Touring the Educator’s Help Desk

Among other recent improvements to RTB’s website is the new Educator’s Help Desk. This feature grew from the need for a place on the site for educators. This is an ongoing project that will continue to expand its resource archives.

Educating Educators

While RTB does offer some products for high schoolers (such as the Impact Events devotional series), our strategy is to “educate educators,” as Krista Bontrager puts it, because they are in the best position to adapt resources to their specific students and situations. As RTB’s dean of online learning, Krista describes the Help Desk as “a way for educators of all kinds—whether they are classroom teachers, youth pastors, or homeschooling parents—to be able to access RTB’s resources related to education.”

I took a little self-guided tour of the Help Desk to see what kinds of tools our educational arm of the ministry is offering. The materials presented include podcasts, videos, articles, and more that cover a range of topics pertinent to science education.

• Textbook and curriculum reviews (Christian and secular publications)

• Teaching how-to’s (how to choose and use curricula, how to teach astronomy, etc.)

• Tips and ideas (college choice, research projects, careers in science, etc.)

• Science education issues (creation in public schools)

Equipping Students

As a science-faith organization naturally we focus on curriculum and issues relating to science education. However, I think many of the principles and ideas promoted at the Educator’s Help Desk apply to other areas of study. For example, in the article “Five Reasons Why Christian Educators Should Address Evolution,” Krista (herself a homeschooling mom) explains:

In general, students need to be taught more evolution, not less….We expect teenagers to make complex decisions about sex, drugs, and religion. Surely, we shouldn’t shy away from discussing the complexities of evolution with them as well.

Krista points out that these discussions equip students to face challenges to their faith and values once they venture outside the Christian “bubble.” And, as she implies, this principle of equipping extends to other issues. Moreover, equipping not only means providing armor against intellectual assaults but also teaching the grace and diplomacy expected of Christ’s representatives.

In his book Reasonable Faith, renowned apologist Dr. William Lane Craig emphasizes the vital importance of equipping students intellectually:

If parents are not intellectually engaged with their faith and do not have sound arguments for Christian theism and good answers to their children’s questions, then we are in real danger of losing our youth. It’s no longer enough to teach our children Bible stories; they need doctrine and apologetics….It’s insufficient for youth groups and Sunday school classes to focus on entertainment and simpering devotional thoughts….The time for playing games is past.

Speaking from personal experience, I wish this sort of equipping had been offered both at home and in youth group during my teen years. Don’t get me wrong—I have wonderful parents and I cherish the memories I made with my youth group friends. However, I’ve come to realize that more “doctrine and apologetics” would have helped me overcome the difficulties I experienced in sharing my faith with nonbelievers.

Whether you are a teacher, parent, youth pastor, or student, I hope you’ll check out the Educator’s Help Desk and put RTB’s resources to work for your faith.

— Maureen

Resources: If you have questions about science education, email Krista at homeschooling@reasons.org. Or stop by and say “hi” in person! Krista and other team members will be representing RTB at several homeschool conventions this year. Get the details at http://www.reasons.org/events/events.

For those interested in digging even deeper, check out the college-accredited courses offered by Reasons Institute.

 

Flowers for Mom—and for Earth

I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine:
There sleeps Titania sometime of the night,
Lull’d in these flowers with dances and delight.
— William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2.1.255–60)

Whether for their practical uses or radiant beauty, flowers have always held a special place in our hearts. For my own green-thumbed mom, a basil plant or potted rose is the perfect gift for Mother’s Day. For Earth, flowers are not just pretty “window-dressing,” they are essential to keeping this planet friendly to all life.

RTB founder Hugh Ross, an avid nature photographer, points out some scientific reasons for valuing plants and flowers.

• Without flowering plants (angiosperms), Earth would be much too hot and dry for human civilization (see “Thank God for Flowers”).

• Vegetation helped increase Earth’s atmospheric oxygen and forms the base of the food chain (see “Let the Land Produce Vegetation”).

• Flowering plants helped prepare Earth for advanced animal life by efficiently removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere (see “Leaf Plumbing Design for Advanced Life”).

