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Showing posts with the label Institute for Creation Research

Genesis Flood Explains Ichthyosaur Graveyard

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It was a nice evening, so I saddled up and took a ride into town so as to get some oil for my lamp and watch the show. The townsfolk like entertainment of some sort or another, and Crappie Crankbait from the Darwin Ranch was giving a talk about his specialty, ancient marine reptiles. The topic was ichthyosaurs, which brings a struggle to Crankbait because there is no record of their evolution; they appeared suddenly in the fossil record. Dinosaurs are found in the same rock strata as these fish lizards. Ichthyosaurs, Heinrich Harder, 1916 Interesting that a fossil or remains can be found but not excavated for several years. This happened with an interesting ichthyosaur fossil was named Fiona. This critter met her demise while pregnant or even giving birth, and her last meal was identified. Almost ninety other ichthyosaur fossils were also discovered. Secularists invoked a form of catastrophism, saying that numerous underwater rockslides buried them. That many? On the continent?  No...

Genesis and Giant Megalodon Longevity

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The largest shark in the world today is the whale shark, an endangered resident of tropical waters that grows around 17 meters (55.7 feet). Be amazed but not afraid because it eats plankton. Something that might have kept people cautious when swimming was  Otodus megalodon . New information on megalodon has been issued where it could have grown up to 24.3 meters (80 feet), and it apparently was a predator that would eat lots of things, including other predators. It could have lived for hundreds of years, so it did not reach maturity any time soon. Otodus megalodon , The Royal Society Publishing / Jose L. Herraiz et al ( CC BY 4.0 ) Biblical creationists are interested in growth calculations for the megalodon because of how humans and organisms lived for extended periods until after the Genesis Flood. More data are needed to be certain of calculations, but it is also reasonable to compare their size (and therefore age) to the Greenland shark for reference. Fossil remains of the gia...

Sophisticated Language in Humpback Whale Songs?

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Whale evolution is a convoluted story, what with evolving creatures in the sea moving to land to continue there, then some went back to the sea, and all that. Believers in descent with modification tell that absurd story with straight faces, but it is disputed. Also,  genetics refutes whale evolution . Language is a strong evidence for creation . Despite the efforts of evolutionists to show language recognition and usage among great apes, the Creator gave us the capacity to use and refine it. But...humpback whales are exhibiting language as well? Humpback whale image credit:  NOAA.gov via  Wikimedia Commons  (usage does not imply endorsement) A scientist recorded humpback whale songs. Lots of them. Over several years, not just a weekend at the beach. Although no whale was recorded singing "Louie, Louie,"  it seems that the whales have a kind of language. Indeed, the songs would even increase in complexity later on. This is markedly different from when birds sing...

Jupiter — the Big Protector

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Out yonder past Mars is the asteroid belt, followed by Jupiter, Saturn, surprising Uranus , and Neptune. Those last four planets are called gas giants . The average person may think they were put up there to look nice (which they do through telescopes and astrophotography), but they have purposes. In addition to the asteroid belt, there are rocks and things floating around up there. Those big boys have an influence on celestial rocks with their gravity. The largest is Jupiter, and it has been observed being a protector of Earth. Jupiter and a moon,  NASA  / JPL (usage does not imply endorsement of site contents) Outer planets protect Earth, but Jupiter has been seen doing so. F'rinstance, Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 was broken up by Jupiter's gravity and its pieces were drawn into the gas giant. It could have been a serious problem for Earth otherwise. Also, a meteor hit is in 2019 . (Interesting that news sources use phrases like "slammed into" Jupiter, but it is gas.) I...

More Dinosaur Tracks and the Genesis Flood

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For a long time, it was thought that only hard things like bones, shells, and things could be preserved by fossilization. Dinosaur soft tissues threw secular paleontology for a loop. Also, improvements in technology and skill yielded fossilized things like brains and jellyfish. Consider that footprints are delicate. Take a stroll on the seashore and make tracks. Turn around and watch the waves take them away. Fossil dinosaur trackways in some places need to be studied in a hurry before water destroys them. Others are discovered and they can be studied at leisure. Dinosaur tracks,  United States Geological Survey (Usage does not imply endorsement of site contents) Tracks in Oxfordshire, England, made some news. Secular scientists assume them to be millions of years old ( huge chunks of time are like toys for then ), but that raises a prairie schooner-full of questions and doubts. Consider that these pristine prints had to lay there waiting to be discovered while undisturbed by all...

