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Light from "First Stars" Supposedly Detected

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Some secular astronomers are excited about light from the "first stars" in the universe that they supposedly detected. The research took several years, and they put a great deal of work into it. This was based on the presumption that the Big Bang was the origin of the universe, and this light was to have been emitted at the "cosmic dawn" several hundred years after the event. It is indeed unfortunate, since secularists know that their cosmology is useless . "Old" stars, Hubble image credit: NASA (usage does not imply endorsement of site contents) The astronomers took many precautions, and wanted to make sure they were not getting readings from Earth or from the galaxy. Unfortunately, the results had a "dip" that was different than predicted, the results include the fallacy of affirming the consequent, and several unwarranted assumptions were made. Good science does not involve making pronouncements that require further evidence like they

"Genesis: Paradise Lost" Movie Review

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by Cowboy Bob Sorensen The idea of making Genesis: Paradise Lost dates back ten years. It  began in 2007 when Eric Hovind of Creation Today had a discussion with Ralph Strean, who would later become the director and a producer. They wanted to reach younger people with the truth of the gospel and its foundation in creation. After years of writing, CGI work, filming, and fund raisers, the project was completed and released in cinemas for one-night showings on November 13, 16, and December 11, 2017. Now it is available for the rest of us. This is the first part of a proposed trilogy, and is focused on the opening chapter of Genesis. Image courtesy of Creation Today "Did you say fundraisers, Cowboy Bob?" Yes, yes I did. After all, they don't have a $200-400 million USD budget like secular film studios have.The internet and its surly kid brother (social media) are conducive to many activities, including this kind. Several sites are established for these purposes

Spider Webs and Biomimetics

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Do you like the feeling of taking a stroll and being surprised by a spider web in your face or on your arms? Me neither. Be glad that the strands are so small, because if they were about the diameter of a garden hose, they would not only stop you and the horse you rode in on, but some commercial jets as well! Credit: Unsplash / Rúben Marques On television shows and movies, you may have seen someone get shot but the vest stops the bullet. When realism is intact, the recipient is often knocked down and injured. Again in proportion, if spider web strands were larger and could be used in this way, they would be stronger than man-made fibers for bullet-stopping power. via GIPHY Scientists have been puzzled by spider webs, including how they get stronger after being stressed , and that these clever arachnids have different kinds of webbing for different purposes . The study of creatures and such in nature for use in human applications is called biomimetics or biomimicry. Our Cr

Denisovans Further Thwart Human Evolution

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Those mysterious Denisovans did not leave us much to examine,  not so much as a weblog post. With advances in science and technology, however, their DNA has been examined. The DNA of other people groups has been examined, and Denisovan material has been found in Tibet , Papua New Guinea, and other places. Quite the travelers! Like their cousins the Neanderthals, Denisovans were fully human. via GIPHY Denisovans throw a monkey wrench into human evolution speculations because of not only their travels, but because the secular timeline has significant overlap. Try as they might, Darwin's faithful cannot evosplain away the facts that affirm recent creation and refute long-ages and evolution. Denisovans are ancient humans represented by various teeth and a finger bone found in a Siberian cave. Their claim to fame is largely based on the DNA extracted from these few fragments of human remains. According to evolutionists, they are more closely related to Neanderthals than modern

Little Things Producing Big Changes in the World

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Small things by themselves may be unnoticeable, but the aggregation can be important. If one honeybee died, it is not likely that anyone would notice. However, if they all died, the world would notice. I'll allow that the analogy is flawed, but I reckon you get my point. Antarctic krill image credit: NOAA NMFS SWFSC Antarctic Marine Living Resources (AMLR) Program (Usage does not imply endorsement of site contents) Just last week, I was talking with Rusty Swingset, the foreman of the Darwin Ranch. (They rode into town for supplies, and I happened to be there.) He was saying that little things like brine shrimp and krill do not have much biological turbulence to affect ocean life. He admitted that the oceans need mixing so that living things could get nutrients and such. Then he had to go back to Deception Pass and I was left to do some woolgathering . Just after this, I learned that research indicates that those brine shrimp and krill (possibly others as well) are probab

