Posts Tagged ‘science’

God Invented Christmas Tree Lights

Saturday, October 25th, 2008

According to an October 25, 2008, Quirks and Quarks podcast, pine cones give off infrared heat. When viewed with infrared technology, or as “seen” by a particular kind of beetle, the cones actually glow. The beetle that is the subject of the podcast does not actually see the infrared with its eyes, as far as scientists can tell, but it has special sensors on its abdomen that allow it to sense the heat from a great distance, with an acuity that is probably as good as insect vision.

So maybe the Christmas tree lights used to decorate trees during the holidays aren’t so far off after all. They are somewhat cone-shaped. To beetles they may seem perfectly natural!

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Acts & Facts: A Free Publication From the Institute for Creation Research

Monday, September 29th, 2008

Anyone who has an interest in the creationism-evolution conflict, or who enjoys creationist writings in general, should request a free subscription to Acts & Facts. I just received my first issue, and it was really interesting. There was a short biography on a Bible-believing scientist, an insightful look at Hyracotherium (whom you may remember from biology textbooks as the “little horse” that predated modern horses), a well-thought article on whether science is the only path to real knowledge, and quite a bit more. It’s an attractive full-color publication, and the articles are easy to read. This publication is produced by the Institute for Creation Research, a very well known creation-science organization.

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Francis Collins: The Scientist as Believer

Sunday, May 27th, 2007

The February 2007 issue of National Geographic included an interesting featurette, “Francis Collins: The Scientist as Believer.” Francis Collins is the leader of the Human Genome Project (and a Bible-believing Christian), and he was interviewed by John Horgan, an author on religion and science issues (who happens to be agnostic).

The interview, although brief, covers some important topics, such as miracles, religious extremism, suffering, free will, and neurotheology. The questions are candid, and the answers are simple. Well-read Christians who have an interest in science or theology will probably not learn anything new, but for me the article was significant in two ways: First, the fact that it appeared in National Geographic is remarkable in itself. Second, it suggests that in 2007 the doubts about basic Christian teachings are the same as, and as shallow as, they have always been.

While I’m talking about it, here are my own additions to the dialog (these will make more sense if you read the linked article above first):

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May 12 Lesson Study: The Bible and Science

Sunday, May 13th, 2007

I taught one of the adult Bible classes at my church this morning. The topic was “The Bible and Science.” It almost seemed funny to me that the study guide devoted one class to this topic, which has raged unabated around the world for the past couple centuries. But I accept the choice of the editors of our study guide to handle it that way, since it is only one facet of a topic we are studying for 13 weeks, “The Bible for Today.” Still, to wrap up centuries of argument and counter-argument in a 45-minute class is a bit daunting!

Since many of my friends reading this blog are following the same study guide, I won’t go into all the points here. But here is a basic outline of our discussion:

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Reading Minds

Monday, April 24th, 2006

“What would it mean to be able to listen in on other’s thoughts? This idea has been a science fiction staple, but recent advances in imaging and neuropsychology are starting to make it look as if it might soon be possible.” From the Quirks and Quarks website.

One of the podcasts that I subscribe to on iTunes is “Quirks and Quarks,” a science talk show. I don’t listen to every episode, but mainly the ones that especially interest me. This one titled, “Reading Minds,” grabbed my attention. And it was definitely worth listening to. You can find a link to this particular program here. Prepare to be surprised and amazed, if not somewhat concerned. If you’re the fun-loving type, pay particular attention to the small segment on “false memories,” and to the word list that is given, and to the questions that immediately follow. I fell for this mental trick, and the explanation of why it works is quite revealing.

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