Today's New Reason To Believe Archives

November 2003

Today’s New Reason To Believe – Sunday, November 30

  • How did life begin? This research report and accompanying commentary offer one evolutionary explanation. Its authors claim that the first protocells formed when fatty acid "spheres" (micelles) transformed into vesicles (structures that resemble the cell’s boundaries or membranes) by clay surfaces. Clay can catalyze activated nucleotides to form RNA strands. These researchers argue that clay particles trapped in the vesicles became life’s first "enzymes" and represent the first step in the emergence of cells. These researchers also demonstrate that the fatty acid vesicles can grow by the addition of more fatty acid and divide by passage through a small-pore filter. While on the surface this study seems impressive from a naturalistic perspective, it actually argues for life’s creation. In order for this scenario to work, the clay must be properly treated, the solution pH and fatty acid concentrations must be carefully adjusted, and a laboratory worker must filter the system multiple times. Even the researchers admit that some of their conditions are artificial. The “just-right” conditions, and necessity of researcher intervention to produce extremely crude protocells actually provides evidence that life’s origin was the work of an Intelligent Designer.
  • Related Resource: Origin-of-Life Predictions Face-Off, by Fazale “Fuz” Rana
  • Product Spotlight: The Birth of Life, by Walter Bradley and Hugh Ross

Today’s New Reason To Believe – Saturday, November 29

  • Although some people are skeptical about the veracity of the big bang model for the origin of the universe, it continues to receive a steady stream of confirmations. Analysis of the First Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey reveals the largest cosmic structure ever discovered, a giant “wall” of galaxies. The “Sloan Great Wall” is 1.37 billion light years long, and is consistent with the largest cosmic structures predicted by the big bang. Since the Bible described the fundamentals of big bang cosmology thousands of years before any scientists or philosophers conceived of the concepts, this confirmation of big bang creation models helps support the Christian faith.
    • J. Richard Gott III et al., “A Map of the Universe,” preprint, 2003 posted at http://xxx.lanl.gov/abs/astro-ph/0310571
  • Related Resource: Big Bang - The Bible Taught it First! by John Rea and Hugh Ross
  • Product Spotlight: The Creator and The Cosmos, by Hugh Ross

Today’s New Reason To Believe – Friday, November 28

  • The Cambrian Explosion represents one of evolutionary biology’s greatest mysteries. From a creation model perspective, it presents one of the most potent evidences for Divine intervention in the fossil record. This event, which occurred 540 million years ago, describes the first and sudden appearance (under 5 million years) of arguably every animal phyla to ever exist. This study shows that the complex gene regulatory network that controls development and morphological features for a representative phylum, echinodermata (which includes sea stars, sea cucumbers, and sea urchins), was in place at the time of the Cambrian Explosion. This remarkable new recognition drives home the fact that incredibly complex biological entities dramatically and suddenly appeared in the fossil record without any transitional forms preceding them. Biological evolution has no mechanism to account for the sudden appearance of complex biological organisms. When viewed from a creation model standpoint, however, sudden appearance in the fossil record is a telltale sign of the Creator’s handiwork.
  • Related Resource: Chordate Fossils Foil Theory, by Fazale “Fuz” Rana
  • Product Spotlight: New Discoveries Supporting Creation: The Cambrian Explosion, by Fazale “Fuz” Rana (audio tape)

Today’s New Reason To Believe – Thursday, November 27

  • A discovery of preserved air-breathing organs in ancient fossils of the spider-like arachnid, “daddy long-legs,” contradicts a key prediction of the evolutionary model. Paleontologists found branching tracheal tubes in 400-million-year-old fossils of daddy long-legs specimens which appear identical to the structures found in present-day daddy long-legs. The fact that no significant evolutionary change can be found in the breathing apparatus of daddy long-legs species over a 400-million-year time span argues against an evolutionary model but is consistent with a Creator who reuses optimal designs.
  • Related Resource: Punctuated Equilibrium, Creation Update (airdate 11-25-03).
  • Product Spotlight: Evolution: A Theory in Crisis, by Michael Denton

Today’s New Reason To Believe – Wednesday, November 26

  • Evolutionary biologists maintain that junk DNA provides incontrovertible evidence for evolution. This study demonstrates that intergenic (between gene) and intronic (within gene) "junk" DNA has function, since harmful mutations occur in these regions of the genome. In fact, this study’s authors suggest that deleterious mutations in junk DNA are associated with genetic disorders. Function for intergenic and intronic DNA indicates that careful planning by an Intelligent Designer, rather than undirected, random biochemical events, shaped the genomes of organisms.
  • Related Resource: Yet Another Use for “Junk” DNA, by Fazale “Fuz” Rana
  • Product Spotlight: Icons of Evolution, by Jonathan Wells (DVD or VHS)

