creation Archives

August 14, 2024August 13, 2024

Komodo Dragons and Dinosaurs

Komodo dragons can give us a clue to ancient carnivores. Many atheists and denominational creationists make incorrect assumptions, as we have heard members of both groups say the Bible claims there was no death until Adam and Eve ate the “forbidden fruit.” That is simply not true because you can’t eat anything without something dying. When talking with kids, I often use the fun statement, “When you eat a mouthful of corn, you just murdered a plant.” That is not actual murder, but the point is that death is a part of eating. Topsoil consists of minerals and organic material that came from things that died, including insects and all kinds of animals.

The Genesis statement refers to spiritual, not physical, death. We have pointed out in our materials that Genesis 1:1-3 describes Earth’s preparation for human habitation. By the end of those three verses, you have a planet with everything humans would need, including coal, oil, topsoil, and the minerals essential for life on land. God provided an ecosystem that could produce all those things. The dinosaurs produced massive amounts of organic matter buried in an anaerobic environment to produce coal. Carnivores were necessary to control the herbivores, and they had to efficiently kill multi-ton herbivores.

Recent studies of the Komodo dragon have shown that even today, we have an animal with the equipment of the ancient carnivores. Komodo dragons can grow up to 10 feet (3 m) long and kill water buffaloes weighing more than 1,000 pounds (450 kg). Studies of Komodo dragon teeth show that they have a thin iron protective coating along the cutting edges and tips to keep them sharp. Because iron oxidizes, the iron in long-dead dinosaurs is no longer detectable, but studies indicate that T. rex probably had the same tooth design.

God designed carnivores to maintain the biological balance needed on a healthy planet. Komodo dragons give us a clue about the design features of carnivorous dinosaurs.

— John N. Clayton © 2024
Reference: Komodo dragon in wikipedia.org

August 13, 2024August 12, 2024

Coprolites Teach Us About the Past

In my fossil collection, I have several varieties of coprolites – better known as petrified dinosaur poop. Because they are petrified, they have no odor and leave no residue, but coprolites teach us about the past. I used them in teaching earth science in high school and in my lectureships and class lectures. I would lick a coprolite in front of the class to demonstrate that fossilization replaces organic material with rock. I always got the expected reaction from the kids, and it was a demonstration they didn’t forget.

On a more serious note, coprolites teach us about the past. My collection includes several coprolites from a large plant-eating dinosaur. You can look at a coprolite with magnification or examine a slice of the coprolite under a microscope. The coprolite from the plant-eater is 100% plant material with no animal material. I have another specimen that is just the opposite. It was excavated from the lower intestinal tract of a T. rex fossil and contains no plant material. Instead, it has teeth, bones, and even skin, proving that it came from a meat-eating dinosaur.

So what do coprolites teach us about the past life on Earth? Clearly, some dinosaurs were herbivores (plant eaters), and some were carnivores (meat eaters). In Williams, Arizona, a museum named “Poozeum” contains over 7,000 coprolite specimens from George Frandsen’s collection. These have come from various places and tell us a lot about the history of the dinosaur age.

Denominational attempts to explain how Noah got dinosaurs on the ark fail miserably when it comes to the facts, including coprolites. We have pointed out that the literal meaning of the words in Genesis 1 tells us that God used natural methods to produce the coal, oil, and other resources He knew we would need. Dinosaurs existed before humans as part of the process of producing and maintaining an environment that gives us the resources we need today.

For further information, go to doesgodexist.tv and view video number 30, in which you can see the two examples of coprolites I use in my presentations.

July 31, 2024July 30, 2024

Volcanoes Are a Design Feature of Earth

Planet Earth has roughly 1350 volcanoes and is far and away the most geologically active planet in the solar system. The only astronomical body that is even close to Earth is Io, a moon of Jupiter with more than 400 volcanoes. Io’s volcanoes result from gravitational flexing because it is tidal-locked with Jupiter while being pulled by the gravity of Jupiter’s other moons. Earth, however, has volcanoes because of the movement of tectonic plates. These plates move very slowly and are related to the convection motions of materials from the core of the Earth to its surface. Volcanoes are a design feature of Earth.

