not bright is that the universe is simply not old enough to have filled with light.
The daily cycle, which includes night's darkness, is important to almost all the life that the Creator placed on Earth. The truth is that we live in a universe that has been designed for life.
Notes: Science News
2011 Christian Nature
Science is man's logic. But it's not God's wisdom. That's why Scripture says that God's thoughts are not our thoughts, nor His ways our ways. This is the reason some do not accept God's wisdom - it's not 'logical'.
In 1981 it was only a theory – one that seemed to go against all logic. The theory said that if you have a signal – say, a sound that was too weak to be heard – adding a little noise would make it easier to hear. If you added too much noise, you would drown out the weak signal. Add too little noise and it wouldn't help at all. But when you add just the right amount of noise, a sound signal too weak to be heard could be heard.
The theory was shown to be a scientific fact in 1983. This illogical effect was given the name "stochastic resonance." Since the 1980s, scientists have discovered numerous examples of stochastic resonance and have researched various uses for it. Radio static makes it hard to listen to a station, especially if the signal is weak. However, researchers are building unique radios that add just the right amount of static to make impossible-to-receive stations understandable.
Now for the surprise! Did you ever wonder how you are able to select a single voice in a noisy, crowded room and hear what it was saying? Scientists now believe that our brains have built-in stochastic resonance processors much more sophisticated than the units they hope to build someday. As one scientist said, "Nature may have understood stochastic resonance long before we did."
What seems illogical – to add noise to a sound (or to an image) to make it clear – is actually an astonishing piece of wisdom. The wisdom in the way this advanced technical knowledge is used is yet one more witness – not to impersonal "nature," but to our Creator.
Notes: "The Value of Noise" Science News
2011 Christian Nature
read more "But It's Not 'Logical'!"
Does it sound strange to talk about the art and literature of "stone-age" people? It does to some, but I feel that is an arrogance on our part. People have always been people.
Which is more likely to last buried in the ground for a few thousand years: a wooden spoon or a stone hammer? Since the hammer will last long after the wood has decayed, the further back we go in human history, the more likely we are to find only the most durable things humans left behind.
This general principle explains why those who believe in evolution talk about "stone age" people. They often portray so-called "stone-age" people as primitive brutes who carried clubs around, grunted a lot and were definitely in need of a bath. Those of us who know that humans have always been human know that this picture is inaccurate. It is unfortunate that, for example, the literature of our earliest ancestors, or the toys they undoubtedly made for their children, have not been preserved to our day.
So, again, do you think it sounds strange to talk about the literature of "stone age" people? Yet modern science does recognize their art. So-called prehistoric people have left us hundreds of beautiful paintings in caves around the world.
Over 220 paintings are found in Lascaux, France, alone. Research reveals that the painters who created this beautiful and sensitive art did so using artificial lighting, palettes and scaffolding. They carefully milled and mixed minerals to create a variety of colors that remain bright and rich thousands of years later.
As we look at the paintings left by so-called "stone age" painters, we can clearly see that the claims that humans have progressed up from the brute animal stage are false.
Notes: Science News
2011 Christian Nature
"And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ." Genesis 4:21
read more "Art and Literature of 'Stone-Age' People"
Ever wondered what kills bacteria? How about harsh living conditions? Wow! I could write a tear-jerker country song about that! Being silly, but bacteria are not that different from humans living their own lives.
Some types of bacteria are able to go into a state of suspended animation when living conditions become too harsh. Not only do they change their form and appearance, they are amazingly able to change their DNA structure to avoid damage from harmful types of light!
Like other living things, bacteria need the right temperatures, the right amount of moisture, and other conditions that support life. When conditions change, bacteria are too tiny to move to better conditions. However, they can sporulate. When living conditions become too harsh, some bacteria encase themselves into a tough coating of protein and enter a state of suspended animation. As spores, bacteria can rest in bone-dry soil for up to 60 years, waiting for rain - just like some people have!
Ultraviolet radiation poses another danger to bacteria. This light damages a bacterium's DNA at a point where two thymine molecules sit next to each other. The light strikes the molecules and twists them. The result can be fatal to bacteria. So when a bacterium begins to go into spore form, it produces a protein that slightly and harmlessly changes the shape of these two thymine molecules so that they are not affected by ultraviolet light.
