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CONTENTS UNCOVERING THE TRUTH ABOUT DINOSAURS

VOLUME 46 NUMBER 8 AUGUST 2017

Published by INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH 5 P. O. Box 59029 Dallas, TX 75229 FEATURE 214.615.8300 5 Behind the Scenes of The Universe: ICR.org A Journey Through God’s Grand Design EXECUTIVE EDITOR J a y m e D u r a n t Jayme Durant RESEARCH SENIOR EDITOR Beth Mull 9 Sinking the Floating Forest Hypothesis Unlocking the Mysteries t i m C l a r e y , P h . D . , a n d of Genesis EDITORS 11 J e f f r e y P. T o m k i n s , P h .D. Michael Stamp Truett Billups Christy Hardy IMPACT 11 The Flood, Catastrophic Plate Tectonics, DESIGNER Dennis Davidson and Earth History J a k e H e b e r t , P h .D. No articles may be reprinted in whole or in part without obtaining permission from ICR. BACK TO GENESIS Copyright © 2017 14 God’s Balanced Ecosystem Institute for Creation Research 14 f r a n k S h e r w i n , M . A . All Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated. 15 Another Evolutionary Ancestor Gets Nixed b r i a n T h o m a s , M . S .

17 Arriving at a Design-Based Framework for Adaptability 20 r a n d y J . G u l i u z z a , P. E . , M .D. CREATION Q & A 20 Did Fish Learn to Walk? f r a n k S h e r w i n , M . A .

APOLOGETICS 21 21 Polar Bears, Fitted to Fill and Flourish J a m e s J . S . J o h n s o n , J . D . , T h .D.

STEWARDSHIP 22 Godly Sowing h e n r y M . M o r r i s I V

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CONTENTS Start the School Year Right

s we filmed ICR’s latest DVD series, I often found myself in saurs: God’s Mysterious Creatures, includes fascinating facts about complete awe at the work of our majestic God. As you’ll dinosaurs, creation, and the Flood, while also dispelling evolution- see in the feature this month, “Behind the Scenes of The ary myths with scientific evidence. Colorful illustrations and simple Universe: A Journey Through God’s Grand Design,” the language make it a good introduction to real dinosaur history. Our Afilm team had plenty of opportunities to laugh about challenges Guide to… books cover creation basics, animals, the human body, and changes to our best-laid plans (pages 5-7). While we like to poke dinosaurs, and the universe. This series is more detailed in its ex- fun at our adventures, you can be certain that ICR’s message never planations, but these books can grow with your children. Our DVD changes: All of creation showcases our Creator. We’re thrilled to be series supply a fast-paced visual format for education, and we devel- able to point others to the work of our heavenly Father. oped them with general audiences in mind. The Universe: A Journey Through God’s Grand Design will be available for preorder in October. Take the time to go through Acts & Facts with your child and examine the critical information. In this issue, you’ll find articles on the floating forest hypothesis (page 9) and God’s balanced ecosystem (page 14). Homo naledi has been in the news the past few years, and Brian Thomas points out the problems with evolutionary specula- tions on it (page 15). We answer the question “Can fish walk?” (page 20) and look at how God equipped polar bears (page 21). Dr. Jake Hebert offers a fresh look at the Flood, plate tectonics, and Earth his- tory (pages 11-13). This issue is packed with information that reveals the deception of evolution and the evidence for creation. We’re constantly expanding our resources and educational op- portunities. Follow @ICRscience on any of the major social media platforms to get the most up-to-date information about what’s hap- pening in our creation ministry. If you prefer to connect with us in person rather than online, we may be coming to your area this fall. ICR.org/events tells you where our seminars and conferences are planned. We want to be a helpful resource for you as you seek to share If you’re a parent, you’re probably getting ready to begin an- God’s creation message with your kids. You have a few days left before other school year. In the midst of your preparations, take time now to they’re buried in books and school activities—take advantage of the equip your student with truth. Talk about evolutionary claims your time and really get them ready. Help your students begin the school child may encounter in science and history classes, and help your stu- year with confidence that God’s Word can be trusted in every area— dent find the evidence that reveals the errors of evolution. ICR.org including science and history. has thousands of articles available to help you. It also offers links to our radio programs and That’s a Fact videos. Our online store (ICR.org/store) provides creation resources Jayme Durant to equip your student with truth. Our latest children’s book, Dino- Executive Editor

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JAYME DURANT

ow do you tell the story of the uni- bring back a few good stories. verse? That’s a tall order, but I’ll Our filming journey began in Dal- give you a clue—it doesn’t start las studios on a set sprinkled with low- H with a Big Bang somewhere in the hanging Edison-style lightbulbs. Drs. outer reaches of space. The real account Jake Hebert, Vernon Cupps, Jason Lisle, of our origins begins in Genesis with the and James J. S. Johnson described sci- Creator of the world. entific discoveries throughout history In our DVD series The Universe: A that impact what we know today about Journey Through God’s Grand Design— the universe. They discussed the work of available this fall—a dedicated team of Ptolemy, Copernicus, Kepler, and Gali- science and Bible experts discuss fasci- leo, and the development of telescopes nating details of our divinely orches- and spectroscopes to help us explore the trated universe. Markus Lloyd joins us realms of the unknown. again as host to guide us through the ad- Drs. Danny Faulkner and D. Rus- venture. This is ICR’s fourth DVD series, sell Humphreys joined our crew near and no matter the subject, we always re- Houston at the George Observatory to turn from the rigors of filming with great talk about planets, stars, and magnetic appreciation for the hard work that goes fields. Dr. Don DeYoung met with us in Markus Lloyd into this kind of production. We also Sugar Land, Texas, at the Houston Mu-

ACTS FACTS | AUGUST 2017 AUGUST 2017 | ACTS FACTS & & 5 Col. Jeffrey Williams NASA Astronaut

seum of Natural Science. And NASA astro- naut Col. Jeffrey Williams graciously opened Anza-Borrego Desert State Park his home to us for a visit about space travel California and NASA discoveries over the years. For the first episode, Markus Lloyd ren landscape of Mars. Our challenges there deadlines, we rolled up our pant legs and guided us through the Mount Wilson Ob- included wind and sand—lots of it. The kept filming as waves sloshed against our servatory in Angeles National Forest, Cali- unique environment provoked some odd calves in the rising tide. For one scene, we set fornia. We took a look at telescopes that are questions: Do we really need to try to retrieve up in a small cove surrounded by huge boul- over a hundred years old—a 1914 36-inch the screen that blew off the side of the sandy ders when a sea lion washed in. The film di- telescope and a massive 1917 100-inch tele- cliff? When do rattlesnakes come out of hid- rector became trapped behind a rock with scope (on the cover of this month’s Acts & ing? Should we steer clear of chuckwallas, the frightened creature, and it chomped his Facts)—and checked out what they could too? How does being sandblasted by the desert knee, causing a deep gash. (Remember, this reveal about planets, stars, and other celes- wind compare to a spa facial? Okay, maybe is a sea lion.) After a trip to an urgent care tial bodies. the men on our team didn’t consider that clinic, several stiches, and an antibiotics pre- We also filmed at the Anza-Borrego last question. Desert so viewers can get a feel for the bar- We experienced some ex- D. Russell Humphreys, Ph.D. citement on the beaches of Don DeYoung, Ph.D. Windansea and La Jolla. Heli- copters, surfers, dogs, joggers, walkers, and waves delayed our filming and triggered countless retakes. Even sea lions wanted to get in on the action! Dur- ing one day of particularly tight

Even when we were children, the stars intrigued us, excited us, in- spired us. We looked into the night sky and we wondered…what’s beyond what we see up there? Mount Wilson Observatory Angeles National Forest, California

