A SCALED MAMMAL
Psalm 105:5
"Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;"
Its long, slender, scale-covered body glides along the ground on four short legs, each of which has sharp claws. Its slender head has no teeth. It will not seek to hurt you, but if it feels threatened it will lash out with that scale-armored tail.
While this creature sounds very much like a reptile, it is, in fact, a mammal called the pangolin. There are seven species of pangolins scattered through Africa and Asia. Typically, the female pangolin will give birth to a single young one after a 140-day gestation period. When full grown, the young one, like its parents, will be almost two feet long and weigh about 20 pounds. In addition to using its tail for defense, it can also spray a bad-smelling liquid like a skunk. If all else fails, it can roll into a tight armored ball. Its feeding behavior is similar to a nocturnal anteater. The pangolin's highly developed sense of smell can actually sniff out ant and termite mounds. When it finds a nest, it uses its long, sticky tongue to collect a meal. Unfortunately, the endangered pangolin is prized as a delicacy as well as a medicine among the hill tribes where it lives. Lions and tigers also feed on pangolins.
Pangolins are another example of God's unlimited creativity and His power and wisdom which allows Him to bring about whatever He desires. His greatest desire is for our salvation through the innocent suffering of Jesus Christ.
Dear Father, I stand in wonder at Your creation and the variety You have made. Amen.
"Pangolin," World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia (2001).
Psalm 105:5
"Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;"
Its long, slender, scale-covered body glides along the ground on four short legs, each of which has sharp claws. Its slender head has no teeth. It will not seek to hurt you, but if it feels threatened it will lash out with that scale-armored tail.
While this creature sounds very much like a reptile, it is, in fact, a mammal called the pangolin. There are seven species of pangolins scattered through Africa and Asia. Typically, the female pangolin will give birth to a single young one after a 140-day gestation period. When full grown, the young one, like its parents, will be almost two feet long and weigh about 20 pounds. In addition to using its tail for defense, it can also spray a bad-smelling liquid like a skunk. If all else fails, it can roll into a tight armored ball. Its feeding behavior is similar to a nocturnal anteater. The pangolin's highly developed sense of smell can actually sniff out ant and termite mounds. When it finds a nest, it uses its long, sticky tongue to collect a meal. Unfortunately, the endangered pangolin is prized as a delicacy as well as a medicine among the hill tribes where it lives. Lions and tigers also feed on pangolins.
Pangolins are another example of God's unlimited creativity and His power and wisdom which allows Him to bring about whatever He desires. His greatest desire is for our salvation through the innocent suffering of Jesus Christ.
Dear Father, I stand in wonder at Your creation and the variety You have made. Amen.
"Pangolin," World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia (2001).
AMOEBA MIDWIVES
Genesis 35:17
"And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also."
Ever since Old Testament times, midwives have been helping mothers during the birthing process. They are especially valuable should there be difficulties since they not only offer an extra set of hands, but experience in dealing with common problems. Some of the scientists who were studying amoeba behavior observed some very strange behavior which suggests that some amoebas, too, employ midwives.
The scientists were studying an amoeba that lives in the digestive tract of reptiles. As all amoebas, they reproduce by splitting in half. Scientists noted, however, that this particular species is not very good at it. Up to a third of the time, the amoebas fail to split. They begin the process but never manage to complete it. When that happens, the amoeba is doomed to exist as long as it can with two sets of genetic information. But as scientists watched, when an amoeba had difficulty dividing, other amoebas would move in on it and help the division process, thereby serving as a midwife. Further study revealed that the amoeba having difficulty dividing releases a chemical which apparently summons help to finish the process. The midwife amoeba have been seen traveling up to 40 times their own length to help in the birthing of a new generation.
The Bible teaches us that God cares for all of His creatures. Here we see that He provides even for the needs of the lowly amoeba. How much more does He love us and provide for our needs!
Thank You, Lord, for the helping professions. Help me to see where I can help someone else. Amen.
"Distressed amoebas can call for help," Science News, V. 159, 3/31/01, p. 200.
Genesis 35:17
"And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also."
Ever since Old Testament times, midwives have been helping mothers during the birthing process. They are especially valuable should there be difficulties since they not only offer an extra set of hands, but experience in dealing with common problems. Some of the scientists who were studying amoeba behavior observed some very strange behavior which suggests that some amoebas, too, employ midwives.
