News to Note, May 1, 2010

1. Noah's Ark Possibly Found

Has Noah’s Ark been found atop Mount Ararat? The affirmative claim this week from a team of evangelical explorers made headlines, but it isn’t the first time that’s happened.

2. AP: “Creation Museum: 1 Million Visitors”

Our Creation Museum may not rival the Smithsonian in terms of visitors (and does not receive a penny of tax support), but we thank God for having reached a major milestone: over one million visitors in just under three years of operation!

When the museum opened in late spring 2007, estimates for first-year attendance hovered around 250,000, with slightly fewer expected in each year following. But even before the three-year anniversary later this month, the museum has hosted visitor number 1,000,000!

The number of visitors certainly won’t quiet the many complaints about the museum, despite the fact that far more people have visited the dozens (if not hundreds) of evolution-only museums in the United States. (In fact, the news will probably bring on a new wave of complaints, as is clear from the comments on the AP article linked above.) Nonetheless, we thank God for bringing every visitor so far and for the many we look forward to hosting. (Don’t forget, the museum continues to grow, with new activities and shows—and new exhibits—since the initial opening. For tickets, information, photos, and more, visit CreationMuseum.org.)

To read more about the milestone and about the millionth guest (who received a gift basket and a lifetime museum membership in honor of the event), visit “Millionth Guest Visits Creation Museum.”

3. Stephen Hawking Against Speaking to Aliens

There’s no evidence that aliens even exist—so why is famous physicist Stephen Hawking so worried we’ll talk to them?

4. Water Ice Found in Space on Asteroid

Water ice has been discovered again in space, this time on the surface of the asteroid 24 Themis.

5. ScienceNOW: “Chimps Grieve Over Dead Relatives”

Chimps experience grief and depression after the death of a loved one. Does that similarity to humans make them our kin?

New studies published in Current Biology indicate that chimpanzees provide special attention to loved ones before they die and grieve afterward, reports ScienceNOW. The studies are based in part on the observation of chimps at the Blair Drummond Safari and Adventure Park, where an elderly chimp was groomed and tended to extensively in the weeks before her death, after which the other chimps were “unusually subdued for nearly a week.”

The ScienceNOW article notes that only a few other animals, such as elephants (which, like chimps, are highly intelligent), are known to show signs of grief or other unusual behavior after a peer dies. “Some of the behaviors appear strikingly similar to aspects of human responses to death and dying,” said University of Stirling psychologist James Anderson of the chimps.

Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology primatologist Christophe Boesch added, “We have certainly underestimated awareness of death in chimpanzees.” And while this certainly appears so, we must of course issue the reminder that chimp behavior similar to human behavior shows only that: similarity. Many animals act similar to humans (some more, some less) in various ways, but this can be explained equally well—if not better—from a creation worldview rather than an evolutionary perspective.

6. And Don’t Miss . . .

• Another reminder that America is growing less Christian, not more, comes in the form of new survey results of 18- to 29-year-olds.1 However, the distinction between “spiritual” and “religious” may be a bit misinterpreted, as many modern evangelicals emphasize that Christianity is about a relationship, not a “religion.”
• Elephants may be joining the group of animals able to make context-specific warning sounds, reports ScienceNOW.2 Research suggests the animals make a particular rumbling noise as an alarm in response to approaching bees.
• Where can you find “truly amazing” tools that show the “brilliance” of some of our ancestors? Melting Arctic ice is where, reports LiveScience.3
• It’s another reminder that old-earthers have no trouble accepting catastrophic “megafloods”: a University of Washington scientist believes an ancient flood formed huge dunes in what is now Alaska.4
• Last week we discussed Earth Day, and this week we add that our own Jason Lisle was quoted on the topic in a OneNewsNow piece.5
• It isn’t quite a fire-breathing dragon, but a newly discovered monitor lizard with a flame-colored snout reminds us that dragons legends are based in reality—not in human interactions with today’s lizards, but rather with yesterday’s dinosaurs.6
• Could being a young-earth creationist save you money? Perhaps so, if you avoid the allure of supposedly four-billion-year-old souvenirs.7