FISH RECOGNIZE HUMAN FACES
Genesis 42:8
"And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him."
On a previous broadcast, we told you about the archerfish and its ability to shoot well-aimed squirts of water through the air at bugs. That's not all these amazing fish can do. Scientists have recently learned that they can distinguish one human face from another. Even more surprising is that the team of researchers from the University of Oxford admitted that "fish are unlikely to have evolved the ability to distinguish between human faces."
The article goes on to note that "human facial recognition has previously been demonstrated in birds. However, unlike fish, they are now known to possess neocortex-like structures." Now, why is this important? As researcher Dr. Cait Newport points out, "Fish have a simpler brain than humans and entirely lack the section of the brain that humans use for recognizing faces."
Dr. Newport added, facial recognition was once thought to be so difficult, it could only be accomplished by primates with large and complex brains. To see if a fish was up to the task, they tested archerfish because of their smaller and simpler brain and because these fish – and I quote – had "no evolutionary need to recognize human faces."
Yes, indeed, evolution had absolutely nothing to do with a species of tropical fish being able to tell one human from another. And, we might add, molecules-to-man evolution had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with anything we see in God's creation.
Today's "Creation Moment" is one of almost 300 you'll find in "Letting God Create Your Day, Volume 8" - the biggest collection of scripts we've ever published.
Oh Lord, like the number of stars in space and the grains of sand on all the world's beaches, Your creation is filled with far too many wonders to count. I praise You for them all! Amen.
"Fish can recognize human faces, new study shows," Phys.Org, 6/7/16. Illustration: Archerfish shooting water at a bug on a tree branch. (PD)
Genesis 42:8
"And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him."
On a previous broadcast, we told you about the archerfish and its ability to shoot well-aimed squirts of water through the air at bugs. That's not all these amazing fish can do. Scientists have recently learned that they can distinguish one human face from another. Even more surprising is that the team of researchers from the University of Oxford admitted that "fish are unlikely to have evolved the ability to distinguish between human faces."
The article goes on to note that "human facial recognition has previously been demonstrated in birds. However, unlike fish, they are now known to possess neocortex-like structures." Now, why is this important? As researcher Dr. Cait Newport points out, "Fish have a simpler brain than humans and entirely lack the section of the brain that humans use for recognizing faces."
Dr. Newport added, facial recognition was once thought to be so difficult, it could only be accomplished by primates with large and complex brains. To see if a fish was up to the task, they tested archerfish because of their smaller and simpler brain and because these fish – and I quote – had "no evolutionary need to recognize human faces."
Yes, indeed, evolution had absolutely nothing to do with a species of tropical fish being able to tell one human from another. And, we might add, molecules-to-man evolution had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with anything we see in God's creation.
Today's "Creation Moment" is one of almost 300 you'll find in "Letting God Create Your Day, Volume 8" - the biggest collection of scripts we've ever published.
Oh Lord, like the number of stars in space and the grains of sand on all the world's beaches, Your creation is filled with far too many wonders to count. I praise You for them all! Amen.
"Fish can recognize human faces, new study shows," Phys.Org, 6/7/16. Illustration: Archerfish shooting water at a bug on a tree branch. (PD)
OUR AMAZINGLY RESILIENT PLANET
2 Peter 3:13
"Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."
Many environmentalists would have us all believe that the Earth is as fragile as a raw egg. While creationists agree that we must be good stewards of the planet God has put us on, we believe He created our planet to be amazingly resilient. Even when we do something that some people consider to be feel harmful to our planet, the natural processes that God has put into place – combined with man's own creativity – will keep our world from self-destructing.
As you know, carbon dioxide is now mistakenly considered to be a pollutant. Environmentalists are saying that the carbon dioxide being produced by mankind is putting our planet in jeopardy, so they've concentrated their efforts on reducing carbon emissions.
But now, scientists in Iceland have discovered a way to quickly turn carbon emissions quite literally into stone. According to Science News, researchers have found that "95 percent of the carbon dioxide injected into basaltic lava rocks mineralized into solid rock within two years." One of the study's co-authors noted, "It's working, it's feasible and it's fast enough to be a permanent solution for storing CO2 emissions." He also said, "We have enough basalt globally to take care of all anthropogenic CO2 emissions, theoretically."
How ironic that volcanoes – which add so much carbon dioxide to our atmosphere with each eruption – might just turn out to provide the solution to so-called carbon pollution!
