Posts

Showing posts with the label Biology

Consciousness and Sleep Defy Evolution

Image
For the most part, believers in universal common descent evolution are naturalists. That is, nature is all that exists. No room for spirits, the Creator, or other intangibles. Atheists and evolutionists cannot legitimately account for consciousness so they dismiss it as an illusion. Naturalism cannot be lived consistently, as logic, morality, love, and other things are not material. They have those in their lives anyway. Somehow, naturalists are reluctantly admitting that consciousness cannot be a product of matter, and believe it is manifest in all sorts of things,  which is panpsychism . Sleeping Sailor / Henry Scott Tuke, ca. 1905 Consciousness indicates that something exists beyond naturalism, so secularists try to find physical answers for the mind  and have bizarre ideas for the soul . They also have to take sleep into account. Sleep is necessary and it is restorative. The Creator also designed us to have physical and mental benefits during sleep time, but also the physical proc

Evolutionists Getting Nutty over Lampreys

Image
Lampreys are unattractive, seldom invited to dinner parties outside of the secular science industry. They are jawless fish. Several species exist, some are freshwater and there are also sea lampreys. Sea lampreys divide their time between fresh and sea water. They are not eels. Interesting that the design of their mouths are used in different ways. Young sea lampreys are parasitic and attach to other fish, while some other kinds use their sucker power to latch onto something to hitch a ride. Believers in fish-to-fool evolution think they are in our lineage. Sea lamprey, Flickr / NOAA Great Lakes ( CC BY-SA 2.0 ) Let's go back to the basics of evolution. Things change, yes? Lots of changes due to time, chance, mutations, evolutionary pressures, environment, natural selection, and all that good stuff. Lampreys have not seen fit to change over millions of Darwin years and are considered living fossils. Research also has a passel of maybes  and other weasel words trying to link us to

Dethroning Sexual Selection

Image
Charles Darwin took the ancient pagan beliefs of evolution,  changed the meaning of natural selection, then presented the product as his theory. It needed rescuing from the get-go, so he also bundled sexual selection  with it at no extra charge. To oversimplify, the best-looking critters are chosen to mate and spread their genes while the unattractive or drab should disappear. It works to some extent in the animal kingdom and is supposed to apply to humans as well. Although it sounds plausible on the surface, sexual selection does not work. Victorian Fashion, Columbian magazine, February 1844, from Copyright Expired A recent study shows that the concept was never valid and not handled properly in the scientific community. Something that does not fit the purely physical aspect of sexual selection is the fact that people do not select mates strictly on appearance. Women want men who can be providers, for example. (It may be surprising, but it has been suggested that abusive men attract

Monotremes Show the Opposite of Evolution

Image
Living monotremes are marsupials, but not all marsupials are monotremes. Believers in universal common descent admit they have trouble finding the alleged ancestors of either group. Monotremes are especially puzzling because they are mammals that lay eggs. The majority of marsupials live down Australia way (and some in New Guinea), and both of the existing monotremes are residents of 'Straya. Research on monotremes had the usual hopes of learning about their evolution, but if the authors were paying attention, they received an unpleasant surprise. Echidna, Pixabay /  PublicDomainImages Remember, Darwin expected evidence to be found to support his conjectures — which is the opposite of how science is supposed to work. Then and now, the search is on for transitional forms (something in process of turning into something else), and there should be a huge number of the things. With monotremes and marsupials, a study shows more diversity millions of years ago according to secular reckoni

Dishonest Darwinists and Engineered Flight

Image
Evolutionists are willingly chained to their paradigm, which affects their reasoning abilities. They constantly seek how  evolution happened, but seldom ask if  it happened in the first place. Also, many observations in nature are falsely called evolution. A serious flaw in the science of Darwin's Disciples is believing almost everything they see is evidence for evolution. Explanations for observations that are not rooted in atheistic naturalism are rejected out of hand. These include Intelligent Design, creation, and others. Notice what happens when they evosplain powered flight in different creatures. Bald eagle in flight, Unsplash / Hans Vleth (modified at PhotoFunia ) The story goes that powered flight evolved separately in birds, insects, and other creatures. There is no evidence, but the convergent evolution  claim is so big, people believe it. (See " Homology, Convergence, and Evolutionary Mythology .") New research makes their claims even more absurd. It has been

