Tag Archives: Brian Thomas

The Tree of the Field is Man’s Life

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Are you fortunate enough to live among trees?  The Word of God is replete with references to trees – in the histories and prophecies.  I often think of the old adage – “he can’t see the forest for the trees,” when faced with the obstinate refusal of sinners to see the sin that they are mired in.  As they are in the midst of it – they fail to see how immense sin truly is.  The Lord made all trees and plants on the third day of creation – and He made them very, very good. . . not just good for food, shelter, clothing, and outright beauty. . .but good for our souls.

Trees Really Are ‘Pleasant to the Sight’

by Brian Thomas, M.S. *

Genesis 2:9 records one of the Lord’s original intentions for creating trees, saying, “Out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” A new study has quantified just how pleasant to the sight trees can be, inadvertently confirming the truthfulness of this ancient biblical passage.

Professor William Sullivan and lecturer Bin Jiang of the University of Illinois’ department of landscape architecture measured stress levels in participants who watched six-minute-long 3D panoramic videos of neighborhoods. The amount of tree canopy coverage in the various neighborhoods ranged from 2 to 62 percent.1

The researchers used three tactics to gauge stress: measuring salivary cortisol levels, detecting skin conductance, and conducting self-reports. Adrenal glands secrete cortisol hormone in response to stress, and sweaty skin—another response to stress—conducts electricity more efficiently than dry skin.

Their analysis revealed that those participants exposed to 62 percent tree coverage experienced a 60 percent reduction in stress.

Their results also showed that 41 percent of participants showed no change in stress levels when only a quarter or less of the neighborhood canopies had trees. However, according to University of Illinois news, “when the percentage of tree canopy increased to 36 percent, more than 90 percent of viewers reported feeling calm or relaxed while watching the videos.”1

These findings support the idea that urban planners and landscape architects who incorporate green spaces into their plans could help foster a healthier, calmer populace.

How could the calming sense of pleasure that comes from looking at trees have evolved? Did it somehow help mankind out-compete some ancient and unfeeling animals from which we supposedly emerged?

Rather, God built trees to meet humanity’s God-given ability to appreciate them and thus their Maker. What better disposition from which to appreciate the Lord than one of simple pleasure? Viewed from a biblical perspective, the positive effect of merely looking at tree canopies confirms the words of Genesis that God made certain trees—not just the tree of the knowledge of good and evil—to be pleasant to the eyes.

References

  1. Forrest, S. Watching 3-D videos of trees helps people recover from stress, researchers say. News Bureau, University of Illinois. Posted on news.illinois.edu October 21, 2014, accessed November 4, 2014.

* Mr. Thomas is Science Writer at the Institute for Creation Research.

Deuteronomy 20:18-20

18 That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the Lord your God.

19 When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them: for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down (for the tree of the field is man’s life) to employ them in the siege:

20 Only the trees which thou knowest that they be not trees for meat, thou shalt destroy and cut them down; and thou shalt build bulwarks against the city that maketh war with thee, until it be subdued.

Revelation 22:1-3

22 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him

Please enjoy this lovely rendition of Joyce Kilmer’s/Oscar Rasbach’s “Trees,” sung by Bob McGrath, in classical Irish tenor style...

The next time you are outside, stop and take a whiff of the oxygen and fragrance that trees provide.  Really pause, and look up at their branches moving in the wind.  Thank our Creator for giving us such beautiful, wonderful things, things that we so often overlook in our busy lives.  

sage

God’s Creation – Bats and Pitcher Plants

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Pitcher Plants Designed to Attract Bats

by Brian Thomas, M.S. *

Evidence for Creation › Evidence from Science › Evidence from the Life Sciences › Life Was Created Fully Functional

Even children learn that plants and animals depend on one another. Plants release oxygen for animals to breathe, and plants make food—mostly sugar—for animals to eat. In turn, animals produce carbon dioxide so plants can grow using sunlight. This ecological interdependence shows enough divine design to inspire any honest thinker to consider a Creator, but a recently discovered interaction between pitcher plants and bats shows even more.1

Pitcher plants in tropical Borneo, the largest island in Asia, attract a particular species of bat to roost right inside their pitchers. The plants absorb nitrogen from the bat waste that drops to the bottom of the pitchers, and the bats enjoy comfy digs. Researchers already knew that pitcher plants in South American jungles grow flowers that attract bats for pollination, but the Asian version is unique. They give bats a safe place to roost during daylight hours. How do bats discern these preferred pitcher plants from the surrounding dense jungle foliage, and does the answer to that question help explain how this all might have evolved?

German specialists worked with biologists from Brunei, Borneo to track down the specifics on how pitcher plants attract bats. They published their results in Current Biology.2 The pitcher plants present concave reflectors that attract their bat buddies. Bats’ high-pitched sound waves bounce off the reflector, so it stands out against the drab-sounding jungle background. The pitcher’s sonic reflector has three other precise design features.