The benefits of volcanoes are immense. They bring precious metals to the Earth’s surface from deep within, constantly create land masses in the ocean depths that are now teeming with life, and recycle materials to the Earth’s surface, enriching soils where plants thrive and providing food for animal life. The Hawaiian Islands stand as a classic example of land masses produced by volcanoes, showcasing the positive impact of these geological features on our planet.

The recent eruption of Villarrica in Chile reminds us that volcanoes can be very destructive. In 79 A.D., Mount Vesuvius erupted, producing 20 feet of ash. What skeptics miss is that people built these cities on lava plateaus, and there were constant warnings that an eruption would occur. Mount St Helens in the United States is an American example of how volcanoes function, and even today, there are warnings of eruptions in various places around the world.

The situation with volcanoes is akin to that of earthquakes. It’s a scientific fact that certain zones on Earth are prone to both volcanoes and earthquakes. Despite this, humans continue to build large structures and settle in areas at risk. Volcanoes, while offering many benefits, can also cause significant damage and even loss of life. We must recognize that volcanoes are a design feature of Earth as we exercise wisdom in choosing where we live and how we prepare for their potential activity.

Reference: apod.nasa.gov for 7/17/24

July 29, 2024July 28, 2024

Three Basic Questions About Creation

In our day of complicated philosophical questions, politics, and power struggles, it is easy to forget the fundamental questions relating to the existence of God. The evidence for God’s existence is simple and straightforward. There are three basic questions about creation:

#1) Was there a beginning?
Taking the position that matter/energy is eternal flies in the face of all the evidence and violates scientific laws, such as the Second Law of Thermodynamics.

#2) Once we establish that there was a beginning, the next logical question is: What caused this beginning?
To say existence is uncaused means maintaining that something can come from nothing. That is a violation of scientific laws, including the laws of conservation.

#3) If we understand there was a beginning and that it was caused, what or who caused it?
Was the cause blind mechanistic opportunistic chance, or was it Intelligence? If it was Intelligence, there would be a purpose for the creation, and the creation should show order and design. Chance is random and chaotic.

The Bible spells out the purpose of the Intelligence that did the creating. It explains how humans are created in the image of that Intelligence. Our role in the war between good and evil is not hard to understand. Denying the existence of evil is a refusal to look at history. Theologians and philosophers have complicated this simple picture, but the average high school student can understand it.

What we believe about creation and about ourselves has massive consequences. Getting away from the basics has caused division in the various denominations and generated conflict between special interest groups and individuals. This column explores many of the challenges to faith, but the three basic questions about creation should not be a matter of debate. We all need to work to address the challenges of a world rejecting God and setting itself up for tragedy.

July 25, 2024July 23, 2024

Smalltooth Sawfish “Pocket Protector”

An interesting creature lives in the ocean off southern Florida and the Bahamas. The smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata) is a member of the ray family with a snout lined with needle-sharp teeth that it can use to cut vegetation or chop up a predator that gets too close. The amazing thing about this fish is that the babies are live-born. The question is how can a baby sawfish avoid cutting up its mother or siblings before birth.

The answer to that question has come from researchers at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in Charlotte Harbor. They found that the baby sawfish’s teeth are housed in a sheath during its life inside the mother. It’s essentially a second skin that the smalltooth sawfish sheds about four days after birth. The researchers say the sheath feels like paraffin wax, which you can’t peel off, but with a slight give. The chemical composition of the sheath shows that it has two layers made of proteins similar to ordinary skin.

The ocean is full of living things with incredibly complex and specialized designs, enabling them to exist in unique environments. The lead researcher, Gregg Poulakis, said, “It’s a cool thing Mother Nature figured out to protect mom from those calcified teeth and protect siblings from sword fighting in the uterus.” Trying to explain such design by gradual evolution requires intermediate steps leading to the design features we see today. Those intermediate steps do not exist.

Every discovery speaks of an intelligence that filled in ecological niches and survival techniques like what we see in the sawfish. Romans 1:20 tells us that we can know God exists through the things He has made. The number of examples of cases like the smalltooth sawfish continues to grow as science learns more about the complexity of the world in which we live.

