Phosphorus plays a crucial role in life chemistry. Phosphates serve as the backbone for all nucleic acids and are the major repository of chemical energy for metabolism. The human body contains about 11,000 parts per million of phosphorus by weight.
Geophysical DesignA Message From MineralsApril 1, 2010 One of my favorite words has been hijacked, thanks to Charles Darwin, and I want to bring it back to its original meaning. Evolution has always meant “change with respect to time,” which is a hallmark of divine creation. Cosmology exemplifies this point. Ancient Bacteria Saw Northern Lights, Too!5/6/2009 Working late into the night, the scientist checks the detector status. Operations at the remote Air Force base proceed smoothly as the detector settles into a steady course of data-taking. Seeing green lights across the board, the scientist relaxes and starts to catch up on his backlog of email correspondence. Antarctica And North America Once Connected10/22/2008 From a biblical perspective, the advent of continents plays a critical role in God’s transformation of Earth from “formless and void” to an environment teeming with diverse life-forms. In fact, the formation of continents warrants mention as one of the miracles performed on the third day of creation. Anthropic Principle: A Precise Plan For Humanity1/1/2002 Human beings climb. Always have, always will. First hills, then mountains, then pinnacles so high they're called "death zones." That's as high as legs could carry them, but not high enough. So people invented balloons, blimps, airplanes, and spacecraft, the higher the better—to a point. Bacterial Design For Recycling Phosphorousby Hugh Ross A microbiologist and a geologist in Germany have found some amazing design features in a large sulfur bacterial species that benefits all life. Big Bacteria Help Resolve Big Creation/evolution Debates5/7/2007 For most jobs the size of the applicant does not matter. But, there are exceptions: basketball centers must be tall, offensive tackles in professional football must be heavy, and World War II submarine sailors had to be both short and lean. Biological Stirring Of The Oceans8/12/2009 Oceans play a critical role in maintaining the habitability of Earth. They contribute significantly to the global water cycle and recycle nutrients that erode from continents. Continental Landmass Growth And The Genesis 1 Chronology10/8/2007 Thanks to a spectacular new discovery concerning the geophysical history of the earth, one more detail in biblical author Moses’ chronology of Earth’s creation history has been scientifically verified. The breakthrough yields yet more evidence for the divine inspiration of the Bible’s words and message. First, let me offer some personal background for this discovery. Design Feature Prevents Hard Snowball Earth3/12/2008 Imagine the Antarctic glaciers extending over the whole Earth. Dating back to the early 1960s, scientists proposed just such a scenario, known as a “snowball Earth” hypotheses to explain various geological and geochemical data in the planet’s history. Earth's Carefully Crafted Crust1/1/2000 Researchers have discovered still more indicators of divine design in Earth’s fine-tuned geophysical processes. These indicators belong to an intricate, life-essential cycle (called the carbonate-silicate cycle). This cycle compensates for the ongoing gradual increase in the sun’s brightness. Earth’s Deep, Life-sustaining Oxygen Reservoir7/1/2008 Southern California, home to RTB, requires a huge quantity of water to maintain its large population and diverse economic and industrial activity. The region’s water needs exceed the local supply so an aqueduct system pipes water from various reservoirs throughout the state into the area. Extra! Extra! Read All About It!7/1/2007 You’re Standing on a Floating Plate. This just in—ice floats in water! Unlike most materials, as liquid water cools to near its freezing point, its density decreases and then expands as it freezes. Thus, colder water and any ice float on the warmer liquid water below. Fine-tuning Allows Essential Plate Tectonics To Take Off2/20/2008 Last Christmas, my family flew back to the midwest in a Boeing 737. Getting an airplane to stay up