Giant Sequoias Exhibit Design

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If you saddle up and ride out California way, head on over to the Sierra Nevada mountains. Then you can find Sequoia National Park . There you will see the giant sequoias which are the largest trees in the world. People sometimes confuse them with giant redwoods — the tallest  trees. So how did they get up there in such a limited area? There are several factors work together for giant sequoias to propagate. Also, the way water gets all the way to the top is an engineering feat. Finally, their existence and location fits the biblical timeline. Giant sequoias, one on right with fire damage, Wikimedia Commons (PD) It is interesting how in the wake of forest fire destruction comes renewal. Fires and scorched ground are essential for giant sequoia seed growth. The trees have been around for thousands of years, and can reach heights around 99 meters (325 feet). Human engineers marvel at how giant sequoias pump 1,890 liters (500 gallons) up each tree every day. Also, the Genesis Fl...

Disintegrating Exoplanets Indicate Youth

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Astronomers and cosmologists have many planets in our solar system to examine, then along came the discovery of extrasolar planets. Plus all sorts of technology and physics to apply. They must be as happy as a toddler in a roomful of bouncy-balls. Finding and determining the characteristics of exoplanets takes a great deal of work. They hope for evidence supporting the Big Bang and to find signs of life out yonder, supporting evolution. But finding evidence of recent creation such as disintegrating planets probably gives them the sads. Top-down view of the simulated dust tail produced by BD+05 4868Ab, WikiComm / Marc Hon et al ( CC BY 4.0 ) More than one exoplanet is too close to its star, so it is burning away. There is a great deal of supposition going on and the complex scientific principle of Making Things Up™. Maybe something happened so the planets got moved into bad positions. Yee haw boy howdy are we lucky  to be here at this time with our technology to be able to see it! ...

Plant-Disguise Insects Stick it to Evolutionists

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Believers in descent with modification evolution are locked into their paradigm, so they have difficulty doing much more than telling stories that fit. They put on their evolution glasses and interpret what they see through those lenses. Few ask if evolution happened in the first place, being content to evosplain how they think traits developed. Using critical thinking skills, people can see that stories about insect evolution actually lack science. The same kind of thing happens when discussing phasmids  — that group of insects that resemble leaves and sticks. Malayan jungle nymph, Flickr / Tyler Karaszewski ( CC BY 2.0 , slightly modified) There is no traceable evolutionary history for insects. Proponents use words and descriptions that include words like "probably." They also go against evolutionary doctrine by saying why  a characteristic supposedly evolved. The disguises and body part arrangements of phasmids are mysterious to evolutionists, but biblical creationists b...

Evolutionists Make Fools of Themselves in Nitrogen Network Studies

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One way to spot a fool is when someone says or believes, "There is no God." This is also seen through life choices as if the Creator and Judge does not exist or care (Psalm 14:1). While believers in molecules-to-microbiologist evolution may have been taught only evolution, they are still without excuse (Romans 1:18-23). Perhaps their efforts to deny the truth are increasing, as there is quite a bit of silliness passed off as evolutionary research. Consider the inane logic in studying nitrogen networks. Aminotransferase monomer, Wiki Comm / Deposition authors - Mcphalen, C.A., et. al . Visualization author - Synpath (PD) Amino groups get transferred from amino acids to keto acids — a very important function. These amino groups are the building blocks of proteins. Using tendentious tree of life formulas and the scientific principle of Making Things Up™, some owlhoots decided that "all of life" worked together to create the complex nitrogen network. No evidence, thoug...

Non-Evolution of Bat Limbs and Wings Causes Surprise

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One way Darwin's disciples evosplain common traits in unrelated creatures is to invoke convergent evolution , which is lazy and convenient. Study on it a moment. Evolutionists cannot explain a trait, so they distract the issue by claiming it evolved in other critters also. No evidence, though. This was fecklessly about the wings of birds and bats. Powered flight for both is displayed in the fossil record, and despite the efforts of Darwinists, bats have always been bats . This is what creationists have said all along. Now additional news surprises evolutionists. Wing-stretched bat,  Department of the Interior / USGS   (PD, Usage does not imply endorsement) It was wondered why there are flightless birds but no flightless bats. Apparently it is because their limbs and membranes are pretty much united. Wings on both creatures exhibit specified complexity. To believe that they are the products of time, mutations, natural selection, random processes — that's a passel of faith in ...