ACTS FACTS | AUGUST 2017 6 & scription, we set off on the next leg of our campus to search for the keys. Unfortunately, journey—the show must go on. we eventually had to leave without them. During episode two, Markus talked A few days later in Waco, Texas, we about how ancient mariners used stars to filmed actors portraying Isaac Newton, Gal- navigate ships on the seas. For this scene, we ileo Galilei, and Johannes Kepler. Our actors filmed him aboard the historic ship Elissa in appeared in convincing period costumes, the port of Galveston, Texas. It was a seri- and props had been painstakingly prepared. ous monologue until we discovered a slight, We were ready to begin shooting until New- elderly gentleman dancing a jig behind our ton picked up the quill pen. The actor was speaker in full view of the camera. (You can right-handed, but many scholars believe find the video of this jig-dancing photo- Newton was left-handed. It was the same crasher on our Facebook page.) case with Galileo. So, we went through some last minute left-handed training before we could film the scenes. Armstrong Browning Library, As we captured footage for The Uni- Baylor University, Waco, Texas verse series, a similar theme ran through ev- ery interview and every scripted scene: What Christian worldview was not a hindrance to we see on Earth and in the heavens beyond science but a help. The belief that God cre- didn’t happen by chance. The universe dis- ated the universe in a consistent and orderly plays majestic evidence that our omnipo- way furthered their understanding of its na- tent Creator put everything in place exactly ture and laws, just as it does for us today. as He planned. The history of astronomy We are still putting the finishing reveals a foundation laid by scientists who touches on this DVD series and plan to re- believed the world was created by God. Their lease it this October. We can’t wait for you to see the vivid animations, U.S. Space & Rocket Center breathtaking locations, and Huntsville, Alabama faith-building evidence we’re putting together for you. Amid the noise of Big Bang Elissa claims and naturalistic phi- Galveston, Texas losophy, our incredible uni- verse shouts the glory and We moved on to Huntsville, Ala- majesty of our Creator. We bama, the next day to tour the U.S. Space & hope this series will leave Rocket Center and filmed shuttles, rockets, you in awe of His heavenly space capsules, simulators, and more. At the handiwork! sprawling facility where over 1,500 space ar- Jayme Durant is Director of Commu- nications at the Institute for Creation tifacts are on display, we caught a glimpse of Research. the U.S. space program’s enormous achieve- ments through the years. Filming stopped and started frequently because students tak- ing part in the Space Camp moved into the camera’s view every few seconds. After film- ing all day and most of the evening, the direc- tor finally called “That’s a wrap!” and we be- gan loading equipment. Famished, we were ready to find an open restaurant for a late- night dinner, but it came to our attention that one of the local crew members lost his keys somewhere during our day of filming. We retraced every step over the multi-acre

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IMPACT IMPACT Rockwall, TX SOLAR ECLIPSE SEMINAR • JULY 30 AUGUST BACK TO GENESIS Ridgeview Church Indian Hills Community Church 2 (F. Sherwin) 972.771.2661 1000 S. 84th St.LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Lincoln, NE 68510 APOLOGETICS BACK TO GENESIS 402.483.4541 Lubbock, TX AUGUST STEWARDSHIP Southcrest Baptist Church 20 CREATION Q & A (R. Guliuzza) 806.797.9000 James J. S. Johnson, J.D ., Th.D. Jake Hebert, Ph.D. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR RESEARCH

APOLOGETICS

Solar Eclipse Seminar and Eclipse Viewing Party STEWARDSHIP AUGUST 19–21 Jefferson Baptist Church James J. S. Johnson, J.D ., Th.D. 15002 Jefferson Hwy. 99E SE Jefferson, OR 97352 Jake Hebert, Ph.D. CREATION541.327.2939 Q & A

For more information on these events or to schedule an event, please contact the ICR Events Department at RESEARCH 800.337.0375, visit ICR.org/events, or email us at [email protected]

Solar Eclipse Q&A JAKE HEBERT, P h .D. FROM THE EDITOR 1. What is a solar eclipse? from South Carolina to Oregon. Anyone wanting to see A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between a total solar eclipse must travel to a location along this LEGACYthe sun and Earth, casting a shadow on Earth. path. (A NASA map showing the path is available at eclipse2017.nasa.gov/eclipse-maps.) 2. When is the next solar eclipse? Monday, August 21, 4. What is required to CONTENTS2017. THEN GOD MADE TWO GREAT LIGHTS: safely observe a solar THE GREATER LIGHT TO RULE THE DAY, eclipse? 3. What is required for an AND THE LESSER LIGHT TO RULE THE NIGHT. You should never look observer to see a total (GENESIS 1:16) directly at the sun with- solar eclipse? out proper eye protection A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon completely since the intense light can permanently damage your blocks the solar disk so that only the sun’s outermost eyesight. Sunglasses (even multiple sunglasses stacked layers, the chromosphere and corona, are visible. An together) are not sufficient protection; you must wear observer must be located on the daylight side of Earth special solar viewing glasses to safely observe an and within the darkest, innermost part of the moon’s eclipse. (NASA lists four manufacturers that currently shadow (called the umbra) to see a total eclipse. Ob- meet international safety standards for such products at servers outside the umbra but within the outer, lighter eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety.) shadow (called the penumbra) will see a partial eclipse. Dr. Hebert is Research Associate at the Institute for Creation Research and earned his The moon’s umbra will trace a narrow path stretching Ph.D. in physics from the University of Texas at Dallas.

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RESEARC TIM CLAREY, Ph .D., a n d JEFFREY P. TOMKINS, Ph .D.

SinkingROM the TE EDITORFloating Forest Hypothesis he concept of a pre-Flood floating St. Helens. Dr. Steve Austin estimated that Glasgow, Scotland, that meets nearly all the LEGACYforest ecosystem has been promoted more than 19,000 upright and randomly criteria, including the lack of Flood sedi- in creationist literature for several spaced trees accumulated in the sediment ments beneath the tree-root layer.4 This site T decades and is often used as an ex- on the bottom of Spirit Lake within just a appears to be the remnants of a pre-Flood planation for the massive carboniferous few years. These trees became waterlogged forest, with the fossil trees still rooted in a CONTENTS coal beds found across the globe. However, and sank upright because of their heavier pre-Flood soil layer now lithified to rock. this hypothesis wasn’t adequately tested un- bases and roots. He also postulated that if Fossil Grove, as it is called, is located in Vic- til three recent geological challenges were these trees were buried by additional sedi- toria Park (Figure 1). It’s likely the best-pre- presented.1 It appears the floating forest ment, in time they would give the appear- hypothesis has difficulty explaining a large ance of an in situ forest.3 portion of the available geological data. What is the floating forest? Scientists Criteria for In Situ Trees have shown that the dominant plant species In a recent paper published in the Cre- of the carboniferous coal deposits were ar- ation Research Society Quarterly, we iden- borescent lycopods (scaly-barked trees) that tified seven criteria to determine if fossil could achieve heights of over 100 feet (34 trees were transported or merely buried by meters). Advocates of the floating forest be- Flood sediments in situ.4 The identification lieve these now-extinct trees with their spiral- of an in situ site wouldn’t necessarily invali- ing root systems somehow formed floating date the allochthonous origin of coal beds; GLASGOW mats, growing more densely than do trees in it would merely represent a location where modern forests. But most importantly, they the tops of the trees were sheared off, leav- believe the trees had hollow trunks and roots ing the trunks and stumps buried in place. that provided sufficient buoyancy to enable Fossil trees that fulfill all, or at least most, of a vast floating tree-and-plant biome to cover these criteria likely represent true in situ as- much of the pre-Flood oceans.2 semblages. The criteria are: Figure 1. Location map for Fossil Grove in In Situ or Not In Situ? 1. Multiple, single-species trees spaced in the growth position in the same hori- Victoria Park, Glasgow, Scotland. Map shows Many upright fossil trees found associ- zontal plane, spaced equidistantly in all the Midland Valley terrane bounded to the north and south by major fault systems, as ated with coal seams are interpreted by secu- directions from the trunks as you would well as the Lower Paleozoic outcrops clustered lar science as being in the “growth position,” find in a living forest and not merely ran- domly spaced. along the southern and northern boundaries commonly referred to as in situ trees. Secu- 5 2. Multiple trees in the same rock layer or of the terrane. lar paleontologists use this claim as evidence along a common surface against the global Genesis Flood, even argu- 3. Trees with root systems that cross-cut served example of an in situ lycopod forest ing that fossil in situ trees demonstrate an bedding layers in the world,6 and possibly the first identi- autochthonous (in original position) origin 4. Evidence of rapid burial by thick sedi- fied in a flood context. for coal. Creation scientists have countered ment and water Fossil Grove was discovered in 1887 5. A lack of sedimentary rock layers under- with evidence supporting the allochthonous when a path was cut across an abandoned neath the trees 7 (moved from source) origin of coal, show- 6. No bowing or distortion of any sedimen- quarry outside Glasgow. After excavation ing that many claimed in situ trees are bet- tary layers beneath the tree stumps down to the common soil horizon contain- ter explained by active transport of trees and 7. Accompanying vegetation that also ing the tree stumps and roots, a building was other vegetation during the global Flood cross-cut the same layers as the lycopod constructed to protect them and allow pub- after they were stripped free from the land. tree stumps lic viewing. The site consists of a monotypic Further empirical support for the al- assemblage of multiple lycopod tree stump Fossil Grove Site, Glasgow, Scotland lochthonous origin for upright fossil trees casts with attached axial root systems.6 came soon after the 1980 eruption of Mount We identified one particular site in The 11 single-species stumps were

