News to Note, June 13, 2009

1. Birds Are Not Dinosaurs!

The allegation that birds evolved from dinosaurs is frequently treated as factual by evolutionists. Now, researchers have refuted that notion—and it starts with an unexpected discovery about bird anatomy.

2. Just Kidding! Dinosaurs are Birds!

Creationists don’t claim that dinosaurs are still alive today. But because we believe at least two of each dinosaur kind survived Noah’s Flood (i.e., were on the Ark), we view the possibility as distinctly more likely than evolutionists.

3. Rocks Tell us About Scientists

Scientists have honed a geological technique to piece together the history of tectonic plates.

4. Tame this Gene

What makes an animal wild or tame—is it only human intervention? On the contrary, a decades-long study seeks to identify a genetic basis for animals’ attitudes toward humankind.

5. Have a Laugh

Apes have been laughing for 10 million years, showing that laughter originated in a common ancestor of apes and humans. Ha!

And Don’t Miss . . .

• Our heart goes out to the family of slain Holocaust Museum security guard Stephen Johns, who was killed by James von Brunn earlier this week. Evidence suggests the killing was motivated—in part—by evolutionary ideas. A self-published book by Von Brunn includes such racist, evolutionary statements as, “Cross-breeding Whites with species lower on the evolutionary scale diminishes the White gene-pool while increasing the number of physiologically, psychologically[,] and behaviorally deprived mongrels” (15).
• BBC News reports on the Science Museum in London’s list of ten “icons” of science. Tellingly, nine of the ten icons are incredible human inventions, such as the steam engine, the electric telegraph, and the Apollo 10 space capsule. The only natural inclusion is DNA, which we might say is the most incredible design of them all!
• A fascinating report explains how chimps remember the location of specific trees even in giant forests. This amazing navigational capability is reminiscent of the ability of salmon to travel incredible distances to return to the place of their birth in order to spawn.
• “The modern American creationist . . . no longer takes [S]cripture as sufficient reason to believe the [b]iblical account of the origins of the world. The debate is, instead, conducted on the turf of science, with creationists . . . indicating their acceptance that the modern world speaks the language of science.” Sadly, that line in a Peter Baldwin article is almost the exact opposite of what Answers in Genesis teaches. Science does matter, but our ultimate starting point—for science and logic—is God’s Word.
• Supergiant star Betelgeuse is shrinking fast, and scientists don’t know why. It’s a reminder that not everything on the cosmic scale takes (allegedly) millions or billions of years.
• Do ancient human structures lie on the bottom of Lake Huron? A new study suggests so. Evidence of human civilizations before the Ice Age, or a fanciful interpretation by scientists?
• It looks like evidence of catastrophic burial—but old-earthers have found a way around the obvious!
• The Mail carries the tragic picture of a deceased blue whale that may have been killed by a passing ship. One reader noted that the whale was floating belly-up at the water’s surface, as is typical—the opposite of what non-catastrophic fossilization would require.
• For those who are gullible enough—or, make that, imaginative enough—to believe that music legend Elvis Presley is still alive, the “scientific” idea of multiple universes probably seems quite believable.
• For NASCAR fans: don’t miss the Creation Museum car, #81, running this weekend in the Kentucky Speedway’s Meijer 300.

Remember, if you see a news story that might merit some attention, let us know about it! (Note: if the story originates from the Associated Press, Fox News, MSNBC, New York Times or another major national media outlet, we will most likely have already heard about it.) And thanks to all of our readers who have submitted great news tips to us. If you didn’t catch last week’s News to Note, why not take a look at it now? See you next week!

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