skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Did you know you are what you think? I have proven this to myself numerous times. You can control your thoughts!
More importantly, medical researchers are learning that your thoughts can affect your health.
The cells that make white blood cells can be directly controlled by the brain through nerves. Using the language of hormones, the brain, as well as individual nerve cells, can direct the abilities of immune cells to kill invaders. Immune cells also communicate back to the brain using hormones. It has been shown that stress and highly emotional states can make this communication less efficient, hampering the immune system.
Macrophages are large amoeba-like cells that rebuild injured tissue and devour bacteria, viruses and anything else that should not be in wounded tissue. These amazing little cells can even eat iron filings. But chemicals produced by the body during times of stress – for example, during prolonged periods of feeling helpless – actually make macrophages very sluggish.
A word of caution: While many New Agers have selectively used some of these findings to promote their pagan ideas about medicine and health, there is nothing mystical going on here. Not only does this link between our brain and our health once again glorify the Creator, it supports biblical truth.
In Philippians 4:8, the Apostle Paul advises, "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things." Not only is this advice good for the soul, it is good for the body.
So if you value your health, watch what you allow yourself to think!
Notes: Discover
2011 Christian Nature
read more "You Are What You Think"
Is the universe shrinking, or is it expanding?
Everybody knows that the universe has been expanding ever since it was created by the big bang, right? Of course the big bang theory of the creation of the universe doesn't necessarily agree with the Bible's account of the creation of the universe.
One of the primary so-called proofs of the big bang and the expanding universe is the fact that the starlight reaching Earth seems to be a little redder than it should be. Supporters of the big bang say this is because everything is moving away from us at such high speeds.
However, the opinion of the scientific community is not unanimous. Other scientists point out that starlight could be red-shifted by nothing more than gravity. Such an effect was predicted by Einstein.
The Canadian astronomer J.B. Tatum says that starlight could also be shifted toward the red if the stars and galaxies were spiraling in toward the Earth at high speed – a shrinking universe!
V.S. Troitkii of the Radiophysical Research Institute in Russia says he has evidence that light once traveled a million times faster than it does now. He points out that the slowing speed of light would also produce the red-shift and would also mean that the universe is shrinking.
Is the universe expanding, shrinking or remaining the same size? The truth is, compared to the universe, we are such tiny creatures that we have no way of proving things one way or the other. Thankfully, the One who created the universe and Who is much greater than the universe, cares about each one of us.
Notes: Astronomical Society of Canada and Astrophysicics and Space Science
2011 Christian Nature
read more "Universe Shrinking or Expanding?"
Gifts are given for sharing. Sometimes, like in nature, it's the only means of survival. It's share or die! Let's go underwater for one of the examples!
The strange partnership between the snapping shrimp and the goby is absolutely necessary if both creatures are to survive. The nearly blind shrimp relies on the goby, a small fish, in the same way a blind person relies on his Seeing Eye dog. The goby relies on the safety of the complex tunnel system the shrimp digs.
The shrimp is well designed for digging. Once a tunnel is started, the shrimp can dig a burrow large enough for both itself and the goby within a few hours. Each of its five pairs of legs is specialized.
The first pair of claws is designed for carrying sediment out of the burrow. The second pair of legs is designed to probe for and clean objects as well as scratching sediment from walls. Pairs three, four and five are walking legs that also work well for scratching material from tunnel walls.
On its abdomen, the shrimp has several appendages that allow it to move rapidly to protection. Other appendages can create water currents that shift sand back from the digging site.
The snapping shrimp, which is less than two inches long, can dig a system of tunnels covering several square feet within a few days. The burrow will have several entrances, as much as four feet apart. All lead to a chamber at the deepest point of the system.
The Creator has given both the goby and the shrimp different gifts that they both need to live. If they did not share their gifts with each other, neither could survive.
So now the question is: what gifts has the Creator given you to share?
Notes: Natural History
2011 Christian Nature
read more "Share or Die!"
If you had to pick one of your five senses to live without, which would it be? Here's a hint: Touch me!
Most people consider their sense of sight the most important. While the loss of sight is a terrible tragedy, life can go on.
Lose your sense of smell, and food will be flavorless, but you can get by.
Loss of hearing, too, is a great loss, but the loss can be adjusted to.
And few people's lives are threatened by the loss of the sense of taste.
However, if you lose your sense of touch, you lose your sense of pain and, therefore, any warning that you might be injuring yourself. Unfortunately, there are people who have no sense of touch. Sometimes they receive life-threatening injuries because they cannot feel pain.
Science has shown that touching is necessary for life. Newborn animals that are licked by their mothers have a higher resistance to disease. They are also more likely to live to adulthood than newborns that are untouched by their mothers. Chihuahua pups have a notoriously high rate of death because their mothers are often unwilling to lick them.
Lambs will die after birth if their mothers do not lick and nuzzle them. Even human infants who are not lovingly touched enough will suffer from depression, poor sleep, weight loss, poor immunity and, in extreme cases, even death.
Our wise Creator has built into us the need for touch. Though we take it for granted, without touch, life would be impossible.