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found in growth position spacing as opposed by the scientific literature. The majority of with intact root systems throughout a com- to random spacing (Figure 2). The trees are the “hollow tree” studies do not take into mon horizon. There is strong evidence to APOLOGETICS all in one common rock layer, and the root account a number of key reports describ- demonstrate these stumps are in the growth ing the non-hollow internal structure of position and were inundated, buried, and lycopods. Research has demonstrated that fossilized in situ by rising floodwaters. STEARDSIP intact, non-decayed aerial stems of arbores- All available geological and fossil- cent lycopods clearly indicate a contiguous ized anatomical data support the existence tissue structure across the breadth of the of pre-Flood lycopod forests rooted in soil. stem, with the same general schema found These forests were likely located in wetlands in trunks and roots. and/or coastal lowland areas along the fring- CREATION Q & A In fact, it is now apparent that the ini- es of land masses such as the Dinosaur Pen- tial stages of the global Flood would likely insula (Figure 3).1 Detailed analysis further Figure 2. Photograph of the lycopod tree stumps have caused a great deal of plant death fol- at the Fossil Grove. Note the intact roots pen- lowed by decomposition of easily destroyed etrating the common subsurface horizon and tissue in the internal cortex region of lyco- RESEARC the nonrandom (growth position), equidistant- spaced trees. Reproduced courtesy of Glasgow pod trunks and roots. The aerial structures Museums and the Glasgow City Council. and root systems would have undergone selective tissue decay in the central cortex ROM TE EDITOR systems penetrate downward into the soil while retaining overall morphological shape horizon similar to modern root systems. As during the hollowing process. At that time, sediments were introduced into the cavity, opposed to allochthonous deposited trees, Figure 3. Map of the interpreted pre-Flood creating casts. In effect, it would have result- LEGACY the roots are not broken off near the trunks environments of the United States showing but instead are intact like those of living ed in the hollow-looking tree fossils that are the Dinosaur Peninsula. Lycopod trees likely trees. The encasing sandstone layer on top commonly observed. fringed the land/sea boundary along the outer of the forest site contains ripples and orient- edges of the peninsula. Map courtesy of Davis J. Werner. CONTENTS ed, broken trunk fragments indicative of a Flood Model for Fossil Grove Site high-energy flow system directed toward the The sedimentation data indicate that demonstrates the trunks and the roots were southwest. The tree stumps are also consis- Fossil Grove is a preserved remnant of a not hollow as previously claimed. Based on tently distorted in a southwesterly direction, pre-Flood forest that was not inundated and these studies, we recommend abandoning matching the paleo-flow of the floodwater buried until approximately midway through the floating forest model.1,4 currents. This indicates all of the trees were the rising portion of the Flood.4 Allochtho- References likely in place prior to burial by the encasing nous layers of coal were later deposited on 1. Clarey, T. L. 2015. Examining the floating forest hypothesis: a geological perspective. Journal of Creation. 29 (3): 50-55. sandy sediments of the global Flood. top of the trees as part of the Scottish Coal 2. Wise, K. P. 2003. The Pre-Flood Floating Forest: A Study in Paleontological Pattern Recognition. In Proceedings of the It is significant that the roots are not Measure Group. This data-driven interpre- Fifth International Conference on Creationism. R. L. Ivey, ed. Pittsburgh, PA: Creation Science Fellowship, 371-381. distorted in a southwesterly direction like the tation supports the idea that as the floodwa- 3. Austin, S. A. 1986. Mt. St. Helens and Catastrophism. Acts & Facts. 15 (7). stumps. If the tree stumps, roots and all, were ters increased, tsunami-like waves tore the 4. Clarey, T. L. and J. P. Tomkins. 2016. An Investigation into an In Situ Lycopod Forest Site and Structural Anatomy In- transported in and deposited, there should bulk of the lycopod forests free and depos- validates the Floating-Forest Hypothesis. Creation Research Society Quarterly. 53 (2): 110-122. be a consistent southwest distortion to both ited them allochthonously elsewhere as coal 5. Modified from Bluck, B. J. 2002. The Midland Valley ter- rane. In The Geology of Scotland, 4th ed. N. H. Trewin, ed. trunks and roots. The lack of directional dis- beds.1 As is the case with Fossil Grove, the London: The Geological Society, 149-166. 6. Gastaldo, R.A. 1986. An expla- tortion in the roots suggests that the trees lycopod tree trunks were broken off, allow- nation for lycopod configura- tion, ‘Fossil Grove’ Victoria Park, were rooted in the forest soil prior to burial.6 ing substantial decay of the stumps to have Glasgow. Scottish Journal of Geol- ogy. 22 (1): 77-83. occurred prior to burial.6 7. Owen, A. et al. 2007. Fossil Grove to be an undercover RIGS. Earth Lycopod Trees Were Not Hollow Heritage. 29: 22-23.

Sinking the Floating Forest Hypothesis Dr. Clarey is Research Associate Another line of reasoning put forth and Dr. Tomkins is Director of Life in support of the floating forest hypothesis Fossil Grove would be the first docu- Sciences at the Institute for Creation Research. Dr. Clarey earned his is that the arborescent lycopods were hol- mented in situ preservation of a pre-Flood Ph.D. in geology from Western Mich- igan University. Dr. Tomkins earned low in both their main aerial trunks and in soil with plants. However, it doesn’t support his Ph.D. in genetics from Clemson their roots—a contention based primarily the floating forest hypothesis since the tree University, where he worked as a research technician in a plant breed- on speculation and not soundly supported roots of the 11 stumps are found embedded ing/genetics program.

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BAC TO GENESIS APOLOGETICS STEARDSIP The Flood, CREATION Q & A LETTERS TO TE EDITOR Catastrophic Plate RESEARC Tectonics,APOLOGETICS and Earth History STEARDSIP

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lthough evolutionary scientists insist there is no evidence account.4 If the Flood was a real event, then it would surely have been for the global, Earth-destroying Flood described in Gen- remembered by those who lived through it—Noah’s family—and esis, accepting the Genesis Flood as literal history enables told to their descendants. RESEARC researchers to make sense of a wide array of geological, climatic,A and cultural data. Catastrophic Plate Tectonics and Runaway Subduction

Fossils in Water-DepositedROM Rocks TE EDITOR The Flood also enables us to make sense of clues contained within Earth’s interior. Our planet can be divided into a thin outer Most of Earth’s land surface is covered with sedimentary rocks crust, a core at its center, and the mantle between them (Figure 1). The or sediments, which are formed when pre-existing rock material is core is comprised of a solid inner core and a liquid outer core. The up- LEGACYweathered. The resulting sediment is then transported to another permost part of the mantle and the crust together comprise the litho- location by water, wind, or glacial action. Even secular geologists ac- sphere, about 60 miles thick. Like a cracked eggshell, the lithosphere is knowledge that nearly all the world’s sedimentary rocks are water- divided into seven or eight large plates and many smaller plates. deposited, although they would deny that these rocks were the result CONTENTS of the Genesis Flood.1 Furthermore, some of the sedimentary rocks that secular geologists attribute to wind action are better explained as resulting from water currents.2 Within these water-deposited sedimentary rocks are the fossil- ized remains of billions of plants and animals. These fossils are evi- dence of rapid burial since organisms that are not buried rapidly will quickly decay or be eaten by scavengers. The fossils are often found in mass graveyards, and marine and land creatures are frequently bur- ied together.3 This is exactly what one would expect from the cata- strophic global Flood described in the Bible.