It just amazes me how even different types of plants play important roles in making Earth a fit place for us to live. As Hugh illustrates in these three articles, the nature of flowering plants and even the timing of their arrival on the planet fit so well with the biblical view of a loving Creator who engineered Earth to support a maximum variety of life.

Personally, I still think the best thing about flowers—from simple daisies to exotic orchids—is the way they showcase God’s unsurpassed artistry. What delight did He take in designing such beauty and then in watching humans (His most beloved creatures) enjoy and cultivate flower varieties of their own?

As you browse the florist’s shop for the perfect Mother’s Day bouquet, be sure to send up thanks to our Heavenly Father for fine-tuning plants to make Earth both habitable and beautiful.

— Maureen

 

Under the Sea at Monterey Bay

The first sardine cannery opened on Ocean View Avenue, Monterey in 1908—by the 1950s, overfishing forced the canneries to close their doors. The innovative Hovden Cannery was the last to close in 1973.

Almost 40 years later, Cannery Row (officially renamed after the John Steinbeck novel) is thriving again—this time as a popular historic attraction and marine life sanctuary. When my husband and I toured the Monterey Bay Aquarium last month I was amazed to see that the old Hovden Cannery building now houses a world-class aquarium dedicated to ocean research, education, and conservation.

The aquarium exhibits house over 600 animal species and thousands of plant species. My husband and I ogled forests of iridescent jellyfish, fanciful sea dragons, adorable sea otters, and more. The Open Sea exhibit, with its glittering cloud of sardines and spooky hammerhead sharks, was my personal favorite.

It’s mind-boggling to think on the incredible complexity of ocean life. Here at RTB, aquatic animals are a common topic for podcasts and blogs. More and more research is revealing how each species plays a role in maintaining Earth’s oceanic ecosystems—to the benefit of everyone on this planet.

• Astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink reports on studies that show how marine animals, like jellyfish, help recycle nutrients by continually stirring up ocean water.
• Astronomer Hugh Ross expounds on the benefits of sperm whale excrement (yeah, that’s right) to oceanic food chains.
• Biochemist Fuz Rana writes on the convergent buoyancy mechanism shared by sperm whales and microscopic copepods and how it puts a dent in the argument for evolution.

The fine-tuned balance of oceanic ecosystems powerfully demonstrates the work of a Creator. Every feature is designed to work in sync with others and each organism has its place. I’m reminded of Romans 12 where Paul explains to believers that each has a place and purpose in the Christian family. Just as each believer’s service is important, so each ocean creature’s place in the ecosystem counts no matter how “small” its role seems.

— Maureen

 

Titanic: 100 Years Later

April 15, 1912. In the wee hours of the morning, hundreds of panicked souls faced inevitable death in the icy North Atlantic waters as the most fantastic luxury liner ever built broke apart and sank beneath the placid surface. Though the R. M. S. Titanic never completed her maiden voyage, the doomed ship and her passengers quickly became the stuff of legend.

One hundred years later, a new kind of disaster threatens Titanic. Scientists report that bacteria are making a meal out of the vessel’s wreckage. They’ve even discovered a new strain of microbe amid “rusticles” recovered from the ship. Dubbed Halomonas titanicae, this bacterium is especially voracious in its consumption of the wreckage. Lead researcher Henrietta Mann estimates that the bacteria could reduce the ship to a mere rust stain within 15 to 20 years.

As something of a Titanic enthusiast, I admit the idea of the ship’s total destruction saddens me. I’m not alone. National Geographic reports that some experts would like to make efforts to halt the decay process and preserve the wreck for future generations. But others recognize the benefits of allowing nature to take its course because “Ultimately, such deep-dwelling, metal-eating microbes could teach engineers how to protect offshore oil rigs or dispose of other ships.”

RTB founder Hugh Ross is among those who see immense value in bacteria in general. On an episode of Science News Flash (December 10, 2010), he discusses not only the Titanic research reports, but also points out the many ways bacteria support life on planet Earth. For example:

• Bacteria are extremely efficient at pollution cleanup, from ship wrecks to oil spills.
• Bacteria are also proving capable of disposing of radioactive waste.
• Bacteria spent 3 billion years preparing Earth’s elements and atmosphere for complex life.