Developmental Biology and You

Image
It is truly amazing to consider how a human life can grow, first from something imperceptible, then through stages until adulthood. It is also amazing that each part of us has to develop and grow. Not just get bigger, but in certain patterns. Francis Crick, co-discoverer of the structure of DNA, said, "Biologists must constantly keep in mind that what they see was not designed, but rather evolved." That is like a mantra , old son. Evolutionists are to keep brainwashing themselves, otherwise, they would see that there is a Master Engineer. Unborn child illustration, MorgueFile / Yoel (modified at PhotoFunia ) If you study on it a spell, something like developmental biology can very well prompt someone to realize that there is a great deal of specified, irreducible complexity. Living things were engineered, and that was done by the Creator (Rom. 1:12-18). Some may be stirred to praise him instead of Papa Darwin, and the secular science industry cannot have that. Developmental

Evolutionists Imagine Dinosaur Feathers

Image
Something unlikely to appear in a dinosaurs-go-bezerk-and-eat-people movie is  Psittacosaurus.  The largest species is not all that impressive. There is a prairie schooner-full of specimens, including intact skeletons. Adults were bipedal like the iconic T. rex . This particular specimen from China had an interesting fossilization characteristic. Some of its skin was turned to glass, so to speak. Instead of the usual minerals, silica found its way in. Watch how Darwin's acolytes get bizarre — and illogical — promoting dino-to-bird and also feather evolution. Psittacosaurus specimen, Nature Communications / Maria McNamara   et al . ( CC BY 4.0 ) Once again, evolution is assumed despite lack of evidence. (Stories, inferences from stories, and so on, yes, but not real evidence.) Although they admit that feather evolution is "profound," feathers are loaded with specified complexities because they were created, not evolved. There is no evidence of feather evolution. Researche

Evolutionary Ideas Cannot Account for Singing

Image
A spell back, we looked at music and the human mind . This child believes that music is a gift from the Creator. Darwinists may try to evosplain it away, but animal sounds, ape grunts, and all that cannot account for music. Consider singing. This is another word where context and definitions are important. Someone may say that whale and bird vocalizations are singing, for example. Some bird songs may last a few seconds and seem elaborate, but should not be likened to human songs. Interior with merrily singing peasants / Vincent Malo, ca. 1635 (PD) Although there are some exceptions, a song contains words for singing. People sing songs for recordings, spontaneously with others, and other reasons. Singing can communicate whatever emotions people feel like expressing. There are songs that start out quiet, build into something more raucous, drop down in intensity — then, let's rock the joint ! Apes, insects, and birds do not deliberately compose songs. You savvy that, Pilgrim? A chann

Guppy Variations and — Mosquito Control?

Image
The Master Engineer designed many creatures to be able to adapt and make changes so they do not easily die out. One of the move obvious kinds are guppies, the Poeciliidae family. They make changes, but do not turn into something else. Darwin's disciples often falsely call speciation and variation "evolution." These fish are very popular among aquarists, as they are colorful, not overly sensitive to conditions, and tend to play well with others. The originals were frontloaded with genetic information that is switched on and off through epigenetics. Aquarists like to breed and hybridize them. Guppy, Wikimedia Commons / 5snake5  ( PD ) Interestingly, they like to chow down on mosquito larvae. That means fewer mosquitos which also cuts down on the malaria problem. And you thought guppies were just cute. (Yes, I am using guppy  as a kind of catch-all word.) Research is being done to let them feast for mutual benefit, them and us. Also, guppies not only adapt, but do it quickly

Woodpeckers and Other Science Errors

Image
In an unusual series of events, Lisa Myworries, supervisor of the Winkie Guards at the Darwin Ranch, sent word to me to help her get some supplies. Apparently the other ranch hands were busy, so I hitched up the buckboard, headed west on Folly Road past Stinking Lake, and on toward Deception Pass. Aside from a few glowers from the Winkie Guards, the trip was uneventful.  On the way back, Lisa started talking about birds. Woodpeckers are her favorite. She mentioned the shock-absorbing bone in their skulls. I was reluctant to correct her, but I felt compelled. Downy and hairy woodpeckers from Birds of New York  by Louis Agassiz Fuertes , 1910 & 1914 (PD) Correcting someone on a small detail is seldom worthwhile, especially a friend. If it must be done, it should be done gently. Let her keep her dignity. "Actually," I said, "that was a scientific truism for many years but was recently rejected. More deliberate thinking, better science, and all that good stuff. I mistake