The entire process by which bacteria go into spore form reflects a sophisticated knowledge of both biochemistry and physics. Even in the lowly bacteria, our Creator has made it clear that He and He alone deserves the credit for the creation in which we live!
So it turns out even bacteria do better if treated well! But, like humans, they can adapt and go on with their lives.
Notes: Science News
2011 Christian Nature
read more "Bacteria Not That Different From Humans!"
Everything depends on the source of light in creation. Manipulate the light, and everything looks different. It's like life is illuminated.
Over hundreds of years science has learned a lot about manipulating light. And while lasers and liquid crystals might seem pretty sophisticated, some of God’s creatures show us how much more there is to learn.
The Morpho butterfly is one of the brightest butterflies in nature but looked at closely in artificial light it appears dull gray-brown. However, in the sunlight its color changes to a bright blue. It can do this because the scales on its wings form a type of diffraction grating called a photonic band gap.
This diffraction grating is formed by a precise spacing of the scales so that they are similar to the wavelength of sunlight. When white light hits the grating, it breaks down into its various colors. The red light waves cancel each other out and all the other colors are scattered, except the blue.
As a result, the blue color never fades, and it is so intense that it can be seen up to half a mile away. Scientists comment that we do not yet know how to make an optical structure this complex.
The Morpho butterfly, with all its precise engineering, is a testimony to the skill and love of beauty of our Creator. He considers Holiness the greatest of beauties - a beauty given us through the suffering and death of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Notes: Discover
2011 Christian Nature
O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth. Psalm 96:9
read more "The Illumination of Life"
A rapidly growing area of research is of plant's abilities to protect themselves. Against who? Those pesky little insects, of course! It's like a monthly discovery now! Let's take a look at a nice little beetle looking for a tasty tomato plant. Let's see how plants bite back!
You find your tomato, and before you can finish your meal, you are in trouble. Every leaf on the tomato has started turning out chemicals that will, at the least, give you serious indigestion and possibly kill you. At the same time, the plant has warned its neighbors of your presence, and the other tomatoes, too, are turning out the same nasty chemicals. Your very act of eating has made it impossible to get a decent meal in this garden!
The latest research suggests that the tomato under attack communicates with its neighbors by releasing a chemical called methyl jasmonate. (This chemical is commonly found in perfumes.)
Methyl jasmonate warns neighboring plants that hungry insects are in the neighborhood. On receiving the news, they begin producing the two chemicals that prevented you from digesting the protein in your lunch. This reaction has been seen among a number of plants, including cotton plants and various trees.
Who would ever have imagined that plants warn each other about attack? Who would have guessed that they know enough chemistry and insect biochemistry to mount such a clever defense? While even we who believe in creation are amazed, we know that the Creator can and did equip plants with these abilities.
Notes: Science News and Creation Moments
2011 Christian Nature
read more "Hey, Beetle! Plants Bite Back!"
If you're an insect, here's a warning: before you chew, think what it could do!
New research shows that, when attacked, many plants make chemicals that will give munching insects a bad case of indigestion. They also seem to warn their neighbors about the attack so that they, too, start up their defenses. Some plants even call in air defenses.
Some plants, when attacked by caterpillars, release a scent that scientists simply describe as "green leaf odors." These odors attract certain female wasps, who home in on the plant.
The wasp will sting the caterpillar, leaving him paralyzed. She then lays her eggs in the pest, who remains paralyzed until the hatching young wasps consume it. That "green leaf odor" is a plant's way of calling in air defenses. It is communication between plant and insect!
Some evolutionary biologists are upset with the intelligence and design in this arrangement. Plants are supposed to be too simple to communicate. As one evolutionist put it, this is "not a defense against anything" … it "just happens."
I remember trying that excuse as a child. The cookie jar fell to the floor while I was trying to sneak a cookie. "It just happened," I said, as if the cookie jar had come alive before my unbelieving eyes and jumped to the floor. My grandmother reminded me that things don't "just happen."
