Our solar system comes with planets of all sorts of sizes and compositions. Â Not long ago, it was possible to debate if there were any other planets in the Universe other than those of our solar system. Â 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. Â In the fall of 2013 she brought me a leaf that she thought had a caterpillar of some sort on it. Â She is well aware that bugs make little... Continue Reading →
NH Photography: Gnats Swarming Above Grass
Who loves pleasant sunny fall afternoons? Â Most everyone and everything and that includes a large population of gnats in my yard that have also enjoyed a wet northeast Ohio summer. Â 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 →
NH Notes: Inverted Valleys – A Question of Age
Inverted valleys formed from lava "rivers" and ancient stream beds are one of many unusual geological phenomena found in Utah. Â The rocks speak in Utah and they speak very clearly because they readily reveal so many clues about their origins since they are so visible to us. Â Some of the most powerful testimonies of... Continue Reading →
Fossilized Valleys? Ancient Lava Flows and Inverted Valleys in Utah
How does a hill get a flat top? Â The picture below is a Google Maps satellite image of St. George Utah. To the left you can see an airport. This airport is on top of a long hill whose top is well over 100 feet above the city below. Â The airport was built here because... Continue Reading →
My Interview with a Martian: A Story of Origins
Everything has an origin.* Some stories of origins are relatively simple (eg. Niagara Falls)  while others are much more complex (eg. the Grand Canyon).  The study of origins is the study and reconstruction of past events. We have eyewitness accounts of some events from the past but mostly we use circumstantial evidence left behind as... Continue Reading →
Night of the Invasive Earthworms: A Horror Story for Northern Forests
We all learned from an early age that earthworms are God's good gift to gardeners. Â They rework the soil and help to degrade leaf litter thus helping to make nutrients and water available to plant roots. Â Our appreciation of earthworms can be traced back to Charles Darwin who spent more than 40 years... Continue Reading →
NH Photography: Upheaval Dome – Canyonlands National Park
There is a strange circular scar on the earth found amongst the meandering incised canyons of southeastern Utah. Â Called upheaval dome because it was originally thought to be the result of the slowing rising of a massive salt dome from below, this highly eroded structure has long been an oddity among the many spectacular sandstone... Continue Reading →
A Tour of The Dinosaur Trail of Mill Canyon (Moab, UT)
What museum can you go to where  you can see real dinosaur bones, you don't pay any fees, you can touch all the exhibits and there are no security cameras watching your every move (at least I don't think there are:-)?  The answer is The Mill Canyon Dinosaur Trail near Moab, Utah.  This outdoor "museum"... Continue Reading →
NH Photography: Goosenecks of the San Juan River
Southeastern Utah has an astounding amount of sedimentary rock on full display. Â Between our stays in Silverton Colorado and Moab Utah we made a trek through this area. Â One day hardly does this area justice but what we were able to see was amazing. Â The sedimentary layers are best seen in the gorge of the... Continue Reading →