Archive for 2004

Appalachian Odyssey

In the American southwest, some particularly unique and dramatic landscapes have been preserved in the national parks. No one can fail to be impressed by the steep V-shaped gorge and the diagonal patterning (between horizontal erosion surfaces) which characterizes the rocks of Zion National Park in Utah. Similar sandstone rocks extend over a seven-state area, but they are not all called by the same name. In various parts of their range, these rocks are known either as Navajo, or Aztec, or Nugget Sandstone. Read the rest of this entry »

Carol Tupper

Carol Tupper is an Albertan, an artist, and an author. Born and raised in southern Alberta, she loves the prairies and has also fallen in love with our forests and the Canadian Rockies. Since early childhood, Carol has enjoyed art and English. Both are gifts that she is using for the benefit of many. The town of Three Hills sports a mural done by Carol. She wrote her first book in grade nine for her nephew. Read the rest of this entry »

Eerie Reflections

It was just a matter of time, of course, following the discovery of geckos’ amazing ability to stick to smooth surfaces by means of molecular forces (see Let’s Learn from the Best), that another such animal would be discovered. One might have expected that the next discovery would be in another reptile, similar to the gecko. Imagine our surprise, then when we heard that the second example is nothing like the first. An article published last year in the Journal of Experimental Biology reveals that such a phenomenon has been discovered in a jumping spider (Evarcha aracuata) commonly found in Europe. While many creatures such as flies use an adhesive fluid (ugh) to stick themselves to surfaces, these jumping spiders use ‘dry adhesion’ like the geckos. Read the rest of this entry »

Evolution Under the Microscope

The striking image on the cover of this book is a crystal of DNA. What more effective illustration could one imagine for a book which deals with the significance of biochemistry for our understanding of biology? Read the rest of this entry »

Ivan Stonehocker 1918-2004

Man of Vision:
Man of Action

Ivan was a true gentleman, a fine educator, a good friend and an active Christian. He knew “everybody” in education in Alberta and many in politics. Moreover, he and his wife Irene, took great pleasure in supporting many worthwhile endeavours. In their later years at their acreage, they grew flowers and food which they generously shared. If anybody needed help, they were there for them. Read the rest of this entry »

Let’s Learn from the Best

We might suppose our technology is first class. With computers, satellites and precision devices, our society happily adapts to ever more sophisticated machines. Each achievement provides the platform for new uses of technology and further inventions. Rather than giving thanks for these insights, all too often we pride ourselves for our knowledge. Read the rest of this entry »

Maritime Beaches: Their Grim Story

One might suppose, judging by this title, that the beaches in Canada’s maritime provinces are not happy places to visit. Actually they are beautiful. Nevertheless, the story of these landscapes provides remarkable food for thought. Read the rest of this entry »

Nifty Noses

Of the five senses which keep us in touch with the world, most of us are particularly aware of eyesight and hearing. Of course we are very thankful for these gifts. One sense that we tend to take for granted however, is the sense of smell. This sense does not seem very complicated or amazing. Nevertheless a little research reveals that our sense of smell is not only exquisitely designed, but it is also poorly understood by biologists. Of all our senses, that of smell seems to be the most complicated. Read the rest of this entry »

Not Junk After All

Imagine that you found a hockey card. The pictured individual looks just like most other hockey players but you don’t recognize the name. It doesn’t look that exciting does it? You might be tempted to throw the card in the nearest garbage can. Your friend however advises caution. Why not investigate the value of the card? Suppose for the sake of argument that your card turns out to be extremely rare and worth a lot of money. Suddenly, what previously looked like junk, has now become a wonderful possession. The card has not changed, but your appreciation of what the card represents, has changed drastically. Such situations sometimes occur in real life. Not all of these instances involve things, some involve living creatures. Read the rest of this entry »

Pesticide Resistance in Insects: Bads News for Macroevolution Theory

One of the “top arguments” against the creation world view is the well-documented development of insect resistance to insecticides. Many Neo- Darwinists claim that the historical development of pesticide resistance in insects is actually one of the strongest evidences of Neo-Darwinian evolution by mutations: “Insects that survived insecticides did so by helpful genetic mutations, and thus they bred a new generation that was not brought down by the farmers’ poison” (Larry Witham. 2002. Where Darwin Meets the Bible. Oxford University Press p. 78) Read the rest of this entry »

Surprises in the Pasture

Have you walked in a pasture lately, closely examining some fresh cow dung? A delightful little fungus grows there. It is so interesting you will wish to give it more than a fleeting glance. Read the rest of this entry »

Tell the World What the Experts Now Know

This is not exactly recent news, but the one hundredth birthday of evolutionist Ernst Mayr draws renewed attention to it. Within the past thirty years, the standard view of evolution theory has been shown to be woefully inadequate. Read the rest of this entry »

What does it matter how we came to be?

Junior high and high school students wonder what difference it makes whether the universe came about through a long process or whether God spoke all things into existence a relatively short time ago. The main thing, many suggest, is that we are here. Details are irrelevant, so why the big fuss over origins? Read the rest of this entry »

Who Cares About Astronomy Anyway?

Once the heady days of the moon landings had faded into history, many people grew bored with space exploration. Some Christians even concluded that the main objectives were atheistic or evolution-based anyway, so why should we support such endeavours?

It is certainly true that the main objectives for exploration of the solar system are based on evolutionary preconceptions. According to longtime NASA scientist Dr. Robert Jastrow, exploration of the moon initially did not seem very interesting to the NASA planners. In his 1989 book Journey to the Stars, Dr. Jastrow declares that the top people at NASA “were not terribly interested in the moon at that time, in fact, from a scientific point of view they did not know it existed …” (p 12). This was certainly strange when one considers that the mandate for the fledgling organization was to launch the US into space as soon as possible, and to explore what was there. Read the rest of this entry »