Today’s New Reason To Believe – Tuesday, November 25

  • What’s life’s minimum complexity? For the evolutionary model to work, life in its minimal form must be chemically simple. In contrast, RTB’s creation model predicts that life in its minimal state is irreducibly complex. This work, which relies on comparative genomics, estimates that the last universal common ancestor must have had between 500-600 genes and supports the notion that life, even in its minimal form, is quite complex. This level of complexity provides clear-cut evidence that life is the product of a Creator.
  • Related Resource: Life’s Minimum Complexity – Archaeal Parasite, Creation Update (airdate 10-21-03).
  • Product Spotlight: Beyond Irreducible Complexity, by Fazale “Fuz” Rana

Today’s New Reason To Believe – Monday, November 24

  • Paley’s classic Watchmaker argument is thought by many atheists to have been largely discredited. However, the eerie resemblance between biomolecular machines in the cell and man-made devices revitalizes this powerful argument for Intelligent Design. One is the F1-F0 ATPase enzyme complex, a literal electrical rotary motor. This study adds new insight into the mechanical operation of the motor that allows electrical current to translate into a rotary motion. The elegant design and stark resemblance to man-made motors indicate that these biomolecular machines, and all of life’s chemistry, must be the work of a divine “Motor Maker“.
  • Related Resource: Nanodevices Make Megascopic Statement, by Fazale “Fuz” Rana
  • Product Spotlight: Travels to the Nanoworld, by Michael Gross

 Today’s New Reason To Believe – Sunday, November 23

  • Astronomers have discovered three additional galactic design characteristics. In order for human life to survive on any planet, one requirement is that the home galaxy maintain a stable spiral without any significant substructure. A new study demonstrates that as a spiral galaxy ages it generates processes that lead to the formation of such substructures — branches, spurs, and feathers — that form in and around the spiral arms. Such developing chaos can disturb a planetary system’s orbit about the center of a galaxy and expose that planetary system to deadly radiation and destructive gas and dust clouds. Consequently, the timing of humanity’s creation must be carefully designed. The galaxy must be old enough to provide humanity with the right kind and quantity of heavy elements, but not so old as to generate significant spiral substructure. The Milky Way exhibits such just-right design characteristics.
  • Related Resource: A Precise Plan for Humanity, by Hugh Ross
  • Product Spotlight: Journey Toward Creation, 2nd edition (VHS or DVD)

Today’s New Reason To Believe – Saturday, November 22

  • As recently as ten years ago, microbiologists viewed bacteria as a “container” of haphazardly arranged molecules. Recent advances, however, indicate that this view is incorrect. Microbiologists now understand these simplest of life forms to possess a remarkable degree of internal organization at the molecular level. This article adds to this new understanding of bacteria by describing a quality control system that helps regulate protein localization in the bacterium E. coli. Both the internal organization and quality control systems of the simplest life forms serve as markers for biochemical design and are expected if a Creator is responsible for life.
  • Related Resource: Origin-of-Life Predictions Face-Off, by Fazale “Fuz” Rana
  • Product Spotlight: Beyond Irreducible Complexity, by Fazale “Fuz” Rana

Today’s New Reason To Believe – Friday, November 21

  • Although some Christians remain skeptical about the veracity of the big bang model for the origin of the universe, it continues to receive a steady stream of confirmations. This study summarizes a few of the most recent ones. A detailed model for the chemical enrichment of the universe throughout cosmic history shows that the so-called “missing metals” of the early universe resided in the warm intergalactic gas inside clusters of galaxies that were placed there by strong galactic winds following intense initial starbursts. It also shows that the decline in galaxy luminosity density in recent cosmic history was caused by star-forming spiral galaxies that slowly exhaust their gas reservoirs. These results not only bolster the big bang model (which is consistent with the biblical account of creation) but also establish that the time window for humanity must be fine-tuned.
  • Related Resource: Predictive Power: Confirming Cosmic Creation, by Hugh Ross
  • Product Spotlight: The Creator and The Cosmos, by Hugh Ross

