A mummified fossil of common species of hadrosaur was found recently in South Dakota that showed that this particular hadrosaur had a rooster-like fleshy comb on its head. Many hadrosaurs have exotic extensions of their cranial bones but this evidence that even the “boring” hadrosaurs had fleshy projections suggests that the hadrosaurs were an even... Continue Reading →
Cosmogenic Dating Methods Allow Estimates of Erosion Rates on Mars
Just how fast are some rocks on Mars eroding? A few months ago I asked a Martian rock that question (see: My Interview with a Martian: A Story of Origins) and I was not given a very satisfying answer. Well, that rock can be excused for being a bit confused about time given how boring... Continue Reading →
Piles of Fossil Poo: Providing a Peek into the Past
One headline reads “Giant Prehistoric Toilet Found” another refers to the discovery of an ancient latrine. Don’t know how I missed those a few weeks ago. Surely had I seen that headline I would have had to clicked on it to find out what that was all about. The actual title, The oldest known communal latrines... Continue Reading →
NH Notes: A Fish that Prefers to be on Land – The Pacific Leaping Blenny
This fish prefers to be out of water! The Pacific leaping blenny is back in the news again with the publication of further research on how they avoid being eaten by birds and lizards. Whoa, back up a bit you say. A fish living out of water! Yep, and this isn't just a fish that... Continue Reading →
Invoking Super-Speed Evolution: How to Squeeze 10,000+ Bird Species onto Noah’s Ark
There are about 10,000 species of birds alive today. Almost 200 additional species have gone extinct since the year 1500 and there are innumerable fossil species of birds in the geological column. One of the persistent challenges for modern young earth creationists is how to fit the diversity of life on the Noah’s ark. Answers... Continue Reading →
NH Notes: Rising Star Expedition Update
The process of discovery in science can be as fascinating to follow as a sporting event: if we knew how it was going to end we would be much less likely to watch. The Rising Star Expedition has the drama but not the finality, fortunately!, of a sporting event where there is a final score. ... Continue Reading →
Science in Progress: The Rising Star Expedition in South Africa
Update (Nov 2013): Please be aware this article was written as a first impressions of an ongoing expedition as an outsider onlooker. I updated this information (Rising Star Update) as more data came to light a few weeks later. It now seems fairly clear that this location will become a significant one in the study of... Continue Reading →
NH Notes: More Planets Than Stars Update
Our solar system comes with planets of all sorts of sizes and compositions. Not long ago, it was possible to debate if there were any other planets in the Universe other than those of our solar system. Now, there doesn't seem to be any question that other planets, called exoplanets, do exist. The... Continue Reading →
The Answers in Genesis Atheist Billboard Campaign
By now you have either seen or heard about the Answers in Genesis billboard campaign targeting atheists. In very prominent billboards in major cities including Times Square in New York City, the message is proclaimed to their atheist friends, Thank God Your Wrong. A considerable amount of digital ink has been spilt on internet discussion... Continue Reading →
NH Photography: Critters Around Our House This Fall
Nothing particularly profound today. I thought I would just share a smattering of pictures of critters that can be found on most any given early fall day around our home near Akron OH. The last couple of days there have been thousands of ladybugs swarming around the backyard looking for a place to overwinter. I... Continue Reading →
Geological Context III: The Origins of the Dmanisi Skull
A new hominid skull find is making news today. The headlines are predictable over-dramatic but the skull nonetheless is quite impressive in its state of preservation. I don’t have time for a detailed report of this find but I have read the paper (Lordkipanize et al. 2013 see references) and several other papers about this... Continue Reading →
NH Notes: Curiosity Update – Scenes on the Way to Mt. Sharp
Curiosity keeps chugging away across the floor of Gale Crater. A few weeks ago we talked to a rock (My Interview with a Martian: A Story of Origins) that it met as it is working its way to the base of Mt. Sharp. I had mentioned that the trip has been a tad boring compared... Continue Reading →
Fuzzy Orange Galls from Parasitic Wasps on Oak Leaves – Observations from 2013-2020
My daughter is very attentive to the insect population around our house. She spends many hours collecting all sorts of insects and other animals. In the fall of 2013 she brought me a leaf that she thought had a caterpillar of some sort on it. She is well aware that bugs make little... Continue Reading →
NH Photography: Gnats Swarming Above Grass
Who loves pleasant sunny fall afternoons? Most everyone and everything and that includes a large population of gnats in my yard that have also enjoyed a wet northeast Ohio summer. I had a few minutes to do some yard work today but I was distracted when I walked through a cloud of these small... Continue Reading →
Dragon Tales, UFOs and the Creation Museum
Since its inception, one of the Creation Museum’s most provocative exhibits has been one that places dinosaurs and man side by side. While this is anachronistic to most people at least everyone agrees that dinosaurs really lived at some time in earth’s history.* This year the Creation Museum added a new exhibit where you can... Continue Reading →