science Archives

March 13, 2026March 11, 2026

Birding and the Brain

An article in New Scientist suggests that birdwatching may change brain structure and help protect against brain aging. Researchers at Canada’s York University studied 48 people whose hobby was birdwatching. Although they all shared an interest in birding, half were experts, and half were novices. The researchers found an interesting link between birding and the brain.

For the test, the researchers selected 18 bird species that looked somewhat similar. They showed each birder a picture of a bird for less than four seconds. Ten seconds later, they asked them to identify that bird species from four images of similar-looking birds.

Of course, the experts outperformed the novices at identifying the birds. They also showed increased brain activity in three areas. These areas of the brain are involved in object identification, visual processing, and attention/working memory. Birding involves all of those brain functions. The researchers concluded that “building expertise in birding reshapes the brain.” The test group ranged in age from 22 to 79. With age, our brain’s structural complexity and organization tend to decline, and the study showed that the decline was less pronounced in the expert birders.

What can we learn from this research on birding and the brain? It could be that those expert birdwatchers already had structural brain differences before they started birding. However, it supports the idea that maintaining brain activity helps to reduce the effects of aging on the brain. It also suggests that other activities or hobbies that use similar skills might also slow brain aging. The skills required for birding involve attention, memory, and sensory integration. Other activities involving similar skills could have the same positive effect on our brains.

We have often heard it said that if you don’t use it, you will lose it. That is true for physical abilities, and it is also true for brain-related activities. Being physically and mentally active helps to keep us healthy and sharp. I believe this principle can also apply morally. Living a life of good moral behavior and following the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 5-7 and elsewhere in the New Testament can make us morally strong and prepared to face the temptations of daily life. Reading and meditating on the Bible, like birding, involves attention, memory, and sensory integration.

Reference: New Scientist magazine, February 2026, and online.

March 12, 2026March 11, 2026

Honeybee Pollination

We recently discussed that honeybees can make on-the-fly decisions individually and that they can also make group decisions by communicating with one another. Another important aspect of these remarkable insects is their role in honeybee pollination.

The flowers of various types of plants produce nectar. What is the purpose of nectar? Nectar is actually made up of two substances that are essential for plants—sugar and water. Flowers that produce nectar do so not for their direct benefit but to attract pollinators. Many plants depend on the wind to carry their pollen from one flower to another. However, this method is not very efficient because it requires a lot of pollen to fill the air, causing problems for allergy sufferers, while only a small amount will reach the intended target. A more efficient way to pollinate flowers is to attract pollinators, such as honeybees, to visit and collect pollen, either intentionally or accidentally.

Honeybees have pollen baskets on their legs to collect pollen for their use. Pollen contains protein, vitamins, minerals, and even fat, which benefits honeybees. But even more important is the nectar that honeybees use to produce honey. They accidentally collect pollen because their fuzzy bodies brush against the flower’s stamens. Honeybees even attract pollen without touching the stamens. The motion of the bees makes them positively charged, while the flowers have a negative charge, and static electricity pulls grains of pollen onto the bees’ fuzzy bodies. Honeybee pollination takes place when the bees visit another flower and deposit pollen on the sticky stamen. Ninety percent of the time, a honeybee will visit the same species of flower, which is helpful because pollen from one species would not aid a flower of a different species.

The bottom line is that 80% of the world’s most important crop plants are pollinated by insects. Two-thirds of North American crops depend on insects for pollination, and honeybees are the most vital pollinators for crops in North America. Honeybees are another part of the beautifully designed system that makes life possible in the world God created.

March 10, 2026March 8, 2026

Waggle Dance Communication

Karl von Frisch, an Austrian scientist working in Germany during the 1940s, analyzed the movement of bees that became known as the ‘waggle dance.” The bees move in a figure-eight pattern, with each waggle occurring at the crossover point. The length of their dance indicates the distance to a nectar source, and the angle of the waggle shows the direction to find it.

A few years later, in 1949, Martin Lindauer discovered another use of the bee waggle dance. When a bee colony outgrows its hive, it must find a new home. The colony sends out scouts to search for potential sites. Choosing a suitable location involves considering various factors. The space must be large enough to support the colony but not so large that the bees cannot survive the cold winter months. Honeybees must keep their bodies above 50 degrees Fahrenheit, or they will die. They survive the cold by huddling in the hive and slowly vibrating their wings in sync. Their wing muscles produce enough heat to keep the hive warm, as long as the hive isn’t too large. They also prefer a hive entrance facing south to let in heat from the Sun and located about 15 feet above ground to keep out intruders.

