John N Clayton Archives

June 15, 2026June 14, 2026

Sunflowers Are Amazing

When we stock our bird feeders with sunflower seeds, many birds come and crack open the hard shells to reach the nutritious kernels inside. Humans do the same, though we prefer them already shelled. When you look at the sunflower head, with its center surrounded by petals, you are actually seeing a cluster of flowers surrounding a cluster of seeds. Sunflowers are amazing not only for the nutritious seeds they produce but also for the way they track sunlight.

Phytochromes are pigments within plant cells that sense light and help maintain a plant’s biological clock. This “circadian rhythm” helps a plant determine the passage of 24-hour periods. It can persist for days, even when sunlight isn’t present. The sunflower head moves during the day to track the Sun. On a cloudy day, it may even “see” the Sun using wavelengths outside the visible light spectrum. Because of the circadian rhythm, the sunflower head turns to the east to await the morning sunrise.

It is hard to believe that this incredible design is a product of blind chance. It seems that the sunflower design is not the result of any fortuitous accident. Sunflowers are amazing, with their nutritious seeds and the plant’s relationship to the Sun exemplifying God’s design.

May 27, 2026May 26, 2026

There Is Nothing Like an Elephant’s Trunk

Mechanical engineer Andrew K. Schulz at the Max Planck Institute says that elephants are like aliens. He made this claim after leading a study of elephant trunks and concluding that there is nothing like an elephant’s trunk in the entire animal kingdom.

An elephant’s trunk has over 40,000 muscles and is covered with unique “whiskers.” Most mammals have whiskers, but none are like the ones on an elephant’s trunk. The elephant’s whiskers are flexible at the tips and stiffer closer to the skin. For protection, elephants have rough, armorlike skin, but that reduces sensitivity. The elephant’s whiskers are designed to provide sensory detection of its surroundings.

Elephants use their trunks to breathe, smell, grab things, communicate, and perceive objects that are not within their line of sight. The trunk is strong enough to rip a tree out of the ground, but it can also gently pick up a leaf or fruit that it wishes to eat. There is nothing like an elephant’s trunk, with whiskers that have a stiffness gradient to sense the difference between hard and fragile objects. Schulz and the research team suggest that this stiffness-gradient detection can be applied to robotics, where machines must maintain sufficient strength to handle materials yet be gentle enough to avoid damaging the object.

Elephants are not related to any other creature, so attempting to formulate an evolutionary sequence is exceedingly difficult. It seems that elephants were uniquely designed by God to support their environment in various ways. We have noted in previous articles that elephants dig waterholes that provide water for other creatures in desert environments. The more we learn about life on this planet, the more we see that there is nothing like an elephant’s trunk. Living things are the care agents that balance the environment, allowing us to exist.

Reference: Scientific American for May 2026, pages 10 & 11, and scientificamerican.com

May 19, 2026May 16, 2026

The Sound of Rainfall

Researchers in the U.K. and at MIT have found that seeds sprout faster when exposed to the sound of rainfall on the ground. When raindrops hit the ground, they create vibrations strong enough to jostle microscopic structures called statoliths inside the seeds. That sets off a biological chain reaction that triggers germination. The study shows that seeds can germinate 40% faster when exposed to rainfall sounds.

This new research helps explain why seeds germinate faster in jungle-like environments than in areas with very little rain. Researchers have had great success with rice seeds exposed to rainfall sounds, compared with rice without them. With all other factors identical between the two groups, rice seeds exposed to the sound of rainfall grow 40% faster.

This discovery can be applied to other food crops and should be a valuable tool for addressing food shortages worldwide. It is difficult, if not impossible, to attribute this design characteristic to chance. The extensive design in nature is a strong apologetic for God’s existence.

Reference: The Week for May 15, 2026, page 21.

May 18, 2026May 16, 2026

Africa’s Massive Size

How big is Africa? With Africa’s massive size, you could overlay the United States, China, India, Eastern Europe, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, and Japan on top of Africa with no overlap among the countries.

Many misunderstandings stem from the way maps are drawn. Mercator maps, which we are familiar with, show the United States as a very large landmass, and we know it has many natural resources. How blessed Africa is in terms of natural resources remains unknown because of Africa’s huge size and human exploitation. Wars have been fought over much smaller areas of land.

The implications of Africa’s massive size are enormous, with the greatest being an abundance of natural resources along with an abundance of people who need to hear the Gospel. Nearly every element necessary for technology can be found in Africa. However, the exploitation of the people in Africa has prevented the extraction of most of these resources, and many are still unexplored. Human greed has prevented us from using the abundant resources God has provided, but the problem all begins with the exploitation of other humans.

Reference: Skeptical Inquirer, volume 50 #3, pages 52-59

May 5, 2026May 3, 2026

Honeybees Can Count

Yesterday, John Clayton followed up on my earlier post about bees. New research supports the idea that honeybees can count. This is despite the fact that a honeybee’s brain has fewer than one million neurons (compared to a human brain’s 86 billion neurons) and weighs less than one milligram (human brains weigh 1300-1400 grams).

Earlier research indicated that bees could count, add, subtract, and understand the concept of zero, but other scientists were skeptical of that data. The new research, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, seems to support the earlier findings. Mirko Zanon, a neuroscientist at the University of Trento in Italy, said, “Our results show that [previous] criticism doesn’t hold when you consider the biology of the animal.”