Hugh believes bacteria reveal God’s care for aquatic and terrestrial life by cleaning up messes, whether natural or manmade. He points to bacteria’s ability to adapt to changing circumstances, such as Titanic’s sinking or the British Petroleum oil spill, and to develop new strains for dealing with them. Despite bacteria’s “bad press,” they are showing themselves to be invaluable and intelligently designed members of Earth’s community.

— Maureen

Resources: For more on bacteria, check out these RTB materials.

• “Bacteria Help Prepare Earth for Life” (article) by Hugh Ross
• “Bacteria More Complex than Imagined” (article) by Fuz Rana
• “Scientists Catalog Zoo of Bacteria inside our Guts” (podcast) March 5, 2010 episode of Science News Flash with Fuz Rana

Extra: I Didn’t Know That! – April 10, 2012 (podcast) – listen to the last few minutes of the show as Sandra attempts to stump the scholars with a bit of Titanic trivia.

 

Dating Ancient Limestone in Ireland

In County Clare, Ireland, one of the main sight-seeing destinations is the Burren, a stretch of terrain often described as “lunar” in appearance. The karst landscape features expansive limestone pavements crisscrossed by cracks known as “grikes” (as though raked by a giant attempting to farm) and solemn portal tombs such as the Neolithic Poulnabrone Dolmen.

When I visited the Burren, I sensed a sort of ancientness hanging over the region and felt humbled by the history saturating the very stones I stood on. Information plaques posted near the Poulnabrone Dolmen told me this obscure burial site is possibly older than both Stonehenge and the Pyramids of Egypt. But oldest by far is the limestone itself, coming in at an impressive 340 million years old.

Scientists determine the date for the Burren and its artifacts using a technique called radiometric dating. And yet the reliability of

Yours truly in front of the Poulnabrone Dolmen

this technique is a source of debate among Christian creationists. While old-earth proponents accept radiometric dating as valid, young-earth supporters doubt its validity, often citing examples of wildly inaccurate results in support of their skepticism. I once had a fellow believer tell me these methods had been proven unreliable by a scientist who got a reading of thousands of years when he tested radiometric dating on a live snail.

The Institute of Creation Research even published a collection of papers documenting eight years work on the Radioisotopes and the Age of The Earth (RATE) project. Their conclusions challenged radiometric dating results and supported the young-earth view. (See here for a review of the study by Randy Isaac, executive director of the American Scientific Affiliation.)

RTB astronomer Hugh Ross addresses challenges to radiometric dating in his book A Matter of Days. He writes,

Just as thermometers, barometers, and radar all have specific applications and limits, so too do the more than 40 different radiometric decay dating methods….

Supposed ‘evidence’ against the reliability of radiometric dating focuses on the method’s ‘flaws’ or inaccuracies when applied outside its limitations….

When used outside of its intended purposes or limitations, any dating technique can produce incorrect and unreliable results. When used within its intended purposes and limitations, radiometric dating can and does serve as a reliable and trustworthy tool…

Hugh lists three requirements for obtaining accurate radiometric dating results.

1. Proximity of the actual date to the (measureable) half-life of the radiometric chronometer (for example, carbon-14 dating is most reliable for organic material between 900–35,000 years old)
2. Adequate sample size
3. Adequate sample purity

With these three requirements in mind, it seems misuse of the technique renders tests on things like live snails irrelevant.

Thinking back on my experience at the Burren reminds me of God’s challenge to Job: “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand.” The Burren’s human history, though fascinating and ancient, pales in comparison to the awesome power and creative abilities of the eternal Designer of the very old universe.

— Maureen

Resources: Check out these RTB resources for more information on radiometric dating.