2011 Christian Nature
I have always been intrigued with porcupines. Remember, I grew up in the mountains of New Mexico where porcupines were common (North American Porcupines).
In the years since childhood, I have met many people who reminded me of porcupines. They were solitary, antisocial, had prickly personalities, and seemed to act out their insecurities with passive-aggressive behavior. Not the kind of people (or rodents) you could "cuddle" up to, either emotionally or physically!
The porcupine is the prickliest of rodents, though its Latin name means "quill pig." There are about two dozen porcupine species, and all boast a coat of needle-like quills to give predators a sharp reminder that this animal is no easy meal! Some quills, like those of Africa's crested porcupine, are nearly a foot (30 centimeters) long.
Porcupines have soft hair, but on their back, sides, and tail it is usually mixed with sharp quills. These quills typically lie flat until a porcupine feels threatened, then leap to attention as a persuasive deterrent. Porcupines cannot shoot them at predators as once thought, but the quills do detach easily when touched.
Many animals come away from a porcupine encounter with quills protruding from their own snouts or bodies. Quills have sharp tips and overlapping scales or barbs that make them difficult to remove once they are stuck in another animal's skin. Porcupines grow new quills to replace the ones they lose.
The porcupines found in North and South America are good climbers and spend much of their time in trees. Some even have prehensile (gripping) tails to aid in climbing. The North American porcupine is the only species that lives in the U.S. and Canada, and is the largest of all porcupines. A single animal may have 30,000 or more quills.
North American porcupines use their large front teeth to satisfy a healthy appetite for wood. They eat natural bark and stems, and have been known to invade campgrounds and chew on canoe paddles. North American porcupines also eat fruit, leaves, and springtime buds.
Other porcupine species live in Africa, Europe, and Asia. These animals usually live on the ground and can inhabit deserts, grasslands, and forests.
Female porcupines have between one and four young, depending on the species. Babies have soft quills at birth, which harden within a day. Most young porcupines are ready to live on their own at about two months of age.
I feel sorry for the people-porcupines I have known. They make life harder than it has to be. But I don't try to get close to them anymore!
2011 Christian Nature
O God, You have taught me from my youth; and to this day I declare Your wondrous works. Psalm 71:17Author, Lecturer & Columnist April Lorier. Founder & Director Emeritis of C.O.P.E. Inc. Her testimony before the Calif. State Legislature helped with the passage of The Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect Law in 1974. Her latest book, available at AMAZON, is God's Battered Child: From Abuse to Leadership.
I'll bet I can tell you some things about crabs that you did not know. For example, do you know why surgeons love crabs?
Plants make cellulose. Cellulose is a type of natural plastic made of many sugar molecules linked together. Scientists have known for years how to use the natural plastic qualities of cellulose to make things like cellophane and rayon.
Scientists have also known that animals generate a similar natural plastic called chitin. Like cellulose, chitin is a carbohydrate made of long chains of sugar molecules. Chitin is found in the shells of all insects and crustaceans, like crabs. Each year the crabmeat industry had thrown away thousands of tons of chitin because scientists couldn't figure out how to extract chitin from the shells in a usable form.
Finally in 1975 scientists discovered how to remove the chitin from shells and change its form so it could be made into whatever forms they needed. Suture thread made from chitin dissolves in the body.
This means that stitches don't have to be removed, and it can be more easily knotted than regular suture thread. Suture thread made from chitin also causes no allergic reaction, and it seems to promote healing.
It's hard to believe that a crab shell, which is usually thrown away, could do so much! Food processing companies are even using a chemical made from chitin to recover protein from waste water.
Almost everything in the creation seems to have numerous uses for human needs. This is testimony that the Creator has made this universe for us and that He cares about our needs.
Notes: Dworetzky, T. 1987. "How an old crab could keep you in stitches." Discover.
2011 Christian Nature
read more "Why Surgeons Love Crabs"
Did you know that your brain cells are constantly renewing? You get a new dose every single day! Well, that gives me hope!
It appears that we are made even better than we thought. The human body and its systems are engineering wonders. The human brain is the most complex arrangement of matter in the universe. Now, research shows that your brain is even more wonderfully made than anyone thought.
It used to be believed that the brain cells you were born with were all the brain cells you would ever have. Then, research showed that canaries grow new brain cells to learn new songs.
Later research showed that the human hippocampus grows new cells. That's the part of your brain where you form memories and remember new faces.
Research now shows that your cerebral cortex also gets new cells every day. That's the part of your brain where you do higher intellectual functions and where your personality lies.
The study, which used macaque monkeys, concluded that literally thousands of new brain cells are added to your cerebral cortex every day. Scientists concluded that this also happens in humans because monkeys' bodies usually work pretty much the same as human bodies. Scientists hope that this finding may help develop new treatments for degenerative brain diseases and to replace cells that are lost with age.
God has given us wonderful bodies that have amazing abilities, many of which we are still learning about. There is not enough good luck in the universe to enable blind evolutionary chance to create our bodies, much less our brains. Our very existence bears witness to God's wisdom and power.
References: "Study finds that new brain cells arrive daily," Star Tribune, October 15, 1999, p.A20.
