Animals Archives - Page 21 of 55 - DOES GOD EXIST? TODAY

December 12, 2021December 11, 2021

Life After Death – A Concept Common to Humans

Humans from the earliest times have believed in life after death. One of the unique human properties is that we alone believe in a continued existence when our physical life has ended. Most animals simply abandon a dead member of their species. There has been some attempt to claim that elephants, whales, and apes exhibit mourning and stay with the body of a deceased member of their group. However, many researchers agree that interpreting their actions as mourning is not justified. Humans tend to view animal behavior in our image, a process known as anthropomorphism.

As science discovers more fossils of ancient humans, the pattern of preparing a deceased member of the group for another existence becomes apparent. Anthropologists are interested in a South African cave system burial site. There they have found 28 skull fragments and six teeth of what appears to be a child with human characteristics 35 feet (10.6 m) below ground. The bones do not seem to have been washed into the cave or dragged in by scavengers or predators. Researchers gave the specimen the scientific identity of Homo naledi.

Lee Berger of the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg reports that this fossil shows strong evidence of a “ritualized body disposal” of the specimen, which they nicknamed “Leti.” Ancient burial sites have almost always indicated that others prepared the deceased for life after death. Sometimes the body is mummified, and sometimes jewelry or weapons are left with the body. There are even cases where an animal or mate was buried with the deceased.

There is a scant reference to life after death in the Old Testament. In 2 Samuel 12:23, David expressed faith that he would see his deceased baby in the future. Job said that after his body had been destroyed, he knew he would see God (Job 19:25-27). Daniel saw a “man clothed in linen” who told him he would “rest” and then “at the end of the days” he would rise and “receive his allotted inheritance” (Daniel 12:13).

The New Testament is full of references to life after death, especially in the teachings of Jesus Christ. The war between good and evil is rooted in the understanding that death is a product of this physical world and Christ has conquered it. (See 2 Timothy 1:10; Revelation 20:14 and 21:4.)

Human spiritual nature is unique because God created us in His image. Our soul allows us to think beyond this life and anticipate an eternal, time-independent relationship with God. That concept has been present in humans from the very beginning and is still present today. Our spiritual nature allows us to express ourselves in art, music, and worship. It also gives us the hope of eternal life in an existence beyond anything this world has to offer.

Reference: Science News 12/4/21, page 15.

December 11, 2021December 10, 2021

Elephant Trunks as a Model for Robots

New research shows that using elephant trunks as a model for robots, engineer-designers may soon create machines capable of doing things that no current robot can do. For example, the elephant trunk has 40,000 muscles that work together to allow the animal to pick up a single leaf or lift and move a large log easily.

Researchers used motion capture technology similar to that used to create movies where the movement of animated characters is mapped to the motions of real actors in a studio. Studying elephant trunk movements by this method allowed the researchers to carefully examine the myriad ways an elephant uses its trunk.

The elephant’s trunk has an infinite number of degrees of freedom. We can see a similar property in a limited way in the human tongue. Like the elephant’s trunk, our tongues have no bones, and some of us can curl, twist, and contort them in various ways. The ability to speak requires complex tongue movements.

Using elephant trunks as a model for robots is a real challenge to engineers. Designing a robotic arm with complex movements and strength is an important goal. Looking at the elephant’s trunk design, it does not seem possible that this could be a product of chance. Yet, the elephant’s survival is only possible because of this highly complex appendage.

Some animals have tongues that can do interesting things, but the elephant trunk is unique. By using elephant trunks as a model for robots, we can gain some essential insight into making a robot that can do the things we can do with our hands. It becomes clear that all of nature shows God’s handiwork and teaches us important lessons.

References: Scientific American, December 2021 (page 18), and the journal Current Biology.