The scientists were studying an amoeba that lives in the digestive tract of reptiles. As all amoebas, they reproduce by splitting in half. Scientists noted, however, that this particular species is not very good at it. Up to a third of the time, the amoebas fail to split. They begin the process but never manage to complete it. When that happens, the amoeba is doomed to exist as long as it can with two sets of genetic information. But as scientists watched, when an amoeba had difficulty dividing, other amoebas would move in on it and help the division process, thereby serving as a midwife. Further study revealed that the amoeba having difficulty dividing releases a chemical which apparently summons help to finish the process. The midwife amoeba have been seen traveling up to 40 times their own length to help in the birthing of a new generation.
The Bible teaches us that God cares for all of His creatures. Here we see that He provides even for the needs of the lowly amoeba. How much more does He love us and provide for our needs!
Thank You, Lord, for the helping professions. Help me to see where I can help someone else. Amen.
"Distressed amoebas can call for help," Science News, V. 159, 3/31/01, p. 200.
NANOBUGS AMAZE SCIENTISTS
Psalm 139:8
"If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there."
A series of unlikely discoveries has scientists shaking their heads. They have discovered the smallest creatures ever seen three miles below the Earth's surface, happily living where the temperatures go as high as 338 degrees.
The creatures were discovered as part of the Deep Subsurface Microbiology Program. This scientific effort is searching for subsurface microbes which might feed on and break down underground pollutants. At 20 to 150 nanometers in length, they seem too small to be alive. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter. The average human hair is 10,000 nanometers across. Atoms average 3-5 nanometers in size. So a creature only four or five times the size of an atom doesn't seem as though it should be alive. After all, a cell wall is five to seven nanometers thick. DNA alone is five to six nanometers thick. So, with just two cell walls and a little DNA, the smallest of these creatures – called "nanobes" – seem too small to be living creatures. For this reason scientists decided they can't be alive. But after study, scientists have found that these creatures do indeed have DNA and are made of the elements of life – carbon, nitrogen and oxygen. And they do grow like other living things.
Nanobes are another demonstration that nothing is too hard for God, nor is there anywhere He is not. This is a comfort for us since God has spared nothing, including the life of His own Son, to bring about our salvation.
Lord, You can do all things. Let me be comforted by this truth and the truth that You have loved me in Jesus Christ. Amen.
Discover, 1/01. "It's a Small World After All." p. 58.
Psalm 139:8
"If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there."
A series of unlikely discoveries has scientists shaking their heads. They have discovered the smallest creatures ever seen three miles below the Earth's surface, happily living where the temperatures go as high as 338 degrees.
The creatures were discovered as part of the Deep Subsurface Microbiology Program. This scientific effort is searching for subsurface microbes which might feed on and break down underground pollutants. At 20 to 150 nanometers in length, they seem too small to be alive. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter. The average human hair is 10,000 nanometers across. Atoms average 3-5 nanometers in size. So a creature only four or five times the size of an atom doesn't seem as though it should be alive. After all, a cell wall is five to seven nanometers thick. DNA alone is five to six nanometers thick. So, with just two cell walls and a little DNA, the smallest of these creatures – called "nanobes" – seem too small to be living creatures. For this reason scientists decided they can't be alive. But after study, scientists have found that these creatures do indeed have DNA and are made of the elements of life – carbon, nitrogen and oxygen. And they do grow like other living things.
Nanobes are another demonstration that nothing is too hard for God, nor is there anywhere He is not. This is a comfort for us since God has spared nothing, including the life of His own Son, to bring about our salvation.
Lord, You can do all things. Let me be comforted by this truth and the truth that You have loved me in Jesus Christ. Amen.
Discover, 1/01. "It's a Small World After All." p. 58.
FRIENDSHIP IS NO FRIEND OF EVOLUTION
John 15:13
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
It has long been argued that animals do not make friendships. According to evolutionary thinking, animals only make friends among relatives because it benefits another creature that shares the same gene pool. Survival of their gene pool is said to be the driving force for every living creature, although animal knowledge of gene pools is still a mystery!