Today's "Creation Moment" is one of almost 300 you'll find in "Letting God Create Your Day, Volume 8" - the biggest collection of scripts we've ever published.
Oh Lord, I know I can rest assured that the planet You placed me on will not be destroyed until the day that You create new heavens and a new earth! Amen.
Thomas Sumner, "Volcanic rock can quickly store CO2," Science News, 7/9/16, p. 14. Photo: The plant in Iceland where the discovery was made. Credit: Juerg Matter/Science. (Fair Use)
2 Peter 3:13
"Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."
Many environmentalists would have us all believe that the Earth is as fragile as a raw egg. While creationists agree that we must be good stewards of the planet God has put us on, we believe He created our planet to be amazingly resilient. Even when we do something that some people consider to be feel harmful to our planet, the natural processes that God has put into place – combined with man's own creativity – will keep our world from self-destructing.
As you know, carbon dioxide is now mistakenly considered to be a pollutant. Environmentalists are saying that the carbon dioxide being produced by mankind is putting our planet in jeopardy, so they've concentrated their efforts on reducing carbon emissions.
But now, scientists in Iceland have discovered a way to quickly turn carbon emissions quite literally into stone. According to Science News, researchers have found that "95 percent of the carbon dioxide injected into basaltic lava rocks mineralized into solid rock within two years." One of the study's co-authors noted, "It's working, it's feasible and it's fast enough to be a permanent solution for storing CO2 emissions." He also said, "We have enough basalt globally to take care of all anthropogenic CO2 emissions, theoretically."
How ironic that volcanoes – which add so much carbon dioxide to our atmosphere with each eruption – might just turn out to provide the solution to so-called carbon pollution!
Today's "Creation Moment" is one of almost 300 you'll find in "Letting God Create Your Day, Volume 8" - the biggest collection of scripts we've ever published.
Oh Lord, I know I can rest assured that the planet You placed me on will not be destroyed until the day that You create new heavens and a new earth! Amen.
Thomas Sumner, "Volcanic rock can quickly store CO2," Science News, 7/9/16, p. 14. Photo: The plant in Iceland where the discovery was made. Credit: Juerg Matter/Science. (Fair Use)
EYE SHADOW
Psalm 17:8-9
"Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings, from the wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies, who compass me about."
Glass squid are amazingly good at not being seen by creatures who desire to eat them because, as their name makes clear, their bodies are transparent. In fact, as an article in Science News tells us, "Marine predators often scan the waters above them for the silhouettes of prey blocking sunlight, but there's little to betray a glass squid." There's just one problem, however. The squid's eyes are not transparent, exposing the creature's whereabouts.
Now, this would be a disaster for the squid if it weren't for the fact that their Creator provided some species of glass squid with silvery patches of cells called photophores. These cells are found only by their eyes, acting "as undersurface bioluminescence" and making "the shadows under their eyes less conspicuous to hunters below."
Evolutionists try to account for this by saying that the light-carrying photophores operate inefficiently, leaking light. This has caused one researcher to say that the cells were "really bad at being fiber-optic cables."
In other words, ask an evolutionist and they will tell you that natural selection gets the credit whether it does its job well or poorly. Sorry, but this is not science. It is a weak attempt to rationalize what can only be described as a product of ingenious design! As Creation Moments see it, these photophores leak light for a reason … and they were placed exactly where their Designer knew they would be of greatest benefit.
Today's "Creation Moment" is one of almost 300 you'll find in "Letting God Create Your Day, Volume 8" - the biggest collection of scripts we've ever published.
Oh Lord, since You care so much about providing for the needs of even lowly creatures like the shrimp, I know that You must love me far more and will provide everything I need, both now and in eternity! Amen.
Susan Milius, "Squid stays hidden by leaking light," Science News, 7/9/16, pp. 12-13. Photo: A cranchiid (glass) squid, about 4 inches across. Courtesy of Edie Widder. From NOAA photo library. (PD)
Psalm 17:8-9
"Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings, from the wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies, who compass me about."
Glass squid are amazingly good at not being seen by creatures who desire to eat them because, as their name makes clear, their bodies are transparent. In fact, as an article in Science News tells us, "Marine predators often scan the waters above them for the silhouettes of prey blocking sunlight, but there's little to betray a glass squid." There's just one problem, however. The squid's eyes are not transparent, exposing the creature's whereabouts.