And science teaches us that things don't "just happen." Not only do we see that God exists, we also see a bit of His love in providing for the plant and His intelligence as the author of communication.
Remember: God is, above all, a Communicator!
Notes: Creation Moments; Science News
2011 Christian Nature
Did you know that black holes pass through Earth daily? I didn't! But new research says it's a likely theory. My question: How does it affect me?
VanDevender physicists, Aaron and J. Pace, have published a scientific paper explaining their theory that miniature forms of black holes pass through Earth on a daily basis.
As reported in the Daily Mail, unlike larger black holes that swallow everything—even light—mini black holes hold objects in an orbit. Their study also indicates that some black holes are so small that they may be able to exist on Earth as well as pass through without causing any damage.
Says the report: "The VanDevenders have labeled this theory the Gravitational Equivalent of an Atom and have calculated that millions of kilograms of mini black holes in dark matter form should pass through Earth each year." (Illustration: Mike Agliolo)
Even more mind-bending is the VanDeveners' belief that certain black holes "could include an area where space and time could exist after being absorbed."
While I can't claim to understand this theory fully, or what its implications are for us as earthlings, Professor Dokuchaev from the Institute for Nuclear Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences says, "Advanced civilizations may live safely inside the super massive black holes in the galactic nuclei without being visible from the outside."
OK, let's see if this theory pans out. And if it does, what does it have to do with my life?
Notes: The Daily Mail
2011 Christian Nature
read more "Theory of Black Holes - How Does it Affect Me?"
What is the test of whether someone is being scientific with knowledge? It's much like the test on whether someone is a true prophet with predictions. Accuracy! So creationists are not surprised by this latest 'discovery'!
The ability to predict new discoveries is an important test of whether someone is being scientific in their approach to knowledge. In science, it is especially desirable to predict correctly an unexpected discovery. Many theories that were rejected by almost all of science became accepted because they correctly predicted unexpected discoveries.
Not too long ago, evolutionists did not believe that any mammals lived at the same time as dinosaurs. Creationists knew that all the different kinds of living things appeared during the first week of Earth's history. They have long been predicting that as more fossils are discovered, the age of so-called "modern" creatures would become older and older. They have even explained why, based on the Flood.
Over the years, evolutionists have had to admit that some mammals were alive while dinosaurs were still living. Now, a new discovery has pushed back the age of anthropoids by 50 percent. That places anthropoids fairly close to the age of the dinosaurs. According to evolution, anthropoids – like tarsiers – are ancestors of apes, monkeys and humans.
What is even more amazing is that the fossilized tarsier is said to be nearly identical to tarsiers today. This discovery offers strong support for the views held by scientists who believe that the Bible's account of history is true. And creationists continue to predict that the age of all living things will be pushed back toward the appearance of the first life.
Notes: Pioneer Press; Creation Moments
2011 Christian Nature
"And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, [it was] very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them." Genesis 1:31-2:1
read more "Creationists Not Surprised By Latest 'Discovery'"
Thought you knew all about your tongue? Well, it might just be that everything you thought you knew could be wrong! Let's talk about what you don't know about your tongue!
New research is showing that we can forget just about everything we ever learned about how we taste food. To begin with, we don't taste with our tongues, but with our brains.
Remember those tongue maps that we all learned in school? They show that we taste sweet on the tips of our tongues, salt and sour flavors on the sides, and bitter tastes at the back of our tongues.
In truth, research shows that we taste each of these flavors all over our tongue. And, no, those little bumps on your tongue are not taste buds. Rather each of those bumps contains many taste buds.
Further, the right half of your tongue does not communicate with the left half of your tongue. Each half has its own nerve that runs to the brain that interprets signals from the tongue as taste. These nerves pass right under your eardrum. That's why a virus infecting your ear can cause you to lose some ability to taste. Dental Novocaine is often administered very close to these nerves, which is why some people experience phantom tastes when the dentist gives them a shot.
Most amazing is the part touch plays in taste. If the right half of your tongue is numbed and you drag a flavor from the right half of your tongue to the left, only the left half will taste it. However, if you drag the flavor from the left half of your tongue to the right, your brain concludes that the left half of tongue should experience the flavor, and it does, despite being numbed.
