science Archives

September 23, 2025September 22, 2025

First Responders in the Body

David Coppedge wrote a very interesting article about the body’s “first responders.” He described four instances where the body has its own superheroes ready in advance to handle and prevent crises that could lead to life-threatening diseases, such as cancer. These first responders in the body had to be present before they were needed. They are like police or firefighters who need the skill and training to come to the rescue when necessary. Planning and preparation indicate design.

One line of defense against infections is provided by cilia, which sweep the airways clean with wave-like motions. These hair-like structures are familiar, but recent research has shown that they provide upward as well as lateral flow to push fluids away from the airway surface. This action helps prevent bacteria, viruses, and harmful particles from reaching the cells of the airways and causing infections.

Another first responder removes toxic waste called reactive oxygen species (ROS) that develop in the cell’s mitochondria. Since these are toxic substances, ROS must be handled carefully. Organelles called peroxisomes detoxify these dangerous chemicals, sparing mitochondria from oxidative stress. This process requires two proteins that are resistant to toxins and produce a bridge that allows ROS to move safely between organelles.

This line of defense has been compared to the comic superhero, the Incredible Hulk. Dendritic cells that are part of the immune system travel through tissues looking for problems to solve, like cops on a beat. Usually, they slip through tissues, removing “bad guys” one at a time. However, when they come across a “mob” in their way, these narrow and flexible immune cells expand like the Incredible Hulk, with bulging muscles to push obstacles out of the way.

One of the first responders in the body is compared to Spartan warriors. It is the critical enzyme SPRTN. Before a cell divides, its DNA must be copied for the new cell. Unwanted proteins can latch onto the DNA strand and clog the copying machinery with cross-links called DPCs. That can lead to premature aging, cancer, or other problems. The SPRTN enzyme finds and repairs the clogs by degrading the proteins that cause them. SPRTN must degrade the clog without harming the surrounding tissue, and it does that by detecting ubiquitin tags that the DPCs carry. Understanding how SPRTN works enables scientists to develop strategies to enhance defense against age-related diseases and tissue damage caused by cancer therapies.

All of these discoveries were made through empirical observation by competent and respected scientists and reported in science journals. The first responders in the body are ready and prepared to serve and protect the human body. Like first responders to natural disasters, they are not there by accident but by a designed plan for defense and protection.

Reference: evolutionnews.org

September 19, 2025September 18, 2025

The Homochirality of Organic Molecules

Yesterday, we discussed the chirality, or handedness, of molecules, especially amino acids and proteins. The homochirality of organic molecules refers to their requirement for the same handedness, a mystery that has puzzled scientists since 1848, when Louis Pasteur first observed that some life-essential molecules had mirror-image forms. Amino acids used by living cells and the proteins they build have left-handed chirality, while DNA, RNA, and the sugars forming their building blocks are all right-handed. These facts raise a question for those who believe life arose spontaneously.

Left-handed proteins and right-handed DNA are found in all living organisms. The spiral structure of DNA needs to twist in a specific direction to function properly, but what caused the right-handed sugar molecules to come together? When half of all amino acid molecules in nature exhibit right chirality and the other half left, what force could have gathered only the left-handed ones to form the first proteins?

Scientists have speculated that cosmic rays or polarized light might have triggered this process. However, even if such forces created an initial bias for the same-handedness, they could not sustain and amplify it enough to produce a significant number of homochiral molecules to form the first living cells. In 1999, researchers proposed that electron spin created magnetism, causing left-handed peptides (short chains of amino acids) to bind to magnetic surfaces like magnetite. But this still did not explain how the homochirality of organic molecules could be amplified sufficiently to generate living cells.

Some scientists consider RNA to be the key to the origin of life. In 2009, a group of researchers studying RNA molecules suggested that a crystal called RAO could react to produce two of RNA’s four nucleotides. In 2023, other researchers used magnetism to produce RAO crystals with homochirality. However, this process required a magnetic field 6,500 times stronger than Earth’s magnetic field. Additionally, RAO has only been shown to produce two of RNA’s four nucleotides, still falling short of generating the complete homochirality of molecules needed for life.