Global Flood Traditions

People groups all over the world have recollections of a great flood that nearly destroyed the human race. ICR President Emeritus Figure 1. Diagram showing the earth’s interior as well as a mid-ocean Dr. John Morris has personally collected more than 200 such flood ridge and two subducting slabs. stories, many of which bear remarkable similarities to the Genesis Image credit: U.S. Geological Survey.

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IMPACT IMPACT BAC TO GENESIS Creation geophysicist John In that time, one would expect any LETTERS TO TE EDITOR Baumgardner—described as “the The fossils are often found in mass grave- such temperature differences to BAC TO GENESIS APOLOGETICSworld’s pre-eminent expert in the yards, and marine and land creatures are have evened out. However, in the design of computer models for geo- catastrophic plate tectonics model,

STEphysicalARDSIP convection”5—has spent frequently buried together.This is exactly such a temperature difference is to CREATIONmany years studying Q & Athe connec- what one would expect from the cata- be expected if the slab rapidly sub- LETTERS TO TE EDITOR tion between plate tectonics and strophic global Flood described in the Bible. ducted into the mantle just a few RESEARCthe Flood. Today, the plates are thousand years ago.7 moving very slowly, at rates of just a few centimeters per year, but Dr. Baumgardner argues that they Runaway Subduction: Logical Consequences APOLOGETICS moved much faster in the recent past.6 If runaway subduction did occur, then certain things logically When an oceanic plate and a continental plate collide, the follow. Since one expects Earth’s volume to remain constant during denser rocks of the ocean floor tend to slide under the less-dense STEARDSIP continental rocks, a process called subduction. As a subducting plate the subduction process, rapid subduction and the destruction of the moves down through the mantle, the resulting friction heats the sur- old seafloor also imply rapid creation of a new seafloor. This would rounding material. This heating reduces the viscosity of the mate- occur at the mid-ocean ridges, where hot magma rises upward (Fig- rial, enabling the subducting plate to move more quickly. As long as ure 1). The lithosphere above the ridge would stretch and thin, allow- the heat is carried away by the surrounding mantle rocks faster than ing the magma to break through the crust. Dr. Baumgardner thinks it is generated by the subducting slab, subduction will be slow and the mid-ocean ridges, which encircle Earth like seams on a baseball, CREATION Q & A gradual. If, however, the generated heat is not carried away at a suf- were the result. As this hot magma came into contact with cold sea- ficient rate, the viscosity of the slab decreases still further, enabling water, the result would have been a long, linear geyser that ejected the slab to descend even faster. This results in an effect called runaway huge amounts of superheated water into the atmosphere. This may subduction in which the subducting slab moves at speeds of meters have been the source of the intense rains that fell for 40 days and 40 6 RESEARC per second rather than centimeters per year! Fortunately, conditions nights (Genesis 7:12). for runaway subduction are not currently present in the mantle, but Furthermore, this upward motion of less-dense material at there are good reasons to think such conditions occurred in the past. the mid-ocean ridges would have temporarily raised the ocean floor An imaging process called seismic tomography has revealed a ROM TE EDITOR along these underwater belts, displacing massive amounts of seawater ring of dense rock at the bottom of the mantle. Since its location cor- onto the continents and resulting in catastrophic flooding on a global responds approximately to the perimeter of the Pacific Ocean, it ap- scale. This is exactly what one would expect during the global Flood. pears to represent subducted ocean crust (Figure 2). Located inside LEGACY Dr. Baumgardner has written sophisticated computer programs to this ring of cold rock is a blob of less-dense rock that appears to have model both the rapid plate motions and the transportation of sedi- been squeezed upward toward the crust. If one assumes that the den- ments by water currents during the Flood (Figure 3).8,9 sity of the cold ring is comparable to that of the surrounding materi- CONTENTS al, which is the most straightforward assumption, this ring is 3,000 to 4,000 °C colder than the inner blob. This is completely unexpected in the conventional plate tectonic model since it can take about 100 mil- lion years for a slab to descend all the way to the base of the mantle.

Figure 2. Regions of more dense (blue) and less dense (red) materials in Figure 3. Graphical results from one of Dr. John Baumgardner’s nu- the lower mantle, as shown by seismic tomography. merical simulations. Used by permission of Answers Research Journal (reference 9). Image by Alessandro Forte, from reference 7, used by permission of Creation Science Fellowship of Pittsburgh.

ACTS FACTS | AUGUST 2017 12 & Rapid Magnetic Reversals completely new seafloor during the Flood would have significantly warmed the world’s oceans, dramatically increasing global evapora- Molten lava, or magma, contains minerals whose magnetic tion. This would have put far more moisture into the atmosphere domains tend to align with the direction of Earth’s magnetic field. than we see today, resulting in greatly enhanced snowfall at high lati- When the rock cools and hardens, this alignment is “locked” into the tudes and on mountaintops. Late-Flood and residual post-Flood vol- volcanic rock. The basaltic rocks on either side of the mid-ocean ridg- canic activity would have put great amounts of light-reflecting aero- es depict a striped pattern consisting of alternating bands of magne- sols into the stratosphere, resulting in cooler summers that would tization that reverse direction as one moves away from the ridge. This have allowed thick ice sheets to persist and grow over hundreds of striped pattern indicates that Earth’s magnetic field has flipped doz- years. As the oceans cooled and volcanic activity diminished, the Ice ens of times, with the north and south magnetic poles trading places. Age would have gradually come to an end.16 In contrast, the currently If a new seafloor rapidly popular secular ice age theory has formed during the Genesis Flood, serious problems.17 then the fact that these magnetic Although creation scientists are still work- reversals are recorded in oceanic Conclusion volcanic rocks (most of which ing to resolve unanswered questions, the Accepting the Genesis Flood were formed during the Flood) creation-Flood model is much more robust as literal history enables research- implies that the magnetic reversals and has much more explanatory power ers to make sense of a huge array must also have occurred rapidly. of data. Although creation scien- Uniformitarian scientists found than secular Earth history stories. tists are still working to resolve un- strong evidence for rapid magnet- answered questions, the creation- ic reversals, although such rapid Flood model is much more robust and has much more explanatory reversals are very hard for them to explain.10-12 Creation physicist power than secular Earth history stories. Skeptics “willfully are igno- D. Russell Humphreys proposed a theory that at least qualitatively rant of” (2 Peter 3:5) the reality of the Genesis Flood—not because explains how such rapid reversals could occur.13 His mechanism re- of a lack of evidence but because of an unwillingness to acknowledge quires strong up-and-down motions of fluids within Earth’s outer God’s Lordship over their lives. liquid core due to convection. Such convection might be initiated References if a cold subducting plate were to come into contact with the outer 1. Years ago when I was an undergraduate, a secular geologist told me that 90 to 95% of the world’s sedimentary rocks were water-deposited. core at the core-mantle boundary, which Dr. Baumgardner argues is 2. Thomas, B. 2014. Do Sand-Dune Sandstones Disprove Noah’s Flood? Acts & Facts 43 (9): 18- 7 19. exactly what happened. 3. Clarey, T. 2015. Dinosaurs in Marine Sediments: A Worldwide Phenomenon. Acts & Facts. 44 (6): 16. 4. Morris, J. D. 2001. Why Does Nearly Every Culture Have a Tradition of a Global Flood? Acts & Rapid Erosion and Deposition Facts. 30 (9). 5. Burr, C. The geophysics of God. U.S. News & World Report, June 16, 1997, 55-58. 6. Baumgardner, J. R. 1994. Runaway Subduction as the Driving Mechanism for the Genesis As the newly formed ocean floor cooled, its density increased Flood. In Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Creationism. R. E. Walsh, ed. and it sank, allowing the floodwaters to drain off the continents. Pittsburgh, PA: Creation Science Fellowship, 63-75. 7. Baumgardner, J. R. 2003. Catastrophic Plate Tectonics: The Physics Behind the Genesis Flood. The rapidly receding waters would have eroded away an enormous In Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Creationism. R. L. Ivey, Jr., ed. Pittsburgh, PA: Creation Science Fellowship, 113-126. amount of sediment. In places where the sediments were relatively 8. Baumgardner, J. R. 1994. Computer Modeling of the Large-Scale Tectonics Associated with the Genesis Flood. In Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Creationism. R. E. Walsh, thin, the water would have eroded all the sedimentary layers, leaving ed. Pittsburgh, PA: Creation Science Fellowship, 49-62. the original basement rocks exposed. Huge volumes of fast-moving 9. Baumgardner, J. 2016. Numerical Modeling of the Large-Scale Erosion, Sediment Transport, and Deposition Processes of the Genesis Flood. Answers Research Journal. 9: 1-24. water would have planed some areas flat, resulting in so-called plana- 10. Coe, R. S., M. Prévot, and P. Camps. 1995. New evidence for extraordinarily rapid change of the geomagnetic field during a reversal. Nature. 374 (6524): 687-692. tion surfaces. Since they are not forming today, these surfaces are dif- 11. Bogue, S. W. and J. M. G. Glen. 2010. Very rapid geomagnetic field change recorded by the 14 partial remagnetization of a lava flow. Geophysical Research Letters. 37 (21): L21308. ficult for secular geologists to explain. This extensive erosion implies 12. Sagnotti, L. et al. 2014. Extremely rapid directional change during Matuyama-Brunhes geo- that huge amounts of sediment would have rapidly been dumped magnetic polarity reversal. Geophysical Journal International. 199 (2): 1110-1124. 13. Humphreys, D. R. 1990. Physical Mechanism for Reversals of the Earth’s Geomagnetic Field into the ocean basins. The Whopper Sand in the Gulf of Mexico—a During the Flood. In Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Creationism. R. E. Walsh and C. L. Brooks, eds. Pittsburgh, PA: Creation Science Fellowship, 129-142. complete surprise to uniformitarian scientists—is an example of this 14. Oard, M. 2006. It’s plain to see: Flat land surfaces are strong evidence for the Genesis Flood. massive, sheet-like draining of North America.15 Creation. 28 (2): 34-37. 15. Clarey, T. 2015. The Whopper Sand. Acts & Facts. 44 (3): 14. 16. Hebert, J. 2013. Was There an Ice Age? Acts & Facts. 42 (12): 20. 17. Hebert, J. ‘Big Science’ Celebrates Invalid Milankovitch Paper. Cre- The Ice Age ation Science Update. Posted on ICR.org December 26, 2016, accessed May 16, 2017. The Genesis Flood also provides a straightforward explana- Dr. Hebert is Research Associate at the Institute for Creation Research tion for the Ice Age. The heat generated by the rapid formation of a and earned his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Texas at Dallas.

