News to Note, October 30, 2010

1. Human Jawbone Found: Doesn’t Fit Evolutionary Steps

Experts in the ever-changing topic of human evolution thought they had most of it figured out—when our ancestors left Africa, the major evolutionary steps since then, etc. But a human jawbone discovered in China just doesn’t fit.

2. Crows’ Intelligence

Crows’ remarkable intelligence has been one of our favorite topics over the years (our last update came in April). Here’s the latest.

3. Global Ice Ages "Triggered" Evolution?

Could global ice ages have “triggered” evolution—or is it just another wild idea that works on paper but lacks actual evidence?

4. Lizard Found Trapped in Amber

We’ve all seen photographs of insects, arachnids, and other small creatures trapped in amber. But a lizard?

5. Charles Darwin: Fair Target of Creationist Antipathy?

Is Charles Darwin a fair target of creationist antipathy? Or is the iconic scientist unfairly singled out for criticism?

And Don’t Miss . . .

• Do cancer cells “evolve”? A new study answers that question in the affirmative, but in doing so reminds us that genetic mutations (considered the force behind Darwinian evolution) are nearly always destructive, not constructive.1
• Is it ridiculous to think that humans could once have lived to be nearly 1,000 years old, as is reported of several patriarchs in the Old Testament? Research from the University of Utah into the aging process notes that “if all processes of aging could be eliminated and oxidative stress damage could be repaired, ‘one estimate is people could live 1,000 years.’”2 If those processes and stress are a progressive product of a cursed world, then ancient humans’ long lives are no surprise.
• How fast can humans evolve? That’s a loaded question, of course, but one answered in part by a New Scientist report on research into the genes of the Yoruba people in West Africa, who appear to have “evolved” a genetic change “in the last 10,000 to 20,000 years” based on evolutionary assumptions.3 Creationists would interpret the same change as having occurred far more recently, with natural selection proven to act in short time spans.
• More bad news for out-of-favor “missing link” Ida: a new study on teeth thought to be from a supposed ancestor of humans, apes, and monkeys adds to the evidence that Ida was not the important fossil some scientists claimed it was.4
• The Danville, Illinois, Commercial-News covers a visit from Answers in Genesis astrophysicist Jason Lisle, who spoke at an area community college.5 The report challenges some of Lisle’s comments with the “mainstream” view, but fairly gives Lisle space for the creationist perspective.
• The debate over human-caused global warming shows no signs of stopping, but Scientific American profiles one climate change scientist who appears to have switched sides (and who has received ample indignation for it).6 For a young-earth perspective on global warming, start with “Global Warming: Fact or Fiction?”