in the air requires a tremendous amount of design, but most of the flight delivers all the excitement of a long bus ride. Getting The Continental Drift7/9/2008 Earthquakes and volcanos serve as important reminders of the phenomenal forces at work underneath Earth’s surface. The shape and arrangements of the continents change as the massive tectonic plates float across the more fluid upper mantle. Getting Water Into The Mantle9/5/2007 The date was February 22, 2007. The event was a NASCAR race at California Speedway in Fontana, CA. I stood in the stands with my oldest son as the green flag dropped. As the collective roar of 32,250 horsepower barreled down upon us, I stood amazed at how physically impacted I was—considering I had not moved. Global Warming - How Concerned Do We Really Need To Be?12/18/2006 NEWS ADVISORY, December 18, 2006, Standard Newswire Service -- Global warming is real. But its causes - and therefore its solutions - are more complex than most people seem to realize. Goe Or Die: Earth’s Habitability No Sure ThingSeptember 1, 2009 For the first two billion years, Earth’s atmosphere contained no free (uncombined with other elements) oxygen. Although oxygen was present, it was tied up in molecules like carbon dioxide and water vapor. Yet anything more sophisticated than single-celled organisms requires free oxygen because of the energy oxygen releases during chemical reactions. Helium Diffusion In Zircon: A Response To Questions By The Rate Team4/22/2009 Radiometric dating methods have long been disputed by young-earth creationists, and for good reason. Rock ages obtained by these dating methods, usually ranging from millions to billions of years, contradict contradict the notion of a 6,000-year-old earth. Increases In Oxygen Prepare Earth For Complex Life6/30/2010 One of Earth’s most remarkable attributes is the permanent oxygen component of the planet’s atmosphere. Oxygen’s reactivity makes it an efficient energy source for life, but it also means oxygen would disappear quickly without a continuous resupply. Atmospheric oxygen increased dramatically during two different periods in Earth’s history. Yet these increases occurred only because of a complex and elegant interplay of geological, astronomical, biological, atmospheric, and chemical processes. Interstellar Rocks Miss The Mark4/1/2001 Where, when, and how did life originate? Answers to these questions prove more elusive than ever to the science community—specifically to those who demand a naturalistic answer. Late Heavy Bombardment Intensity And The Origin Of Life6/29/2009 In previous editions of Today's New Reason to Believe my colleagues Jeff Zweerink and Fuz Rana reported on a new computer simulation that indicated the Late Heavy Bombardment (LHB) may not have been as damaging as scientists once thought. Majestic Mountain Grandeur1/21/2009 Does the universe end at the farthest reaches we can observe? If it doesn’t, then what characteristics does this realm beyond the observable universe exhibit? Making Mountains Move10/1/1999 Geophysicists have known for years that the energy moving Earth’s crust pieces toward and away from one another (plate tectonics) comes from the flow of heat from the core up toward the surface. Recently, however, planetary physicist David Stevenson, of the California Institute of Technology, has shown that plate tectonics, oddly enough an essential for life (though earthquakes may be hard for most people to appreciate), need more than just an energy source. Metal Matters4/1/2001 Uranium and thorium play a vital role in the plate tectonics and volcanism of planets. Consequently, the amount of these two metallic elements influences the ability of any planet to support advanced life. Mixotrophs - An Evolutionary "nice Try"January 1, 2010 Amid all the celebration last year over the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of his most famous book, On the Origin of Species, I heard little or no mention of how often attempts to explain life’s history from an evolutionary perspective have provided stunning new evidence for creation. More Evidence For The Design Of Earthquake Activity8/18/2008 Stanford University geophysicists Norman H. Sleep and Mark D. Zoback