The task of finding a new hive is given to worker bees that act as scouts. These scouts visit potential sites around the area and then report their findings to the colony using a waggle dance. Hundreds of scouts may go out in different directions, discovering various locations. So, how does the colony choose the best spot for their new home?

When each scout returns, the other scouts interpret the dance by feeling it with their antennae. The length and vigor of a scout’s dance reflect that bee’s opinion of the site’s quality. The dance also indicates the direction and distance to the location, enabling others to investigate. If another scout agrees that it’s a great place, it will return and join in the waggle dance. As more scouts visit and approve of the site, they join in, and consensus is reached. Then the entire colony flies together to the new location.

This is another remarkable way that bees cooperate and communicate to make decisions that benefit the entire colony. Just as bees make independent decisions about which flowers to visit and share that information with others in the colony, they can also reach group decisions through cooperative scouting and information sharing. Once again, we see evidence of design that cannot be explained by mere chance.

March 9, 2026March 8, 2026

Euthanasia Is Not the Answer

One of the difficult questions facing all of us who are getting older is how we will die. CBN published an article on December 5, 2025, reporting that in Canada, 16,499 people have died through medical assistance. Canada’s Minister of Health, Marjorie Michel, released the Sixth Annual Report on Medical Assistance in Dying, claiming it “protected those who are vulnerable, while supporting freedom of choice and personal autonomy.” Especially interesting are the reasons the report lists for why people received a government-provided terminal injection. These include loneliness, isolation, and feeling like a burden to family, friends, or caregivers. Euthanasia is not the answer, in Canada or anywhere else.

The Bible is very clear that God considers the body sacred. First Corinthians 3:16-17 states: “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.” One of the Church’s responsibilities is to address the causes that lead people to want to end their lives. In Matthew 25:35-40, Jesus taught that His followers should care for those who are hungry, thirsty, without clothes, sick, or in prison. Acts 2:42-47 shows that the first-century Church met regularly and attended to one another’s needs.

I write this as a man who would be a candidate for euthanasia if I lived in Canada. I am 88 years old, have diabetes, severe arthritis that makes walking difficult, am in constant pain, and all my blood relatives, including my two younger brothers, have passed away. My wife of 49 years has also died, and I have remarried. Now I worry about being a burden to my second wife. I wear a “Do Not Resuscitate” necklace because I do not want to be revived if God is willing to take me home. I find joy in the ministry I have dedicated myself to for 60 years. I try to minimize the burden I place on my wife and friends, and I seek to ease their burden when I can, but euthanasia is not the answer.

The medical establishment can eliminate pain, and the Church can address everything else, allowing all of us to die with dignity. Those who reject God often have no purpose in life, and they seek answers to their mental, physical, and spiritual pain by destroying themselves. Euthanasia is not the answer. A much better solution would be to look at the evidence for God, become a Christian, and look forward to what He has prepared for us beyond this life.

Reference: cbn.com

March 6, 2026March 6, 2026

Bee Decision-Making

People generally know that bees communicate through “waggle dances” to tell others in their colony where to find nectar and pollen. However, we may not be as familiar with bee decision-making.

Honeybees (Apis mellifera) foraging on flowers face numerous decisions that they must make literally on-the-fly. Researchers at the University of Sheffield in the UK recently studied the complexity of bee decision-making. In a split second, a bee must look at the flower’s color and/or fragrance, compare it to previous experiences, and decide if there is a potential reward. The bee must also consider whether it already carries a full load of nectar or pollen, or if it can carry more. Additionally, the bee must think about the needs of the colony and, importantly, whether a potential predator is nearby. Based on these factors, it chooses whether to stop at that flower.

These on-the-fly decisions involve the bee’s sensory, memory, and motor systems. Hovering over a flower can exhaust energy and pose dangers. The bee must decide whether to risk it, operating with a brain that is a hundred times smaller than that of a goldfish. The bee’s brain has fewer than one million neurons, compared to the average human brain with 86 billion neurons.

If you’ve ever struggled with making important decisions—and who hasn’t?—consider the amazing bee decision-making process. It could only be possible with a precision design by an intelligent Designer. Natural selection acting on chance mutations doesn’t provide the best explanation.