2011 Christian Nature Girl
Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! Psalm 107:8
There's nothing worse than finally getting 'that kiss' and worrying about your breath! Yuck! How many have experienced this humiliation, even though they have used one of those thousands of products to take care of the halitosis for the night?
"There are toothpastes, mouthwashes, candies and gums you can buy to treat bad breath, but all they do is mask the problem for a few minutes," claims Hillel Lerman, the CEO of Israeli startup Breezy. "There is no solution that treats the root of the problem - except ours."
That solution is Breezy's Like lollipop, a sugar-free candy confection that removes the bacteria that causes bad breath. The best part is that its effects last for more than four hours.
This probably sounds like a claim you've heard before, but if you look closely at the ads for the plethora of breath-freshening products for sale, you won't find any that claim to keep your breath fresh for one hour, much less four.
"They can't make such claims, because the best they can give you is 20 minutes or so," Lerman says. "That's because they just mask the problem, instead of removing the bacteria that cause bad breath, keeping breath fresh and clean."
The efficacy of the lollipop against halitosis was shown in a series of clinical trials on 75 individuals at the Hillel Yafe May Medical Center in Israel.
That's the main difference between Breezy's solution and major brands of mouthwashes that give you a boost of fresh breath but cannot prevent the quick return of halitosis, which is caused by bacteria. Once the mouthwash has dissipated, the bacteria reasserts itself, and bad breath soon follows.
Breezy's Like candy overcomes that issue, according to Lerman, with slow-release microcapsules filled with safe, all-natural active agents that battle halitosis. The hard microcapsules assist in gently scraping the tongue to remove the food particles and bacteria that cause unpleasant odor. When the capsules open, they release the active ingredients, which continue to act against the germs for hours.
Tasty bacteria buster
"Our Like candy offers triple protection," says Lerman. "The candy's microcapsules scrub; the mint in the candy freshens; and the active agents combat bacteria. Like also acts as an on-the-go tongue scraper that facilitates scraping around and at the back of the tongue - a prime area for bacteria buildup - with significantly less gag reflex."
Like is just an example of what Breezy can do; the lollipop is merely one iteration of an anti-halitosis platform the company is developing.
"We have several patents which cover the concept and the use of microcapsules for a scraping therapeutic effect," Lerman says. Potential products will work against smoker's breath, dry mouth (xerostomia), oral fungus (candida/thrush), and canker sores (mouth ulcer/aphtous stomatitis).
"The Like product is ready for the market, and we are finalizing funding for packaging and marketing," Lerman says, adding that the company is in advanced talks with a European group for distribution and marketing of Breezy technology.
Along with Lerman, the Breezy team consists of co-founders Shimon Harpaz and Dr. Shlomo Barak. Harpaz has a business background, having worked with several other startups in the past, while Barak is a top Israeli dentist and maxillofacial surgeon.
The company was founded in 2007 with the backing of Lenny Sackstein, founder of Carmit Confectionery, one of Israel's largest candy-makers. Breezy has its offices at the Trendlines Group's Mofet B'Yehuda Venture Accelerator near Jerusalem. Trendlines is currently the main investor in the company.
"This is something the world has definitely been waiting for," says Lerman. "With halitosis affecting approximately 50 percent of the adult population worldwide, consumers spend billions of dollars on products to make their breath smell clean and fresh. Finally, there is a product that consumers can really rely on to get rid of their bad breath. We expect a lot of people to like Like.
Well! Personally, I am looking forward to trying out this new product! You're never too old to enjoy lollipops!
2011 Christian Nature
read more "Bad Breath? Have a Lollipop!"
If you have painful skin, arthritis, or one of many other painful problems with muscles and skin, what's the last thing you would think of applying to the painful area? The answer may surprise you!
Chili pepper seeds contain a compound known as capsaicin, which creates a burning sensation. Arthritis pain of joints that are close to the surface of the skin such as finger, knees, and elbows can be treated most effectively with creams that contain capsaicin.
Capsaicin provides arthritis relief by depleting your nerve cells of a chemical called substance P, which your body uses to send pain messages. To see results, you will need to apply capsaicin creams to your joints for at least two weeks.
In South America, ground hot peppers have been used for centuries to help relieve pain. Scientists have discovered the active ingredient in peppers that relieves skin pain.
This substance blocks the pain signals that come from the nerves just under the surface of the skin. The "hot pepper" sauce for skin not only causes no pain, it relieves pain that doesn't respond to any other treatment. It's available in creams and ointments that, tests show, relieve pain in two out of three people.
Conventional wisdom says that medicines that are found in natural plants were discovered by accident. Someone might accidentally discover a relationship between a person's having eaten a certain plant and then getting well. They would try the same plants on others with the same disease. If they found that there were more cures, the plant would be remembered as a folk medicine.
The "hot pepper" pain reliever for skin tells us that there's a problem with this theory. People who have a painful skin condition are not likely to apply a pepper sauce. Doing that would be expected to make their skin more painful and cause it to blister. However, it's possible that our Creator originally gave humans some knowledge of the cures for our ills – cures that He wisely built into creation.