1. The plant’s reflector is situated just above the pitcher’s opening. To the bat, the reflector sounds very loud, but the opening below absorbs sound. The bats easily pick out this distinct contrast.

2. The area containing the reflector is larger than related pitcher plants that attract insects, increasing its sonic signal.

3. It reflects distinct sonic patterns on either side so that the bats can detect it from many angles.

The plant reflector’s size and side-reflecting patterns only work when a certain range of sound frequencies strike it. Of course, these exactly match the vocal range of these local bats, which happen to hold the record for highest frequencies of all bats so far measured. For more about animal sonar, watch our short video here.

How did all this interdependent fine-tuning happen? For a pitcher plant to construct the right size and shape reflector in the right place, it needs just the right building instructions in its DNA. And no number of high-pitched bat calls can somehow reach into plant-seed DNA and write new reflector construction code.

The Current Biology study authors wrote, “In the Neotropics, a few bat-pollinated plants found an efficient solution to attract bats by developing floral ultrasound reflectors, which enabled them to exploit the bats’ echolocation system.”2 But when is the last time a plant, animal, or any non-person willfully changed its DNA to solve an environmental challenge? Plus, how would these plants ever “know” about the benefits of bat guano’s nitrogen until after they already had fully formed bat homes to attract it?

The plants found no solution, developed no reflectors, and exploited no echolocation. People alone can perform these kinds of creative tasks, and the best example is the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible.”3

Pitcher plant reflectors reflect creation—His creation—and this interdependent pitcher plant-bat system showcases the ingenious design within that creation.

References

  1. Also, all animals either directly or indirectly get their necessary sugar energy from plants. See Demick, D. 2000. The Unselfish Green Gene. Acts & Facts. 29 (7): i-iv.
  2. Schoner, M. G. et al. 2015. Bats Are Acoustically Attracted to Mutualistic Carnivorous Plants. Current Biology. 25 (14): 1911-1916.
  3. Colossians 1:16a.

*Mr. Thomas is Science Writer at the Institute for Creation Research.

http://www.icr.org/article/8959

https://youtube.com/watch?v=_tYcT9RdqGw%3Fversion%3D3%26rel%3D1%26fs%3D1%26showsearch%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26iv_load_policy%3D1%26wmode%3Dtransparent

In the Bible, bats are considered “night birds.”  They are mentioned as being unclean to eat, and are also mentioned as part of the end-times judgment.  Bats are fascinating creatures in God’s creation.  They testify of His wonders, and may we never tire of learning about Him.  

Leviticus 11:  13And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray, 14And the vulture, and the kite after his kind; 15Every raven after his kind; 16And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind, 17And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl, 18And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle, 19And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.

Isaiah 2: 17And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.  18And the idols he shall utterly abolish.  19And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.  20In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats;  21To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.

The Scriptural use of bats relates to the spiritual darkness of man in the world.  They fly only at night, which is the same domain of the spiritually lost.   The light of the world is Jesus Christ, the god of this world is Satan, and there is no light in him.  Lucifer is the false light.  The light that the evil one emits, can be likened to the light given off by electric bug zappers.  The insects fly towards the light, which deceives them into thinking it is the moon.  But, the false light of the bug zapper, only leads to their destruction, just as the false light of Lucifer leads to man’s destruction.

Jesus is the Light of the World.  As believers, we reflect His glorious light to a lost and dying world.

2 Corinthians 4:3-5

3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.

Biblical “Kinds”

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Bible skeptics enjoy trumping the variety of species in our modern world as the main objection to Noah’s Ark being a factual occurrence.  The understanding of the “kinds” described in the beginning of the Bible is becoming clearer and clearer – thanks to modern science and the exploration of DNA.  It has been documented that polar bears and grizzly (Kodiak) bears have interbred, not only in zoos, but rarely in the wild. 

This wonderful article from the Institute for Creation Research gives glory to our Creator – and His perfect, preserved Word.

Zonkeys, Geeps, and Noah’s Ark

by Brian Thomas, M.S. *

zonkey_geep_wide

Zookeepers in Reynosa, Mexico, recently witnessed a female zebra give birth to a “zonkey.” So far, this rare hybrid animal appears to be in good health.1 Meanwhile, an Irish farmer’s sheep chases its baby “geep,” sired by a goat.2 What do zonkeys and geeps have to do with Noah’s Ark?

The zebra mother had grown familiar with a neighboring dwarf albino donkey. Although its father was colorless, the zonkey progeny has striped legs and a mostly brown torso.1 Zebras and donkeys actually have different numbers of chromosomes, making fertilization quite challenging, but cellular machinery sometimes somehow finds a way to form a viable offspring. It appears life was designed to do just that.

