creation Archives

April 27, 2026April 27, 2026

Underground Bees in a Cemetery

A cemetery in Ithaca, New York, not only has a large number of graves but also an even greater number of bees. Researchers estimate there are perhaps 5.6 million underground bees in that plot of land. It is the largest known aggregation of ground-nesting solitary bees, known as miner bees or mining bees, in the family Andrenidae.

The Andrenidae family of bees consists of more than 1300 species. They don’t build hives, and they don’t swarm. They are solitary bees that live out their lives, build their nests, and raise their young underground. The species of bees that have found a home in the Ithaca cemetery is Andrena regularis. This particular species pollinates crops such as apples and blueberries.

Bees in the Andrenidae family of underground bees are designed to carry pollen on their legs. Various species within this family tend to pollinate specific plant species. We often think of honeybees as essential pollinators, but we tend not to think about or even know about the bees that don’t make honey but are still important pollinators

These underground bees emerge for a short period in the spring and do their pollination work. As temperatures get warmer, they go back underground. Because of the pollen-carrying features of these solitary bees, they can deposit more pollen than individual honey bees. This cemetery discovery is unusual because of how many of them are concentrated in one area. Researchers estimate that there are more than 800 bees per square meter.

God’s amazing web of life is often overlooked because many creatures are largely out of sight and therefore out of mind. These underground bees remind us that there is a lot of life underground, even in a cemetery.

Reference: Discovermagazine.com

April 24, 2026April 23, 2026

The Smartest Nonhuman Animals

What are the smartest nonhuman animals? You might immediately think of chimpanzees. Why not? Chimps are widely thought to be closest to humans on the evolutionary ladder. However, as we’ve noted before, the similarity between chimps and humans has been highly exaggerated, and it’s becoming clearer that there are more genetic differences between us and chimps.

It may seem surprising, but repeated studies have shown that the smartest nonhuman animals are New Caledonian crows and ravens, meaning they are closest to humans in intellectual ability. Nobody puts crows and ravens in an evolutionary line with human beings, but they have demonstrated their ability to outperform monkeys by retrieving food from a tube accessible from only one end. They can also work out a plan to use one tool to obtain a second tool, which they can use to retrieve food. That’s something monkeys and apes have difficulty doing. There is a YouTube video showing a crow going through eight individual steps to obtain the food it wants.

The ability of New Caledonian crows and ravens to manufacture and use tools and to solve problems with tools greatly exceeds that of chimpanzees, orangutans, and gorillas. What do these birds have that the apes don’t have? The birds have larger forebrains, cerebrums, perineuronal glial clusters, and hippocampi relative to their body size, as humans do. Unlike humans and the great apes, crows and ravens lack a cerebral cortex.

In trying to establish an evolutionary line leading to human beings, we must consider why these birds have brain features humans have, even though the creatures supposedly closest to humans on the evolutionary ladder don’t have them. Perhaps the story is not a common ancestry but a common Designer. When we try to determine the smartest nonhuman animals, maybe we need to consider whether humans are smart enough to realize that evolution doesn’t tell the whole story.

April 22, 2026April 21, 2026

The Strongest Evidence for an Intelligent Creator

What is the strongest evidence for an intelligent Creator? That is an interesting question. Sarah Salviander, an astrophysicist, suggests that biology offers more convincing evidence than her field of astrophysics. She said, “The incredible machinery of a living cell is far more complex than the structure of an entire Galaxy of stars.” On the other hand, the late atheist critic Christopher Hitchens once said that atheists find the “fine-tuning” of the universe to be “one of the most intriguing” arguments for intelligent design. I think that biology and cosmology together make a strong case for God’s existence.

We have discussed the evidence for a Creator based on the fine-tuning of the universe. Many scientists believe the fine-tuning argument is very strong, as it seems to be the primary basis for postulating multiple universes. We must acknowledge that the evidence shows this universe has been fine-tuned from the very beginning to make it possible for life, including human life, to exist and prosper. Is that fine-tuning the strongest evidence for an intelligent Creator? Since scientists have not been able to explain it, unbelievers advance the unproven and unprovable idea that there are countless universes, and we just happen to live in the one that’s fine-tuned for life.

However, when we look at the evidence for design in living things, especially in the human body, we are in awe. As Dr. Salviander said, the incredible machinery of a living cell is far more complex than an entire Galaxy of stars. Another advantage that biology has over cosmology as the strongest evidence for an intelligent Creator is that we can see it in real time. To see the evidence for design in the fine-tuning of the universe, we must look back in time, but evidence for design in life is all around us right now. The information in DNA shows that life could not have happened by chance, since information comes only from an intelligent source.

In addition, we see beauty in living things and in the physical creation. Chance would create chaos rather than beauty. The psalmist David, who did not know about the fine-tuning of the universe, was in awe of the majesty and beauty in the night sky. (See Psalms 8 and 19:1-6.) The psalmist was also in awe of his own physical body, realizing that God had created him in his mother’s womb. He was awestruck by that, despite having no idea about DNA or the amazing structures within the cells of our bodies. (See Psalms 139:14-16.) Interestingly, Charles Darwin thought that cells were nothing but globs of protoplasm, and he had no idea of the remarkable machines working within every cell or of the DNA that gives instructions for the assembly of proteins to do those jobs.