Now, this would be a disaster for the squid if it weren't for the fact that their Creator provided some species of glass squid with silvery patches of cells called photophores. These cells are found only by their eyes, acting "as undersurface bioluminescence" and making "the shadows under their eyes less conspicuous to hunters below."
Evolutionists try to account for this by saying that the light-carrying photophores operate inefficiently, leaking light. This has caused one researcher to say that the cells were "really bad at being fiber-optic cables."
In other words, ask an evolutionist and they will tell you that natural selection gets the credit whether it does its job well or poorly. Sorry, but this is not science. It is a weak attempt to rationalize what can only be described as a product of ingenious design! As Creation Moments see it, these photophores leak light for a reason … and they were placed exactly where their Designer knew they would be of greatest benefit.
Today's "Creation Moment" is one of almost 300 you'll find in "Letting God Create Your Day, Volume 8" - the biggest collection of scripts we've ever published.
Oh Lord, since You care so much about providing for the needs of even lowly creatures like the shrimp, I know that You must love me far more and will provide everything I need, both now and in eternity! Amen.
Susan Milius, "Squid stays hidden by leaking light," Science News, 7/9/16, pp. 12-13. Photo: A cranchiid (glass) squid, about 4 inches across. Courtesy of Edie Widder. From NOAA photo library. (PD)
SOMETHING'S FISHY ABOUT FISH EVOLUTION
Matthew 13:47-48
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away."
Dr. John Long, Paleontologist and Head of Science at the Museum Victoria in Melbourne, Australia, should know a lot about fish … and he does. But even though he wrote a book about the evolution of fish, there are many things he readily admits remain shrouded in mystery.
Dr. Carl Werner, creationist filmmaker and author of Evolution: The Grand Experiment, interviewed Dr. Long about fish evolution. As you're about to find out, evolutionary paleontologists are still in the dark about the origin of fish despite their total confidence that evolution is true.
Here's one quote: "The transition from spineless invertebrates to the first backboned fishes is still shrouded in mystery, and many theories abound as to how the changes took place."
Here's another: "There's still a lot of debate over the origins and diversity of the first fishes. That's still one of the great mysteries and problems to be solved in vertebrate evolution." Dr. Long also said: "The mystery remains as to how sharks first evolved." And here's one more: "The origin of the bony fishes is also shrouded in mystery. So there's still mystery and some debate over where the true bony fishes came from."
Despite all these mysteries, Dr. Long is confident that many of them will be solved within the next ten years. Creation Moments predicts, however, that the mystery confronting evolutionists will only deepen. After all, fish didn't evolve; they were created by God!
Today's "Creation Moment" is one of almost 300 you'll find in "Letting God Create Your Day, Volume 8" - the biggest collection of scripts we've ever published.
Oh Lord, I pray that You will catch many evolutionists in Your net of salvation and reveal to them that You created fish … and them! Amen.
Dr. Carl Werner, Evolution: The Grand Experiment Volume 1, p. 98 (Third Edition, New Leaf Press, 2013). Quotes are from the video Evolution: The Grand Experiment DVD by Dr. Carl Werner and The Rise of Fishes: 500 Million Years of Evolution by Dr. John Long (Johns Hopkins University Press). Photo: Pixabay. (PD)
Matthew 13:47-48
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away."
Dr. John Long, Paleontologist and Head of Science at the Museum Victoria in Melbourne, Australia, should know a lot about fish … and he does. But even though he wrote a book about the evolution of fish, there are many things he readily admits remain shrouded in mystery.
Dr. Carl Werner, creationist filmmaker and author of Evolution: The Grand Experiment, interviewed Dr. Long about fish evolution. As you're about to find out, evolutionary paleontologists are still in the dark about the origin of fish despite their total confidence that evolution is true.
Here's one quote: "The transition from spineless invertebrates to the first backboned fishes is still shrouded in mystery, and many theories abound as to how the changes took place."
Here's another: "There's still a lot of debate over the origins and diversity of the first fishes. That's still one of the great mysteries and problems to be solved in vertebrate evolution." Dr. Long also said: "The mystery remains as to how sharks first evolved." And here's one more: "The origin of the bony fishes is also shrouded in mystery. So there's still mystery and some debate over where the true bony fishes came from."