Naturalism, Panpsychism, and Science

Image
This post is unusual in several ways, especially since the author is in the ID camp and not friendly to biblical creation science. Links are given here for information and to try to prompt readers to think. Although creation is not mentioned, the subject is still of interest to creationists. Scientists are considering the idea that less complex living things may actually be sentient. (Some are even pondering the idea of sentience in cells, but that idea seems to be too much too soon.) Insects have tiny brains, but show intelligence in facial recognition, for example. Wildflowers in Oneonta Forest Preserve, Unsplash / Cowboy Bob Sorensen (modified at PhotoFunia ) Materialism is the belief that material is all that exists, no God or spirits, and naturalism is its kid brother. That is,  nature  is all that exists. New word alert: panpsychism . This belief is that all living things have some consciousness. Although there does not appear to be any real conflict between naturalism and panps

Scarabs — the way they Roll

Image
These creatures are quite interesting, and some people even specialize in studying them. Scarab seems kind of formal, and the common name is dung beetle . This is a good time to wonder if the Creator was showing his sense of humor, as these beetles were designed to use dung for survival. The scarab was sacred to the ancient Egyptians. One reason is that they symbolized death and rebirth, and part of that was because their sun god supposedly rolled the sun across the heavens each day. Seems kind of inefficient. Dung beetles having a ball,  Pixabay /  debbiedejager Dung beetles need great balls of poo to survive, so they confiscate it in an unusual way: going backward. They do not have their eyes on the prize, but rather the other end, pushing it with their back legs. Amazingly, they know where they're going. Not all scarabs navigate by the light of day, either. Darwin's disciples try to evosplain the behavior, but fail. Dung beetles are dependent upon animal manure for their ex

This Mars is not my Home

Image
People have wanted to visit and even colonize Mars for a very long time. Science fiction is filled with stories of doing so, and people continue to have high hopes. For that matter, secular scientists keep trying to find evidence for some kind of life there. There are science fiction stories that explore some of the problems that were known during the times they were written, but more trouble has been recently discovered. These include making the journey itself, visiting, and especially trying to stay on Mars. Mars,  NASA  / JPL-Caltech (usage does not imply endorsement of site contents) Mayhaps I should say "spoiler alert," but people are not likely to be bothered if I tell them that the very first episode of The Twilight Zone  in 1959, "Where Is Everybody?" was about the problem of loneliness in space travel. Indeed, those who take such a long trip would be expecting a one-way trip that lasts quite a spell. Then they have to get along on the red planet — if they g

Dinosaurs and Fish Lizards Keep Getting Bigger

Image
Is it just my imagination, or are paleontologists finding more extremely large dinosaurs and such? There was a time that Brontosaurus  was impressive, even having the name that means thunder lizard . Probably because you could hear it walking. Now it is dwarfed by other sauropods. Indeed, scientists had to come up with impressive names to tack onto their discoveries, such as titanosaurs. Several more of these have been discovered. Curious, the impressive name game does not seem to happen to plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs, but a candidate for the largest of the latter has been presented. Ichthyotitan severnensis , Wikimedia Commons / Ansh Saxena 7163 (PD), modified at PhotoFunia Darwin's disciples are having a great time evosplaining the critters through the fiction of convergent evolution , a cheap rescuing device. After all, there is no evidence for dinosaur origins or ancestors — it is like they were created, not evolved. Rapid speciation was also mentioned, but that has nothing t

Brain Collections and Evolutionary Racism

Image
When watching, reading, or listening to Conservative American political material, it is frequently pointed out that leftists are obsessed with race. White people are evil, darker shades are good — and quality of character is irrelevant. It is ironic when "people of color" support Darwinism. Although disliking people who are different has been around a very long time, Darwinism gave us eugenics and scientific racism. To prove that white people are superior, Darwinists used evolution to justify collecting brains and skeletons of  those they considered belonging to lesser races. Cushing Brain Collection, New Haven, Flickr / techbint ( CC BY 2.0 ) In the 19th and 20th centuries, evolutionists collected skeletons and brains of the aboriginal people of countries. Kindly pay attention: These evolutionists (many were scientists) were confirming their biases. That is, they did not other races to be inferior because of the science, but tried to make science fit their beliefs. Any writ