As for me, peppers for pain is one of His more surprising creation-provisions!
Notes:
Check, William A. "Hot peppers for pain." Los Angeles Times (Reprinted in Reader's Digest).
2011 Christian Nature
"Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed." Psalm 6:2
read more "Pain? Surprising Answer!"
If you're Rachael Ray, or another of the cooks, you love garlic with a passion. Otherwise, just say the word 'garlic' and some people move away to give you some distance. Garlic has begun to attract the attention of medical researchers as well.
At the Tagore Medical College in India, researcher Arun Bordia kept track of 432 heart attack garlic-medicine survivors for three years.
During that time, half of the survivors drank the juice from six to ten cloves of fresh garlic each day, while others took a garlic-scented drink with no garlic in it.
Over the three-year period, the garlic group had 32% fewer heart attacks and 45% fewer deaths than the other group. Research in the United States with chickens, who metabolize cholesterol in much the same way as humans, suggests a reason for these results. Chickens that were fed aged garlic extract showed a 50% reduction in the kind of cholesterol that clogs arteries.
Medical researchers are also looking at some interesting evidence that garlic may help prevent some forms of cancer, especially stomach cancer.
When the Creator made the heavens and Earth, He knew that humans would disobey Him, destroying the creation with sin. He also knew that in doing so we would bring disease and death into the world. We can thank Him that He stocked the Earth with substances that could be used to treat some of the earthly effects of sin. However, we can thank Him even more joyfully that He provided the full cure for sin for each of us in the life, death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ!
Notes:
"Garlic medicine: cures in cloves?" Science News, v. 138, Sept. 8, 1990. p. 157.
2011 Christian Nature
"We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic:" Numbers 11:5
When I was a child, there was nothing that could scare me more than a story about flying bats. Of course, I didn't like mosquitoes, either. Hence the dilemma.
For many people, bats bring to mind words like "creepy," "fangs," "rabies," and even "ugly." However, over 450 years ago, Martin Luther marveled at the delicate beauty of the bat. He pronounced the creature an excellent witness to the skill and wisdom of the Creator.
God must also like bats. Almost one-fourth of all mammals He created are bats! The flying fox Flying bat has a wingspan of nearly six feet. Bumblebee bats, native to Thailand, are the smallest mammals known, weighing less than a penny. There are brilliantly patterned tropical bats called butterfly bats. And hundreds of species of tropical plants depend on bats as pollinators.
Popular legend considers bats a serious part of the rabies problem. The truth is that raccoons, skunks, foxes, and even dogs and cats are more likely to have rabies. In fact, one study shows that in Pennsylvania you are more likely to find a rabid cow than a rabid bat.
In reality, bats are delicate, helpful and intelligent creatures. A typical North American bat will eat about 600 mosquitoes an hour. Large colonies will consume between 250,000 and 500,000 pounds of insects per night! Bats can be trained, demonstrating their intelligence.
And finally, an important warning. If you find sleeping bats, don't disturb them. Even one such disturbance during sleep can be fatal since stored nutrition may be consumed by the disturbance before the next feeding cycle.
So next time you see a bat, don't recoil in fear. Rather, say a prayer of thanksgiving to the Creator who made both of you, and you are both unique!
Notes: Modern Maturity
2011 Christian Nature
It is a miracle in the making for the visually impaired, and it's called 'Nano Retina'.
A two-year-old Israeli company is pairing electrodes with living neurons in the eye to create bionic sight for the vision impaired, in a nanotech development that sounds more like science fiction, than real life.
Nano Retina, operating since 2009 in Herzliya, is now manufacturing an R&D prototype of the development. While it is not the first in the field to develop such a technology, its advance offers a tenfold improvement in vision compared to the two technology solution providers on the market today, according to the company's managing director, Ra'anan Gefen.
Inserted into the retina in a 30-minute procedure, Nano Retina's implant device, about the size of a grain of rice, turns into an artificial retina that melds to the neurons in the eye. It is activated by the wearer using special eyeglasses, transforming natural light into an electrical impulse that stimulates the neurons to send images to the brain.
The Israeli company expects clinical trials to position its tiny implant as the most advanced solution for people with damaged retinas. Bio-Retina is activated by special eyeglasses, transforming light into an electrical impulse that stimulates the neurons to send images to the brain.
It is truly a miracle in the making!
read more "Nano Retina - Miracle For Visually Impaired"
Contrary to what the theory of evolution says, the history of life found in the fossil record does not show simpler kinds of living things gradually becoming more complex.
Nor does the fossil record show a few kinds of life gradually becoming more kinds of life. The fossil record doesn't even show one example of either of these claims that are universally accepted by evolutionists.
Life appears suddenly in the fossil record. And the living things found in the earliest rocks are completely developed and well equipped for life. Trilobites had fully formed eyes that were apparently more sophisticated than many creatures today. They appear without ancestors.
According to evolution, one of the greatest steps forward by living things was the development of skeletons. The first evolutionary step toward skeletons started with the development of calcium shells by marine creatures. Yet, the fossil record shows that creatures with calcium shells simply appear fully formed, as do creatures with internal skeletons.