"Is Genesis History?" Video Review

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by Cowboy Bob Sorensen There have been a few biblical creation science movies made lately that have been released in cinemas. Those have been through special arrangements for one night only, but audiences have received them enthusiastically, and there are occasional extra showings added. Unfortunately, they have not been in locations where I can attend, so I have to wait for the videos to be released. One of these was Is Genesis History?, first shown in the United States on February 23, 2017. DVD cover from Is Genesis History? The short description: More than a Documentary The film is the first step on a journey toward understanding the history of the Earth according to Genesis. Follow Del Tackett as he travels across the continent with over a dozen scientists and scholars to see fascinating new evidence for creation and a global flood. I was able to rent a streaming version of the video and watch it on the television through our Roku device, and I regret not watching it

Adaptation is not Evolution

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Votaries of minerals-to-microbiologist evolution are confused by the meaning of evolution, and they spread their tohubohu to the public. We often see them conflating evolution with variation. In a similar way, adaptation is interpreted as evolution. They conveniently skip over basic science and observational skills. Red-browed finch image by John Manger / CSIRO ( CC BY 3.0 ) (Usage does not imply endorsement of site contents) When you see finches, you can see variations and adaptation. When you see dogs, you see variations and adaptation. You do not see anything changing into something else. Big and little, long and short, different colors, speciation — each staying within the boundaries of its own kind with a little help from genetics. Darwin's disciples generally follow his teachings that some vague, undefined external pressures caused organisms to change. As we have seen in the articles linked here on engineered adaptability (such as " Engineered Adaptability or

Macaque Selfie and an Evolutionary Worldview

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by Cowboy Bob Sorensen We have seen many instances on this site alone of bizarre material submitted as science, especially when attempting to support universal common ancestor evolution. Perhaps the silly practices in the secular science industry are an extension of Western society as a whole. It is one thing that David J. Slater's unattended camera was used for pictures and a "selfie" by a macaque monkey (monkey see, monkey do?), it is quite another that there were court battles about the selfie. Most notable is one based on an eldritch view of animal rights. This version of the image, ruled as having no copyright, obtained at Pixabay from WikiImages Slater thought he owned the copyright, but the Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals drew up the reigns and hollered, "Whoa!" This extremely liberal court has rulings frequently overturned by the US Supreme Court, so it is surprising to me that they did not side with PETA's "next friend" attempt

Children, Evolution, and Robots

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A recent article in The Guardian  discusses how Alex Beard and his wife wanted to study their newborn child's ability to learn. Various cameras were installed, and this interesting (but possibly utilitarian) study indicated that children have a high capacity for learning. This is not all that surprising, since scientists have learned that children begin learning even before they are born. Credit: Pixabay / Adelind Beard said that the best robots and forms of artificial intelligence are unable to compete with human learning. His naturalistic worldview does not allow for a rational explanation for human intelligence, nor does he consider the fact that we are made in God's image. He is right that robots cannot compete. via GIPHY Credit was erroneously given to evolution, and not the Creator who designed us with the capacity for intellectual development and abstract thinking, and created us in his image. His naturalistic worldview would not allow for such things.  To re

The Purpose of Physical Pain

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Some people have said that pain is useful because it lets you know that you are alive. I reckon that may be true, but most of us dislike pain because it hurts. We do not want to hurt. Simple. There are a few people who like pain, and some people think that this is because the line between pleasure and pain is a bit fuzzy. The picture below represents ecstasy, but I thought her expression was of agony at first. The Magdalen in Ecstacy , Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, 1606 Physical discomfort is a prompt warning that something is amiss. Don't be grabbing the coffee pot off the campfire, that will send signals through your nervous system mighty fast! Pain causes violent reactions, such as dropping the hot coffee pot. Something's wrong, deal with it quickly. There are conditions where people do not feel pain, and they have to be exceptionally careful or even have someone watch them because they can be damaged and not know it. Was the capability of feeling pain present