ACTS FACTS | AUGUST 2017 AUGUST 2017 | ACTS FACTS & & 13 ICR MUSEUM O SCIENCE AND EART ISTORY

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IMPACT IMPACT BAC TO GENESIS

LETTERS TO TE EDITOR

BAC TO GENESIS APOLOGETICSFRANK SHERWIN, M.A. STEARDSIP f the apostle Paul is right and to curb erosion. With the loss God’s attributes in creation CREATION Q & A of trees, birds lost nesting sites. LETTERS TO TE EDITOR are “clearly seen” (Romans RESEARC The overgrazing of trees 1:20), then we should see in turn reduced food for bea- themI manifest in both the biotic vers in the northern range. (animalsAPOLOGETICS and plants) and abiotic The animals soon disappeared (geology and meteorology) areas from that area, along with the of His creation. These two basic ponds produced by their dam areas interact in a sophisticated STEARDSIP building. There followed heavy ecological web. Disturbance of one stream erosion. More animals facet (e.g., a species of animal or and plants such as mature wil- plant) may reverberate throughout lows and aspen were affected. the biological system. Even the numbers of scavenger In the beginning, God gave species such as the golden and humans a dominion mandate: CREATION Q & A bald eagle, coyote, raven, mag- Then God blessed them, and pie, and grizzly bear dipped God said to them, “Be fruit- because they had no wolf kills ful and multiply: fill the earth to feed on. and subdue it; have dominion God’s Balanced RESEARCover the fish of the sea, over the An environmental re- birds of the air, and over every covery began in 1995 when the living thing that moves on the Ecosystem conservation community and earth.” (Genesis 1:28) ROM TE EDITOR U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service We are to respect and care for the created environment, but not introduced about 30 Canadian wolves into Yellowstone. The impact idolize it. However, natural man has rejected the Creator’s command- was nothing less than dramatic. In just seven years, Yellowstone had 16 free-ranging packs of wolves. ment.LEGACY As a result, the creation is often worshipped (Romans 1:25), and modern militant environmentalism has become a religion.1 Woody species of plants such as the willow, cottonwood, and Although sometimes it doesn’t seem like it, God really does aspen made a comeback. Indeed, new aspen groves are now over 20 have everything under control. He designed ecological niches to feet high thanks to the reduction of elk from more than 15,000 before interactCONTENTS in such a way as to have a balanced ecosystem. Each crea- 1995 to a more manageable 6,000 in 2005. Many animals returned to ture God created has the ability to move in and fill niches in the areas from which they had almost disappeared, including the willow environment. flycatcher, the insectivorous ground feeding restart, and other birds. One of the more fascinating stories of ecological recovery and Wolves even help keep the coyote population in check, allowing the conservation involves the gray wolf (Canis lupus) of North Ameri- recovery of the magnificent pronghorn sheep. Dozens of God’s furry ca. This magnificent animal was nearly wiped out in the early 20th engineers, beavers, are now making productive marshes and ponds century in the lower 48 states due to the mistaken assumption that by damming streams. Small mammals, birds (green-wing teal), fish wolves were a treacherous competitor and predator to both man (cutthroat trout), and amphibians (boreal chorus frog) are moving and beast. Because of this, there was a campaign to eliminate them, into these newly created aquatic ecosystems. Insects flourish as well specifically in and around Yellowstone National Park. What followed to feed them. between 1926 and 1995 is what ecologists call a trophic cascade. There are clear indications that biological equilibrium is be- Wolves—the apex predators—had kept elk and deer num- ing regained in Yellowstone. How should this welcome ecological bers in check. As a result of the wolves’ removal, the populations of recovery affect the biblical creationist? With joy! This is responsible these large herbivores increased exponentially. They over-browsed environmental stewardship, caring for what God the vegetation, causing many species of plants to disappear. Stream has given us. edges where cottonwood and willows (riparian vegetation) grew Reference were devastated, leading to a reduction in the numbers of smaller 1. Sherwin, F. 2005. Worshipping the Creator or the Creation? Acts & Facts. 34 (7). animals such as rabbits and insects. Aspen saplings in the northern Mr. Sherwin is Research Associate, Senior Lecturer, and Science Writer, Yellowstone valleys were decimated, leaving no expansive root system and earned his M.A. in zoology from University of Northern Colorado.

Image credit: Copyright © 1997-2017 Skulls Unlimited International, Inc. All rights reserved. Adapted for use in accordance with federal copyright (fair use doctrine) law. Usage by ICR does not imply endorsement of copyright holder.

ACTS FACTS | AUGUST 2017 AUGUST 2017 | ACTS FACTS 14 & & ICR MUSEUM O SCIENCE AND EART ISTORY

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IMPACT IMPACT BAC TO GENESIS BRIAN THOMAS, M.S.