note that the higher tectonic activity during Earth's early history could have played a key role in cycling critically important nutrients and energy sources for life New Clues To A Genesis Mystery10/1/2003 The biblical record of patriarchs who lived 900+ years has raised questions and doubts for centuries. In the context of current life expectancy (which places me on the brink of “senior citizen” status), some Bible readers assume the “years” in the Genesis 5 and 11 chronologies must have been shorter than the familiar 12-month whirl around the Sun. New Evidence For Life's Rapid Origin1/1/2001 Recent research indicates that the Moon suffered intense asteroid and meteoroid bombardment impacting its entire surface some 3.9 billion years ago.1, 2 Because of the Moon’s proximity to Earth and because of Earth’s greater gravity, we can reasonably infer that Earth, too, suffered heavy bombardment at that time— an assault as much as thirty times more intense. Noah’s Flood: A Bird’s-eye View7/1/2002 Ms. Johnson smiles and settles her class for the week’s lesson. She opens the Bible on her lap and begins to read the story of Noah's flood. Her first-graders sit cross-legged on the floor, wiggling a little but listening quietly. Ode To Oxygen4/1/2007 My seventh-grade science teacher asked the class to list “the three most essential needs of human life.” The “correct” answer—water, food, and sleep—illustrates how easily people take for granted the air we breathe, specifically its oxygen content. Oxygen Prepares Earth For Advanced Life1/1/2009 Scientists may be unusual in this way but a time- and energy-intensive home addition offers a great chance to think about evolution and creation. Oxygen Spikes Jumpstart Life's Complexity And SizeMarch 1, 2010 Since life first appeared on Earth, the size of the largest organisms increased in size by a factor of 10 quadrillion (1016 or 10,000,000,000,000,000). Petroleum: God's Well-timed Gift To Mankind9/1/2004 I am old enough to remember the days when gasoline sold for $.26 a gallon. But, even at today's high prices, gasoline is a bargain compared to what it could cost if it were not so easily and abundantly accessible. Recent research by geologists and physicists reveals that humans are living at the best possible time in Earth's history for harvesting petroleum-a resource that helped launch and sustain advanced civilization. Plains, Minerals, And Mountain BuildingAugust 1, 2011 After a long, flat drive across Kansas and almost half of Colorado, the Rockies–– almost without warning––pop out of the ground. I still remember the stark contrast of the majestic peaks against the spacious plains. It’s as if some rocks are meant to form mountains and others remain flat. But why? Pressure’s On: Accounting For Earth’s HabitabilitySeptember 1, 2009 As far back in Earth’s history as scientists can look, they detect an abundance of life. However, Earth experienced at least three potentially devastating changes since life first arose. Snowball-earth Issues7/1/2009 Throughout Earth's history the potential has existed for geological and astronomical processes to catastrophically disrupt terrestrial life. Scientists continue to find evidence that many such processes actually occurred - yet life endured and even thrived. Solidifying The Last Snowball Earths4/7/2010 The first chapter of Genesis describes the remarkable transformation of Earth from uninhabitable and hostile to habitable and teeming with life. Some Like It Hot—especially The Continents8/15/2007 I ran across an interesting article in Science Daily a few weeks ago. The article’s authors point to evidence that the vast majority of North America would reside under water if the rocks making up the continental crust were cooled to the same temperature as some of the oldest crust underneath Canada. Staving Off An Ice Age4/1/2005 Global warming may not be all bad, and it may not be all that recent. Drilling deep into the ice of Antarctica and Greenland, scientists have found a different story, including some thought-provoking surprises.1 They see hints of a providential connection between global warming and civilization's development-not to mention survival. Subduction Design11/3/2008 Stanford