Archive

In April 2006 Neil Shubin and others published an account of Tiktaalik, a fish fossil from Ellesmere Island in Canada’s north. More recently, scientists and the media alike have hailed this fossil as incontrovertible proof that the creationists are wrong. This fossil supposedly demonstrates that some fish developed legs in place of fins and left their watery habitat to “invade the land”. Read the rest of this entry »

A new movie is scheduled for showing in theatres during the spring of 2008. It is not your average movie fare. This one, although entertaining, has the objective of educating the public about an issue of great importance. The film is actually one skirmish in a bitter battle for the hearts and minds of North Americans. Read the rest of this entry »

Many people think we can depend upon scientists to draw dependable conclusions. Recent events in the field of environmental science however, throw some interesting light on this issue. When it is evident that a mistake has been made, do scientists change their minds? Not necessarily. The story of atmospheric ozone and the Montreal Protocol, is a case in point. Read the rest of this entry »

Have you ever noticed how hard it is to persuade young people (or anybody for that matter) to read useful or improving literature? If it isn’t on the course, and if it doesn’t count for marks, few people will even open a book’s cover. An obvious choice to counteract that attitude is the comic book. Comics are certainly painless to read. A marginally interested individual is more likely to dip into such a book, and to proceed farther, than a person might in a book with prose and illustrations. The operative question then is whether such a format can usefully communicate information to teenage and twenty-something age readers. Read the rest of this entry »

Some of the first preserved fossils were trilobites. Most paleontologists thus consider trilobites to be one of the most ancient of known fossil groups. Fortunately, a large number of well-preserved examples exist, which allows a detailed study of the animal. As a result, much is known about its well-designed, complex eye. New research on the workings of the trilobite eye shows that it is far more complex and better designed than thought even just a few years ago. Such a discovery is contrary to evolution theory. Read the rest of this entry »

Looking for a family friendly film that gets you thinking? Look no further than Life’s Story 2: The Reason for the Journey. Brought to us by the makers of the popular Incredible Creatures that Defy Evolution series, Life’s Story 2 has much to offer. Read the rest of this entry »

Some people are tempted to stay inside when the weather gets cold. That, of course, is neither me nor you! We know that there is plenty to do, and plenty to learn, when the weather becomes cool and even downright chilly. Read the rest of this entry »

Some people like a good challenge and some don’t. Some people like the challenge of climbing Mount Everest, while others would prefer to stay home. Such people might point out that there are some challenges which are best ignored. There could well be challenges which are just too difficult or time consuming to undertake. For example, in August a team from Cambridge University reported that it took them twenty two years to produce a synthetic version of azadirachtin, a product which India’s neem tree (Azadirachta indica) effortlessly produces in large quantities. Read the rest of this entry »

Few creationist conferences can boast the line up of eminent scientists that we saw at Bozeman, Montana, April 20-22, 2007. The speakers included John Baumgardner and Russell Humphreys, scientists who spent the major part of their careers at National Laboratories in the US; Andrew Snelling and Larry Vardiman, two other scientists eminent in their fields; Duane Gish, probably the best known creation apologist and winner of debates with evolutionists; and Henry Morris II, eldest son of Henry Morris (founder of Institute for Creation Research). Read the rest of this entry »

Biology is a changed discipline since the advent of the human genome project. Now scientists have detailed molecular DNA codes for many important organisms. DNA, of course, is the genetic information which provides for inheritance, development and mature life processes of each organism. Read the rest of this entry »

After watching the video Fearfully and Wonderfully Made, I couldn’t help exclaiming to my sister, husband, mother and anyone who would listen: “You have to watch this fascinating video!” Read the rest of this entry »

One does not have to be a scientist with an advanced degree in physics or geology to appreciate the relevance of recent studies on the radiometric dating of rocks and biological materials. The book Thousands… not Billions and the DVD of the same name, are designed to communicate to the general public the results of recent research which fit a young age for the earth. Read the rest of this entry »

Now that the warm weather has finally arrived, most of us are more than willing to throw off the winter coats and to head outdoors in less confining outfits. Jump, breathe in the air, open your eyes and your ears. What do you hear (besides traffic)? Read the rest of this entry »

As a society, it is obvious that we are very impressed with the sophistication of our modern technology. It is also evident that the theoretical basis for this technology is fancy mathematics. Not surprisingly then, although not everybody can do advanced math, we consider our society to be advanced both in terms of knowledge base and physical know how. Read the rest of this entry »

Most people, over the years, have heard about big name atheistic scientists. The most prominent example today is evolutionary biologist Sir Richard Dawkins, who holds the Chair for Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. Because of his prominent position in academia, he commands lots of attention in his campaign against the “malignant influence of organized religion in society.” It is easy enough to dismiss Richard Dawkins as extremist. Certainly his views are extreme, but the astonishing thing is that they are becoming mainstream in powerful scientific circles. Read the rest of this entry »