LETTERS TO TE EDITOR BAC TO GENESIS AnotherAPOLOGETICS Evolutionary AncestorSTEARDSIP Gets Nixed CREATION Q & A LETTERS TO TE EDITOR omo naledi skyrocketed to inter- naledi only several hundred thousand years RESEARC national fame in 2015 as a claimed ago—far too recently to match their 2015 ape-like ancestor of man that fit claims that it represented a human ancestor.4 the story of human evolution. Dis- A large team of scientists published APOLOGETICS Hcoverer and promoter Lee Berger published the unexpectedly young age assignments in hasty reports and then toured the world the online journal eLife.5 The University of with dynamic, media-packed presentations. the Witwatersrand in South Africa wrote STEARDSIP Back then, the Associated Press wrote that about the results: scientists had “discovered a new member of

After the description of the new spe- use in ac - for Adapted ofWisconsin-Madison. Hawks/University John credit: Image not imply ICR does by Usage with federal copyright (fair use doctrine)cordance law. ofendorsement copyright holder. the human family tree” in the odd-looking cies in 2015, experts had predicted that Homo naledi’s startlingly young age assign- fossil assembly.1 the fossils should be around the age of ment—a factor of 10 off from where it should The Institute for Creation Research these other primitive species. Instead, be in the evolutionary model—raises serious the fossils from the Dinaledi Chamber questions about its placement as a human CREATION Q & A responded to the claims and made a bold are barely more than one-tenth that ancestor. prediction that further research has now age.6 verified. Creation zoologist Frank Sherwin wrote, “We predict, on the basis of the cre- dicted that more research would eliminate ation model, Homo naledi too will become Homo naledi from the fake parade of hu- RESEARC What Is Homo naledi? just one more dead end in the questionable man evolution candidates. Creation science In short, we don’t know yet. Its human evolution parade.”2 New dating re- got this one right. fragmentary remains might repre- sults show why Mr. Sherwin was right. Despite its initial glad entry into the sent human variations or diseased evolutionary lobby, it didn’t take long for ROM TE EDITOR Why does the fossil’s age assignment people.7 Detailed trait analyses sug- matter? According to the evolutionary story, gest an extinct ape, possibly related Homo naledi to turn right around and exit a gaggle of extinct apes slowly morphed to Lucy’s kind.8 Then again, maybe the building, just like creation thinkers fore- LEGACY closer toward the form of modern humans it’s a mix of human parts (especially saw. over millions of years. Supposedly, the first its feet) with parts from extinct References 1. Chutel, L. and M. Ritter. Study: Bones in South African truly modern-looking people did not evolve apes (like curved finger bones and cave reveal new human relative. Associated Press. Posted on tiny skulls).9 That would make the phys.org September 10, 2015, accessed September 10, 2015. until two to three million years ago. This fol- 2. Sherwin, F. Homo naledi, a New Human Ancestor? Creation whole construct farcical, like Java Science Update. Posted on ICR.org September 10, 2015, ac- CONTENTS lows from the long ages assigned to unques- cessed May 15, 2017. man, Piltdown man, and possibly 3. Clarey, T. 2016. Homo naledi: Claims of a Transitional Ape. tionably human fossils. What, then, should Homo habilis. Whether extinct hu- Acts & Facts. 45 (2): 15. qualify a fossil as a true evolutionary ances- 4. Torchia, C. Scientists in South Africa Reveal More on man, extinct ape, or man-made Human-Like Species. Associated Press. Posted on foxnews. tor of man? First, it should have body parts mixture, none of these creation- com May 9, 2017, accessed May 12, 2017. 5. Dirks, P. H. G. M. et al. 2017. The age of Homo naledi and that look more human-like than ape-like. friendly categories helps evolution. associated sediments in the Rising Star Cave, South Africa. eLife. 6: e24231. Second, it should bear an age assignment of 6. Young Homo naledi surprises. Wits University News. Post- ed on wits.ac.za May 9, 2017, accessed May 15, 2017. no fewer than two million years. In other words, those who believed 7. Line, P. 2016. The mysterious Rising Star fossils. Journal of Creation. 30 (3): 88-96. ICR geologist Tim Clarey described a that this fossilized creature was evolving 8. O’Micks, J. 2017. Rebuttal to “Reply to O’Micks Concern- key dating dilemma when he analyzed de- into humans had predicted an age of older ing the Geology and Taphonomy of the Homo naledi Site” and “Identifying Humans in the Fossil Record: A Further tails published in 2015 about Homo naledi’s than two million years. Now their own dat- Response to O’Micks.” Answers Research Journal. 10: 63-70. 9. O’Micks, J. 2016. Homo naledi Probably Not Part of the setting. He wrote that a relatively young ing methods have refuted this. Meanwhile, Human Holobaramin Based on Baraminic Re-Analysis Including Postcranial Evidence. Answers Research Journal. evolutionary age assignment would place experts have completely disagreed over the 9: 263-272. 10. Sherwin, F. 2017. Lucy Languishes “Homo naledi alongside species of modern evolutionary significance of every other as a Human-Ape Link. Acts & humans” instead of demonstrating it to be supposed ape-human transition, including Facts. 46 (5): 10-13. an ancestor of modern humans.3 the famous Lucy—which is merely an ex- Mr. Thomas is Science Writer at the Institute for Creation Research and 10 Now in 2017, scientists including tinct ape. Those who believe God created earned his M.S. in biotechnology from Berger revealed new dates that place Homo apes separately from man therefore pre- Stephen F. Austin State University.

AUGUST 2017 | ACTS FACTS & 15 Construction Update: Laying the Foundation

n June, the Institute for Creation Research’s Board of Directors As with most building projects, we must remove the old be- gathered for their annual meeting. They seized this opportu- fore we can build the new. Last month we shared a few demolition nity to tour the construction progress on the ICR Discovery pictures from inside our existing building. This month, let’s tour the ICenter for Science and Earth History. outdoor progress with our Board.

Construction team completes trenching work for property drainage.

(left to right) ICR Board members Dr. Rob Stadler, Dan Arnold, Dan Farrell, ICR CEO Dr. Henry Morris III, ICR CFO Eileen Turner, Board members Dan Mitchell, Walter Guilliaume, and ICR Chairman of the Board Richard Bliss stand on the southern side of the future planetarium.

Beck supervisor Paul Palerchio gives an overview of the interior work, including demolition, foundation, excavation for utilities and the Grand Canyon exhibit, location of specific exhibits and the ceiling paint project (painting it black).

Help Us Finish the ICR Discovery Center Please help ICR reach generations to come with evidence that Beck superintendent Roy Chumley describes the soil, foundation, and confirms the Bible. As we build the superstructure, we are still engineering work required for the new construction area for the plan- raising funds for the interior exhibits. Your gift will be put to ef- etarium, lobby, auditorium, and gift shop to Dr. Rob Stadler, Richard fective use to point people to the truth of our Creator, the Lord Bliss, and Dr. Henry Morris III. The new construction’s foundation will Jesus Christ. Please visit ICR.org/discoverycenter be laid in the flagged area in the distance.

ACTS FACTS | AUGUST 2017 AUGUST 2017 | ACTS FACTS 16 & & ENGINEERED ADAPTABILITY SERIES Arriving at a Design-Based Framework for Adaptability

RANDY J. GULIUZZA, P.E., M.D.

map is crucial for all travelers, Theory, wasn’t to provide evidence from fun-seeking vacationers for evolution. Instead, its in- to serious scientific research- tent was to frame the history of A ers. This month’s article is scholarly exchanges that approved a map of the Engineered Adaptability certain ideas and endorsed specific as- series and highlights the places fu- sumptions that became the evolutionary ture articles will stop en route context used to interpret natural phe- to its destination—a design- nomena. Gould also noted how a theory’s based framework that explains structure establishes and prioritizes research adaptability. To keep everyone programs, of which he said, “The best strat- traveling together, the articles will deci- egy, Darwin asserts, lies in the study of pher information from peer-reviewed fo- adaptation….The adaptations of rums and supply an orientation so readers organisms therefore constitute the know where they’re headed. bread and butter objects of study in evolutionary biology.”1 Where Adaptability Goes, In scientific research, structures and Evolutionary Theory Follows frameworks are configurations of ideas explaining complex phenomena in the development of a theory. But an equally Adaptability is a characteristic of all important way to describe a theory is like a map that sets the starting living things. If organisms couldn’t adapt to changing environments, point and direction of travel toward a destination called “truthful then evolutionary theory would have nothing to work with. Evo- explanations” in the realm of natural phenomena. The importance lutionists struggle to explain how adaptability could emerge since of underpinning theory with sound fundamental ideas is obvious. a creature cannot adapt until it is already adaptable. Evolution as- If the ideas and assumptions are wrong, then researchers start off in sumes that adaptability mysteriously arose through random genetic the wrong direction and are unlikely to get to truthful explanations. mutations that somehow proved advantageous. Evolutionary theory Those who oppose evolutionary theory often point out its offers a naturalistic explanation for the origin of life’s diversity. It flawed ideas and assumptions but don’t offer a different structure holds that changing environments—through their cycles of death for research. What would be useful, then, is an alternative frame- and survival “acting” on adaptable organisms—are sufficient to work for approaching biology that fundamentally contrasts with slowly transform organisms into wholly different kinds of creatures. evolutionary mechanisms. Starting with one based on engineering In evolution’s quest to explain survival of the fittest, it has no principles, research may be guided to produce truthful explana- viable explanation for the arrival of the fittest, as the saying goes. tions. Toward that end, the Engineered Adaptability series proposes Thus, understanding adaptability is important not only in debunk- a new framework: ing evolution, but also in validating a creation model that proposes The engineering principles that underlie how human-designed organisms are designed with a myriad of complex mechanisms things self-adjust to changing environments is the most expe- that allow them to adapt. But how should creationist research into dient way to explain how organisms adapt. adaptability proceed? A Design-Based Theory of Adaptability Scientific activities take place within a structure of ideas and assumptions that define a field of study. Stephen Jay Gould’s pur- We don’t have a Structure of Design Theory book as a counter- pose for writing his magnum opus, The Structure of Evolutionary part to Gould’s work. Design-promoting concepts have advanced