The ability to taste flavors is a blessing from our Creator. He even invites us to Himself by urging us to taste and see that He is good.
Notes: Discover
2011 Christian Nature
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man Who trusts in Him! Psalm 34:8
read more "What You Didn't Know About Your Tongue"
I owned a horticulture business for 25 years, and I heard, over and over, how people didn't have a 'green thumb'. Oh, they found it easy to know what their pets needed because the pets let them know; but plants made no noise. What? Plants do make noises! Haven't you ever heard your plants screaming for water?
Scientists know that plants do, indeed, cry out when they need attention. We just haven’t heard them because the sounds made by a thirsty plant are about five times higher-pitched than the human ear can hear.
But scientists with tiny, specialized microphones have heard corn plants calling for water. During their study, researchers learned that plants make a great deal of noise. Corn leaves and stalks make noises as they slide against each other during growth. We have all heard the sound of plant leaves rattling in the wind. Corn stalks also make noise as they bend in the wind.
However, another sound was heard when the corn didn’t have enough water. It was a high-pitched popping noise. Plants have water tubes in them that carry water and nutrients up from the roots to the leaves. Water flows up these tubes under tension.
When there is not enough water, the tension becomes too great and the tubes fracture. The popping is the sound of those tubes fracturing. The result of fractured tubes is a wilted plant. When water is restored, the tubes refill, the popping noises stop, and the plant again looks healthy.
The purpose of this research was to learn when to water crops and how much water they need. Now that we have learned how plants communicate, crops can tell farmers when to water!
Notes: Wichita Eagle-Beacon
2011 Christian Nature
Who ever thought flowers could 'think'? Not me! Wouldn't there have to be some kind of 'thinking' to pull off a ruse? Hmmm... I never cease to be amazed at the wonders of God's Creativity!
There are at least four known types of orchids that effectively pretend to be female insects. They are so good at this ruse that they attract the attentions of male pollinators. That there are four different varieties that do this makes it clear that this trickery isn't due to chance. The Creator does not want us to make the mistake of thinking that He doesn't exist.
The Ophrys group of orchids are found around the Mediterranean. Ophrys orchids produce flowers that look and smell so much like the insect that pollinates it, that the male insect will mate with the flower. In the process he picks up the pollen. The pollen is then carried to another flower, thus ensuring the next generation. The flowers even mimic the sheen of the female's wings, the furry fringe on her abdomen, and her antennae.
The Cryptostylus orchid, found in New Guinea and Australia, mimics the female of the wasp that pollinates it. The Cryptostylus does this so perfectly that it even moves as a mating female. The same is true of an orchid found in the Andes that is pollinated by a particular species of fly through the same ruse.
God has much more in mind than just letting us know that He is. He wants us to see that He is intimately involved with each of His creatures - even you!
See why I'm amazed by His Creativity?
Notes: Sex & Plants. Science Digest
2011 Christian Nature
Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? Exodus 15:11
read more "Always Amazed by HIS Creativity!"
Once in a while, I ponder things I can do nothing about. Like how is it possible that through all these years, the balance of males and females in the world of nature have remained fairly even? It's not that way with human beings! Why aren't there more males than females in fish, bees, birds... well, you get the idea.
So, have you ever wondered how, over thousands of years, the population balance between males and females remains roughly even?
Science has learned that there seems to be several mechanisms working together to keep things balanced, providing a fail-safe system. Many species have gene transfer systems that always produce a one-to-one ratio in the next generation.
However, what happens if, perhaps due to a natural disaster, the balance is lost between males and females in a population? Scientists have been testing a theory that when either sex is significantly underrepresented, its increased contribution to the next generation brings things back into balance.
This amazing theory is supported by recent studies on the Atlantic silverside fish. Studies show that even when the population has three males for every female, the ratio returns to 50-50 within four-to-six generations!
According to evolution, males and females should not have developed at all. Evolutionary doctrine says that if males and females should develop, evolutionary forces will not favor sexual reproduction.
