In 2013 a remarkable DNA sequence was revealed by geneticists studying ancient DNA. It was the nearly complete genome extracted and decoded from the remains of a tooth from a horse preserved in permafrost sediments buried in the Yukon region in Alaska. This partially fossilized bone was estimated to be more than 500,000 years old. ... Continue Reading →
Evaluating the State of Creationism: Creationist Finances
Evaluating the state of creationism in the evangelical church today is a difficult task. Gallop polls suggest little changes among Americans regarding their views of origins but the generic nature of the questions make these results challenging to interpret. I have looked at web site traffic, publication records and other metrics of the reach... Continue Reading →
The Fake Fringes: How I Fell Victim to an Internet Parody
This is a bit embarrassing but I think instructive so I am going to share how I discovered that I have been utterly fooled by a parody web site for many years. Last week I wrote about the importance of understanding that even fringe groups have fringes (see: Human Fossil Footprints: Exploring the Fringes of... Continue Reading →
The State of Creationism as Viewed by Google Trends
Just how much interest is there in various forms of creationism and has that interest been increasing or decreasing? There have been many polls that that have addressed this question over the past several decades. These polls generally suggest that attitudes toward the age of the earth, the origin of man and evolution have not... Continue Reading →
NH Notes: Answers in Genesis and a Mountain of Extraterrestrial Dust
How long would it take for falling dust to accumulate into a mound 2 1/2 miles tall? Answers in Genesis has commented (Wind, not water, may have built the Martian Mount Sharp) over the weekend on the same research article that I referenced in my post last week (NH Notes: Did Wind and Dust Create a... Continue Reading →
Human Fossil Footprints: Exploring the Fringes of Creationism
A friend of mine recently gave me a book that he had found at a local library book sale knowing that I have an interest in creationist' writings. The book, Evolution and Human Fossil Footprints, was written by an Aaron Judkins. I assumed the focus of the book would be on the Paluxy “man” tracks in... Continue Reading →
DNA from a Fossil Canine Skull: Confirmation of an Ancient Domesticated Dog
Where did domesticated dogs come from? That dogs are wolves has been known for some time but which wolves and when did domestication occur has been a more difficult question to answer. Thousands of dog breeds and wolves have been genotyped to explore this question and that evidence suggests four and possibly more, separate wolf... Continue Reading →
Of Kinds and Common Ancestors: Comparing Mitochondrial Genomes of Mammals
A few days ago I shared some thoughts about the significance of genetic differences that are observed between humans and primates (How Similar is Similar, Part I). I said that it was important that genetic similarity numbers that are frequently used to make a case for genetic uniqueness need to be assessed in the context of... Continue Reading →
How Similar is Similar? Baramins, Species, and the Identification of Common Ancestors
A recent paper published by the Answers Research Journal, the research publication of Answers in Genesis, reported a comparison of human and chimpanzee genomes and found that they have, on average, a DNA similarity of only 70%. This is a very striking number since the usual numbers you hear thrown about as representing the similarity... Continue Reading →
Weekend Potpourri: Salt Chronometer Update, Ken Ham Blog, and Gen X Creationists
It has been a while since I've been able write. There has been quite a bit of news the last two weeks and I thought I would briefly comment on a few items that are relevant to my most recent posts: The Salt Chronometer Since I published my series on the salty seas (Part I,... Continue Reading →
A Simple Experiment Misinterpreted: Properties of Liquid vs Frozen Water
I'm taking a bit of a tangent from my usual subject material to have a bit of fun with some material that I recently found as part of this thing called the blogosphere. Ok, maybe not all fun since I'm not sure if this post will make you laugh or cry or maybe both. My... Continue Reading →
The State of Creation Science as Measured by Scholarly Publishing
In two prior posts (Creation Science Organizations: Past, Present and Future and The Next Generation of Creation Scientists) I have raised questions about the viability of the creation science movement as measured by the conversion of new scientists to the movement. Of course there have been many converts to belief in a young earth or at... Continue Reading →
The Next Generation of Creation Scientists?
I have to believe that when Henry Morris formed ICR he envisioned hundreds of scientists today actively applying the creation model to the historical sciences not just mouthing support for it. That former obviously hasn't happened despite the proliferation of creation science organizations with their significant financial resources and publishing capacity Creationists list hundreds of PhD scientists who are creation scientists but this is not the same as saying there are hundreds of creation scientists doing creation science.
Creation Science Organizations: Past, Present and Future
Over the years I have maintained an eye on the ever-changing organizational structure of several creation science ministries. The growth and in some cases retraction of some organizations is not unlike what happens to many non-profit or other para-church organizations. The growth of para-church organizations is frequently caused by one of two main drivers: a dynamic personality... Continue Reading →
The Salty Sea Part III: Are the Oceans Getting Saltier Over Time?
This is part of series of posts on the Sea Salt Chronometer. Other posts in this series are: The Salty Sea and the Age of the Earth: Confirmation Bias The Salty Sea Part II: A Young Earth Salt Chronometer? The Salty Sea Part III: Are the Oceans Getting Saltier Over Time? The Salty sea Part... Continue Reading →