As 2024 ended, NASA-funded research identified a problem with the so-called “RNA world” hypothesis. Simulating early Earth conditions, they found that RNA did not show a chemical bias toward selecting homochiral amino acids. The current thinking is that the homochirality of organic molecules “could have emerged through later evolutionary pressures.” In other words, we have the “evolution-of-the-gaps” theory because, of course, evolution can do anything you can imagine.

Currently, NASA scientists are analyzing samples brought back from asteroid Bennu, hoping that molecular evidence from meteorites and asteroids will demonstrate that the building blocks for life came from beyond Earth. I suspect that the force responsible for bringing life to Earth did originate outside our planet, and even beyond the universe.

References: science.org and nasa.gov

September 17, 2025September 15, 2025

Axolotls, or Mexican Salamanders

People often call them Mexican walking fish, but they are not fish. They are amphibians, specifically salamanders. Axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum) or Mexican salamanders look like a fish because it never fully leaves its larval stage.

Unlike other salamanders and frogs, axolotls do not go through metamorphosis. When they become adults, they still look like tadpoles. They develop tiny legs but keep their gills instead of growing lungs and moving to land. The external gills and caudal fin, which are usually only found on salamander larvae, give axolotls a fish-like appearance.

Genetic differences lead to four color variations, from black or olive to pale pink or gold. They eat insects, worms, and small fish by sucking food into their mouths like a vacuum cleaner. In the wild, they are critically threatened and close to extinction because their last native habitat, Lake Xochimilco, is being overtaken by urban growth from Mexico City. However, many of these salamanders are bred in captivity as exotic pets and for research.

Axolotls are valuable for studying heart and nerve functions. They have an incredible ability to heal themselves, capable of regenerating severed limbs and some internal organs. Their injuries heal without leaving scars. Axolotls can also accept transplants of organs, eyes, or even brain parts without rejection issues.

Scientists study axolotls to discover new secrets of healing. God has given us many resources in the natural world and the ability to learn from them. As we have said many times, science and faith are friends, not enemies.

September 15, 2025September 14, 2025

Shocking Amount of Food Wasted

God has given us more than enough food for every man, woman, and child on this planet. Jesus told His followers to use what God has given. In Matthew 25:34-46, Jesus tells us what His disciples need to do. Providing food, water, and clothing are at the top of His list. Those who don’t provide these things for those in need are condemned. The problem is the shocking amount of food wasted.

I am directly involved nationally with programs that provide for those who are in need. Locally, I am involved with a program called “Feeding America,” and our small congregation provides food for over 100 people every month. Similar programs, both nationally and locally, are conducted by people who call themselves “Christians.” There are no atheist programs anywhere doing this.

So, if all this is going on, why is there a shortage of food worldwide? In the United States, one in every five kids doesn’t have enough to eat in spite of the fact that 530,000 metric tons of food are thrown out. The shocking amount of food wasted in schools is an example. Data from audits of schools in Miami and Orlando, Florida, show that the food thrown out amounts to 1.06 billion pounds from school cafeterias every year. These cafeterias also waste 20.9 billion gallons of water annually, resulting in a loss of $1.7 billion. Sixty percent of cafeteria waste is fruit and unopened milk.

This is just one case in two large Florida cities. Can you imagine how much waste there is nationally? As America continues to reject God and Christianity, we can expect this problem to get worse. In the biblical record, we see God telling humans to use what He has already given them. God doesn’t condone waste and will not provide for us what we can provide for ourselves. We see passages like Proverbs 6:6-11 where people who won’t work are called “sluggards” who will end up in poverty. Christians must lead the way by not wasting what God has given us.

Reference: World Wildlife for Fall 2025, page 4.

September 12, 2025September 12, 2025

What Makes Humans So Special?

Many animal rights advocates argue that we should treat animals the same as humans. To do otherwise is what they call “speciesism,” and they consider it perhaps even worse than racism. Why should humans be favored over other species? What makes humans so special?