University geophysicist Norman Sleep has outlined some new constraints on habitable planets.1 He explains how the possible existence of advanced life crucially depends upon a planet maintaining efficient plate tectonics for billions of years. Sulfur-poor Earth Conducive To Life5/4/2009 Earth's assortment of elements and compounds distinguishes it from other more "ordinary" planets. As examples, given its size and distance from its star, Earth is extremely water-poor, very carbon-poor, and extraordinarily rich in uranium, thorium, and gold. The Concentration Of Metals For Humanity's Benefit5/11/2009 Without concentrated ores of insoluble metals embedded into Earth's crust, human civilization would've never advanced beyond a stone-age culture. Today we have the ability to glean unconcentrated metals from rocks, soils, and oceans. The Creation Of Minerals4/20/2009 In this year that marks Charles Darwin's 200th birthday and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his book, On the Origin of Species,1 the debate over creation and evolution has taken a significant evolutionary leap. The Measurability Of The Universe––a Record Of The Creator’s Design10/1/2000 If the universe were not measurable, scientific study would be impossible. Astronomy, biology, chemistry, cosmology, geology, physics, and the other disciplines of science would be no less quixotic than alchemy or astrology. Science would not—could not—shed much light in the cosmic darkness. The Rise Of Atmospheric Oxygen11/28/2007 Everyone knows that humans die without adequate oxygen and many know that oxygen comprises about 20% of Earth’s atmosphere. As a kid, I always wondered why Earth’s atmosphere contained only that small fraction, if oxygen was so important to our survival. Too Much Oxygen In The Past9/22/2010 after setting up in the rain. I couldn’t agree more. One of my favorite activities is roasting s’mores over the campfire in the cool of the evening. Everyone knows you need graham crackers, chocolate squares, and marshmallows to make s’mores. Too Much Sulfur10/6/2008 Recent studies conducted on Venus and Mars illustrate just how carefully fine-tuned a planet’s abundance of sulfur must be for life to be possible. Sulfur plays a crucial role in life chemistry. This fact became personal for me a year ago when I was diagnosed as sulfur deficient. Many protein functions crucially depend on sulfur. Fortunately, most agricultural soils contain plenty of sulfur that vegetables, like onions and garlic, readily absorb. Update On The Quest For An Earth-like PlanetNovember 2011 During the Middle Ages and especially in Arthurian legend, the quest for the Holy Grail, the cup from which Jesus drank at the Last Supper, became the consuming passion of nobles. They were driven by belief that the cup possessed miraculous healing powers. Today, many astronomers passionately pursue a different Holy Grail. Their quest—to find a planet sufficiently like Earth to support life, perhaps even advanced life. Vital Poisons7/1/1999 Perhaps you have noticed the addition of Food and Drug Administration warnings to packages of dietary supplements sold in drug and health food stores. If not, please do. These warning labels subtly announce dramatic new evidence for the divine design of life—and of the earth for sustaining life. Water On Mars: What Does It Mean?7/1/2000 On June 22, NASA astronomers held a press conference to announce their discovery of “recently” cut gullies, indicators of flowing water, on the Martian surface.1, 2 The discovery stirred excitement for several reasons—some practical, some ideological, and some (perhaps) political. Geophysical DesignA Big Bang TestHugh Ross, Dave Rogstad, Jeff Zweerink and Kenneth Samples Bacterial Design for Phosphorous CycleHugh Ross, Kenneth Samples, and Joe Aguirre Big Bang Anomaly ResolvedHugh Ross, Dave Rogstad, Kenneth Samples, and Joe Aguirre Chaos for the Descent of Man HypothesisHugh Ross, Fuz Rana and Krista Bontrager Chimps Use SpearsFuz Rana, Jeff Zweerink, Kenneth Samples, and Joe Aguirre Core Issues About The EarthDave Rogstad, Jeff Zweerink & Kenneth Samples Cosmic Strings ReconsideredHugh Ross, Jeff Zweerink and Kenneth Samples Cosmic Strings, and Crystal Structure