• A Matter of Days (book) by Hugh Ross
• I Didn’t Know That! (podcast) February 8, 2011 and July 1, 2010 episodes
• “The Dynamics of Dating” (article) by Dr. Roger C. Wiens
• “Dating Methods that Work” (blog) by Sandra Dimas

 

Piecing Together the Creation Texts

My family loves solving jigsaw puzzles. We always start by finding the corner pieces and then the edges. With the frame complete, puzzle-building becomes a practice in patience as everyone takes turns examining pieces, studying the image on the box, and trying out different combinations. Slowly, from the mound of seemingly unrelated pieces emerges a clear picture.

Something similar happens when we integrate creation texts from throughout Scripture. If someone asked us to show them the Bible’s creation story, most of us would point to Genesis. But Genesis isn’t the only piece to understanding God’s creative acts or the natural realm.

Mentions of creation appear through the Old and New Testaments. RTB founder Hugh Ross believes that in order to get a more accurate understanding of the biblical creation narrative, it’s necessary to take into account everything the Bible says about this hot topic. That means looking beyond Genesis to see how other books of Scriptures help reveal a clearer picture of creation.

Hugh’s latest book, Hidden Treasures in the Book of Job, does just that. Job is likely the oldest book in the Bible, meaning its teachings on creation would have been known to Moses, author of Genesis, and his audience. Hugh writes:

In many respects, Job serves as an introduction or preface to Genesis. The gaps in the Genesis creation accounts that skeptics love to ridicule are not really gaps at all if the content of Job was familiar to the original recipients of Genesis. Why would Moses need or want to repeat what was already widely understood from Job’s epic poem?

One feature of Job that stands out is the extensive ending monologue delivered by God himself in the last five chapters of the book. It seems obvious God’s direct comments on creation should be taken into consideration.

On the RTB website Hugh provides a list of the major creation texts. There are 22 key passages, besides those in Genesis. In Hidden Treasures in the Book of Job, Hugh explains:

This wealth of creation content makes the Bible unique among the “holy books” of the world’s major religions. This treasure enables readers, through thoughtful integration, to discern from the Bible a reasonably clear, detailed, and unambiguous story of the origin and history of the universe, Earth, and life.

This principle of constructive integration gathers all the appropriate pieces relating to creation and examines them together, helping us develop not just a clearer picture but also a stronger case for biblical creation.

— Maureen

 

Resources: To get a better understanding of God’s creative acts, check out The Bigger on Creation, a Bible study guide by theologian Krista Bontrager.

Hugh outlines RTB’s apologetics method and discusses the interpretive tools we use with science-faith, creation-evolution, and Bible-theology issues in “Interpreting Creation,” a five-part Today’s New Reason to Believe series.

• “Interpreting Creation, Part 1: Apologetics Methods”
• “Interpreting Creation, Part 2: Science-Faith Models”
• “Interpreting Creation, Part 3: The Scientific Method”
• “Interpreting Creation, Part 4: Hermeneutical Principles”
• “Interpreting Creation, Part 5: Hermeneutical Principles Continued”

 

 

 

Science, Faith, Reason, Sporks

In the opening scenes of Disney and Pixar’s Wall-E, the titular robot returns home from a full day of garbage cleanup with a little pile of treasures to add to his extensive collection. Carefully, Wall-E puts each item in its place, but a spork stumps him. Does it go with the spoons or with the forks?

Like Wall-E, many of us like to fit things, people, and ideas into neatly structured categories. In the realm of science-faith issues, there seems to be a tendency to compartmentalize the different “sides” of the discussion. As an example, check out the mission statement for Oxford biologist Richard Dawkins’ foundation:

The mission of the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science is to support scientific education, critical thinking and evidence-based understanding of the natural world in the quest to overcome religious fundamentalism, superstition, intolerance and suffering.

It’s daunting for Christians (or any person of faith, really) to engage in the discussion when we’re pigeon-holed in a category with “fundamentalism, superstition, intolerance and suffering.” Meanwhile, the claims to clear thinking, free thought, rationality, and reason appear to give the naturalistic worldview an edge in the marketplace of ideas.

But are naturalism and all its branches of thought always as reasonable and logical as they’re portrayed to be?