The bottom line is that, regardless of what you think is the strongest evidence for an intelligent Creator, there is massive and growing evidence that we can’t ignore.

P.S. A new movie, “The Story of Everything,” is coming to select theaters around the country on April 30, 2026. In it, many experts examine two possible stories. Does the universe and life lack purpose and design, or do they show the purpose and intelligence of a divine Creator? I encourage our readers to see this film if it comes to your local theater. Does the fine-tuned cosmos or design and purpose in life provide the strongest evidence for an intelligent Creator? I encourage you to examine the evidence and decide for yourself.

April 21, 2026April 20, 2026

The Wood Wide Web

Hidden underground is a network that enables most green plants to survive. Without it, most green plants would be unable to survive. It’s a network of mycorrhizal fungi. In 1960, a Swedish botanist demonstrated that substances pass between plants through a fungal pathway. In the 1980s, it became clear that most plants form mycorrhizal associations. In a play on words from the “worldwide web,” English researcher David Reed called this underground network “the wood wide web.”

Through this network, plants exchange nitrogen, phosphorus, water, and carbon. These fungal networks collaborate by connecting with one another, forming a vast, complex mycorrhizal network. Although it is not worldwide, it can be wood wide.

An extreme example of a plant that depends on the wood wide web is Monotropa uniflora, also known as ghost pipes. They resemble white smoking pipes, with their stems stuck in the ground. They are white because they lack chlorophyll and therefore cannot use photosynthesis to produce the nutrients plants need. Since the fungal networks form physical connections between plants, allowing them to share nutrients, Monotropa plants freeload on other plants.

Although Monotropa is an extreme example of dependence on the wood wide web, most other plants depend on receiving and sharing the nutrients required for plant life. We normally think of plants as separate units, and we may even think of them as competing with one another, but that is not always the case. Sometimes tall plants, such as trees, compete with smaller plants by blocking sunlight. However, they may also share nutrients underground through the mycorrhizal network.

Only in recent years have scientists discovered the wood wide web, even though it has surely been around since God created plants. This fungal network is still not fully understood, but science is seeking to understand it. How many other things in God’s creation will we discover in the future? It is clear that we have much to learn about the vast web of life. “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).

April 20, 2026April 19, 2026

The Acoustic Reflex

Human ears are amazing. They can distinguish half a million tones and detect sound levels from 0 to 135 decibels. Zero dB is a very faint sound, and 135 dB is extremely painful and damaging to hearing. Decibels are measured on a logarithmic scale, so 135 dB is 10 trillion times as loud as 0 dB. Anything over 85 dB can damage hearing with long exposure, but God has given us an automatic protection system that activates between 70 and 100 dB. It is called the acoustic reflex.

Here is how the human acoustic reflex (also known as the stapedius reflex or auditory reflex) works. High-intensity sounds trigger an involuntary muscle contraction in the middle ear. Tiny muscles in the middle ear, primarily the stapedius and tensor tympani muscles, contract to dampen the movement of the ossicles or stapes (the small bones in the middle ear). Because of this reflex, chain saws, loud engines, or hair dryers can make it difficult to hear conversations, which are typically not more than 60 dB, but it helps protect the inner ear from damage caused by loud noises.

When the acoustic reflex activates, the stapedius muscle pulls the ossicles (stapes) of the middle ear away from the cochlear window, and the tensor tympani muscle stiffens the stapes by pulling on the eardrum and malleus (hammer bone). This is essential to protect hearing in everyday environments. However, the acoustic reflex is not fast enough to react to sudden loud noises, such as gunshots. Also, extremely loud noises or prolonged exposure to loud noises can still harm your hearing, and for that reason, wear ear protection when around loud noises. We should be thankful for God’s design of ears and for the automatic protection He provided as part of the amazing design of the human body.

April 10, 2026April 10, 2026

Return From the Moon

The astronauts of Artemis 2 have made their successful return from the Moon. I am sure that we will soon learn new things about the Moon and space flight. The plan is to land people on the Moon as early as two years from now.

This week, we have been looking back at information we have posted about the Moon over the last several years. Our Moon is more than 50 times more massive relative to our planet than the moons of any other planets in our solar system. Because of that, its gravitational pull affects life on Earth. Its braking power has slowed Earth’s rotation rate to give us 24-hour days. Longer days would cause day-to-night temperature extremes, and shorter days would produce extreme climate fluctuations. The Moon also stabilizes the tilt of Earth’s axis, which is essential for a stable climate.

The size and albedo (reflectivity) of the Moon provide the optimum nighttime illumination for nocturnal animals. Its size allows it to periodically eclipse the Sun, giving scientists much to learn about the Sun’s corona. The bottom line is that, according to astrophysicist Hugh Ross, for a planet to host advanced life requires a planet-moon system “with virtually identical” to ours, and it “must orbit a star virtually identical to the Sun.”