 Today’s New Reason To Believe – Thursday, November 20

  • Hugh Ross has suggested that increased exposure to a certain type of radiation through the Vela supernova eruption may have been one of the means God used to shorten human life spans mentioned in Genesis 6:3 and Genesis 11. Using very long baseline interferometry, astronomers have measured for the first time an accurate distance to the Vela pulsar (remnant of the supernova), namely 936 light years. This puts the Vela supernova at the right distance and time to help explain the life-shortening event described in Genesis 6:3.
  • Related Resource: Long Life Spans: Adam lived 930 years and then he died, by Fazale “Fuz” Rana, Hugh Ross and Richard Deem
  • Product Spotlight: The Genesis Question, by Hugh Ross

Today’s New Reason To Believe – Wednesday, November 19

  • Ancient DNA recovered from both Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans indicates that Neanderthals had no genetic, and hence, evolutionary connection to modern humans. These results run counter to “textbook” descriptions of human evolution, and provide powerful support for RTB’s biblical creation model of human origins. Most anthropologists agree with the conclusions from ancient DNA studies. However, some express concern that contamination from contemporary humans may confound ancient DNA analyses. This study suggests modifications to the protocols used to amplify ancient DNA that will significantly reduce any chance of contamination. Application of this new methodology will help secure the already sound conclusions about Neanderthal’s relationship to modern humans.
  • Related Resource: DNA Sequencing Refutes Neanderthal-Human Connection and Multiregional Origin for Humanity, Creation Update (airdate 5-13-03).
  • Product Spotlight: MP3 CD-ROM – Receive an entire quarter of Creation Update on one CD-ROM for only $24.95.

Today’s New Reason To Believe – Tuesday, November 18

  • What is life’s minimum complexity? For the evolutionary model to work, life in its minimal form must be chemically simple. In contrast, RTB’s creation model predicts that life in its minimal state is irreducibly complex. This work, which experimentally determines the essential gene set of E. coli to consist of 620 gene products, supports the notion that minimal life is quite complex and requires around 500 gene products. The irreducible complexity of life provides compelling evidence that life is the product of a Creator.
  • Related Resource: Life’s Minimum Complexity – Archaeal Parasite, Creation Update (airdate 10-21-03).
  • Product Spotlight: Beyond Irreducible Complexity, by Fazale “Fuz” Rana

Today’s New Reason To Believe – Monday, November 17

  • This discovery undermines the popular belief that the universe contains untold numbers of life-supporting planets. Astronomers determined that tidal interaction between a protostellar disk and an embedded Earth-sized planet will cause such a planet to experience substantial and rapid migration toward its star. Such migration reveals that planets capable of supporting life, such as Earth, which is in a just-right position relative to its star, are probably more exceptional than astronomers once thought.
  • Related Resource: First Detection of an Earth-Sized Planet? by Hugh Ross
  • Product Spotlight: Lights in the Sky and Little Green Men, by Hugh Ross, Kenneth Samples and Mark Clark

Today’s New Reason To Believe – Sunday, November 16

  • A new galaxy survey affirms RTB’s biblical cosmic creation model. Our Milky Way Galaxy is well protected for life because it lacks inhospitable neighbors. The Southern Sky Redshift Survey reveals that Seyfert galaxies, that is, galaxies with active nuclei (pouring out deadly radiation) are more abundant than previously recognized. They account for 3% of all galaxies. The fact that no Seyfert galaxy is in the vicinity of our galaxy indicates that the geographical placement of our galaxy seems no accident of evolution.
  • Related Resource: A Precise Plan for Humanity, by Hugh Ross
  • Product Spotlight: Journey Toward Creation, 2nd edition (VHS or DVD)

Today’s New Reason To Believe – Saturday, November 15

  • As recently as ten years ago, microbiologists viewed bacteria as a “container” of haphazardly arranged molecules. Recent advances, however, indicate that this view is incorrect. Microbiologists now understand these simplest of life forms to possess a remarkable degree of internal organization at the molecular level. This article adds to this new understanding of bacteria by describing the key role that two different proteins play in positioning the bacterium, Bacillus subtilis’s chromosome in a precise orientation inside the cell after cell division has occurred. If either of these two proteins fail to properly function, abnormal cell division results. Such design on the biochemical level requires forethought and is expected if a Creator is responsible for life.
    • Herve Joel Defeu Soufo and Peter L. Graumann, “Actin-Like Proteins MreB and Mbl from Bacillus subtilis are Required for Bipolar Positioning of Replicating Origins,” Current Biology 13 (2003), 1916-20.
  • Related Resource: Origin-of-Life Predictions Face-Off, by Fazale “Fuz” Rana
  • Product Spotlight: Beyond Irreducible Complexity, by Fazale “Fuz” Rana