Reference: Science News magazine for July 13, 2024, page 5 and sciencenews.org

July 24, 2024July 23, 2024

Baobab Trees – Tree of Life

Fossil evidence of ancient trees known as baobabs found in Madagascar shows that they are among Earth’s oldest life forms. This genus, known as Adansonia, has eight species in Madagascar, Africa, and northwest Australia. People call them the “upside down trees” because of their shape. The nickname “tree of life” comes from the fact that they can live for thousands of years and grow to huge sizes.

The fruits of baobab trees are a superfood, and people use their trunks to make fibers for rope or clothing. The baobab’s large white flowers open at dusk, attracting bats as pollinators. The branches of the trees are nesting sites for birds. These trees look very different from modern trees. They have a pyramid shape with a large trunk that stores huge amounts of water and no limbs or leaves except at the top. They might remind you of a giant toadstool, but the shape is ideal for storing water and the safety of bats and birds.

DNA studies show a starting point for baobab trees in Madagascar, tracking their journey on ocean currents to Australia and Africa, where local conditions shaped them into what we see today. Scientific data shows no connection between baobabs and gymnosperms like pine trees and modern trees like oaks and palms.

Attention has been drawn to the fact that baobab trees are so useful that they are being overharvested. Genesis 2:9 tells us that “God made all kinds of trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food.” The diversity we see in creation speaks of an intelligent purpose for plants, and everywhere we look, we see the benefits plants provide. Baobabs remind us that we live in a very special place, and we must not let greed, ignorance, and selfishness destroy what God has given us.

Reference: BBC News for May 15, 2024, and the journal Nature.

July 22, 2024September 5, 2024

Solar Storm Affected Mars

A massive solar storm affected Mars on May 20, 2024, shortly after it caused impressive auroras on Earth. This latest storm is part of the normal eleven-year cycle of solar maximums, but it is the first time such a storm has occurred while astronomers have the equipment to record its effect.

Xrays and gamma rays, which travel at the speed of light, reached Mars first and were followed minutes later by charged particles. According to NASA, the Curiosity rover at Gale Crater near the Martian equator took pictures showing white streaks resembling snow but were actually charged particles. The radiation from the solar particles was so intense that the star camera aboard the Mars Odyssey orbiter temporarily shut down.

Curiosity rover’s measurements of the radiation reaching Mars’ surface show that an astronaut standing next to the detector would get radiation equal to 30 chest X-rays. Earth has a strong magnetic field to shield it from energized solar particles, but Mars does not. At the same time, the thin Martian atmosphere could not give protection as the solar storm affected Mars.

Planets with a functional atmosphere and located in the Goldilocks Zone, where liquid water on the surface is possible, are rare. All stars go through cycles that pose threats to life on their orbital planets. Mars, a potential target for human visitation and a place where people speculated that life might exist, has received significant attention. This new data from a common solar event suggests that conditions for life to exist are even more challenging than previously thought.

The fact that a solar storm affected Mars is important. It tells us that Earth’s creation and the life on it are the product of intelligence and design, not opportunistic chance. They also tell us we must take care of the Earth because, in reality, there is no other place to go if we mess up this planet.

Reference: CNN Reports on Space Science for June 14, 2024.

July 17, 2024July 16, 2024

Trout Fins Are Designed for Efficient Swimming

Technology has allowed us to see the design of things in the natural world. Dr. Haibo Dong at the University of Virginia has used 3D computer models to study the turbulence created with each fin of a trout. American Scientist magazine states, “Interactions between swirling eddies created by a swimming trout show how its body is optimally laid out for energy-efficient movement.” Trout fins are designed for efficient swimming.

A trout’s body is shaped to swim through the water with less drag than any other shape. However, the role of various fins is not easy to see. Virtually all fish have a dorsal fin on the back and a caudal fin on the tail. Trout have other fins, including pectoral fins near their heads and pelvic fins near the center of their bellies. Toward the back of the trout’s body is a small adipose fin on top and an anal fin on the underside. The researchers have shown that the fin locations increase the thrust the tail produces. The anal fin produces 8.6% more thrust reducing the drag by 18.6%. Trout fins are designed for efficient swimming, or as the researchers conclude, “the whole trout is optimized for efficient swimming.”