ACTS FACTS | AUGUST 2017 AUGUST 2017 | ACTS FACTS & & 17 ENGINEERED ADAPTABILITY SERIES

primarily by 1) detailing the total insufficien- be extended or even renovated to accom- causal explanations.8 Biochemist Michael cy of the Darwinian mechanism; 2) expos- modate fresh discoveries highlighting the Denton notes that tensions rise because “it ing colossal hurdles for evolution such as the incredible complexity of living systems and is inconceivable to most English-speaking Cambrian Explosion; 3) highlighting many the severe problems they propose for evo- biologists that living things might contain a characteristics of organisms, especially their lution. One key organizer, Kevin Laland of significant degree of order that arises from information content, that indicate the work the University of St. Andrews, noted that basic internal physical constraints,” an idea of an intelligent agent; and 4) charting a “the discussion witnessed little meeting of that many find “very alien” to their way of rational approach for making a plausible minds.”4 Previously, an article in the science thinking.9 inference to design. But while it is valuable, journal Nature presented contrasting opin- The evolutionists’ current uncertainty this work isn’t a clearly focused design-based ions on the question “Does evolutionary over how new discoveries fit their theory pro- structure for explaining adaptability. theory need a rethink?” The article noted vides a rare opening for non-evolutionists to Dr. David Snoke of the University of that “researchers are divided over what pro- frame these data into a novel theory that does Pittsburgh has laid important groundwork cesses should be considered fundamental.”5 not incorporate evolutionary explanations. for Intelligent Design advocates to utilize Why the sharp division amongst evolution- engineering principles to guide research via ists this late in the game? The answer spins A Theory That Integrates Engineering systems biology.2 His work is a section with- on whether evolutionary theory’s ideas and Causation and Principles in the foundation of design theory. assumptions set the correct starting point Scientific literature describes dozens One goal for this Engineered Adapt- and direction for research. ability series is to lay addi- of fascinating systems within creatures that control flexible expressions of tional foundation. Several problem-solving traits. The articles begin by replacing next stop in this series will de- evolution’s outdated prin- Adaptability is a characteristic of all living things. If organisms couldn’t scribe a revived interest in a cipal mechanism with a adapt to changing environments, then evolutionary theory would have model called structuralism (a fresh, engineering-based nothing to work with. Evolutionists struggle to explain how adaptability type of) to explain new discov- approach to adaptability eries. that incorporates the lat- could emerge since a creature cannot adapt until it is already adaptable. Yet, renewed interest in est biological discoveries. structuralism itself still misses One premise is that the the target. It is better to organize engineering paradigm Recent debates are plowing all the way findings into an organism-focused, design- in modern biology is fundamental and en- back through evolutionary literature to how based theory of adaptability. Researchers gineering principles should therefore guide Darwin initially adopted the environment- who are open to considering that organisms biological research.3 Humans design adapt- dominant view of adaptation. He decided to may be designed could formulate theory able machinery and systems by invariably explain adaptation “externalistically.” Dar- that allows them to assume that organisms’ including internal features that control win’s view perceives organisms as passive diverse systems have some discoverable the entity’s relationship to environments. modeling clay whose basic form is molded purpose(s) and that those systems operate Hence, a structure of design theory could over time by their environments.6 Form is according to engineering principles. use engineering principles to more accurate- imposed on organisms from without. Envi- For instance, what if a design-based ly interpret findings about biological func- ronments sculpt them into nature’s diverse research program was launched to investi- tions within the context of a living creature’s forms. The organism-as-modeling-clay is gate whether the same principles that regu- innate systems. the status quo assumption. It shapes the in- late functions in human-designed vehicles terpretation of results from studies focused also operate in creatures that travel through Research, Interpretation, Causation: on where the key action takes place—the diverse environments? For human-engi- Why Starting Points Matter organism-environment relationship. neered vehicles, intrinsic design controls Now is an excellent time for develop- The recent struggle in the evolution- detect challenging exposures and dictate ing a new engineering-based theory. Next ary camp over fundamental processes specific measures as solutions. Per design- month’s article will show how evolution- revolves around discoveries of pervasive based theory, a similar innate self-adjusting ary biologists are increasingly divided over and complex internal mechanisms that or- capacity would be predicted within organ- theory. A recent conference—New Trends ganisms utilize to self-adjust to changing isms. That is, organisms over multiple gen- in Evolutionary Biology: Biological, Philo- conditions.7 Per one New Trends confer- erations could actively detect environmental sophical and Social Science Perspectives— ence attendee, this observation-to-theory conditions, and innate systems could con- deliberated if evolutionary theory needs to mismatch is leading to “deeply entangled” trol the expression of a spectrum of traits