An article in Scientific American caught my attention. It was written by Kate Wong and titled “Humans Are Not So Special After All.” The article points out that since 1960, when Jane Goodall observed a chimpanzee using grass and twigs as tools to coax termites from their nests, people have discovered that animals can do things previously thought only humans could do. Wong suggests that humans are not unique and that even plants can think and count.

Observations have shown that animals can perform amazing feats, but isn’t it possible that they do these things because they were programmed for survival by their Designer? It seems to me that the examples Wong provides fall short of proving her point. What makes humans so special involves more than the intelligent actions animals perform.

One example Wong uses is that brown capuchin monkeys decline a treat when they see another receiving a better one. She claims this shows a “sense of fairness,” but couldn’t it also indicate a sense of greed? She states that apes, monkeys, and elephants “mourn the loss of bonded individuals.” However, those species are programmed with a group/herd mentality that depends on each other for survival. She also mentions how mice and rats are affected by the pain or suffering of a fellow species member; but rather than compassion, could that not be fear for their own safety?

Wong also mentions an orca that made worldwide headlines for carrying her dead calf for 17 days while swimming 1,000 miles. To me, that appears to be a programmed survival instinct that failed to recognize there was no hope for the calf’s survival. The Eurasian magpie that “recognized itself” in a mirror reminds me of a turkey rooster that “recognized” his reflection in my basement window and kept tapping on the glass to challenge this supposed “competitor” for his territory.

For an example of plant “consciousness,” Wong presents the Venus flytrap and the fact that it “remembers” being touched. After two touches, it closes to trap the insect. After five touches, it secretes enzymes to digest the prey. But this does not demonstrate “thinking.” It is very simple to program a counting subroutine that causes a device to perform an action after two, five, or any number of signals from an outside source. That is programming, not thinking. The same applies to plants that produce chemicals summoning predators for defense when an animal chews on them. Again, it seems to be a survival program built into the plant.

Wong mentions anthropomorphism as “ascribing human thoughts, feelings, and motivations to animals.” While that is something people often do—particularly with dogs—I think Wong herself may be guilty of it.

The bottom line is that none of the examples Wong cites can compare to what makes humans so special. Humans alone are created in the image of God. We have minds unlike the brain functions of any animal. When we see animals do amazing things, we should give credit to the Creator who gave them those survival abilities.

Reference: “Humans Are Not So Special After All” by Kate Wong in Scientific American, September 2025.

September 4, 2025September 3, 2025

Why Are There So Many Species?

How many species of living things exist? So far, scientists have identified, classified, and named 1.2 million species, according to worldatlas.com. The same source states there are about 8.7 million species on Earth. Nobody knows for certain, but other estimates—excluding viruses and bacteria—range from 10 million to 100 million species. Why are there so many species of living things?

How quickly are scientists discovering and describing new species? According to worldatlas.com, they identify and assign genus and species names to 15,000 to 18,000 new species each year. At that rate, if we assume 1.2 million have already been named and there are 10 million in total, the task will take over 500 years, but that’s a conservative estimate. Clearly, biologists still have a lot of work ahead.

There are between six and seven thousand known mammal species according to ourworldindata.org, . But the insect world surpasses that number. For example, beetle species alone number between 350,000 and 400,000. Each year, biologists identify most of the “new species” from museum specimens discovered earlier but not carefully studied. Some species in the wild are facing extinction, and some specimens in museums may already be extinct.

We may ask, “Why are there so many species?” God created diverse kinds of living things and endowed them with the ability to adapt to different environments. Each new species fills a niche in the incredible diversity of animal and plant life that makes our existence possible.

We have previously described the various taxonomic classifications used to categorize living things. (You can read that HERE.) “Species” is the lowest and most specific taxonomic category used by scientists to describe life forms. God created humans with an insatiable curiosity and an amazing ability to organize and categorize information. Then, He gave us plenty of life forms to study. We believe that we can learn more about God as we explore His creations. (Romans 1:20)

September 3, 2025September 2, 2025

Neanderthal DNA and Humans

Neanderthal Fossils and Humans — Neanderthal Skull

Skeptics try to disprove the Bible by claiming that Neanderthal fossils invalidate the biblical account of humans’ special creation.