Reference: scienceandculture.com

March 5, 2026March 4, 2026

Trees Are Beneficial to Life

It’s well known that trees benefit the environment by taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere through the complex process of photosynthesis. However, recent research indicates another way that trees are beneficial to life. Tree bark is home to over 1000 microbial species that help to eliminate methane, hydrogen, and carbon monoxide from the atmosphere.

There has been much concern about the greenhouse effect produced by carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Often overlooked is the fact that the greenhouse effect of methane is many times more potent than that of carbon dioxide, and methane is produced by many natural sources, such as decomposing organic matter. Also, carbon monoxide produced by incomplete combustion is deadly for humans, and many of us have carbon monoxide detectors in our homes because of that. Hydrogen, along with carbon monoxide, apparently helps methane remain longer in the atmosphere. Therefore, removing carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, and hydrogen from the atmosphere can reduce the greenhouse effect.

Researchers studied flooded lowlands in the Amazon region, where microbes living in lake and wetland sediments produce methane. When they measured the amount of methane bubbling up and compared that to methane data acquired by satellites, they were surprised. The satellite data indicated only half as much methane as predicted by ground-based measurements. The research showed that methane levels were reduced because microbes in tree bark oxidized methane. They also found that microbes in the tree bark oxidize hydrogen and carbon monoxide from the air. This shows another way that trees are beneficial to life.

The researchers found that different tree species had distinct microbial communities in their bark. Further study is needed to understand which tree species are most beneficial to the atmosphere. Previous research has found that tree trunks harbor many beneficial microbes. The bottom line is that trees are beneficial to life. In addition to being good for the environment, they are beautiful and beneficial for people’s emotional well-being. The more we learn about the design in the natural world, the more we are amazed by how God has given us exactly what we need for a living environment. It is up to us to enjoy and protect what God has provided.

Reference: Science News magazine for March 2026, pages 22-23, and sciencenews.org

March 4, 2026March 3, 2026

Water Into Wine Controversy

The “News and Notes” section of our fourth-quarter 2025 Does God Exist journal included an item about the Cana wedding feast where Jesus turned water into wine (John 2:1-11). Our skeptic friends have been quick to challenge this biblical event, claiming it is impossible from a chemical standpoint. John Lankford, a chemistry teacher in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and supporter of this ministry, sent the following comment on the matter:

In the last journal, you addressed this event of “water into wine.” While teaching AP chemistry, a student asked me, “Wouldn’t H₂O changing into all the organics needed for flavoring require a nuclear event?” I explained a POSSIBLE scenario to the class.

Since we don’t know many details of the event, we can logically SPECULATE some things. First, the “water” was not pure (a misnomer itself) but contained gases like carbon dioxide and oxygen. So, all the basic atoms were in the water. In fact, CO₂ + H₂O + energy —> a sugar + O₂. So, no nuclear reaction is needed to get carbon for grape sugars or flavorings. But an external energy and organizational force is required (which was Jesus, the Word). The oxygen, as a by-product, could give the “wine” a “bubbly effect” that might enhance the taste (similar to how people buy “oxygenated water” today).

This, of course, is just SPECULATION, but basic FACTS about ancient waters and the chemical reaction we see in photosynthesis suggest that Jesus called into play what was already available in nature to perform a miracle. (PS-even the assumed clay jar may have acted as a catalyst). The fact that a miracle can have a “mechanism” does not negate its being a miracle.

At any rate, this SUPPOSITION lets the student know that a “nuclear reaction” need not be what “must happen.”

Thanks to John for his explanation of the water into wine miracle from a chemistry teacher’s perspective.

March 3, 2026March 2, 2026

Hubble Constant and Gravitational Waves

For years, many scientists were reluctant to accept that the universe had a beginning. Looking through a telescope in the 1920s, Edwin Hubble observed that other galaxies were moving away from us. Going back in time, this suggests that at some point, they were much closer together. If we go far enough back, all matter and energy in the universe would have started from a single point called a singularity. For years, many scientists dismissed this idea, and Fred Hoyle mockingly named it the “big bang.” This leads us to the Hubble constant and gravitational waves, but I am getting ahead of the story.

In 1964, Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson accidentally discovered the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation (CMBR or CMB), which is leftover from the cosmic creation event (aka “big bang”). The CMB scientifically proved that the universe had a beginning. Further evidence in the 21st century made it impossible to deny that the universe had an origin. Since 1998, science has shown that the universe’s rate of expansion is accelerating. They hypothesize a mysterious force called “dark energy” to explain this acceleration, even though they have never detected this mysterious force.