One question that troubles evolutionists is why creatures suddenly decided they needed skeletons. Incidentally, the astonishing variety of creatures in the oldest rocks shows a greater variety than is alive today.
Of course, the sudden appearance of fully formed, well-equipped life agrees nicely with the Bible's claim that all life was created fully formed by God. When the evidence from science agrees so well with the Bible, those who insist on evolution do so only by faith – a faith that is against the Bible.
Notes: Creation Moments
2011 Christian Nature
read more "Life Appears Suddenly!"
Physicians used leeches in bloodletting treatments well into the 19th century. It was common. They were used to treat everything from headaches to heart disease.
As the 20th century matured, the medical use of leeches became not only a memory but a symbol of how backward medicine used to be.
Now, as the 21st century is underway, leeches are again a part of modern medicine.
To obtain their food, leeches inject a powerful blood thinner called hirudin. This hirudin is what interests modern medical researchers in leeches. Doctors have for many years been using a blood thinner called heparin to dissolve blood clots, such as those associated with heart attacks.
But researchers are finding that hirudin is ten times as effective as heparin in dissolving clots, and in addition it works directly to prevent clotting. The studies continue. However, medical researchers are convinced that the blood thinner which leeches taught them how to make offers a powerful medicine.
Should the possibilities presented by this modern medicine be realized, many lives that are now lost due to blood clotting may soon be routinely saved.
The Creator of the heavens and Earth is so wise and generous that He can teach even modern science some new things through a seemingly simple creature like the leech.
Notes: Science News
2011 Christian Nature
After my disastrous experience, as a young wife, with discount house plants, I decided to buy my plants from so-called reputable growers. The hot steam in these houses fogged up my glasses, so, I reasoned, this environment was certainly more conducive to healthy plant growth.
Alas, hot house plants didn't fare any better than the discount ones. The growers had not wasted time on slowly acclimating their plants to less desirable environments, commonly referred to as hardening off the plant for its new reality.
You are my Grower, Lord, and You never grow hot house plants. A hot house Hibiscus is of no use to You. While the safety of the hot house feels secure, you will not allow it. You call me to be in the world - not to run away from the reality of the world.
True, you take time to slowly acclimate me, protecting each new bud of my spiritual growth; but eventually there will come the time when You will harden off Your precious creation so I can be of service to You midst the harsh realities of this fallen world.
I will never understand why You chose frail human beings to bring about Your Kingdom, Lord. You must trust us more than I do! One thing I know: I can not be of service to You if I am wilting at every dose of reality. Along with the reality of life, You graciously give me a new reality of things not yet seen, but hoped for, and I am expected to use this new reality as a gardener uses vitamin B for his plants.
Have I told you lately, Lord, that I am grateful You have not allowed me to hide in the hot house?
I will "Be in the world, not of the world!"
Copyright 1998-2011 Christian Nature
Ah, Sovereign Lord, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for You. (Jeremiah 32:17)
Christians have always known we should care for animals as part of God’s creation. It was, after all, the evangelical Christian William Wilberforce and Rev. Arthur Broome who founded the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in 1824. But times they are a-changin' -- at least the language is changing.
I own a pet. That now makes me a purveyor of prejudic, according to some so-called "leading academics"!
You see, according to the Rev’d Professor Andrew Linzey, director of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, I shouldn’t even use the word “pet,” because the phrase is demeaning to animals.
Instead, I should call my Shih Tzu a “Companion Animal.”
And please, I must never use the word “owner.” That’s demeaning to pets (I mean, to companion animals) as well. Instead, I should call myself a “human carer.” Puh-leeze!
As reported by the U.K. Telegraph, Professor Linzey and his colleague, Prof. Priscilla Cohn of Penn State are quite serious. And they have a point: The language we use can shape the way we think.
Linzey and Cohn say “We shall not be able to think clearly unless we discipline ourselves” to use appropriate language that reflects our proper “moral relations with” animals.
Ahh. And what might the proper moral relation be? Linzey and Cohn give us a hint. The word “owner,” they say, “whilst technically correct in law, harks back to a previous age when animals were regarded as just that: property, machines or things to use.”
They even object to the term “wildlife.” Linzey and Cohn “invite authors to use the words ‘free-living’, ‘free-ranging’ or ‘free-roaming’ rather than ‘wild animals’”
Why? Because, they say, “For most, ‘wildness’ is synonymous with uncivilised, unrestrained, barbarous existence. There is an obvious prejudgment here that should be avoided.”
Of course, what we’re seeing here is Linzey’s and Cohn’s own prejudgment -- that Humans and animals are equals.
And that’s a perfectly natural conclusion if you hold to a secular, materialistic worldview. If we humans are nothing more than a random collection of atoms that evolved out of the primordial soup, then, yes, we are no more valuable than the common ground slug.
But the equality -- or near equality -- of animals and humans is a view that is creeping into the Church as well. The Telegraph says that Professor Linzey is a theologian who was awarded “an honorary degree from the Archbishop of Canterbury for his work promoting the rights of ‘God’s sentient creatures.’”