The Bible says that God not only created male and female, but that the creation is designed with great wisdom. What science is learning about how balance is maintained between the sexes contradicts evolution and supports the Bible.
Notes: "Nature keeps male-female ratio steady." Chicago Sun-Times
2011 Christian Nature
"So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." Genesis 1:27
read more "Why Aren't There More Males?"
Here's a 'salty' question for you... Does the amount of salt in the ocean determine the age of the ocean?
We know how much salt rivers carry into the sea each year. And we already know how much salt is in the ocean. So the next question is: How long has salt been building up in the ocean?
This topic was the subject of an impressive paper presented at the Second International Conference on Creationism in 1990 in Pittsburgh. The research was presented by Dr. Steven A. Austin and Dr. D. Russell Humphreys, scientists who believe in creation. Even some of the evolutionists attending the conference admitted that the paper raised some challenges to evolutionary claims about the age of the oceans.
This new research carefully looked at all the sources that put salt into the ocean and all the processes that remove salt from the ocean. Evolutionists say that salt is being added to the oceans at about the same rate as it is being removed. If this were not the case, the oceans could not possibly be billions of years old.
However, creation scientists Austin and Humphreys showed that salt is being added to the ocean and probably has been in the past. In fact, the oceans could not possibly be even one-fiftieth of the age claimed by evolutionists. Their conclusions also called radioactive dating methods into question.
We don't need to know any science to know that the truth will never contradict the Bible. However, we should also know that scientists who believe in creation can offer impressive scientific challenges to the claims of evolutionary science.
Thank God there are some scientists who believe that God's Word is true in all that it says.
Notes:
Austin, S.A., and D.R. Humphreys. 1990. "The sea's missing salt: a dilemma for evolutionists" in Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Creationism. Pittsburgh, PA: Creation Science Fellowship, Inc.
2011 Christian Nature
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Colossians 4:6
read more "Salty Question"
When I was teaching my children, one of the most important lessons I taught them was that not every one (or every thing) is always as it 'seems'. It's that way in the physical world, the world of nature, and the spiritual world.
Whether we look at the plant world, animals, humans, or spiritual matters, predators often seek to disguise themselves as harmless to their victims. This is an effective strategy, often leaving victims unaware of danger until they are consumed by it.
Ants shepherd and protect some species of aphids that produce a tasty nectar. Shepherd ants are selected from the ant colony to herd the colony's tiny milk cows to good feeding areas. The slow moving aphids are easy to herd. Any insect that approaches too close to the herd is warned away. Since aphids are considered a good meal by many insects, the shepherd ants are especially aggressive in protecting them against recognized predators.
The larvae of the green lacewing especially enjoy a good meal of aphids. The larvae actually disguise themselves to infiltrate aphid herds. They cover themselves with the same wax fibers that are produced by the aphids. Once the larvae look like aphids they sneak into the herd unnoticed and are able to feed without gaining the attention of the shepherd ants.
While plant and animal predators can only kill their victims, spiritual predators can destroy our eternity. This is why the Lord warned us that false teachers often take the appearance of good spiritual people. He also told us how to identify them.
While false teachers can take on a harmless or even good appearance, they can only pretend to be good. Ultimately, the way they conduct their lives and treat others will reveal what they truly are inside.
And while the man or woman on the street may 'seem' like friendly people, we know all-too-well that's not necessarily true for our children.
2011 Christian Nature
Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. Matthew 7:15
For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.
And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.
2 Corinthians 11:13-14
read more "Beware Of Wolves in Sheep's Clothing!"
I heard a woman speaking who spoke with an English accent AFTER she had experienced a stroke. It was really weird, because prior to her stroke, she spoke with a Tennessee accent! And she's not the only one who has the affliction of 'foreign-accent syndrome!'
After suffering a stroke, a man in Baltimore suddenly began speaking with a Scandinavian accent. Though he had no experience with languages other than English, he suddenly sounded Nordic and appeared unfamiliar with English! In the weeks after the stroke, his speech gradually returned to normal. After three and one-half months, he again spoke with no trace of accent.