To measure how fast the universe is expanding, scientists look for what they call the Hubble constant. They have two methods for measuring it: one involves using supernovae, and the other is based on physics principles within the standard model of cosmology. Explaining these methods is beyond the scope of this discussion, but the key issue is that they produce different results. This discrepancy is known as the “Hubble tension.” This leads us to a connection between the Hubble constant and gravitational waves.

In a March 2026 research paper, scientists from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Chicago have proposed a third way to measure the Hubble constant using gravitational waves. Albert Einstein’s 1915 theory of general relativity predicted gravitational waves, but they remained undetected for a hundred years. Then, in 2015, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in the United States detected a gravitational wave for the first time. Since then, with international collaboration, more detections have followed.

Gravitational waves are produced by the collision and merging of black holes or neutron stars. The new theory suggests that by measuring the speed at which these collisions are moving away from us, it may be possible to determine the Hubble constant more precisely. Achieving this will require more sensitive gravitational wave detectors than the current ones. According to Daniel Holz at the University of Chicago, this could help us “learn more about the age and composition of the universe.”

The Hubble constant and gravitational waves give us new insights into creation. Ever since science was compelled to accept that the universe had a beginning, we have learned more about the power and wisdom of the Creator. The more we discover, the more we realize we can know there is a God through what He has made (Romans 1:20).

Reference: space.com

March 2, 2026March 1, 2026

Junk DNA and ERVs

Every cell in the human body contains a molecule called DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). We often hear about DNA being used in crime investigations because each person’s DNA is unique. The DNA molecule holds a code that determines many characteristics of an individual. It also contains some seemingly non-coding sequences that scientists have called “junk DNA.” Evolutionists suggest that this “junk” proves humans are simply the result of evolution because an intelligent creator would not have inserted ERVs or useless sequences into our DNA.

The most notable of these so-called junk sequences are endogenous retroviruses (ERVs). “Endogenous” means they originate from within the cells, and “retroviruses” because they were believed to be remnants of ancient viral infections that affected the genomes of our ancestors. The theory was that ERVs were inherited through the evolutionary process. However, recent studies paint a different picture.

If ERVs had been random viral insertions in our ancestors’ DNA, they would likely have no important functions. A recent study shows that they are “essential” on a “widespread” scale during the earliest stages of human development. Without them, the human embryo would not survive. Earlier research indicated that ERVs are crucial in our immune system, perform vital cellular functions, and help regulate gene expression.

Scientists should be cautious before assuming that so-called “junk DNA” has no purpose and that humans are simply products of blind evolution. One thing we have been told before is that God doesn’t make junk. Intelligent design predicted that we would find this “junk” has a purpose.

Reference: scienceandculture.com

February 27, 2026March 11, 2026

My Chinny Chin Chin

“Little pig, little pig, let me come in. Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin.” That familiar line comes from “The Three Little Pigs,” published in The Nursery Rhymes of England in 1886. It shows the piggy’s response to the wolf’s request to gain entrance to the pig’s home for nefarious purposes. The clever response of the pig could be stated in the less poetic way, “Absolutely not!”

To analyze this quote scientifically, we might ask whether pigs actually have chins. According to the scientific definition of chins, the answer is “absolutely not.” According to a recent scientific study, neither do other mammals, not even chimpanzees. Only humans possess chins. The respected science journal PLOS One published a study exploring why humans have chins. The researchers aimed to determine whether our chins resulted from direct natural selection or are merely a by-product of other factors.

The issue is that my chinny chin chin serves no clear survival purpose and thus cannot be directly explained by the evolutionary process of natural selection or survival of the fittest. Because the human chin is unique, anthropologists use it as a distinguishing feature for identifying our species, Homo sapiens, in the fossil record.

Evolutionists have proposed several explanations for why we humans have chins. One suggestion is that they help facilitate chewing, but many mammals without chins can chew foods that humans cannot. Another idea is that the chin provides more space for our thick tongues, which are crucial for speech. Even sexual selection of mates has been proposed as an evolutionary explanation for chins. However, according to the article in PLOS One, “none of these hypotheses have received strong support” for various reasons.

The study’s author, Noreen von Cramon-Taubadel, a professor of anthropology at the University at Buffalo, suggests that the uniqueness of the human chin “does not mean that it was shaped by natural selection to enhance an animal’s survivability.” As for this animal—or human—I believe my chinny chin chin is part of God’s unique design for His creatures, created in His spiritual image.

References: journals.plos.org and discovermagazine.com