Some of the events in that transformation required major stresses to the planet. For example the formation of continents resulted a couple billion years ago from an epoch of substantial tectonic … more

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). Two sudden bursts, each showing an organism … more

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,1 I heard little or no mention … more

Jason Bourne lives life on the edge. The protagonist of the Bourne spy fiction thriller series relentlessly pursues the truth, with danger lurking at every turn. Regardless of the peril, he must … more

Here’s an SAT question for you: Carbon dioxide is to global warming as atmospheric pressure is to ___________. Answer: global warming. While carbon dioxide grabs today’s headlines, … more

Most of the stuff I want to filter out of the water tends to settle toward the bottom–but the filter inlet sits toward the top of the pool. If my kids and I don't stir the water by swimming, I … more

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 … more

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 … more

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 … more

 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. … more

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 … more

Source of the Dispute

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 … more

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 … more

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 … more

Most of my favorite trips from childhood (and adulthood) involved mountains

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X-NONE … more

This past year I undertook a project to add some habitable space to my house. As I worked—being careful with the nails—I saw parallels between my planning and certain events that brought … more

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 … more

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 … more

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. … more

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, … more