This affliction is real. It's called 'foreign-accent syndrome.' It's a rare condition in which a brain malfunction causes speech to sound as if the speaker has a foreign accent. Americans have also reportedly developed apparent German, Welsh, Scottish, Irish and Italian accents.
Scientists say the fact that speech follows certain patterns in this way suggests something about the way the human brain is wired. A growing number of studies and experiences – such as 'foreign-accent syndrome' – suggest that humans have been programmed with much more than just language ability. Some of the unique features of specific languages may actually be programmed into our brains.
The Bible tells us that everyone on Earth spoke the same language until God confused the languages of rebellious people at Babel.
'Foreign-accent syndrome' suggests that many of the detailed characteristics of language may have been originally wired into the brain. It also helps us see that language is more that just noises to which we have given meaning. Language is God's gift.
Notes:
"Rare disorder after stroke puts the accent on brain understanding." Minneapolis Star-Tribune
2011 Christian Nature
"And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech." Genesis 11:1
read more "Brain Disorder - Foreign Accent Syndrome"
Someone told me fish could actually climb rocks. Aw, get real! Do you believe that absurdity? I didn't. But I was wrong. Discovered in Venezuela, this fish can actually climb rocks! It's true!
It's not very pretty, nor is it graceful, but Colombia's rock-climbing catfish has a unique ability among fish. Perhaps there are days when a salmon, trying to make it up a waterfall, wishes that it could simply climb the rocks.
The rock-climbing catfish's climbing equipment begins with a powerful sucker mouth. Once it attaches itself to a rock, it can stay stuck despite any torrent.
The rock-climbing catfish also has a bony plate on its belly that helps it hold its place while it repositions its sucker a little further up the rocks. The plate has fins with tiny, backward-pointing teeth. These teeth dig into the rock and prevent slipping. The catfish's third special feature is a set of powerful muscles to control the plate.
Once the rock-climbing catfish has attached its sucker to the rock, it pulls up its stomach plate and anchors it. With its body anchored, it moves its sucker up the face of the rock and repeats the process. Following this method, the rock-climbing catfish can walk its way up a 20-foot rock wall against the torrent of a waterfall in about 30 minutes!
Who gave the rock-climbing catfish that powerful sucker mouth? Who gave it such a clever bony stomach plate and the powerful muscles to control it? And who taught it to climb rocks? There are two opinions today. One opinion says that no one did it. The other says that it was the work of the Creator of worlds and stars and you and me. The Bible's claim of a Creator is the only one that makes sense!
Notes: Creation Moments; Star Tribune First Sunday
2011 Christian Nature
"If any man speak, [let him speak] as the oracles of God; if any man minister, [let him do it] as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." 1 Peter 4:11
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Ever thought one thing was another, only to be shocked to find out it was an impostor? Like an ant, for example. You jump back and squeal, "Hey, wait a minute! This ain't no stinking ant!" I have!
One good method of avoiding attack in nature is to pretend that you are somebody who should not be attacked. In the insect world, one of the most feared creatures is the ant. Not only are ants ferocious, they also taste bad!
As a result, many insects mimic ants to avoid predators. One of the most interesting groups of ant mimics is spiders.
Of course, even insects can count, so they know that ants have six legs while spiders have eight. To solve this problem, some ant-mimicking spiders wave their front two legs over their heads so they look like antenna. The ants don't seem to be fooled, however. Nevertheless, they will allow the spiders to hang around so long as they stay out of trouble.
Some red ants have red spiders who mimic them and black ants have some black spiders who mimic them. This suggests that many insects can see color.
Wasps that prey on one African red spider are no match for the vicious red ant the spider sometimes mimics. The African red ant can easily kill the wasp. This wasp also preys on a black spider. So the black spiders are often found among black ants that are almost as dangerous as the African red ants.
Some modern scientists tell us that this appearance of intelligence in insect behavior is nothing more than appearance. However, we should not be as easily fooled as these wasps are by the spiders. There are millions of similar evidences of intelligence in the creation, and they can't all be deceptive appearance!