Closer inspection reveals a number of questionable philosophical assumptions undergirding the naturalist worldview. Christian philosophers Kenneth Samples (of Reasons To Believe) and Dr. Paul Copan (of Palm Beach Atlantic University) both do excellent jobs of analyzing naturalism’s assumptions in their respective books—A World of Difference (Samples) and “How Do You Know You’re Not Wrong?” (Copan).

For example, some branches of naturalism hold to scientism, a philosophical concept that exalts scientific knowledge over other forms of knowledge. It is not, however, the same thing as science itself (the study of the natural world). Samples explains:

Scientism maintains a very narrow focus in the types of things it permits as candidates for authentic knowledge and truth….Restricting the possibility of knowledge to the realm of the natural sciences means that religious, philosophical, aesthetic, and moral statements have little or no contribution to make in terms of knowledge and truth.

Copan points out (emphasis original):

The viewpoint of scientism is both arbitrary and self-refuting (and thus incoherent). It demands that all truth-claims have to be scientifically (empirically) verifiable. However, this viewpoint is simply arbitrary. Furthermore, there’s no way to verify scientifically that all truth-claims must be scientifically verifiable. This viewpoint isn’t the result of scientific research (a scientific conclusion); it’s a philosophical assumption.

Not only are such assumptions incoherent, they also place unnecessary and hindering limits on the possible explanations for the nature of the universe and the human experience. Excluding supernatural explanations and theological and philosophical knowledge reveals a prejudice against the nonnatural that is, in Copan’s words, “arbitrary and dogmatic.” Science can’t explain everything. As Samples puts it, “In reality, science alone cannot explain some of the most meaningful human realities of life (for example, values, aesthetics, and meaning).”

It’s no secret that Christianity (indeed, all belief systems) has its fair share of nonsensical and radical devotees. However, it is not fair or even correct to label us all as irrational or ignorant simply because we believe in a supernatural God. Likewise, naturalism is not as uniformly logical and clear-minded as its followers like to claim. Neither group—believers nor skeptics—can be defined by such neat categories.

Perhaps we all belong with the sporks.

— Maureen

Resources: Check out these books by Kenneth Samples and Paul Copan for a little logic and reason from the Christian side of the fence.

• A World of Difference by Samples
• Without a Doubt by Samples
• “How Do You Know You’re Not Wrong?” by Copan
• Is God a Moral Monster? by Copan

Special event: On March 24, people from every facet of the secular movement will converge on Washington DC for a Reason Rally billed as “the largest secular event in world history.” Christian apologetics groups like Ratio Christi and the Apologetics Bloggers Alliance are joining together to represent Christ lovingly and gently in this unique environment. Check out their efforts at www.truereason.org/.

 

Personality Profile

“I certainly have not the talent which some people possess,” said Darcy, “of conversing easily with those I have never seen before. I cannot catch their tone of conversation, or appear interested in their concerns, as I often see done.”  —Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

Like Mr. Darcy of Jane Austen fame, I am an introvert. You’re more likely to find me curled up with a book or watching a movie alone than hobnobbing with friends. Though I’m not necessarily shy, social interaction of any kind, but especially with strangers, exhausts me.

According to the cover article of a recent issue of Time, an estimated 30 percent of the human population is introverted. Article author Bryan Walsh, himself an introvert, explains, “While extroverts draw energy from mingling with large groups of people…introverts find such social interactions taxing.”

For introverts, alone time is vital.

Thanks to advanced technology and ambitious experiments, scientists have discovered that temperament, whether introverted or extroverted, “seems strongly inborn and inherited.” Researchers found that even brain activity can differ between introverts and extroverts.

As I perused the Time article, several things stood out to me.

• Human personalities are incredibly complex. Many factors, temperament included, go into making each individual a unique entity. Sure, certain animals possess distinctive personalities, but not to the extent that humans do.
• Only humans show an interest in studying such things as temperament and personality. Animals don’t analyze each other to find out what makes the other tick. Even more amazing is the fact that we humans are capable of understanding the things we study.
• The human brain is incredibly intricate. Whole sections of our brain are dedicated to relational, intellectual, and communication functions in ways that far exceed even the cleverest critter. Moreover, research suggests that delayed human brain development—compared to animals’—contributes to our enhanced intellectual abilities.

