News to Note, August 1, 2009

1. Freshwater Evolution?

The first animals didn’t evolve in the ocean, claims a controversial new study. Instead, the study suggests the earliest animals called a saltwater lake home.

2. Evolution 'Ahead of Schedule'

Fossil specimens discovered in Russia 15 years ago have finally landed in the news—for reasons including the fact that they were millions of years “ahead of schedule.”

3. Apes Are Smart, Not Creative

Chimpanzees have proven to be quite skillful at learning certain basic tasks—particularly those related to obtaining food—but even evolutionists have to admit that “technological innovation and improvement seem to be uniquely human traits.”

4. National Geographic News: “Giant Toucan Bills Help Birds Keep Their Cool”

The brilliantly colored bills of toucans aren’t just eye candy. Rather, they play an essential role in helping the birds control their temperature, scientists report.

5. The Creation Temple?

Love us or hate us, the Answers in Genesis Creation Museum continues to attract media attention, popular fascination, and widespread misperception.

6. And Don’t Miss . . .

• Scientists have devised a new technique for introducing modifications in microbial genomes. Of course, any “evolution” that results will be because of intelligent design.
• One fascinating story this week may offer a glimpse into pre-Curse animal behavior: Monkey Herds Goats; Farmer Approves.
• More evidence that a T. rex bone does indeed contain the remains of protein—another confirmation of what we reported in May.
• Sad as it is, we can’t say we’re shocked that a Bible was defaced in a gallery at the Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art where visitors were invited to write their thoughts in the Bible itself.
• BBC News reports on a beetle that glows green under light polarized a certain way. The beetle has cells that are “almost identical to hi-tech liquid crystals.” How’s that for a brilliant design?
• As humans, we swing our arms when we walk. Does that waste energy, and hence is it an “evolutionary relic” from before our ancestors stood up straight? On the contrary, a new study shows arm-swinging actually conserves energy—so much for that vestigial theory.
• Genetic evidence indicates that Australian Aborigines are related to Indian populations, suggesting one “Southern Route” of migration for people groups after the dispersion at Babel.