December 10, 2021December 9, 2021

Egg Shape and the “Egg-quation”

When you look at the eggs of different birds, you will notice that they have different shapes. Some are round like the eggs of most owls, and some are elliptical like the eggs of an emu. Others are oval, such as chicken eggs, or pear-shaped like the eggs of a penguin. Why is egg shape important? There has been a need to know how to pack eggs to support them to prevent cracking. This is not just important for people who raise chickens and sell eggs at your local grocery store but also for conservationists protecting birds in the wild.

This need to understand egg shapes led to studies by scientists at Kent University in England. They came up with a mathematical formula with four essential inputs: 1-egg length, 2-maximum breadth, 3-diameter where the pointed end terminates, and 4-location of the egg’s maximum diameter in relation to the midpoint of its length. The problem was that the earlier mathematical analysis didn’t work on pear-shaped eggs, but the formula works for any egg shape by adding the fourth variable.

This is a classic example of two things. One is that research that may seem pointless to a casual observer frequently provides needed information. So, for example, people wanting to transport eggs, incubate eggs efficiently, and restore bird populations in areas where they have become extinct will use this equation.

A second thing this research shows is the incredible design of the egg. An engineering equation allows the design of precise egg shape construction to fit all environments. This is a complex engineering problem with practical applications, and it shows that even the ordinary egg speaks of the Creator’s wisdom and skill in providing for His creatures.

References: Science News 12/4/21 page 11. Scientific report in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.

December 9, 2021December 8, 2021

Study Challenges a Basic Assumption of Neo-Darwinism

A long-term study of 27,224 mice over 26 years challenges a basic assumption of Neo-Darwinism. The assumption is that natural selection guides evolution by removing “unfit” individuals. Therefore individuals that are more fit survive to pass on their genes. The study involved white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) in the wild.

Researchers identified mice with broken, missing, or deformed limbs, missing eyes, cataracts, and missing or mutilated tails. Evolution predicts that these unfit mice would be removed from a population, and the researchers set out to see how quickly that would happen. The data shows that the survival rate of the impaired mice was no different from that of mice who had no physical impairments.

For humans, this observation would be even more dramatic. That is because humans crippled for many years have lived long lives, supported by family members or group associates. That kind of support has never been observed in mice. Moreover, human history is full of terrible acts by racists and political leaders, such as Hitler, who viewed minor physical characteristics as justification for persecution and even execution of other humans.

The evidence is that physical impairments in the animal kingdom do not necessarily cause the demise of an individual. This challenges a basic assumption of Neo-Darwinism which, like uniformitarianism, is not supported by the evidence.

Reference: National Science Foundation Research News November 30, 2021.

December 6, 2021December 5, 2021

Mother Birds Sing to their Eggs

Recent studies have shown that mother birds sing to their eggs while incubating them. Researchers found that bird embryos learn to identify the sounds of their species before they hatch from the eggs. They also found that the singing is deliberate and serves a purpose.

The reason mother birds sing to their eggs can’t be for their survival, because singing puts the mothers at risk from predators. Then what is the advantage of the singing? In addition to learning the songs of their species, the young birds learn to recognize unfamiliar songs produced by other bird species. The mother’s singing also affects the heart rate of the unhatched bird. All of the eggs in the study of unhatched baby birds showed a decrease in the babies’ heart rate when their mothers sang to them.

Previous research has shown that the heart rate of unborn humans also slows when the mother is in a stable situation and increases when the mother is under stress. Similarly, the researchers speculate that the singing of the mother bird aids the survival of the chick. The research co-author said, “Birds are like humans in that there is a mother- or father-offspring communication even before birth.”

The message is clear that the individual begins life and learning before being put into the world of self-preservation and survival. Mother birds sing to their eggs, and human mothers sing and talk to their babies before birth. In both cases, the offspring benefit. Whether a bird or a human, individual existence begins when life begins–not when the egg hatches or the baby is born.

— John N. Clayton ©

Reference: Science News, November 6 , 2021, page 4.