But we are not all equal. Humans alone bear the image of God. And animals cannot have “rights” in the way we humans do. Therefore, they are not equal to human beings.
My Shih Tzu is my beloved pet and I am her owner on whom she depends for most of her needs. What's hard to understand about that?
2011 Christian Nature
read more "Meet My Shih Tzu - My PET"
Miniature horses are as sweet and lovable as dogs are, and as recently as 1999 they have started becoming guides and therapists.
Since guide dogs are in short supply, some miniature horse owners attempted to train them to work as guide horses for the blind. It turned out to be a huge success.
Miniature horses are prey animals; therefore nature has equipped them with long memories, which makes them perfect to be guide animals.
Miniature horses not only function as guides, but they are also trained to render emotional support for those with certain forms of mental illness. Miniature horses in the service of mobility and therapy have special rights, just as a service dog would have.
A miniature horse may actually be a better choice for people with disabilities. A person that is wheelchair bound, but does not have the strength or the eyesight to manage an electric wheelchair, may be pulled by a miniature horse that has been trained to do so.
Why might a person choose a miniature horse as a guide or therapy animal?
- There are people who grew up around horses but never bonded with dogs. They may have a special rapport with horses. Those people understand horses and how they behave.
- Horses live longer lives than dogs do generally. For someone who is going to need a guide or therapy animal over a long period of years will benefit from having a miniature horse.
- People, who are highly allergic to dogs, can benefit from a horse because they are naturally non-allergic animals.
- Miniature horses are stable enough to assist those with physical disabilities. Those that cannot lower themselves into a chair or rise out of one can be supported by the miniature horse, with no discomfort to the horse.
- Miniature horses are cute and non-threatening; someone afraid of dogs may bond very closely to a tiny horse.
- Many people don’t like animals living in their homes, so a miniature horse can be a wonderful choice because they can live very comfortably outside in a horse barn, until they are called upon for duty.
Miniature horses make such good guides because it is in their nature to lead. The Guide Horse Foundation advocates using miniature horses as guides because they are much more cost effective. To train a guide animal, it can cost as much as $60,000. A dog’s years of service may be only between 8 and 12 years, while a horse, living up to 50 years can be of service between 30 and 40 years.
Miniature horses in the service of therapy are a great help for those with emotional disorders. Horses, in general, even the minis are very calm in stressful situations. These horses calm nature can help to lower the stress levels of the mentally ill. Just like petting a dog makes you feel better, petting a horse does the same thing.
A horse can fill so many needs of one individual; it is a companion, friend, emotional support, and assisting in mobility. As with any service animal, the miniature horse should wear a vest stating it is a service animal and the public should not touch or interfere with the communication between handler and animal.
For thousands of years there has been a special bond between horses and men. I took care of a horse every day when I was growing up, and I can attest to the affectionate nature of horses!
2011 Christian Nature
It's hard to remain tense at the beach. Simply the mention of the water and waves, the sand and sun brings back to memory the last trip to the beach and starts relaxing a person. However therapeutic these elements of the beach are, scientists have found that the one beach fixture that is probably most responsible for relaxing us is the smell.
We don't often think about our sense of smell. While our noses are on the job all the time, we note an odor only when it is unusual - like all of this evidence in the Casey Anthony trial we hear about. Most of the time, the scents around us contribute, unnoticed, to our overall impression of our surroundings.
The smelly chemical that utility companies put in natural gas so that we can smell leaks is methyl mercaptan. This chemical is also produced by rotting meat. The human nose is extremely sensitive to this smell. We can detect as little as one 400-billionth of a gram of it in a quart of air.
Doctors have long known that their noses are helpful in diagnosing disease. A person is brought into the emergency room in a coma. It's very likely that the doctor will smell the patient's breath as he tries to discover the problem.
A sweet smell could indicate diabetes.
The smell of ammonia could indicate a kidney malfunction.
Arsenic poisoning smells like garlic.
Diphtheria can be identified by a sickeningly sweet odor, and people with the plague smell like apples.
A patient who smells like freshly baked bread may have typhoid.
While we seldom think about our sense of smell, it's a wonderful gift from our Creator! Besides, we would look rather odd without our noses!
2011 Christian Nature
Do you know how many hairs are on your head? Take a guess? I know Someone who knows exactly how many hairs are on your head!
As scientists are learning more about hair, they are coming to greater appreciation of, as one researcher put it, hair's bewildering biology. A Harvard molecular biologist admitted that one of the reasons we know so little about hair is that scientists have avoided studying this complex structure.
They are the only cells in the human body that repeatedly die and self-regenerate throughout life. They are probably the only cells in the body that inspired a Broadway play named after them. And science considers them so interesting that several branches of science are studying them. I am talking about hair cells.
The average scalp has about 100,000 hairs growing at any one time. Each hair follicle produces hair for about two to five years, followed by a rest period of four to six months. A miniature assembly line of cells divides within the follicle, pushing older hair cells upward through the skin.
Pigmentation is added as each new cell is produced. When the follicle is at rest, it shrivels and many of its cells die. However, seed cells, promising new life to the follicle, hide within it waiting for the signal to spring back to life.