Today’s New Reason To Believe – Friday, November 14

  • How could a loving God allow animals to brutally kill one another? The Bible teaches that animal death and carnivorous activity are part of God’s good design (Psalm 104:19-23, 27-30; Job 38:39-41; Job 39:13-18, 26-30). This report highlights the good that comes from carnivorous activity. Cottonwood trees were on the verge of local extinction in the Yellowstone ecosystem until wolves were re-introduced.  Without wolves, elk overgrazed young cottonwood trees and not only drove them to the brink of extinction, but set up a cascade that impacted birds, insects, fish and caused extensive soil erosion. This all halted when wolves began removing elks from the ecosystem and controlling their numbers. Though on the surface animal death may appear to be evil, it leads to a greater good and is part of God’s finely tuned ecosystem.
  • Related Resource: Animal Death before the Fall: What Does the Bible Say? by Lee Irons
  • Product Spotlight: Life and Death in Eden, by RTB Staff Scholars (cassette and CD)

Today’s New Reason To Believe – Thursday, November 13

  • This discovery provides astronomers with an explanation for why the early metal enrichment of the universe must be carefully fine-tuned for advanced life to be possible. Astronomers have discovered that the universe is fine-tuned to produce an initial burst of a few hundred very massive stars per galaxy. Then, for the next 4-5 billion years the infall of large amounts of intergalactic gas into emerging galaxies dilutes the metallicity arising from star formation and burning, and, thereafter, intergalactic gas infall drops to a minimal level. Such parameters for metallicity are critical to get the right stars and planets for life at the right time in cosmic history and in the right place in the universe.
  • Related Resource: Predictive Power: Confirming Cosmic Creation, by Dr. Hugh Ross
  • Product Spotlight: The Creator and The Cosmos, by Dr. Hugh Ross

Today’s New Reason To Believe – Wednesday, November 12

  • Paley’s classic Watchmaker argument is thought by many atheists to have been largely discredited. However, the eerie resemblance between biomolecular machines in the cell and man-made devices revitalizes this powerful argument for Intelligent Design. One is the F1-F0 ATPase enzyme complex, a literal electrical rotary motor. This study adds new insight into the mechanical operation of the motor that allows electrical current to translate into a rotary motion. The elegant design is consistent with the idea that all of life’s chemistry must be the work of a divine “Motor Maker“.
  • Related Resource: Nanodevices Make Megascopic Statement, by Fazale “Fuz” Rana
  • Product Spotlight: Travels to the Nanoworld, by Michael Gross

Today’s New Reason To Believe – Tuesday, November 11

Today’s New Reason To Believe – Monday, November 10

  • Hugh Ross has suggested that increased exposure to radiation through the Vela supernova eruption may have been one of the means God used to shorten human life spans mentioned in Genesis 6:3 and Genesis 11. A new understanding of how to obtain age estimates of pulsars (which form from supernova explosions) may help them determine a more accurate date for the eruption of the Vela supernova. A more accurate Vela supernova eruption date might yield more precise dates for humanity’s pre-historic existence.
  • Related Resource: Long Life Spans: Adam lived 930 years and then he died, by Fazale “Fuz” Rana, Hugh Ross and Richard Deem
  • Product Spotlight: The Genesis Question, by Hugh Ross

Today’s New Reason To Believe – Sunday, November 9

  • Many evolutionary biologists consider the 99% genetic similarity between humans and chimpanzees as strong evidence for evolution. This study demonstrates that while a high degree of genetic similarity exists, the way in which those genes are used (gene expression) is quite different in the human and chimpanzee cerebral cortex. Human brains display a higher level of gene expression than chimpanzees. Researchers think that this may explain the profound differences between human and chimpanzee brain function. As this study indicates, genetic similarity is a meaningless comparison. Rather, it’s how the genes are used that is critical, and in this respect humans and chimpanzees are radically different. It appears that the Creator used the same building blocks (genes) to construct both humans and chimpanzees, but used them in very different ways.
  • Related Resource: Humans and Chimps Differ, by Fazale “Fuz” Rana
  • Product Spotlight: Who was Adam? (VHS)