Vitamin C and Evolution

Image
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is essential for human life. Fortunately, it is easy to obtain in the Western world, and the recommended intake is less than 100 mg. It helps the immune system and is important in other areas. What is the first thing that comes to mind when vitamin C is mentioned? For me, oranges. The average person who eats a healthy diet probably does not need a supplement, as it is found in many foods. It is not stored in our bodies. Since humans cannot synthesize vitamin C, is is suggested as evidence for evolution. Assorted citrus fruits, Pixabay / Roberto Justo Kabana Most plants and animals can make their own vitamin C, but it has been evosplained that humans and some animals lost that ability way back in time. It involves a mutation. When using this to support evolution, their reasoning is fundamentally flawed. One big monkey wrench in the works is that humans and apes supposedly evolved from a common ancestor. Our closest supposed evolutionary cousin is the chimpanzee

Tyrannosaurus rex — not so bright after all

Image
Portrayals of Tyrannosaurus rex  and other carnivorous dinosaurs originally made them out to be nearly machines, attack and eat. Over time, their image evolved, showing them as rather intelligent creatures. Studies show — yeah, my study can beat up your study. One study claims that they were alarmingly intelligent, comparable to primates. Since most secular scientists assume the story that dinosaurs evolved into birds is true, the study used modern bird brains for references. Another study kicks up their intelligence a notch. However... T. rex college professor made at Bing AI * Another study pulls on the reins and hollers, "Whoa!" There are no fossilized dinosaur brains available to study. Also, the size of the cranium and the size of the brain inside — as compared to modern crocodiles — are two different things. (This child wonders why researchers didn't learn from the debunked "Brain size shows intelligence in humans" myth .) Did they notice that they study i

Biomimetics will Never Outdo Biology

Image
Biomimetics is an interesting field where scientists attempt to duplicate what is seen in nature, and sometimes even improve on it. It begins through observation. The fact that biomimetics (or biomimicry) is using engineering principles illustrates how many scientists are looking at biology from an engineering perspective. Robots have been designed to do many important things. Some people are afraid that they will take over the world, but that is the realm of science fiction. Despite great inventions, robots and biomimetics have serious limitations. Robotic bee art, DeviantArt / SanShow ( CC BY 3.0 ) Centuries ago, a friend and I saw a bird caught in some string in a small tree. We got him free, but he lost part of a leg. We checked on him later and saw him standing on the other leg. He was designed to survive. If a two-legged robot had one fall off, it would probably lay in place until it was repaired — unless is was a cumbersome apparatus that carried spare parts and it had extensiv

Diving Bell Spider Frustrates Evolution

Image
Humans and critters are designed to live in their own ecological niches, and it usually does not go well to venture beyond them. We know that if we are going to venture into outer space, protection and bringing part of our environment are necessary. The same for being underwater for more than a few minutes. Comparatively few people have experienced it, but many have seen television and movies involving submarines. The environment is brought along. On a smaller scale, people are submerged in a diving bell. When air begins to run out, they must surface. European water spider, iNaturalist / hakkahamushi ( CC BY-NC 4.0 ) Some creatures as well as humans can take a breath of air and hold it, submerge, then come to the surface again and replenish. Consider the diving bell spider. It is unique in many ways, living most of the time underwater but needing to breathe air. It shoves its specially-designed abdomen into the air, which traps a small layer of air called a plastron . Then Diver Don t

Great Faith by Secularists in Extraterrestrial Life

Image
Finding extraterrestrial life is exceptionally important to the secular science industry. Readers of creationist sites have seen that lotsa grotzits have been poured into attempts to find ET, but nothing has ever been found. Astrobiology? Nothing to study. They do not want to settle for microbes, it has to be intelligent alien life. One of the biggest arguments makes a bit of sense on the surface: So many stars, there must  be life out there so we can dance with space aliens in the pale moonlight . Cranky Alien image by Why?Outreach There are glimmers of hope for true believers, but it disappears under scrutiny. Like the prank of tying currency on a string, hiding, and yanking it away when someone reaches for it. But secularists keep chasing and hoping, though tere's no observed science involved. Only blind faith. Many maybes and what ifs about extraterrestrial life, such as water on Mimas . Water is necessary for life, and if there are signs of evolution out yonder, mayhaps it hap