We can be thankful that God has given us the exact Moon that we have. I am sure that when astronauts return from the Moon, they will be glad that we live on planet Earth. Click HERE to learn a lesson in perspective from the Moon, written by John N. Clayton.

April 9, 2026April 9, 2026

A Solar Eclipse from Space

The Moon is just the right size and at the right distance from Earth to give us perfect solar eclipses. Tomorrow is the day when Artemis 2, with its crew of four, is scheduled to return to Earth. While on their journey around the Moon, they witnessed a solar eclipse from space. It was not the same as seeing a solar eclipse from Earth because the Moon was much closer to them than it is to us on Earth. Because of that, the Moon’s shadow was larger, but the astronauts could still see the Sun’s corona.

Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon two to four times per year, casting a shadow on the lunar surface. Total lunar eclipses are less common than partial or penumbral eclipses, but they are more interesting to watch. According to legend, CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS USED A TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE to get the supplies he needed from the people of Jamaica. Whether full or partial, lunar eclipses can serve to remind us of HOW ESSENTIAL OUR MOON IS.

It was a rare and interesting experience for the astronauts to travel around the Moon and observe a solar eclipse from space, but I’m sure they will be excited to return home. They will be bringing back new information about our natural satellite, and the more we learn, the more we see evidence of God’s design.

April 8, 2026April 8, 2026

The Moon’s Gravity Affects Earth

As I write this, Earth’s gravity is pulling the Artemis 2 and its four astronauts back toward home after completing a trip around the Moon. Gravity is one of the precisely tuned forces that make life possible. It also explains why the Moon doesn’t fly off into space. Earth’s gravity influences the Moon, and the Moon’s gravity affects Earth in several ways.

One way our planet is affected by the Moon’s gravity is through the tidal lock that causes the same side of the Moon to always be visible from Earth. The Artemis 2 crew had the rare privilege of seeing the far side of the Moon as they passed around it. I’ve heard some newscasters call it the “dark side of the Moon,” but the Moon has no dark side. The Sun’s illumination reaches all sides of the Moon as it orbits our planet.

The Moon’s gravity influences Earth by CAUSING THE OCEAN TIDES. Once, it even HELPED OPEN THE SUEZ CANAL. God’s finely tuned design of the Earth-Moon system allows us to exist on this planet.

April 7, 2026April 7, 2026

How Many Moons in Our Solar System?

As I write this, four Artemis 2 astronauts are on their way back to Earth after making a trip around the Moon. Until they make their planned splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego, California, on Friday, April 10, 2026, I want to look back at what we’ve written about our amazing natural satellite. Our Moon is very unique—unlike any other moon—in both size and number. There are how many moons in our solar system? You can see from THIS ARTICLE that the number of confirmed moons keeps changing.

Will the number of confirmed moons change again in the future? Probably, but we know that Earth has only one Moon, and it is just the right SIZE and MASS.

So, there are how many moons in our solar system? If you count all the moons orbiting the planets, the total is approximately 430. That number is subject to change, but there is only one that is just right, and I am sure God designed it that way.

March 27, 2026March 27, 2026

The Night Sky Is in Danger

Five months ago, we reported that a California company called Reflect Orbital planned to place 4,000 solar mirrors in a sun-synchronous orbit to reflect sunlight into Earth’s twilight areas. They claimed it would extend the hours of solar energy production, allow people to work later, improve safety, and boost crop growth. They planned to test the concept in April 2026. (You can find that posting HERE.) Now, space.com reports that they want to place 50,000 orbiting mirrors that are three times larger than the original plan. Are we facing the end of the night sky?

Adding to the Reflect Orbital proposal, in January, Elon Musk’s SpaceX announced plans to launch one million power-hungry data centers into space, where they can utilize solar energy. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) must approve these plans, which they appear to be fast-tracking. Astronomers worldwide are alarmed.

Robert Massey, deputy director of the Royal British Astronomical Society (RAS), objected that these proposals are “absolutely the destruction of a central part of human heritage.” He said, “It would absolutely transform our view of the sky.” RAS and many other research organizations are filing objections with the FCC.

According to Massey, the night sky would be three times brighter because of Reflect Orbital’s sun-reflecting mirrors, and dark-sky sanctuaries where astronomers place their telescopes would be lost. The SpaceX data centers would not be as bright as the mirrors but would still be visible to the naked eye. Astrophysicist Noelia Noel at the UK’s University of Surrey said, “While innovation in satellite technology brings clear societal benefits, scaling to hundreds or even millions of bright objects—or deliberately illuminating the Earth from orbit—risks fundamentally altering the night sky. This would have profound consequences not only for astronomy but also for ecosystems, our cultural heritage, and our collective relationship with the cosmos.”

When the psalmist David admired the night sky, he had no satellites or solar reflectors to get in the way as he wrote, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day, they pour forth speech; night after night, they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” (Psalms 19:1-4) I pray that we will always be able to be in awe of the night sky and see the message of God’s glory it conveys.

Reference: space.com