These uniquely human characteristics make me question naturalism’s explanatory power. The mental gulf between humans and animals is enormous despite our shared biological similarities. When I discussed the Time article with RTB philosopher/theologian Ken Samples, also a fellow introvert, he reminded me that human beings appear to differ from animals not only in degree, but also in kind. We’re in a category all our own.

Ken further commented that, while naturalism has yet to come up with a satisfactory explanation for this categorical difference, Christianity attributes it to the fact that we humans bear the image of God. The imago Dei may not be empirically detectable, but as Ken says, “it is demonstrable; we can observe that it’s true” just by looking at the extreme differences between human and animal behavior.

The study of extroversion versus introversion makes another important point: God loves diversity. I’m really glad He saw fit to make us not only different from the animals, but also different from each other by giving each person a special piece of His image to bear. Life is so much more entertaining that way.

— Maureen

Resources: For a demonstration of how Christianity and naturalism measure up as viable worldviews, check out Ken’s book A World Difference. For more on the differences between animals and humans, see Hugh Ross’ latest book, Hidden Treasures in the Book of Job.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Past Watchful Dragons

This month’s Chinese New Year celebrations will usher in 2012 as the year of the dragon. These legendary beasties have been a favorite fairytale and mythology staple for eons. But are dragons really just figments of our imaginations? Or are they evidence of ancient humans’ encounters with living dinosaurs?

The timing of dinosaurs’ existence is a point of disagreement between young- and old-earth creationists. Based on their interpretation of the Genesis creation days as 24 hours long and their belief that animals did not die before Adam’s fall, young-earth creationists insist that dinosaurs and humans must have coexisted for a time. Worldwide dragon lore—including biblical references to dragons, leviathans, and behemoths—is used as support of this coexistence. (See Answers in Genesis and the Institute for Creation Research for details on the young-earth perspective.)

However, scientific research does not support the idea of a dinosaur-human coexistence. Paleontologists estimate that the last wave of dinosaurs went extinct around 65 million years ago—well before humans, and even most mammals, showed up. Furthermore, dinosaur fossils were not recognized for what they really were until the 1800s, making dinosaurs a relatively modern discovery.

Based on these two facts, Reasons To Believe believes it unlikely that the biblical authors make any mention of dinosaurs whatsoever. How, then, do we reconcile the biblical references to behemoths, leviathans, and dragons with the scientific and historic data?

• Passages in the book of Job describing the behemoth and leviathan are likely referring to the hippopotamus and crocodile, respectively. This is not a new interpretation. As RTB founder Hugh Ross points out in his book Hidden Treasures in the Book of Job, prior to the nineteenth-century discovery of dinosaurs most Bible scholars accepted the hippo and croc interpretation. (Even some more recent Bible versions include this view in their footnotes.)

 

• In English Bibles, the word “dragon” appears most notably in Revelation 12–13 and usually refers to Satan. (Other instances of use vary from translation to translation.) In a March 2011 episode of I Didn’t Know That!, RTB scholars Fuz Rana and Dave Rogstad suggest that—given the fact that Revelation’s author, John, was totally ignorant of dinosaurs—it’s more probable that he drew upon well-known mythological imagery to help his readers grasp the strange visions he described than that he referred to a real animal.

So how did we think up dragons? Inspiration for the Chinese dragon did indeed come from dinosaurs—fossilized bones, that is. Whale bones may have also contributed to the stories. Historians believe other reptiles—like the Nile crocodile, spitting cobras, and monitor lizards—also influenced dragon lore.

Thinking about God’s colorful description of the terrifying leviathan in Job 41, it doesn’t surprise me that such relatively modern beasts inspired tall tales and epic mythologies. I can just picture the campfire stories now…

— Maureen

Resources: It’s an undeniable fact that dinosaurs fascinate us. We’ve dedicated an RTB 101 page to helping people understand these monstrous animals and their place in God’s creation.

