News to Note, March 7, 2009

1. Toeing the Line

A fossilized footprint found in Kenya—thought to be 1.5 million years old—doesn’t look its age.

Instead, that footprint is “modern,” to quote ScienceNOW’s Ann Gibbons, who adds, “these early humans . . . walked just like we do.”

2. The Slow-and-Gradual Catastrophe

An ancient extinction wasn’t as sudden and catastrophic as once believed. Now, how does that reinforce the Flood model?

3. Fishy Old Brains

What’s so “remarkable” about the fossil preservation of a fish brain?

An X-ray has helped scientists see an extinct fish’s fossilized brain, thought to be the oldest-ever brain found.

4. Life in Mars Volcano?

After years and years of searching for life on Mars, scientists have finally found it.

5. Worshipping Darwin

In case you were considering praying to Darwin, perhaps you should read this first.

Self-described “lapsed Presbyterian” and disbeliever Andrew Marr asks, “In this year of his double anniversary, are we in danger of turning Charles Darwin if not into God, at least into the founder of a secular religion?”

6. The Lutheran: “Two Museums, Two Worlds”

The publication of a major Christian denomination looks at the Creation Museum—and comes out swinging.

7. Discovery: “Synthetic Life Form Grows in Florida Lab”

Is the “first synthetic genetic system capable of Darwinian evolution” living somewhere in Florida?

In short answer, no. In a Florida lab, biochemist Steve Benner of the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution has created AEGIS: the Artificially Expanded Genetic Information System, which exists in a beaker of lab water. But while Benner claims, “It’s evolving. It’s doing what we designed it to do” (interesting choice of words), the article notes, “AEGIS is not self-sustaining, at least not yet.”

While no further information is provided, one thing is clear: this “life-form,” if it can be called that (it uses a 12-base genome instead of the usual four bases) was designed. And a lab-created, intelligently designed, synthetic version of life certainly doesn’t prove that anything evolved!

And Don’t Miss . . .

• U.S. president Barack Obama is pushing to change a Bush-era rule protecting doctors who do not wish to perform abortions, the Associated Press reports. The rule was intended to amplify laws already on the books by withholding federal funding to institutions failing to certify compliance with laws protecting the rights of moral objectors.
• If you need a good example of how paleoartists creatively interpret (not necessarily dishonestly) the “facts,” National Geographic has a great example.
• ScienceNOW carries a report on yet another promising method to produce viable stem cells without destroying human embryos.
• Evolutionary ideas are increasingly applied to diverse fields. For the latest, see what the Economist has to say about evolution and cooking.
• Learn how you, too, can help prove (and “help”) “evolution” every time you go fishing.
• The Associated Press reports that the Roman Catholic church continues to accept evolution, even while rejecting atheism as “absurd.” Is it any more absurd than the idea that God is out there, and had nothing to do with our existence? In a related item, AiG expert Terry Mortenson responds to critics who posted items at OneNewsNow (a news site that covers us fairly).
• The Mail includes an interesting report about a supposed discovery of the Garden of Eden. While the archaeological site is indeed fascinating, we know that the original Garden of Eden would have been destroyed by the Flood, even though after the Flood humans may have used the same names for certain places.
• Amid the flood of polls surrounding Darwin’s birthday, a new poll by pro-evolution think tank Theos suggests that inhabitants of Northern Ireland are the most likely of those living in the UK to be young-earth creationists.
• Finally, we applaud Joseph David Advertising for winning an ADDY award for a commercial it produced for the Creation Museum.