Posts

Marvels of Monarch Migration

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About this time of year in North America, a fascinating phenomenon occurs: monarch butterflies commence their migrations. Those west of the Rocky Mountains head over to the California area. Monarchs in South America have a migration as well, but those are not understood very well. Some of these insects stay put. The most interesting are the monarchs east of the Rockies, who head down Mexico way. Credit: USFWS /  Jim Hudgins Amazing how the Master Engineer equipped insects with such tiny brains to navigate huge distances. It's startling enough that Pacific salmon return to the places of their births , but monarchs go to areas they've never been before! Several critters make long journeys, and have various methods of navigation . Both migration, and the life cycle of monarchs, defy evolutionary thinking.  via GIPHY I don't know how it's done, but  volunteers help track monarchs , especially since their habitats are dwindling and efforts are being undertaken

Digging Deeper on Language and Creation

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by Cowboy Bob Sorensen Edited 10-06-2018 We have seen that language, speech, and communication are difficult things for Darwin's disciples to effectively expound. They will use the scientific principle of Making Things Up™, dodge the issue with " it evolved " , or use other excuses excavated while riding for the Darwin brand on the Owlhoot Trail. Credit: Freeimages / Michal Zacharzewski Obviously, humans need to communicate on levels much higher than those of critters. A good deal of language is based on conventions, and that includes slang or colloquialisms (Would I use such things? Not hardly!) as well as profanity. It seems that the only human languages that are standardized are artificial, especially those used in computer programming. Printed languages vary by regions and over time, as anyone who has read classics from previous centuries is well aware. It was interesting to learn that in this science-denying , health-endangering , gender-confused society

Your Many Inner Clocks

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You have probably heard about our inner clocks called the circadian rhythms  — "You mean those bugs in North America that go zzzzzzzzzzzz up in the trees, Cowboy Bob?" Uh, you may be thinking of periodical cicadas that appear at 13 or 17 year intervals, or the regular ones that are found in many parts of the world. I hear them in August for the most part. And I see you've distracted me again. Credit: Pixabay /  Wilfried Pohnke We have the circadian rhythms inside us, sometimes waking us up before the alarm goes off. They get disrupted by jet lag and Daylight Savings Time, and some people compensate by taking an over-the-counter melatonin hormone supplement. We've heard about that inner clock. It's not found only in humans, and circadian rhythms are important for many life forms. See " We All Have Rhythm " for information about that. I was surprised to learn that we have evolution-defying tiny timekeepers within us. These include communication

Dust Rings and Planet Origins

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Secular astronomers are excited about exoplanet PDS 70b, which they say is a "newborn" planet. This is because they are basing all their calculations and interpretations on naturalistic presuppositions. One of these is accretion.  Since none of the planetary origins ideas are effective, accretion (planetesimals stick together because of gravity and form big planets) is the best of the worst, and therefore the most popular. (After all, it is anathema to admit that the evidence favors recent creation.) The dust ring supposedly formed a planet around PDS 70, which was romantically named PDS 70b. Credit: ESO / A. Müller, et al The black spot is where the star was hidden, and the planet is just to the right (Usage does not imply endorsement of site contents) The biggest problem with secular planet origins speculations is that they defy the laws of physics . In this case, we have dust and rings and stuff. Add the deep time guesswork, subtract observable evidence (no one r

Creation Science and Paleo-Biogeography Models

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No need to be intimidated by the expensive words in the title. Break it down. First, paleo. People who study ancient things are paleontologists, and you read about them here quite often. It comes from Greek words that basically mean ancient being study.  Bio, meaning life, such as biology, the study of life. Geography, the study of the earth, environments, and people. So, put it all together.  Green Turaco image credit: Wikimedia Commons / Ian Wilson  ( CC BY 2.0 ) Both creationary and evolutionary scientists have worldviews, speculations, hypotheses, and models. Creationists have differing views on the mechanisms (but not the biblical reality) of the Genesis Flood. Evolutionists are constantly flustered by discoveries that don't comport with their belief system. This includes biogeography — "How did that  get there "? One such recent discovery helps creationary paleontological research. It also helps these creationists develop their paleo-biogeography model about o

The Ownership of Science

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There have been occasions where we have examined the use of science, between their  science and our science, and how the interpretations of facts are the important factor. Now we need to ride up yonder hill and look back for an even bigger picture. That is, who owns science itself? Credit: CSIRO /  Frank Filippi  ( CC BY 3.0 ) This raises many questions and "on the other hand" thoughts. People who do the research and produce valid papers (there is now considerable doubt that papers are useful ) deserve to be paid. Does the public have the right to access the papers, especially if our taxes paid for the research? The secular science industry makes this very expensive in many cases, although hackers can still get in. Other people can look at summaries and abstracts, which make promises that may not be fulfilled in the content.  Some creationist organizations have peer-reviewed journals that are only accessible to members, with some articles available on the web. Anoth

How to Fly - a Little Birdie Told Me

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There are several words used to describe the how humans copy things in the natural world for our own use. I use biomimetics, others use biomimicry , and today I learned a new one: bioinspiration. Has a nice sound to it, don't you think? Today, we take a lesson from Bicycle Repairman . First successful flight of the Wright Flyer by the Wright brothers Image via Wikimedia Commons I was getting a mite playful for a moment. This is about Wright brothers, who had several interests, including bicycles. They were firm creationary Christians, and wanted to know how to fly. The Wrights were right in studying birds, and they were very meticulous and scientific in their studies of how the Master Engineer created flight.  They also looked at the failures of their contemporaries. Ever see old videos of "early flight attempts" or "flight failures"? Some were just weird, and many seemed to think that flight is a matter of flapping up and down, sometimes with paddles