Despite all these mysteries, Dr. Long is confident that many of them will be solved within the next ten years. Creation Moments predicts, however, that the mystery confronting evolutionists will only deepen. After all, fish didn't evolve; they were created by God!
Today's "Creation Moment" is one of almost 300 you'll find in "Letting God Create Your Day, Volume 8" - the biggest collection of scripts we've ever published.
Oh Lord, I pray that You will catch many evolutionists in Your net of salvation and reveal to them that You created fish … and them! Amen.
Dr. Carl Werner, Evolution: The Grand Experiment Volume 1, p. 98 (Third Edition, New Leaf Press, 2013). Quotes are from the video Evolution: The Grand Experiment DVD by Dr. Carl Werner and The Rise of Fishes: 500 Million Years of Evolution by Dr. John Long (Johns Hopkins University Press). Photo: Pixabay. (PD)
THE BLACKEST BLACK AND WHITEST WHITE
Psalm 51:7
"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."
Did you know that scientists are working to create new colors? Well, perhaps it's more accurate to say that they are working on new colorants that are being used to add color to other materials.
One such colorant is called YInMn blue – so named because it consists of the chemical elements ytrrium, indium and manganese. According to an article at the Co.Design website, YInMn blue "is the first blue pigment to be discovered since cobalt blue first entered manufacturing 200 years ago" and has the advantages of not being poisonous and not fading.
Another new pigment is called NTP yellow. Unlike YInMn blue, this stuff is very poisonous. Its technical name is lead chromate.
A third new pigment – called Vantablack – is particularly interesting because it really isn't a pigment at all. Vantablack is "essentially a specially applied coating that mimics a black hole, gobbling up light and causing it to bounce around endlessly in a forest of vertical carbon nanotubes." Created by NASA in 2011, Vantablack "was developed … to help absorb light and radiation before it could disrupt the sensors of deep space satellites."
While Vantablack is the blackest black ever, we find the whitest white in the Bible. Not only does it describe the appearance of Christ's clothing at the transfiguration, it describes those of us who have been washed in the blood of Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins.
Today's "Creation Moment" is one of almost 300 you'll find in "Letting God Create Your Day, Volume 8" - the biggest collection of scripts we've ever published.
Heavenly Father, thank You for cleansing me from the guilt of sin through the shed blood of Your Son. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
John Brownlee, "How Scientists Invented A New Blue (And Other Colors Created In A Lab)," Fast Company, Co.Design, 7/19/16. Photo: Portable icon with the Transfiguration of Christ, Byzantine artwork, circa 1200, depicting Elijah, Jesus and Moses with the three apostles. Courtesy of Marie-Lan Nguyen. (CC BY 2.5)
Psalm 51:7
"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."
Did you know that scientists are working to create new colors? Well, perhaps it's more accurate to say that they are working on new colorants that are being used to add color to other materials.
One such colorant is called YInMn blue – so named because it consists of the chemical elements ytrrium, indium and manganese. According to an article at the Co.Design website, YInMn blue "is the first blue pigment to be discovered since cobalt blue first entered manufacturing 200 years ago" and has the advantages of not being poisonous and not fading.
Another new pigment is called NTP yellow. Unlike YInMn blue, this stuff is very poisonous. Its technical name is lead chromate.
A third new pigment – called Vantablack – is particularly interesting because it really isn't a pigment at all. Vantablack is "essentially a specially applied coating that mimics a black hole, gobbling up light and causing it to bounce around endlessly in a forest of vertical carbon nanotubes." Created by NASA in 2011, Vantablack "was developed … to help absorb light and radiation before it could disrupt the sensors of deep space satellites."
While Vantablack is the blackest black ever, we find the whitest white in the Bible. Not only does it describe the appearance of Christ's clothing at the transfiguration, it describes those of us who have been washed in the blood of Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins.
Today's "Creation Moment" is one of almost 300 you'll find in "Letting God Create Your Day, Volume 8" - the biggest collection of scripts we've ever published.
Heavenly Father, thank You for cleansing me from the guilt of sin through the shed blood of Your Son. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
John Brownlee, "How Scientists Invented A New Blue (And Other Colors Created In A Lab)," Fast Company, Co.Design, 7/19/16. Photo: Portable icon with the Transfiguration of Christ, Byzantine artwork, circa 1200, depicting Elijah, Jesus and Moses with the three apostles. Courtesy of Marie-Lan Nguyen. (CC BY 2.5)
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