Design in the Earth's CoreHugh Ross, Dave Rogstad, Fuz Rana, Jeff Zweerink and Kenneth Samples Design in Biochemical Systems and Hydrogen MoleculesHugh Ross, Fuz Rana, Jeff Zweerink, Kenneth Samples, and Joe Aguirre Design of Habitable ZonesJeff Zweerink, Dave Rogstad, and Joe Aguirre Design of Pre-Cambrian LifeHugh Ross, Fuz Rana, Kenneth Samples, and Joe Aguirre Earth's Methane and Bromide Emissions Fine-Tuned for LifeHugh Ross, Fuz Rana, Kenneth Samples, and Joe Aguirre Evidence for Design in Social Amoebas and KrillFuz Rana, Jeff Zweerink, and Joe Aguirre Extra-Solar Planet Round UpHugh Ross, Kenneth Samples and Krista Bontrager Fine-tuning of the Earth's DynamoHugh Ross, Fuz Rana and Krista Bontrager Following Parasites to Human OriginsHugh Ross, Fuz Rana, Jeff Zweerink, Kenneth Samples, and Joe Aguirre Genetic Convergence of Modern Birds: An Unexpected ResultHugh Ross, Fuz Rana, and Krista Bontrager Geologists Point to Outer Space as Source of Earth's Mirrored RidesDownload Episode ID Lawsuits: Helpful or Harmful to Christianity in the Public Square?Fuz Rana, Jeff Zweerink, Dave Rogstad, and Krista Bontrager Impact Events: God’s Housecleaning ToolHugh Ross, Kenneth Samples and Krista Bontrager Intermittent Plate Tectonics Beneficial for LifeAuthor: Hugh Ross, Jeff Zweerink, Kenneth Samples, and Joe Aguirre Is Homo sapiens idaltu the “Missing Link?”Hugh Ross, Fuz Rana, and Krista Bontrager Just Right UniverseHugh Ross, Jeff Zweerink & Kenneth Samples Just-Right Timing of Oxygen on Early EarthJeff Zweerink, Hugh Ross, Kenneth Samples, and Joe Aguirre Learning from Hermann Bondi (1919-2005)Hugh Ross, Fuz Rana, Jeff Zweerink, and David Rogstad Lion Man Statue UpdateHugh Ross, Fuz Rana and Krista Bontrager Magma OceanHugh Ross, Fuz Rana, Kenneth Samples and Krista Bontrager Magnetic Reversals: Evidence for an Ancient EarthHugh Ross, Fuz Rana, Kenneth Samples and Krista Bontrager Mantle DesignHugh Ross, Fuz Rana, Kenneth Samples and Krista Bontrager Mapping Dark MatterJeff Zweerink, Dave Rogstad, Kenneth Samples, and Joe Aguirre Moon’s Divine DesignHugh Ross, Fuz Rana and Krista Bontrager More Big Bang Evidence: Primordial Magnetic FieldHugh Ross, Dave Rogstad, Kenneth Samples, and Joe Aguirre More Terrestrial Design FeaturesHugh Ross, Fuz Rana, Kenneth Samples, and Joe Aguirre MYH16: The “Missing” Gene Link in Human Evolution?Hugh Ross, Fuz Rana, Kenneth Samples, and Krista Bontrager NASA Experiments Confirm CreationHugh Ross, Kenneth Samples and Krista Bontrager No Shortage of Short Period CometsHugh Ross, Fuz Rana, Kenneth Samples, and Krista Bontrager Old Rocks Affirm Creation ModelFuz Rana, Ken Samples, Jeff Zweerink, and Joe Aguirre Perspectives on the Rare Earth debate on space.comHugh Ross and Krista Bontrager Petroleum DesignHugh Ross, Fuz Rana and Krista Bontrager Putting Cope’s Rule to the TestHugh Ross, Kenneth Samples and Krista Bontrager Putting Time Dilation Models to the TestHugh Ross, Fuz Rana, Kenneth Samples and Krista Bontrager Science and Faith IssuesHugh Ross, Dave Rogstad & Kenneth Samples Show Title: Cosmic DesignFuz Rana, Jeff Zweerink, and Kenneth Samples Simulation of Earth's Magnetic FieldDave Rogstad, Fuz Rana, Kenneth Samples, and Joe Aguirre Sorting Through T-rex Blood ConfusionHugh Ross, Fuz Rana, Kenneth Samples and Krista Bontrager Studies of Type 1A SupernovaDave Rogstad, Jeff Zweerink and Kenneth Samples Supernatural Climate DesignHugh Ross, Fuz Rana, Kenneth Samples and Krista Bontrager Time Travel: Science Fact or Science Fiction?Hugh Ross and Krista Bontrager Top 10 Scientific Discoveries of 2003 that Support RTB’s Testable Creation ModelHugh Ross, Fuz Rana and Krista Bontrager Top 10 Scientific Discoveries of 2005 - The Best of Creation UpdateHugh Ross, Fuz Rana, Dave Rogstad, Jeff Zweerink, Krista Bontrager and Joe Aguirre Toumai Man Update: Early Hominid Creates Evolutionary ConundrumsHugh Ross, Fuz Rana, Kenneth Samples and Krista Bontrager Toward a Sensible Approach to Global Warming - Interview with Kevin BirdwellHugh Ross, Ken Samples, Jeff Zweerink, and Joe Aguirre Triassic BacteriaHugh Ross, Jeff Zweerink & Kenneth Samples Underlying Apologetic IssuesFuz Rana, Jeff Zweerink & Kenneth Samples Geophysical Design |