December 3, 2021December 2, 2021

King of the Serengeti is Not the Lion

In a December 2021 National Geographic article, Peter Gwin portrays the wildebeest as the “Unlikely King of the Serengeti.” That title suggests that the animal and its role are too complex for us to comprehend. In the case of the wildebeest, both their physical design and their incredible mass migrations of more than 1.3 million animals have drawn the attention of scientists.

The wildebeest is an animal that seems to have been fashioned from the parts of other animals. They have a head like a warthog, a neck that looks like an American buffalo, stripes like a zebra, and the tail of a giraffe. Wildebeest are members of the antelope family, but they have small horns, shaggy beards, big humps, and small legs. Their three-week birthing period in January allows them to produce 500,000 calves at the rate of about 24,000 per day. Despite their clumsy appearance, a wildebeest can run 50 miles (80 km) per hour and annually migrate 1,750 miles (2,816 km). They are the largest animals to engage in such a long migratory journey.

In their migration, wildebeest cross rivers in massive numbers. Tourists come to watch these crossings where crocodiles feed on many of the animals. The king of the Serengeti is also a food source for lions, hyenas, cheetahs, and leopards. New studies of the wildebeest and the Serengeti show the complex design of these animals and their environment.

Wildebeest migration follows the rain. As they travel through Kenya and Tanzania, wildebeest can sense where it is raining, and they follow the precipitation. By eating the new grass that the rain produces, wildebeest prevent the grass from growing tall enough for wildfires to develop. The lack of fires allows forests to grow, thus allowing more insects for birds to eat and more leaves to feed the herbivores. That sustains the elephant, giraffe, zebra populations.

It’s easy to see why the king of the Serengeti is not the lion but the wildebeest. It is a keystone species that, by its design, feeds many life forms and, by mass migrations, allows a stable ecology in the Serengeti. This is an example of God’s design of an animal that is only now being understood and appreciated. Everywhere we look, we see that a wonder-working hand has gone before.

References: The National Geographic issue for December of 2021 is one of the most interesting issues that popular magazine has produced. It is connected to a Disney program that will be streamed starting on December 8. The program titled “Welcome to Earth” will be hosted by actor Will Smith and feature many different animals and plants, including the wildebeest.

November 27, 2021November 19, 2021

Dung Beetles and Dirty Jobs

When you think of dirty jobs, think of dung beetles. They have the task of cleaning up the savannahs, grasslands, and forests where wild animals live. If you have had the experience of cleaning up after a dog or cat, just think about cleaning up after elephants. A dung beetle can move dung weighing 250 times as much as itself in one night’s work.

There are thousands of species of dung beetles. Some bury the dung where they find it, and some live in it. Others known as rollers take the excrement of elephants and other large animals and roll it into balls. Then they roll the balls to their nests to use as food for themselves and their offspring. They use their back legs to roll the balls, so they are not facing where they are going. Imagine rolling a ball that is larger than you in a straight line without looking where you’re going. So how do they do it?

These beetles can do their cleanup work in the daytime or at night, using the Sun or the Moon to navigate. An African species of dung beetles (Scarabaeus zambesianus) uses polarization patterns from moonlight to chart its direction. Another African species (Scarabaeus satyrus) can stay on course when there is no moonlight. South African researchers using a planetarium for a testing lab found that these beetles can go in a straight line using only the Milky Way on a moonless night. They are the only insects we know of that can use the galaxy to find their directions.

The idea of insects navigating by the Milky Way was a surprise to the scientists. I wonder Who thought of that idea first? (Hint: Perhaps the Designer of insects and the Milky Way.)

November 25, 2021November 19, 2021

Treating Animals as Humans

The evidence supports the concept that humans are created in the image of God. Humans have a concept of self that we don’t see in other forms of life. Humans are creative in art and music. All human populations share the capacity to worship. Even though that worship sometimes takes bizarre forms, it still recognizes a spiritual nature. The ability to be taught to think and to reason is not something we see in other life forms. The idea of existence after this life is peculiar to humans. With these things in mind, we should not be treating animals as humans.