As humans grow older, the resting time of the follicles increases and growing time decreases, especially in men. So if you find yourself balding, you're not necessarily losing your hair. It's just that your hair is spending more time resting than it used to. :-D
God tells us that He cares so much about each one of us that He even knows how many hairs we have on our head! (Matthew 10:30)
Notes: Science News
2011 Christian Nature
read more "Hairs At Rest?"
I can't count the number of times I have been asked this question: Does talking to my plants, or playing music for them, help them grow? Now, personally, I have always talked to my plants. The music was for me. Did I help my plants grow? Yes! And I'm not the only one who is convinced, either.
In a 1986 interview, even England’s Prince Charles said, “I just come and talk to the plants, really. Very important to talk to them; they respond."
OK, so you think those Brits are a little ditsy, so that doesn't impress you.
Well, if you talk to each plant as you're tending to it, you're emitting carbon dioxide which the plant takes in, and then it graciously gives back oxygen. The longer you talk, the more carbon dioxide you emit, so make it a nice, long conversation!
Then there are the vibrations of music. Plants respond to breezes and vibrations. (Think 'Beach Boys' Vibrations.) In 1970, an enterprising dentist put out an album of music for plants, Music To Grow Plants By. Yes, it was a hit! There is ample scientific evidence that plants do respond to sound. Mine always liked MoTown, except for that snooty Fiddle-Leaf Fig that preferred Mozart. You know, come to think of it, I had a milkweed cactus that loved anything by Dolly Parton.
Rich Marini, head of Penn State’s horticulture department, says, Plants react readily to a host of environmental stimuli, as the ability to respond to changing environments is vital to their survival. Wind or vibration will induce changes in plant growth.
A 2007 paper from scientists at South Korea’s National Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology proposed that two genes involved in a plant’s response to light—known as rbcS and Ald—are turned on by music played at 70 decibels. This is about the level of a normal conversation. The Korean researchers found differing responses depending on the frequency of the sound. The higher the frequency, the more active was the gene response.
Plants exposed to wind produce a growth-retardant hormone called ethylene, which causes the plant to be shorter and to have thicker stems. So plants exposed to wind can better survive very windy conditions. (The ancient Egyptians used to gas their fig trees to make figs grow better.) Vibrations produce the same effects on plants (music=vibrations).
So you're still wondering why I, a semi-intelligent horticulturist, talk to my plants and play music while I'm tending to them? Here's the deal. Anyone who loves plants enough to lovingly talk to them will also be more attentive and nurturing than one who thinks it's stupid. While I'm talking to my plants, I notice any spider mites, mealy bugs, or leaf burn that might be plaguing it.
Oh, and then there's this: plants cannot challenge anything I say to them! No arguing, pouting, or shouting back. Now that is reason enough to talk to them!
(c) 2009-11 Nature Girl at Christian Nature
A merry heart does good like a medicine... Prov 17:22a
Sources:
eScienceNewsAnswerBagWikiAnswers Research PennStateAsk.YahooGreenThumb
Glue + Water = Frustration!
Water can prevent adhesives from solidly touching the surfaces that are to adhere. Freezing and thawing temperatures can force glued surfaces apart. Yet, biological adhesives constantly work without fail in continual contact with water.
The mussel is the champion in the creation and use of biological adhesives. When a mussel finds a suitable spot, it extends its all-purpose foot. The foot, which is like a rubber plunger, searches the surface until it finds the exact spot that will make the best bond. The foot then cleans the glue point.
Next, the foot presses to the surface and, as the plunger-shaped foot flattens, water is pumped out. The mussel then lifts the center of its "plunger" and creates a small vacuum. Now the ingredients for its adhesive are pumped down through the foot and into the vacuum. This material creates a foamy foundation for the individual glue threads.
The glue itself is made of several proteins. They are mixed in various ratios to provide just the right amount of strength, flexibility and resistance to compression needed for each unique anchoring spot. Some of these proteins are very unusual in structure. Scientists suspect that they change their properties in response to changing conditions – what scientists call a "smart" material.
The mussel is not only a wonder of design, but a sophisticated chemist as well. Modern science is still trying to learn what the Creator has taught the mussel about glue.
Notes: Science News
2011 Christian Nature
read more "Sticky Foot Champions!"
How old do you think roses are? Hundreds of years? Thousands of years?
Did you know the first settlers in China began to cultivate roses over 4,000 years ago? While modern rose strains are the result of two centuries of breeding, the Greek naturalist Theophrastus wrote about the hundred-petaled rose 2,400 years ago. The Autumn Damask rose, which blossoms in both spring and fall, was nurtured and cultivated by the ancient Romans.
Roses have fascinated people for thousands of years, and rose breeding is one of the oldest human experiments in the science of genetics. Roses are bred for variations in size, color, frequency of bloom and scent. More than 25 distinct scents have been identified in roses. By the mid-19th century, breeders had developed some 4,000 varieties of roses.