Notes: Creation Moments; Star Tribune First Sunday
2011 Christian Nature
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Has anyone ever told you that you were smarter than an aphid? No? Well, how smart is the smartest tree you ever met? Does it sound silly to speak of trees as being smart? Botanists are learning that some trees have elaborate defenses against insect pests.
Studies have shown that a cottonwood tree sets up an elaborate zone defense when attacked by aphids. Some branches will manufacture poisons to resist the aphids, while others use a different strategy.
Branches that offer the aphids poisons can be dozens of times more resistant to aphids than neighboring branches. Should an aphid land on a leaf that is not manufacturing poisons, that leaf is very likely to be shed by the tree. This squeeze play by the tree keeps both strategies viable in resisting aphids.
However, sometimes insects are almost as clever as trees. The eastern tent caterpillar eats a fatal dose of cyanide with each mouthful of cherry tree leaves without harm. The poison is combined with two sugar molecules in the leaves.
Normally an insect's digestive system would separate those sugars, releasing the cyanide. However, the tent caterpillar's digestive system releases only one sugar, leaving the cyanide bound and harmless.
On the other hand, the pink sawfly larva concentrates and stores the toxic oils of the eucalyptus leaves it eats. When threatened, the worm-like larva rears up and spits droplets of the poisonous oils at its attackers.
There is no level at which the creation fails to show forth intelligence and planning. Every level of creation glorifies God! Even insects and trees!
Notes: "The silent battle." Discover; Creation Moments
2011 Christian Nature
"O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches." Psalm 104:24
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Have you ever thought of wasps or bees as 'protectors'? Probably not! But they do, in fact, protect your garden!
With the early morning dew on the leaves, a vegetable garden may seem a very peaceful place. Actually, though, it's a war zone.
If you know what they are, you don't want to see army worms in your garden. But when they hear wasps fly by, they stop eating and sometimes even fall off the branch they are on. This is probably because a number of wasps eat caterpillars.
Researchers realized that honeybees can produce the same result in caterpillars since they sound like wasps. They decided to find out what was really going on under controlled conditions.
They set up two tents with various types of plants. In one of the tents, they also placed a beehive and then hung bottles of sugar water around the tent. Researchers then placed beet army worms into both tents.
In the tent with no bees, the army worms munched away nonstop. But much less damage was done in the tent with bees because the worms stopped eating every time they heard a bee fly over.
The evolutionist researchers explained that this is simply a "happy side of the effect of pollination." In other words, chance. But the Bible teaches that there is no such thing as chance. God's always in charge!
2011 Christian Nature
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Have you ever considered what life would be like without trees? Oh, there's the obvious benefit: shade on a hot day. But trees, the longest-living things on Earth, bring untold blessings into our lives!
Genesis uses only a few words and simple language to describe the creation of trees. That hardly seems fair, considering the importance, variety and complexity of the largest and longest-living things on Earth.
The largest Sequoias in northern California weigh more than six blue whales. The tallest Australian eucalyptus trees and redwoods tower as high as a 30-story building. Some of the Bristlecone pines in the American west are 4,000 years old.
Trees do more than provide us with building materials, food and medicine. Like other green plants, trees take the waste carbon dioxide produced by animals and humans and turns it into oxygen.
As a bonus, trees produce sugar. The cellulose fiber we call wood is actually only thousands of sugar molecules linked into long chains.
In recent years, scientists have also learned that trees communicate with each other. They cool the air and pump enough moisture into the air to transform a dry, desert-like climate.
If it were not for the mycorrhiza fungi, trees would battle through their roots for control of moisture and soil resources. However, when this fungus is present in the root systems, trees will link roots with each other and share water and nutrients.
Scripture's simple statement that God created trees expands into volumes of information as we learn more about them. This is how science done in faith – that is, as our search for knowledge about what God has made – serves to glorify our Creator!
In my own life, trees were always one of God's best blessings. They were my hideout during fearful childhood times. For that blessing, I will always be grateful. A tree by any other name is a blessing!
2011 Christian Nature
"And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, [and] the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed [is] in itself, upon the earth: and it was so." Genesis 1:11
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What are corals? Corals are marine organisms in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps." The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans, which secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.