Research showing that honeybees (Apis mellifera) can perform counting tests in the laboratory translates into useful skills in the field. For example, if honeybees can count, then counting flowers or petals could help them find the plants that offer the most nectar.

Processing numerical information by honeybees seems amazing when you consider the size of their brains. Learning the concepts of “greater than” and “less than” can be useful for the bee’s survival. The researchers in their report stated that “when viewed through a lens accounting for bee’s perceptual abilities, their behavioural responses observed in the numerical tasks investigated here are probably guided by actual numerosity rather than special cues.”

Of course, the report credited the numerical ability of honeybees to evolution, but couldn’t it be likely that the Creator placed in the tiny brains of these bees the neurological structure they need to survive?

References: popsci .com and Proceedings of the Royal Society B

May 4, 2026May 3, 2026

Secrets of the Bees in National Geographic

On April 28, 2026, Roland Earnst published an article about bees living in an upstate New York cemetery. The May 2026 issue of National Geographic carried an article titled “Secrets of the Bees,” which complements Roland’s article in several ways.

The complexity of hives is the first point. Bees design their hives to suit the climate where they live. Many have nests below ground, with some bees excavating as deep as three feet. A typical nest will have a vertical burrow with tunnels leading to areas waterproofed with glandular secretions, floral oils, or plant materials. The larvae develop in areas called brood cells, which are stocked with food. In dry areas, a bee called “Ulke’s Pebble Bee” will gather pebbles and bind them together with a mixture of saliva and mud, or resin if these materials are not available.

A second point in the National Geographic article that complements Roland’s article is that bees can learn. Bumblebees can learn to associate certain colors with rewards. Researchers have found that bees can look at a new landscape and navigate around the changes. In other words, bees are not robots that can be stopped by changing the landscape.

A third area of interest is that bees can figure out the most efficient way to reach a flower in a field, allowing them to maximize nectar gain. In describing “Secrets of the Bees,” the National Geographic writers use words like “hidden genius,” “brightest thinkers,” and “remarkable ways” to explain what bees can do. These are words that describe properties God would have given the bees, not accidents of chance. We still have a lot to learn from the smallest of God’s creatures.

Reference: “Secrets of the bees: Revealing the sneaky genius of nature’s b rightest thinkers” in National Geographic, May 2026

April 13, 2026April 11, 2026

Purpose in Life and Euthanasia

One of the greatest challenges in life is to know why we exist. For Christians, our existence has a clear purpose. The book of Job offers a clear picture of the war between good and evil, and Jesus Christ taught His followers that they would be active soldiers in that war. Ephesians 6:12 tells Christians, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 3:10 tells us that championing this struggle is the Church’s purpose. As a Christian, I can tell you that I have a purpose in life, and that makes my life full of meaning.

So, how do atheists explain their purpose for existing? For the young college student who is at the top of their game, the answer may be to enjoy the “survival of the fittest.” What is the answer for those who are not the “fittest”?

Noelia Castillo was a 25-year-old woman who ended her life against the wishes of her family, the Catholic Church, and the Spanish government. She spent her teenage years in a state-run foster care facility. She was sexually assaulted multiple times, including a gang rape, after which she jumped from a 5th-floor window, leaving her a paraplegic. She ended her life under a Spanish law that was intended for the elderly. Intellectuals are now debating what purpose in life she could have had.

Philosophers and psychologists can argue all they want, but the fact is, as a Christian, Noelia COULD have had a great purpose in life. How many young women in Spain have been raped or gang raped, and need to know that they can recover from that horror by someone who has been there? What influence could she have had on the Catholic Church?

In America, the debate is centered on “death with dignity.” Unless we present a purpose for living in the debate, we will never reach a real consensus. Your author is 88 years old and has his share of pain. To end my life prematurely would destroy a time in my life when I can uniquely speak to younger people about why their lives can be full of meaning. The key is to use the tools God has given all humans to make this world a better place in which to live.

Reference: The Week magazine, April 10, 2026, page 15.

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.

March 20, 2026March 19, 2026

Access to the Bible

This ministry is dedicated to affirming that science and the Christian faith are allies that support each other. The Christian faith is based on the belief system presented in the Bible, which we believe is the Word of God. One common challenge from skeptics is the lack of access to the Bible for everyone. It is unreasonable to claim that Christianity cannot be true because most people in the world have not had access to the Bible or learn what it teaches.

Certainly, some people have not had access to the Bible, but claiming that the Bible isn’t available to most people worldwide is not accurate. According to the Wycliffe Global Alliance website, at least part of the scriptures has been translated into 4127 languages. The Search Light from Edmond, Oklahoma, reported that the entire Bible has been translated into 776 languages, and the New Testament into an additional 1,798 languages.

The dictionary defines language as “a system of communication used by a particular country or community.” God has provided everyone with the opportunity to know He exists. (See Romans 1:20.) There are forces in the world that deny God’s existence and attempt to block access to the Bible. Additionally, human-made religions are plentiful and often distract people from God’s message. While work remains to be done, the “Good News” is widely available in both written and spoken forms, and online. It is up to Christians to spread that message, and it is up to each individual to decide whether to act on what Jesus has taught us.

References: Wycliffe Global Alliance and The Search Light (PO Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083-0371) (Website: www.searchtv.org).