The Neanderthal story began in 1856 when remains were found in a cave in the Neander Valley, 8.1 miles east of Düsseldorf, Germany. A few years later, Charles Darwin’s work was published, and skeptics argued that the Neanderthal fossils demonstrate the truth of Darwinism. Because skepticism was popular at the time, the biblical claim that humans are created in God’s image was widely mocked.

One of the most serious implications of Darwinism was related to race. Slavery was justified by claiming blacks were mere apes and whites were more evolved. Applying “survival of the fittest,” racial prejudice reached an all-time high. As science advanced, the human genome was sequenced in 2003, and Neanderthal DNA was sequenced in 2010. This research showed that the human genome contain about 2 percent Neanderthal DNA.

The Bible does not specify what the first humans looked like, but it’s almost certain they were not blond, blue-eyed, and white-skinned. If a scientist found a skeleton of Adam, what could they know about the color of his eyes or his hair? Humans have adapted over time and climate changes, which we call “evolution.” But humans are still humans, and despite having some Neanderthal DNA, we are still created in the spiritual image of God.

Reference: “Finding our Neanderthal Side” in Discover magazine, September/October 2025.

August 28, 2025August 27, 2025

Frequently Quoted “Scriptures” Not Found in the Bible

“God helps those who help themselves.” That was a favorite “scripture” of my father, and he quoted it many times. The problem is that it is merely one of the frequently quoted “scriptures” not found in the Bible. In fact, it contradicts a very important Bible message. We cannot save ourselves. We cannot be good enough to deserve a heavenly reward. Trying to do so only shows a lack of faith in what Jesus has already done for us. See Romans 3:23, 6:23, and Ephesians 2:8.

“Cleanliness is next to Godliness.” Perhaps a parent may quote this “scripture’ to a child who needs to wash, but you won’t find this in the Bible either. In fact, the enemies of Jesus criticized his disciples because they did not ceremoniously wash their hands before eating. Jesus responded very directly about what real cleanliness is. Read it in Matthew 15:1-20.

Another of these frequently quoted “scriptures” not found in the Bible is, “God moves in mysterious ways.” You won’t find those words in the Bible, but in a hymn written by English poet William Cowper in 1773. It is based on Psalms 77:16-19. The first verse of the hymn says,

God moves in a mysterious way,

His wonders to perform.

He plants his footsteps in the sea

And rides upon the storm.

Deep in the dark and hidden mines,

With never-failing skill,

He fashions all his bright designs

And works his sov’reign will.

Yes, God’s ways are mysterious, but He created humans with curiosity and a desire to discover how God does things. Science has unlocked many of the mysteries of creation, but we have only scratched the surface. A leading American computational, physical, and theoretical chemist, Henry F. Shaefer III, once remarked, “The significance and joy in my science comes in the occasional moments of discovering something new and saying to myself, ‘So that’s how God did it!’ My goal is to understand a little corner of God’s
plan.” (U.S. News & World Report, Dec. 23, 1991, cited by Dr. John Oakes).

Frequently quoted “scriptures” not found in the Bible may not be truthful. What we need to realize is that the Bible tells us everything we need to know to be saved. However, it does not tell us everything that can satisfy our curiosity. That is where science fills the gap. The point is that true scientific facts and a correct understanding of the Bible must be in agreement because they both come from the same source—God.

August 21, 2025August 20, 2025

Grand Canyon and Meteor Crater Connection?

For years, the Does God Exist? ministry took groups of people on apologetics training tours of geological features in the southwestern United States. The Grand Canyon and Meteor Crater (also known as Barringer Crater) were among the places visited in northern Arizona. A recent paper in the journal Geology, written by researchers from the University of New Mexico, suggests a Grand Canyon and Meteor Crater connection.