A detailed study of select animal populations calls this thinking into question. The Atlanta Zoo had two female and one male giraffes. After nine years together without mating, the male was sent to another zoo. This produced much agitated behavior among the females and raised the question: Had these animals developed a friendship? A study was made at the San Diego Zoo where there were 12 giraffes. Among other things, it was found that mother giraffes with young ones often hung around with each other. Certain animals would spend 15 percent of their time with the same giraffe. It was further noted that, among another population of giraffes, certain females were seen with the same female one-third to one-half of the time. Similar signs of friendship have been noted among rhinos, dolphins and even vampire bats.
It would appear that friends are a gift that God has not only given to man, but many of His creatures, and has nothing to do with evolution or gene pools.
Lord, I thank You for the good friends that I have, but most of all I thank You for Your love for me. Amen.
Science News, 11/1: 2003. Susan Milius, "Beast Buddies." pp. 282-284.
John 15:13
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
It has long been argued that animals do not make friendships. According to evolutionary thinking, animals only make friends among relatives because it benefits another creature that shares the same gene pool. Survival of their gene pool is said to be the driving force for every living creature, although animal knowledge of gene pools is still a mystery!
A detailed study of select animal populations calls this thinking into question. The Atlanta Zoo had two female and one male giraffes. After nine years together without mating, the male was sent to another zoo. This produced much agitated behavior among the females and raised the question: Had these animals developed a friendship? A study was made at the San Diego Zoo where there were 12 giraffes. Among other things, it was found that mother giraffes with young ones often hung around with each other. Certain animals would spend 15 percent of their time with the same giraffe. It was further noted that, among another population of giraffes, certain females were seen with the same female one-third to one-half of the time. Similar signs of friendship have been noted among rhinos, dolphins and even vampire bats.
It would appear that friends are a gift that God has not only given to man, but many of His creatures, and has nothing to do with evolution or gene pools.
Lord, I thank You for the good friends that I have, but most of all I thank You for Your love for me. Amen.
Science News, 11/1: 2003. Susan Milius, "Beast Buddies." pp. 282-284.
GENETIC VARIATION CAN FLY
Genesis 8:19
"Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark."
Noah saved a pair of each kind of unclean creature, and seven pairs of every kind of clean creature on the Ark. Generally speaking, the classification of "kind" is broader than today's species. Creationists believe that today's species developed from those creatures, staying within the kind. For example, while there are many species of fruit flies, they are all of the same kind.
But how could all the species we know today have developed so quickly? In 1978, a few European fruit flies were accidentally introduced to Chili. They have now spread their population over much of North America's west coast. In that short time, they differentiated within their kind. For example, those found in more northern latitudes have the longer wingspans, while those in the more southerly latitudes have shorter wingspans. Tests have shown that these differences are due to differences in genetic makeup. Amazingly, the same pattern of longer wing spans in more northerly fruit flies is very much like the pattern observed in European fruit flies. Even more astonishing is the fact that the American fruit flies achieve the longer and short wing spans through the lengthening of a different part of the wing than their European cousins.
That these differences, down to the genetic level, have developed in a mere quarter of a century illustrates how, in the few thousand years since the Flood, the various species we know today could have easily developed from their basic kinds.
Lord, thank You for the variety You have placed in Your creation. Amen.
Creation, 9-11/00. "Fruit flies spread wings." p. 5.
Genesis 8:19
"Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark."
Noah saved a pair of each kind of unclean creature, and seven pairs of every kind of clean creature on the Ark. Generally speaking, the classification of "kind" is broader than today's species. Creationists believe that today's species developed from those creatures, staying within the kind. For example, while there are many species of fruit flies, they are all of the same kind.
But how could all the species we know today have developed so quickly? In 1978, a few European fruit flies were accidentally introduced to Chili. They have now spread their population over much of North America's west coast. In that short time, they differentiated within their kind. For example, those found in more northern latitudes have the longer wingspans, while those in the more southerly latitudes have shorter wingspans. Tests have shown that these differences are due to differences in genetic makeup. Amazingly, the same pattern of longer wing spans in more northerly fruit flies is very much like the pattern observed in European fruit flies. Even more astonishing is the fact that the American fruit flies achieve the longer and short wing spans through the lengthening of a different part of the wing than their European cousins.
That these differences, down to the genetic level, have developed in a mere quarter of a century illustrates how, in the few thousand years since the Flood, the various species we know today could have easily developed from their basic kinds.
Lord, thank You for the variety You have placed in Your creation. Amen.
Creation, 9-11/00. "Fruit flies spread wings." p. 5.
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