Science Update from ICR

Amber-Trapped Spider Web Too Old for Evolution

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST

Amateur fossil hunters looking for dinosaur remains found tiny spider webs trapped inside a piece of ancient amber that was assigned an age of 140 million years—before flowering plants are assumed to have evolved.

Did spiders evolve before the plants that fed their prey?

Rapid Rifting Presages Future Events

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST

The Great Rift Valley, harboring a giant fault, extends some 4,000 miles southward from Syria to Mozambique in southeast Africa. A recent geologic event rent a gaping crack through the desert of Ethiopia.

These crustal plate motions may foreshadow rifting events further north in the Great Rift Valley.

Rapid Rifting in Ethiopia Challenges Evolutionary Model

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST

Volcanic activity in 2005 accompanied the formation of a deep, wide rift in Ethiopia. Studies show that the injection of mantle material that “unzipped” the earth along the fault operated the same way as similar material does in less-accessible undersea rifts.

Scientists knew that rifts were formed in this manner, but the suddenness of this one’s formation astonished them. Image Credit: University of Rochester

A Global Catastrophic Event Wiped Out Ancient Forests

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST

Scientists were investigating organic chemicals trapped in an Italian sedimentary rock formation when they found evidence that an extinct fungus feasted on dead wood during a time when the world’s forests had been catastrophically eradicated.

What could have caused such a universal effect on forests, and why does organic material remain in rocks that are supposedly 251.4 million years old?

Paleontologists Target Montana Dinosaur Museum

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST

The Glendive Dinosaur and Fossil Museum boasts Montana’s second-largest set of displayed dinosaur remains. The record is still held by the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman. Both are located in Montana near a rich cache of world-famous fossils.

The Glendive Museum stands apart, however, in that it presents dinosaurs as having been drowned and their remains preserved in the massive worldwide flood described in the Bible. This view has prompted reactionary comments from mainstream scientists.

Caterpillar Controversy Discloses Deep Evolutionary Disagreement

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST

In August 2009, a retired marine biologist officially challenged the standard Darwinian interpretation of caterpillar origins. His paper was fast-tracked to publication by a “high-placed advocate,” but shortly afterward his ideas were rebutted in the very same journal.

While this back-and-forth exchange has sparked intense criticism over the submission and review processes that were used, the situation also reveals core problems with broad-scale evolution.

Shrimp Eye May Inspire New DVD Technology

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST

Mantis shrimps are large, colorful marine creatures that see more colors than humans can. While humans see only three primary colors—blue, red, and green—the eyes of these shrimp detect twelve.

Researchers who investigated the distinct biological machinery inside mantis shrimp eyes have expressed confidence that their ocular mechanism could be used in an advanced generation of digital video players.

Are Humans Evolving? Depends on Your Definition.

Tue, 3 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST

Observable change is happening in humans, albeit slowly and only for certain traits. Data from females participating in the Framingham Heart Study were recently analyzed.
The results suggest that a slow shift in height and weight is occurring, leading some to conclude that “evolution is still in action.”

Anthropologist Says Ancestors Were Faster Than Modern Olympians

Mon, 2 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST

Some evolutionists tend to believe that humans are continually improving―getting more robust, smarter, and faster. However, science increasingly indicates that the opposite is occurring.
An anthropologist has calculated that ancient Australians would have easily outpaced a world champion sprinter.

Rainforest Fossils Demonstrate Dramatic Climate Change

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST

Researchers are recovering beautiful fossils from the Cerrejón Formation of Colombia. Most recently, a study examined the formation’s fossilized flora and the rainforest environment in which they lived.
There is evidence of dramatic ocean surface temperature changes, as well as global and local climate changes, since the formation was deposited.

New Fossil Cache Shows Plants Haven't Changed

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST

A coal mine in the Cerrejón Formation of Colombia has yielded a gold mine of fossils. This particular cache preserved a time in earth history when the tropical climate was quite different from today’s.
But despite the different climate, the fossilized tropical plants were the same as today’s, albeit less diverse.

Does Altered Fish Vision Exhibit Evolution?

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST

Biologists recently analyzed special proteins in fish eyes that capture light photons, making vision possible. By comparing the sequences of a critical protein from different fish, they identified a particular alteration that likely occurred somewhere along the line of this fish’s ancestry.
The altered protein resulted in the fish seeing visible light instead of ultraviolet rays. How relevant to big-picture evolution is this find?

Genetic 'Crossing-over' Is No Help to Evolution

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST

New details of a common cellular genetic shuffling process called “crossing over” reveal a tightly controlled system that operates under strict parameters and requires highly specified cellular machinery.
It is as if each generation was programmed to have variation, and that variation had strict limitations—limitations that would preclude Darwinian evolution.

The Human Methylome: What Do These Patterns Mean?

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST

For decades, researchers have noticed that tiny chemicals called “methyl groups” piggyback on DNA molecules, and that they occur in certain patterns. Intrigued by the meaning and function of methylation patterns, a five-year research effort funded by the National Institutes of Health began in 2008.
In one of its studies, researchers have stumbled upon a new intricacy of cell function.

New Pterosaur Fossil Forces Re-think of Standard Evolution

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST

Charles Darwin admitted that the sudden appearance of fully formed creatures in fossil deposits was one of the biggest problems with his hypothesis, which predicted that most fossils should reflect a steady grading from one basic body plan to another.
Some scientists believe they have found a creature that bridges one of the many gaps in the fossil record, although it requires a significant reworking of evolutionary theory.

New Hull Technology a Slick Design Copy

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST

Many species of marine creatures are very well suited to their watery environment, with precisely arranged gas exchange organs, properly angled eyeball parts, and streamlined bodies with appropriate musculature for expert swimming. They also have a continuously sloughing slime layer that lubricates their underwater motion.
Rahul Ganguli of Teledyne Scientific in California is experimenting with ways to provide a similar slime for ship hulls to glide through water more efficiently.

Ancient Amber Discovery Contradicts Geologic Timescale

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST

Atheist Richard Dawkins has admitted, “What would be evidence against evolution, and very strong evidence at that, would be the discovery of even a single fossil in the wrong geological stratum.”
Out of place fossils are actually common, and another one has surfaced recently that challenges the evolutionary story of plant development.

The Artistry of 'Ardi'

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST

Reconstructions of animals based on fossilized remains are interesting and can be of value. However, they are notoriously subjective. Recent research suggested, for example, that many longstanding dinosaur reconstructions were almost double the size of the actual dinosaurs.
And similar distortions are evident in presentations of the fossil world’s latest superstar.

Dinosaur Ranks Shrink as Species Numbers Dwindle

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST

Triceratops was perhaps one third the length of Torosaurus, which also had a large armor plate and three horns. Long considered distinct species, paleontologists recently reported data indicating that they actually might be the same species.
If this identification was wrong for so long, what other dinosaurs might be misidentified?

Did Evolution Cause Rapid Changes or Just the Opposite in Sloth Virus?

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST

Researchers have recently focused on DNA sequences as a means for determining the evolutionary history of both viruses and their host organisms. A team of scientists searched mammal genomes for common sequences that they interpret as having come from a retrovirus that entered mammals long ago.
What they found, however, was evidence that confutes not only the evolutionary dates, but also the mechanism that supposedly drives evolution.

Monarch Butterfly Antenna: A Hi-tech Tiny Toolkit

Fri, 9 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST

Monarch butterflies have fascinated biologists for a long time. These beautiful insects can migrate 3,000 miles every year from Canada to a specific grove of fir trees in Mexico each fall. The next generation of monarchs can then travel back to Canada in the spring.
How do they do this?