Other fish have different fin arrangements to match their survival needs. A tuna living in the open ocean has a different layout of fins because it is designed for speed rather than efficiency. Fish that confine their existence to the bottom of a lake or river will not have the same fin layout as the tuna or the trout. For example, catfish have a fin arrangement designed for protection. Those of us who have grabbed a catfish incorrectly may have suffered a painful jab from its fins. Trout fins are designed for efficient swimming since they make long migrations, swimming upstream and sometimes over waterfalls.

Our technology allows us to understand the various designs seen in living things. Trout fishermen know that catching a trout differs from catching any other fish because of their mobility and muscular nature. Research has shown that the trout’s design shows wisdom right down to the shape and location of its fins. We suggest that this design is the product of a Designer, not just blind opportunistic chance. Genesis 1:21 tells us, “God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems..” Thanks to technology, we understand how over-simplified that statement is.

Reference: “Fins Working Together” in American Scientist magazine for July-August 2024, pages 204-206.

July 8, 2024July 7, 2024

Just Right for Life to Exist

Since astronomers have discovered more than 5,000 exoplanets orbiting stars other than our Sun, many insist there must be life elsewhere in the cosmos. For those of us who believe in God, that isn’t really an issue. If there is life out there, God created it, but the Bible only speaks to our planet. However, the evidence is growing that our planet is more unique than most people realize. A “Goldilocks” planet is at the proper distance from its star so that the temperature is “just right” for liquid water to exist on the surface. Some exoplanets appear to be in the habitable zones of their stars, but many other factors must also be just right for life to exist there.

Most known exoplanets are like Jupiter, having no terrestrial surface. To support life, a planet must be the right size, have a stable orbit inside the habitable zone of a stable star, and have the right atmosphere. It must also have working plate tectonics and a large moon to maintain a stable axis tilt. To be just right for life to exist, a planet must also be in the habitable zone of its galaxy – not near the center, exposing it to lethal gamma-ray bursts.

Our Sun is a G spectral star, but only 9% of the stars in our galaxy are that type. M-class dwarf stars are the most common and long-lived stars, but they emit large amounts of radiation that would cook any life on their planets. Also, planets around such a star would become tidal-locked, with one side facing the star being excessively hot while the other remains cold.

Another star system requirement for life would be having outer planets large enough and in the correct position to sweep away asteroids and comets that would bombard an inner planet. To support life, a planet also needs a strong magnetic field to shield the surface from the star’s radiation and cosmic rays.

Our Earth is just right for life to exist. We are defining life as the biology books do: being able to move, breathe, respond to outside stimuli, and reproduce. Any conjecture about fire people or rock people is in science fiction – not scientific fact. The bottom line is that Earth is a special place created by God for a special purpose and is unique among all other objects in the cosmos.

Reference: “Is Earth the Only Goldilocks Panet?” in Discover magazine, July/August 2024, pages 54 -57.

July 3, 2024July 2, 2024

Firefly Frequencies at Work

There are 56 species of flying lightning bugs, or fireflies, and each emits light of a different frequency. The different firefly frequencies cause different colors, such as green, yellow, or red, but science has found that the frequencies are far more precise than the color. The fact that each species has a particular wavelength allows fireflies to find mates, even in an area where other life forms use bioluminescence.

Fireflies have four stages. They begin as eggs but spend most of their 61-day existence as larvae, eating snails, slugs, and worms. They have a pupa stage just before becoming adults. Bioluminescence serves mainly as a way for males and females to find each other, and having the right frequency is essential in that process. Research is continuing on how the frequencies are specified, but 56 species means that the frequency variation has to be carefully created and controlled.

Most living things have methods of communication that serve multiple purposes. Communication allowing males and females to find each other is always risky because it exposes them to predators. Because fireflies’ flashing is sporadic and not a steady glow, they are less likely to be eaten. If you have tried to catch these flying lightning bugs, you know how hard it is because they flash and run, making them hard to locate.

We can learn many things by studying the natrual world, including the chemistry that allows various firefly frequencies of bioluminescence. In the firefly we see another demonstration of God’s wisdom and intelligence.

Reference: PBS “Nature” program on May 16, 2024.