 

Animals in the Spotlight

In early elementary school I developed distaste for reading. To remedy the situation, my parents bought books suited to my interests—principally, animals. I willingly devoured Zoobooks magazines, curled up with girl-and-her-horse novels, and thumbed through a well-loved copy of a mammal encyclopedia. Although my literary tastes

Me and my husband with a trio of feathered friends.

expanded over the years, even today few things will catch my attention faster than an animal.

And it seems the animal kingdom has been garnering some attention in popular science news as well.

Over the last week or two, RTB scholars Fuz Rana and Hugh Ross have hopped into the recording studio several times to record comments on recent discoveries involving elephant toes, beaver dams, and a new shark species.

• Elephants’ Sixth “Toe”: For centuries, elephants’ extra digit puzzled scientists. Now extensive research shows that the toe first appeared about 40 million years ago when elephantine animals began growing in size and transitioning to land-based habitats. The question is does this finding support evolution or creation?

Fuz weighed in on this discussion on the December 29, 2011 episode of Science News Flash (SNF). He points out that similar extra digits appear in pandas and moles—leading to the conclusion that this is yet another example of convergence, the independent and repetitious appearance of shared characteristics among unrelated organisms.

We would not expect evolution, as a random, unguided process, to be capable of reproducing designs. Yet convergence abounds in nature (echolocation in dolphins and bats is another prominent example). Such instances, Fuz says, better fit within a creation model, where an intelligent Creator makes repeated used of His designs as would a human engineer.

• Busy Beavers: It might surprise people to learn how many ways beavers have impacted life in North America. It certainly astounded me when I listened to Hugh’s December 30, 2011 SNF episode. Thanks to ground-penetrating radar readings from orbiting satellites, researchers discovered that the once-abundant beaver dams throughout North America exerted substantial influence over subterranean sediment buildups.

That’s a pretty big impact by itself, but Hugh takes beavers’ importance a step or two further. As a Canadian, he has a special appreciation for the way the beaver fur trade supported his home country’s early economy. However, as an animal lover, Hugh notes that furriers definitely overhunted beavers to the detriment of Canada and America’s wetland ecosystems. He explains that beavers are vital to removing nitrogen from water. Too much nitrogen creates dead spaces where fish cannot flourish. Areas like Chesapeake Bay and the Gulf of Mexico currently face nitrogen’s negative effects. Looks like a restoration of beaver populations may be in order!

• New Shark on the Block: Say “hybrid” and most people probably think “Prius.” But nature is not without hybrids of its own. Recent research revealed the unexpected existence of a new shark. Hybrid animals are not unheard of (think mules or, if you’re Napoleon Dynamite, ligers)—but this cross between common blacktip and Australian blacktip sharks stands out. Not only is it the first known shark hybrid, it’s also fertile and shows signs of being more robust than its progenitors. Scientists suspect changing climate conditions may be responsible for this development.

The animal is being touted as “evolution in action”—and it is. As Fuz points out on the first SNF of 2012, this shark hybrid is an example of microevolution. Through adaptation and speciation, organisms adjust to changing environments and new challenges in order to survive. The peppered moth and Darwin’s famous Galapagos finches are textbook examples.

So do these types of evolution tip the scales in favor of naturalism? Hardly. Fuz notes that there is a big difference between microevolution and the theory that mindless evolution has the creative capacity to produce radically different animals from previous creatures. Discoveries like the hybrid shark make better sense if a Creator endowed His creations with the ability to adapt.

From a layperson’s perspective, it seems a stretch to assume that relatively small adjustments (microevolution), like the elephant’s sixth toe and the hybrid shark, automatically implies large-scale adjustments (macroevolution), like dinosaurs evolving into birds or ape-like creatures into human beings.

When God confronts Job, He points to various animals as examples of His power and glory. Indeed, a visit to the zoo, or even a moment with my pet rabbit, always puts me in awe of God. I can see why Paul wrote in Romans that no man is without excuse because the multifaceted natural world so clearly testifies to God’s existence and His character.

— Maureen

Resources: Are you like me and can’t get enough of animals? Check out Hugh’s latest book, Hidden Treasures in the Book of Job, for an intriguing look at how animals point us toward our mutual Creator.