Scientists have long known about driftwood and lake sediments found in Stanton’s Cave in Marble Canyon in the eastern Grand Canyon. Since the mouth of the cave is 150 feet (46 m) above the Colorado River that runs through the canyon, how the driftwood got there was a mystery. Additionally, explorers have discovered ancient beaver tracks in Vasey’s Cave, 121 feet (37 m) above the river—much too high for beavers to access today.

The proposed explanation for these discoveries in the caves is that, in the distant past, a lake existed in the Colorado River. Geologists estimate the lake was about 50 miles (80 km) long and 300 feet (91 m) deep. Something must have created a dam that held back the river, causing the water to rise to the level of the caves. The dam was eventually overtopped and eroded away, possibly less than 1,000 years ago.

What could have caused such a large dam to hold back the Colorado River? It could have been a volcanic flow or a massive rockslide that sent debris into the canyon. But what could cause a rockslide of that magnitude? New dating methods used by two labs in Australia and New Zealand determined the age of the driftwood to be 55,600 years. David Kring, the science coordinator for Meteor Crater, had estimated the age of the crater to be between 53,000 and 63,000 years. Researchers saw a possible Grand Canyon and Meteor Crater connection.

Kring calculated that the impact at Meteor Crater would have caused an earthquake of magnitude 5.4 or greater. In seconds, a shock wave of around 3.5 would have reached the canyon 100 miles away, potentially shaking loose rocks from the steep cliffs of the canyon and damming the river.

So far, the Grand Canyon and Meteor Crater connection is only speculation, but the dates seem to align. As we study the canyon, we can learn a great deal about the area’s geologic history. God gave us curiosity to seek answers about our planet’s past. While we don’t have all the answers about the Grand Canyon’s formation, one thing we know for certain is that the canyon was not formed by the flood of Noah’s time.

References: space.com and news.unm.edu

August 19, 2025September 12, 2025

Only a Mind Can Create a Mind

Did the universe originate with matter or with a Mind? If matter was the starting point for all things, then we are simply matter. In that case, how can we have a mind? Are our minds just collections of cells formed from molecules that consist of atoms, which are made up of subatomic particles? Could unguided matter create our minds? Do we merely imagine that we have minds?

It seems more reasonable that a Mind was the starting point for all things. In that case, the Mind initiated the matter that formed the entire cosmos, all living things, and us. That Mind gave us minds, because only a Mind can create a mind.

The human mind has two parts working together. The physical part is what we call the brain. Materialists try to tell us that the brain is all there is. The brain handles material processes, including sensory and motor functions. It also influences emotions and memory. The other part, the soul, is not made of material substance. The soul performs abstract reasoning, makes moral choices, and exhibits free will. It is what makes us different from all other animals.

This non-material part of our mind works in conjunction with the physical brain. The brain controls our physical movements but deciding what to do is primarily under the influence of the soul. Reasoning and decision-making are activities of the soul, but damage to the brain can severely affect our ability to reason and make moral choices.

The physical and spiritual aspects of our minds must work together to make us fully functioning humans. For that reason, a person who experiences brain damage from stroke, brain cancer, severe brain injury, Alzheimer’s, or other causes struggles with abstract reasoning and decision-making. Dementia also results in loss of memory, sensory awareness, and motor skills, and it affects our emotions. However, physical factors such as fatigue and illness can also impact those things.

It’s essential to understand that despite physical impairments, whether temporary or permanent, we remain the same person with the same soul. For those suffering from dementia, regardless of its cause, loved ones need to realize that the soul, the spiritual part of that person, is still present. Malfunction of the brain makes the person seem very different, but the person’s soul is still present. We are all made in the image of God, who is a spirit (John 4:24), not physical. We are spirits functioning within a physical body. In this life, a damaged brain can limit the functioning of a person’s soul. However, we can thank God that the soul is freed from the brain at the moment of death, and those who have accepted the salvation Jesus offers will spend a blissful eternity with Him.

For more on the reality of the human soul, watch this video.