Similarly, the typical goat has 60 chromosomes, and most domestic sheep have but 54. Modern science has attached separate genus names for the two varieties, but the fact that they can interbreed demonstrates that they descended from a single kind. They both fall under a broader category: the subfamily called “Caprinae.”

Family names, or in this case the subfamily, for animals seems to best approximate the Genesis kind. Adding those of air-breathing, land-dwelling animals yields a population that would not even take up half the Ark’s calculated volume.3

Nevertheless, Bible skeptics discount the Ark, insisting that it could not possibly have carried all the required creatures. When asked to estimate how many creatures entered the vessel, they sometimes suggest millions—an unrealistic number by far. But they sometimes add sea creatures to their tallies, and they may also be counting various versions of sheep, goats, zebras, donkeys, and horses separately.

Noah and his sons only needed two of each kind, and if two creatures can interbreed, they essentially belong to the same kind. Noah’s family also only needed land-dwelling, air-breathing animals. The text says, “Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive.”4 That rules out fish and a host of other water creatures, which comprise the largest chunk of currently tallied animal names—Nemo and Flipper need not apply.

How did today’s animal varieties arise, anyway? Since creatures continue to diversify into newly named varieties as they pioneer new environments and breed with neighbors of their own general kind, it stands to reason that the few number of animals on the ark rapidly diversified after the Flood into the vastly diverse animal kingdom we see today. For example, over a thousand named species of finches and sparrows have been linked through breeding studies to a single, interbreeding kind.5 And that’s where rare animals like zonkeys and geeps come in, showing that today’s varieties trace back to basic kinds.

Were horses, zebras, donkeys, sheep and goats on the ark separately? Maybe, but based on these rare cross breeds, perhaps the two basic kinds were represented by animals that looked more like zonkeys and geeps.

As we learn more and more about chromosomes – it shouldn’t stretch any Bible believer’s understanding to know where the “giants” of Noah’s day came from.  “Kinds” are why all the animals were able to fit, comfortably, on  Noah’s Ark. 

https://youtu.be/1zOWYj59BXI?si=xZBNYcQFL3z1rrT7

The animals, and even the human beings of modern history (post-flood) have been closely interbreeding for thousands and thousands of years – mostly due to geographic isolation.  What went on the Ark – both animals and people – looked much different from what we see now. 

GENESIS 7:13-15

13 In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;

14 They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort.

15 And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.

You can have confidence that every Word of your Bible is true – despite the tenacious efforts of the wicked to prove otherwise.

God’s Provision for Dogs

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Watching my dog in the snow – I always marvel that my feet in snow boots are ice cold – while she is completely comfortable, having her feet even deep in the snow. This is so exciting – I thought you might be interested – even if you live in Florida or California.

Why Dogs Don’t Need Snow Boots

by Brian Thomas, M.S. *

Human feet would quickly freeze if exposed to snow and ice without proper gear, but dogs don’t seem to mind the cold. Since the pads of their feet aren’t protected by fur like the rest of their bodies, it would seem that they’d be especially susceptible to freezing—but they aren’t. Japanese researchers recently discovered why.

It turns out that dog paws have tiny blood vessels arranged as counter-current heat exchangers. This way, dogs’ internal body heat is not lost through the soles of their feet. Instead, cold blood is warmed right in their paws before it re-enters the main blood supply. Plus, most of the core body blood recirculates back into the body, instead of straight to the feet, to keep the animals’ temperature consistently warm even when walking on ice.

In their study published in the journal Veterinary Dermatology, the researchers found the dogs’ “wonderful network” of veins by injecting something like liquid rubber into the blood vessels of the dogs’ feet.1 They were then able to examine the three-dimensional vessel network after the chemical hardened. The vessels “formed a vein-artery-vein triad” where heat could flow at just the right pace across the system.2

This discovery only adds to the long list of known dog features that identify them as intentionally created creatures, including the dog’s straight back that “better absorbs the power that is generated by the hindquarters when the animal is moving.”3 Animal anatomist Daniel Schmitt called dog locomotion “an evolutionary miracle in my view.”4

Also, a dog’s sense of smell is so acute that it can distinguish between identical twins,5 and its hearing is so well-developed that it can hear sounds up to 40,000 cycles per second—twice what human ears can hear. And their ear structure enables them to hear “about 4 times farther than humans are capable of hearing.”6

Superior dog engineering, from head to toe, should point thinking people to a superior Engineer.

ICR Article here.

Even though my dog is very old for her breed, if fresh snow has fallen – it seems to give her an injection of puppiness for a short while. And – what heart does not melt at the sight of dogs playing in the snow?

I suggest turning the volume down or even off for this youtube – the soundtrack for this video does not enhance viewing and may actually disrupt your and/or your children’s enjoyment of it. 

p.s. – I put this article together several years ago for another blog.  My darling girl has since left us, this past July, at the age of fourteen.  I am still grieving for her . . .