Instincts built into the DNA of animals direct their behavior. Even when humans raise monkeys to be human, they ultimately revert to instinctive drives that sometimes culminate in violence. Animal “songs” have survival catalysts communicating territory or securing mates. Human trainers have attempted to teach “art” to animals, resulting in anthropomorphic interpretations by those trainers.

People should not cause animals to suffer or subject them to conduct that violates their nature. The biblical admonition to humans was to take care of the creation, not to abuse it. (See Genesis 2:15.) Treating animals as humans with human values does violence to the animals, depriving them of their instinctive behaviors and putting them in unrealistic environments. It is also a huge waste of resources.

In 2011, PETA sued SeaWorld on behalf of five captured orcas they said were protected under the 13th Amendment, which bans slavery. In 2015, a judge ruled that an orangutan named Sandra had “legal personhood,” which resulted in Sandra being moved to special quarters. Recently, on October 15, 2021, a federal judge in Cincinnati ruled that the descendants of hippos smuggled into Colombia by drug kingpin Pablo Escobar are considered “legal persons” under United States law. According to CBS News India, Pakistan, and Argentina have granted legal rights to animals.

God designed life, and we should treat all animals with respect, allowing them to live in the habitat where they were designed to live. However, that doesn’t require treating animals as humans.

References: Time magazine, November 8/15, 2021 page 18, and CBSnews.com.

November 23, 2021November 19, 2021

Animal Therapy Theories

Various mental health professionals and organizations use animal therapy in their practices. The animals soothe and calm hospital patients, provide emotional support, and even help in treating addictions. Therapy animals have included dogs, cats, pigs, horses, ducks, and other mammals and birds.

What can animals do to bring emotional comfort and stress relief to humans? Scientists are conducting clinical research to give objective answers to that question. In the meantime, we all know of subjective experiences where animals have given mental and emotional help to humans. There are also some cases where things did not work out so well, as when a petting zoo brought a bear cub to a university campus to soothe students during final exams. Unfortunately, the bear bit fourteen students, resulting in a rabies scare.

Scientists never want to rely on anecdotal evidence. Instead, they want to know if animal therapy works and why. Part of the importance of the scientific studies is that the United States Department of Veterans Affairs has refused to cover the cost of service dogs for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Insurance companies struggle with similar questions concerning doctor-prescribed service animals for patients with mental health issues.

While scientists struggle to discover the facts regarding animal therapy, many people claim to have received comfort, stress relief, and companionship from their pets. Some scientists have suggested what they call the biophilia hypothesis. According to that hypothesis, the desire to affiliate with animals results from our common evolution from lower life forms.

We suggest another explanation for the fact that humans relate so well to animals. We believe that the Creator gave us animals, especially mammals and birds, to be our companions and helpers. We relate to them, we learn from them, and they serve us in many ways. The truth is that humans have survived through the ages with help from mammals and birds. They are a gift from God.

November 20, 2021November 17, 2021

Ant Program in Action

You might call it intelligence in numbers. One ant by itself would be dysfunctional without any ability to survive. However, as part of a colony, everything changes. Ant colonies display an incredible amount of “intelligence” because of what we might call the “ant program.”

No ant, not even the queen, tells the individual ants what to do, yet they work together in an amazing way. Each ant reacts to chemical smells from other ants, food, waste, larva, and even intruders. They each leave chemical trails to which other ants respond. Each ant acts autonomously according to the environmental factors and the genetically encoded “ant program” built into them.

The result is an intelligent and efficiently functioning colony working together in complex behavior and problem-solving. Computers use programs to solve problems, and complex computer programs don’t write themselves. So the question we have to ask is, “Who wrote the genetically encoded ant program?” Every ant colony is evidence for a Master Programmer.