The Genesis Flood and Theodore Roosevelt National Park

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Americans have a wealth of national monuments and parks, many of which are comprised of large tracts of land.  Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP) is the only one named after an individual, as Teddy was both a big game hunter and a conservationist president. TRNP went through changes, first as a memorial and finally as a national park in 1978. (By the way, the teddy bear was named in his honor .) TRNP went through changes, first as a memorial and finally as a national park in 1978. It is an unintentional monument to the Genesis Flood. Layered badlands at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, NPS / Laura Thomas (PD) Sure, like other geological areas, TRNP has information signs promoting the standard uniformitarianism (slow and gradual processes over long periods of time) belief. This view does not hold up for knowledgeable people. Flat planation surfaces, the badlands, layering, and more are far better explained by the Genesis Flood. TRNP consists of a vast badlands landscape of f...

Octopus and Fish Hunting Conspiracy

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It seems like something out of an animated film, but the story is rather real. Imagine that an octopus sidles up to a fish that was going about its business, then presenting a proposition. The goal is to work together and do a bit of hunting. Octopuses continue to amaze scientists with their abilities and intelligence. The octopus is normally a loner, yet it socializes with the fish. It is interesting that both parties have a say in the conspiracy and its execution. Octopus, Unsplash /  Diane Picchiottino An octopus researcher appealed to the non-answer of convergent evolution in an attempt to explain their brains. But secular scientists cannot explain where octopus traits originated, nor can they explain why these loners would cozy up to a companion — especially when it can hunt very well all by its lonesome. Efforts to cling to naturalism use bad logic and fake science; evolution has nothing to do with it. Design by the brilliant Master Engineer is the logical conclusion from wh...

Amazement at Fruit Fly Brains

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Here is a creature that is easy to wave away, but people should appreciate the work that the Master Engineer put into it. For that matter, it is notoriously difficult to swat. One reason is that it is so small that the air from a striking hand buffets them. Another reason fruit flies are difficult to swat is because of their vision and the design of their eyes. The fruit fly brain has been mapped, and some of its 140,000 neurons involve the eyes. Such a mapping feat could not have been accomplished until recent years. Fruit fly, Flickr / John Tann ( CC BY 2.0 ), modified at PhotoFunia Researchers had to start small, as humans have 80 billion neurons. They found over eight thousand types of neurons in different classes based on functions. Various ones would send signals from the brain to certain areas. It shows that human understanding of the Creator's work is very incomplete, such as how some connections seem random, and that neurons take unexpected routes. This research may have ...

Cotton Candy Planets and the Young Universe

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It is amazing how astronomers can use technology to find planets outside our solar system, even so much as to speculate on their size and composition. Pictures of exoplanets are only artist concepts; the planets cannot be seen. Continued observations of activity in their solar systems can raise questions. Transits in the Kepler-51 system caused some confusion, as they were not what was expected. While a number of large planets have been discovered, these seem to have a density comparable to cotton candy. Astronomers are looking for ways to explain what is happening. Bags of cotton candy, Pexels / Magda Ehlers These super-puff planets should not exist according to standard cosmology. Their cores lack density, which means they should not have atmospheres. How these puff daddies formed in the first place is a mystery, and one speculation about what's going on is that there is a great deal of dust kicked up by outflowing atmospheres — which should have dissipated millions of years ago ...

Evolution and Bird Brains

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A possible missing link for bird evolution had been proposed, and the hands at the Darwin Ranch were all a-twitter. Indeed, they were celebrating so loudly, they could be heard all the way to Stinking Lake (which is not as bad as it sounds). But there was little reason for it. Consider that if universal common ancestor evolution were true, scientists would practically be tripping over the multitude of transitional forms. Instead, they are happy when they find a few possibilities. This bird skull find is packed with weasel words and dubious reasoning. Suspicious ostrich is suspicious, Pexels / Adriaan Greyling (modified, also used ImgFlip ) Several basic concepts have been neglected. A larger brain does not guarantee more cognitive ability. This bad boy is supposed to fit between Archaeopteryx  (a true bird) and modern birds, but birds have different sized skulls. Consider that the ostrich skull has a typical length of  almost 19 cm. (7.4 in.) and a house sparrow runs 2-1/2 cm...