Perhaps roses with names like Chrysler Imperial, Charlotte Armstrong or Mirandy sound familiar to you. The man who developed those roses and has won over a dozen "All America Rose of the Year" awards is Walter Lammerts. He became one of the world's leading authorities on roses while he worked as the senior breeder at Armstrong Roses. He also developed four varieties of peaches.
Dr. Lammerts is a creationist. He not only rejects evolution, but he blames belief in evolution for slowing the development of better strains of plants. He points out that breeders who think change takes place slowly and through evolution don't expect to make much progress, and they waste time trying to fit what they learn into evolution. He adds that, despite thousands of years of breeding, roses are still roses.
I am so thankful for the improvements to life on Earth that have been made through the efforts of Bible-believing scientists like Dr. Lammerts.
2011 Christian Nature
read more "Rose Fascination Thousand-Year History"
It's not accidental that illness and sleepiness go together. When you are ill, you need sleep. And when you are sick you are usually sleepy. Medical researchers are now learning that it's not accidental that illness and sleepiness go together.
Early in the 20th century, scientists isolated what they called the S factor – the "S" being for sleep. Modern biochemists have identified the S factor as a biochemical that is released from the cell walls of bacteria when our bodies destroy them. This chemical finds its way to the brain where it induces sleep. It also stimulates the immune system.
Normally, the body breaks down some of the harmless bacteria that live in our digestive systems every day. By the end of the day, enough sleep factor has collected in our blood to make bedtime welcome.
However, when we are fighting a bacterial infection, our body is destroying many additional bacteria and releasing a lot more sleep factor. That sleep factor is also stimulating our immune system to higher levels of activity.
Researchers recommend that we give in to our desire to sleep when we are ill. Our immune system and non-dreaming sleep are closely related. In other words, grandma was right when she told us that we would avoid getting sick if we got enough sleep.
It's no accident that bacterial infections trigger the body to react, not only to rid itself of bacteria but also to strengthen itself for the fight. That's the way God designed it, and that's what man 'discovered'!
Notes: "Feeling sleepy? Shhh! Bacteria at work." Discover
2011 Christian Nature
After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” John 11:11-12
Ever been in circumstances that caused you to wonder if God even knew you were alive? I have, and I'm not unlike other humans on this earth. So let's look at God's fingerprints in His Creation for inspiration! (I have done this most of my life.)
A family of fish that live in the depths of the sea actually go fishing - pole, dangling bait, and all. This is only natural, since they, like people who go fishing, like to eat fish.
This group of fish is collectively called the angler fish. The front dorsal spine in the female angler is located on her head. It is much longer than any of the other dorsal fins and has a fleshy bait on the end. When hungry, she sits very still and dangles the bait in front of her mouth. It doesn’t take long before something swims up to investigate this bait as its possible lunch. But before it can think about taking a sample, the angler has turned the tables and eaten her own lunch.
Of course this system wouldn’t work very well in the pitch darkness one mile below the surface of the ocean without one other special provision. Like many other fish at such depths, the angler is able to generate her own light. In her case, only the bait lights up, so she stays invisible to her victims. The chemical method she uses to create the light is nearly 100% efficient!
In His imaginative creativity, God was pleased to place creatures a mile below the surface of the sea. Yet in His mercy He has provided them with everything they need to make their living there.
Likewise, you may not know why God has placed you into a particular situation right now. If He so cares for the creatures a mile below the waves, how much more does He care for You?
Take time today to think about it!
2011 Christian Nature
read more "Creation Proves He Cares For You"
When is a spider not a spider? When it's a fruit fly! Let's examine the real spider first.
One of the spider's virtues is that it loves to eat flies. However, not all spiders catch flies in their webs.
The jumping spider stalks its prey until, like a tiny tiger, it is close enough to pounce. Rather than defining its territory with a web, the jumping spider takes its territory with it, in a manner of speaking. Wherever the jumping spider is becomes its territory. When one jumping spider encounters another, they wave their legs at each other, warning each other to back off.
Herein lies the tale of how one species of fruit fly is able to outsmart the spider. Unlike most fruit flies, this particular species has stripes on its wings. When it waves its wings over its head, it looks something like a jumping spider declaring its territory. When stalked by a jumping spider, the fly is able to convince the spider that it's another jumping spider protecting its territory.
Researchers have discovered why this trick works even though the fly doesn't look much like a spider. The spider's response to the pattern is pre-wired into its brain and is triggered by certain cells in its eyes. These cells are only activated by a display of the pattern. The spider automatically reacts to the pattern. All the fly has to do is fake the pattern and it's safe!
The fruit fly's strategy requires a sophisticated knowledge of the jumping spider's nervous system as well as its behavior. It's safe to say that no fruit fly was able to create this strategy. It could have been authored only by the God who created them both.
Notes: Discover
2011 Christian Nature
read more "When a Spider Is NOT a Spider"
The cells that make white blood cells can be directly controlled by the brain through nerves. Using the language of hormones, the brain, as well as individual nerve cells, can direct the abilities of immune cells to kill invaders. Immune cells also communicate back to the brain using hormones. It has been shown that stress and highly emotional states can make this communication less efficient, hampering the immune system.
