News to Note, June 26, 2010

1. Relative of Ape-Woman Lucy?

He’s the new “big man” of human evolution: Kadanuumuu, a purported relative of famous ape-woman Lucy.

2. Scientists Coming to Grips with Catastrophic Geology

With a headline worded as if written by a young-earther, the press release for a new study of Texas’s Canyon Lake Gorge reveals that an increasing number of scientists are coming to grips with catastrophic geology.

3. Loss of Genetic Information Responsible for Evolution Leaps?

Could a loss of genetic information have been responsible for one of evolution’s supposed great leaps forward?

4. Adult Stem Cells in Blindness-Curing Treatment

Adult stem cells have been used in a blindness-curing treatment described by one ophthalmologist as a “roaring success.”

5. Anti-Christian Statement Something to Get Riled Up About?

Is what sounds like a blatantly anti-Christian statement something to get riled up about?

6. And Don’t Miss . . .

• What’s “hyper-environmentalism” and why should Christians care? Answers in Genesis astrophysicist Dr. Jason Lisle answers that question in a recent OneNewsNow article.
• We covered the legal plight of fellow creation ministry the Institute for Creation Research back in March and April of 2009; sadly, ICR’s graduate school has been denied accreditation-related certification in the state of Texas. The ministry is currently weighing its options with regard to future action in the matter.
• A Huffington Post columnist discusses “five human lessons from Genesis that still apply today” (implying that some lessons don’t?). From Cain and Abel to Noah’s Ark, the author hits the mark—for the most part. (We especially enjoyed the line, “[F]ollow the dimensions given for the [A]rk and what you’ll build is not a boat but a huge cargo container-like structure”—although, of course, the Ark would have performed admirably as a seagoing vessel.)
• Has Europe had a “common artistic culture” for as long as 35,000 years (in reference to cave paintings)? But ScienceNOW cautions that radiocarbon dating of some of the paintings is “a difficult and controversial procedure.”
• It may be a hot spot, but it’s not a vacation hot spot: planet HD 209458b’s dayside surface temperature is 1850˚F (1000 C) at its coolest, while carbon monoxide winds whip across the planet at speeds of 4350 miles (7000 km) per hour. The planet is a harsh reminder of the specially designed beauty and habitability of Earth.
• Did a comet wipe out the mammoths? No, according to a new study, although the debate goes on.
• Is one species of jellyfish immortal? Either way, the creature is certainly a biological wonder.
• We often think of how the Fall affected humanity, or of how the Fall affected nature in ways that affect humanity (e.g., stinging insects). But killer chimpanzees are a poignant sign of animal suffering that can be traced back to human sin.
• The human jaw is remarkably efficient: so much for the evolutionary idea that “our large brains came at the cost of a less powerful bite.”
• While a new study using radiocarbon dating purports to augment archaeologists’ certainty about the timeline of Egyptian pharaohs, one archaeologist complains that the study “expose[s] the weakness of radiocarbon chronology.” Given that the chronology stretches into the antediluvian era, we’re inclined to pay special attention to his complaints!