Dangerous Eats for a Little Mouse

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People know that a mongoose will win out against a cobra, not only because of its speed but it is also highly resistant to its venom. (Never mind that Snake and Mongoose funny car racers were friends off-track.) For that matter, house cats have speed and flexibility to dodge venomous serpent strikes . So what about a mouse? They are fast and can be fierce, and videos exist of them making cats back off. If you have a skill, may as well use it. Over yonder in Grand Canyon, the grasshopper mouse can be a fierce little hunter! Southern grasshopper mouse, WikiComm / National Park Service  (PD) "Hey, Jerry! What's fer supper?" "Well, I'm a mite tired of grasshoppers, but I hear tell there are tarantulas in these parts. Mayhaps a scorpion or two. I gotta find me some baked beans and coffee to go with them..." Sure, I got creative about the conversation. If you talked to a wild mouse and got too close, you might get your nose bitten by those sharp teeth. Like the m...

Heart Cockle Shells Baffle Evolutionists

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Science material prompts people to learn vocabulary, but reading "bivalve mollusk known as Corculum cardissa " is not a romantic description for heart cockle shells. Mollusk  is a large grouping that includes clams, oysters, and other things. Bivalve  are the mollusks that have a pair of hinged shells. Dinoflagellates  are single-celled organisms that live in water and have characteristics of both plants and animals. They are important in water ecosystems because of their oxygen production. Also, they have a unique relationship with heart cockles. Corculum cardissa , Wikimedia Commons / Jan Delsing (PD), modified at PhotoFunia These tiny creatures live inside the shell and do photosynthesis with the sunlight. Heart cockles benefit from what the dinoflagellates give off. This is another example of mutualism (or symbiosis ). Except...shells are opaque. There is a special process where a kind of window lets them have the sunlight they need. Darwin's disciples use the s...

Hibiscus Bullseye Blueprint and Creation

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Although the secular science industry shuns evidence for design, occasionally its members slip up and imply that it actually happens. Design has been demonstrated when looking at biology from an engineering perspective which leads to better science. The word bullseye  can refer to a target at the center of the flower. It is inviting to bees. Researchers used the word blueprint , which implies an engineer, when they evosplained how  Hibiscus trionum developed its own bullseye and the way petals form to attract pollinating bees. Hibiscus bullseye, Wikimedia Commons / Agnieszka KwiecieÅ„, Nova  ( CC BY-SA 4.0 ) Getting bees to the pollen is an example of mutualism, benefiting both flower and bee. See? But evolution is supposed to happen without purpose. Mutualism here supposedly means that both parties evolved so they could help each other, and have this happen through random processes. That'll be the day! It's a much more reasonable conclusion that the Master Engineer makes...

Complex Life Fossils Baffle Evolutionists

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Al Buehterawl of the Darwin Ranch near Deception Pass (not the one in the state of Washington, by the way) was on the prod . He was complaining to Russell Watchtower of the Ministry of Truth about a fossil discovery. Russell looked at him and then me and exclaimed, "I have to rewrite textbooks yet again!" While scientists have to do research and they make discoveries and reassessments, writing papers and rewriting material is inevitable. It gets far more frequent for evolutionists because they have assumptions based on a fundamentally flawed worldview. Pyritized macrofossils, WikiComm / El Albani A, Bengtson S, et al . ( CC BY 3.0 ) Several of Darwin's disciples have said there are no fossils in the wrong places. If there were, it would overturn evolution. Fossils have been found in the wrong places (according to their reckoning) many times, so excuses are made and rescuing devices are employed. There are some evolutionists who admit that out-of-order fossils exist, howev...

Design and Flood Geology at Gunnison National Forest

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Out Colorado way,  Gunnison National Forest takes up parts of five counties. It is bordered by other national forests. Quaking aspens (the leaves tremble in the breeze) are widely distributed across North America, and may be mistaken for birch trees due to their white bark and size. Aspens have several features that indicate the design work of the Master Engineer. The bark is thin, so some critters munch on it. However, the bark performs photosynthesis, a job normally done by leaves. These trees also have interesting growth techniques. Gunnison, CO scene with rainbow, Unsplash / Abby Santurbane In another part of the forest is Taylor Park Reservoir. When the rock was blasted to make the dam and reservoir, bent rock strata were revealed. Biblical creationists point out that rocks cannot be folded or bent over the millions of years in the uniformitarian stories; rock will break. This sedimentary rock was deposited in the Genesis Flood and was pliable, so it was compatible to folding...