Today’s New Reason To Believe – Saturday, November 8

  • Discovery of an element found on meteorite samples provides support for the anthropic principle, which maintains that the universe and Earth are uniquely designed for human habitation. Astronomers discovered lanthanum-138 in five meteorite samples that correlates well with titanium-50. Such a correlation demonstrates that Earth got many of its life-essential elements from the formation of the solar system next to the eruption of a rare kind of a type I supernova, a supernova whose core “underwent significant gravitational collapse before carbon deflagration.” This discovery establishes that Earth’s capacity to support advanced life is much more exceptional than what astronomers previously considered.
  • Related Resource: A Precise Plan for Humanity, by Hugh Ross
  • Product Spotlight: Journey Toward Creation, 2nd edition (VHS or DVD)

Today’s New Reason To Believe – Friday, November 7

Today’s New Reason To Believe – Thursday, November 6

  • Why did God create dinosaurs? According to RTB’s biblical creation model, God has exquisitely fine-tuned Earth’s conditions for the last 4 billion years to allow for maximum biomass. The remains of this life (which would include dinosaurs) have yielded a rich abundance of natural resources (biodeposits) for humanity. This theoretical study supports this idea. These researchers demonstrate that increased biodiversity stabilizes ecosystems. This means that in order for Earth to support the maximum biomass, extensive biodiversity was a must. The wide variety of life forms created by God throughout Earth’s history reflects the Creator’s deep care for humanity. It also explains the diversity of dinosaurs seen in the fossil record.
  • Related Resource: Biodiversity Peaked Early, by Fazale “Fuz” Rana
  • Product Spotlight: The Genesis Question, by Hugh Ross

Today’s New Reason To Believe – Wednesday, November 5

  • For biological evolution to be true, biologists must unequivocally establish the evolutionary pathway (phylogeny) for any group of organisms. This study and the accompanying commentary highlight the general failure of evolutionary biologists to do this. These scientists frequently obtain quite different results depending on which anatomical features or, alternatively, which genes they choose to classify phylogenetic relationships. This serious problem represents one of many substantial deficiencies that are part of the evolutionary model.
  • Related Resource: Repeatable Evolution or Repeated Creation? by Fazale “Fuz” Rana
  • Product Spotlight: Evolution: A Theory in Crisis, by Michael Denton

Today’s New Reason To Believe – Tuesday, November 4

  • Astronomers recently observed, for the first time, an extreme ultraviolet flare arising from a low mass star. The flare lasted just under 500 seconds. In that time, the star’s UV radiation increased 200 times. This result demonstrates the impossibility of life’s survival in the vicinity of a low mass star. At the same time, it also underscores the significance (for life) of our sun’s just-right mass and flaring characteristics.
  • Related Resource: Rare Sun, by Guillermo Gonzalez
  • Product Spotlight: Journey Toward Creation, 2nd edition (VHS or DVD)

Today’s New Reason To Believe – Monday, November 3

Today’s New Reason To Believe – Sunday, November 2

  • For many skeptics, the long life spans described in Genesis 5 and 11 seem absurd. Recent advances in the biochemistry of aging, however, make these long life spans scientifically plausible. This study shows that by slightly adjusting its gene activity and hormone levels, the life span of an experimental worm model (C. elegans) can be dramatically extended without compromising quality of life. In human terms, the life span extension would correspond to about 500 years. This study suggests that the Creator could have used subtle changes in biochemistry to facilitate for long human life spans and then shorten them at the time of the Flood.
  • Related Resource: Long Life Spans: Adam Lived 930 years and Then He Died, by Fazale “Fuz” Rana, Hugh Ross and Richard Deem
  • Product Spotlight: The Genesis Question, by Hugh Ross

Today’s New Reason To Believe – Saturday, November 1

  • Recent criticism of WMAP results affirming big bang cosmology motivated a NASA astronomer to reanalyze data from the WMAP satellite and the Far Infrared Absolute Spectrometer on the COBE satellite. The charge was that the big bang results from both instruments may in part be attributed to effects from the instruments themselves. The astronomer reported, “The consistency of these data from very different instruments with very different observing strategies provides compelling support for the interpretation that the signal seen by WMAP is temperature anisotropy of cosmological origin.” This confirms previous evidence from the WMAP results that are consistent with the case for supernatural design of cosmic density parameters.
  • Related Resource: WMAP Offers Spectacular Proofs of Creation Event, by Hugh Ross
  • Product Spotlight: The Echo of the Big Bang, by Michael Lemonick