ACTS FACTS | AUGUST 2017 AUGUST 2017 | ACTS FACTS 18 & & (phenotypes) from a relatively stable set of gather data on external conditions; 2) in- relationship to environments, and it seems instructions in the genome. A design-based ternal programming that specifies reference this should also be true for organisms. This theory might be able to help refine the full values, and logic segments that compare would imply that both internal form and extent of internal control. input data to a reference and select a suit- adaptability are governed by internal sys- Throughout this series, we will focus able response; and 3) output actuators to tems. Thus, the total validity of Darwin’s on engineering causation. It’s different from execute responses. The route from condi- externalistic theory itself, not merely its suf- philosophical, psychological, theological, tion to adaptation runs through these com- ficiency, is challenged by the reality of intel- or other causation. Objectivity is its distin- ponents, and the removal of any one stops ligent design. guishing characteristic. Only verifiable ele- self-adjustment. Research demonstrates that If the design-based model of adapta- ments are included in causal chains. In our organisms have these same elements and tion postulating that organisms continu- series articles, these chains generally link utilize them to track changing conditions ously track environmental changes is cor- genetics or epigenetic information through and produce specific results. rect, it would emphasize organisms as ac- specific cellular systems to modified traits These recently outlined internal mech- tive, problem-solving entities—not passive and then to the specific environmental con- anisms have some surprising characteristics. modeling clay. It’s a creature’s self-adjusting ditions they relate to. These innate mechanisms yield results that innate mechanisms that produce change- are regularly described as “regulated,” “rap- suitable solutions that precede changing con- Continuous Environmental Tracking: id,” very often “repeatable,” and, surprisingly ditions rather than being caused by them. An Engineered Means to Fill Niches at times, even “reversible”—words that fit Could it be possible that creatures actively the outcomes of engineered systems. track changing conditions—rather than be- If engineering-minded scientists hy- Most of the exciting action obviously ing passively “pressured” by them—while pothesized how creatures spread into diverse takes place where organisms interface with driving themselves through time to fill new niches (and possibly undergo speciation), their environments. A few future articles will niches? they might produce a treatise titled On the discuss key design features found at crea- References Origin of Species by Means of Continuous En- 1. Gould, S. J. 2002. The Structure of Evolutionary Theory. tures’ environmental boundaries that enable vironmental Tracking. It’s not enough to just Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 158. engineered adaptability. 2. Snoke, D. 2014. Systems Biology as a Research Program for identify design features in systems. Those Intelligent Design. BIO-Complexity. 2014 (3): 1-11. All organisms have environmental in- 3. Guliuzza, R. 2017. Engineering Principles Should Guide features should be fitted into some concep- Biological Research. Acts & Facts. 46 (7): 17-19. terfaces. For adaptability, interfaces can be 4. Laland, K. N. 2017. Schism and Synthesis at the Royal Soci- tual framework. Thus, the bulk of this series ety. Trends in Ecology & Evolution. 32 (5): 316-317. thought of as gatekeepers. A contemporary will highlight mechanisms through which 5. Laland, K. et al. 2014. Does evolutionary theory need a re- analogy in today’s computer world is that think? Nature. 514 (7521): 161-164. organisms express traits that enable them to 6. Guliuzza, R. J. Organisms in their niche: passive modeling they act as a firewall for control and security clay or problem-solving entities? Geoscience Research In- closely track changing conditions and adjust stitute. Posted on grisda.org April 5, 2017, accessed May 23, reasons. In a related manner, no condition 2017. accordingly. This explanation for adaptabil- in-and-of-itself is a stimulus to an organism. 7. Guliuzza, R. J. Schism in Evolutionary Theory Opens Cre- ity was given the descriptive title Continu- ationist Opportunity. Creation Science Update. Posted on Internal programming must specify it as a ICR.org May 18, 2017, accessed May 23, 2017. ous Environmental Tracking (CET) and was 8. Comments by Sonia Sultan in Pigliucci, M. The Extended stimulus. A creature must then be equipped Evolutionary Synthesis and causality in biology. Footnotes presented at several science conferences in to Plato. Posted on platofootnote.wordpress.com May, 15, with a sensor to detect the specified condi- 2017, accessed May 15, 2017. 2016.10 tion. Another principle of design is that for 9. Denton, M. Two Views of Biology: Structuralism vs. Func- Adaptability is the engineered control tionalism. Evolution News & Science Today. Posted on evo- two autonomous entities to work together, lutionnews.org February 3, 2016, accessed May 24, 2017. system within organisms that maintains 10. Guliuzza, R. J. 2016. Environmental Tracking: Theoretical they must be connected by an interface sys- Considerations of Engineered Mechanisms Within Popula- the organism-environment relationships tions to Continually Fill the Earth Across Generations. CBS tem that permits “business transactions” to Annual Conference Abstracts 2016. K. P. Wise et al, eds. through appropriate self-adjustments. An 12 Journal of Creation Theology and Science Series B: Life Sci- happen. ences. 6: 59-67. organism’s innate systems determine its 11. Cabej, N. R. 2013. Building the Most Complex Structure on output and responses.11 Human engineers Earth: An Epigenetic Narrative of Development and Evolution Engineered, Active, Problem-Solving of Animals. New York: Elsevier Publishing. know they must build dynamic machines to 12. Guliuzza, R. J. and F. Sherwin. 2016. Design Analysis Sug- Creatures…NOT Passive Modeling Clay gests That Our “Immune” System Is Better Understood as a relate to dynamic environments. If human Microbe Interface System. Creation Research Society Quar- engineers can use a tracking system to de- When researchers see recurrent, simi- terly. 53 (2): 27-43. tect and maintain the surveillance of a mov- lar categories of change that are described Dr. Guliuzza is ICR’s National Representative. He earned his M.D. from the University of ing target, could creatures employ a similar as being regulated, rapid, and repeatable, Minnesota, his Master of Public overall strategy that utilizes different types of they should recognize them as correspond- Health from Harvard University, and served in the U.S. Air Force as mechanisms to track changing conditions? ing to distinctive expectations of design. A 28th Bomb Wing Flight Surgeon and Chief of Aerospace Medicine. The essential, well-matched elements framework postulating that creatures were Dr. Guliuzza is also a registered underlying the self-adjustable property designed is reasonable. With human-engi- Professional Engineer. of tracking systems are 1) input sensors to neered things, internal features regulate their

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CREATION Q & A FRANK SHERWIN, M.A.

RESEARC Did Fish Learn to Walk?

Virtually all natural his- tory ROMmuseums TE have aEDITOR diorama displaying fish with strange leg-like fins emerging from the water onto land. This is LEGACY a critical evolutionary event—gills somehow evolving into lungs and fins evolving into legs—that allegedly occurred many millions CONTENTSof years ago. But how true is this scenario? After all, this happened before anyone could observe or document it. The only way to “see” if it “Walking” catfish.

actually happened is to find fossils of water with federal copyright (fair use in accordance for Adapted Moynahan. Copyright © 2016 D. credit: Image of endorsement not imply ICR does copyright by holder. Usage use doctrine) law. creatures displaying structures that would have the specific anatomy to enable them fish turning into amphibians: Even in the earliest known tetrapods, to invade this foreign environment called the pelvic girdle had become far differ- The first evidence of tetrapods comes ent in structure from that of a fish.7 land. It’s no wonder evolutionist Carl Zim- from 395-million-year-old trackways mer recently said, “Scientists still puzzle over found in shallow marine sediments in Figure 4.2 of Michael Benton’s fourth exactly how the transition from sea to land Poland…suggesting there is a ghost edition of Vertebrate Paleontology shows an took place.”1 record of missing forms, as these track- outright magical transition of a fish spinal There has been much work by pale- ways predate the oldest known elpistos- tegalian fishes by 10 million years.3 column having no pelvic anatomy to that ontologists (those who study fossils) inves- tigating this supposed event. Fish becom- These Polish trackways are distinct dig- of a creature with an “Illum [sic], Ischium, ing amphibians would have involved a very it imprints, and they greatly upset the idea of Sacral rib and Pubis”—in just one step (so 8 complex process, and the hunt for evidence a lineage of fish-to-tetrapod evolution, par- to speak). is quite frustrating because so far there are ticularly as it applies to the role of Tiktaalik.4 Did fish learn to walk? No. Science no fossils to document this bizarre transi- One of the many anatomical road- does not document this because it cannot— tion. As a University of Geneva press release blocks of the transition to amphibian lies in there are no fossils that show it. And Scrip- on a related study noted, “The transitional the evolution of the pelvic girdle.5 Pelvic fins ture clearly declares fish were created on Day path between fin structural elements in fish in fish are loosely embedded in the flesh and Five of the creation week.9 and limbs in tetrapods [four-limbed verte- muscle. There is no hint of a connection of References brate animals] remains elusive.”2 1. Zimmer, C. Researchers Find Fish That Walks the Way Land these structures with the spinal column. Vertebrates Do. New York Times, March 24, 2016. Occasionally, some will insist the Recently, however, there was a discov- 2. How the genetic blueprints for limbs came from fish. Uni- versity of Geneva press release, January 21, 2014. “walking” catfish of Florida can walk from ery in Thailand of a wall-climbing cave fish 3. Long, J. A. 2011. The Rise of Fishes. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 223. pond to pond, thereby showing evolution called Cryptotora that some hoped would 4. Sherwin, F. Banner Fossil for Evolution Is Demoted. Cre- in action. However, it’s notable that even ation Science Update. Posted on ICR.org January 27, 2010, give “hints about how fish originally ar- accessed June 10, 2017. evolutionists generally don’t see the walking rived on land.”1 It has a pelvic girdle—but 5. Sherwin, F. 2013. Paleontology’s Pelvic Puzzle. Acts & Facts. 42 (5): 16. catfish as anything more than a 100% fish no digited appendages.6 According to the 6. Sherwin, F. Wall-Climbing Cave Fish: Evolutionary Inter- mediate? Creation Science Update. Posted on ICR.org May that slithers along on its belly until it gets to a evolutionary story, such appendages should 5, 2016, accessed June 10, 2017. new body of water or leaps from the water’s 7. Clack, J. A. 2012. Gaining Ground: The Origin and Evolution have evolved before the pelvic girdle. Even of Tetrapods. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 51. edge to snag a bird. There is no real demon- the secular scientific community has been 8. Benton, M. 2015. Vertebrate Paleontology, 4th ed. Malden, MA: Wiley Blackwell, 87. stration of evolution in this behavior; it’s still largely silent about this creature. 9. Genesis 1:20.

just a catfish with a unique skill set. And according to one expert in the Mr. Sherwin is Research Associate, Senior Lecturer, and Sci- ence Writer, and earned his M.A. in zoology from University Evolutionists appeal to phantoms and field, the earliest-known tetrapods had a of Northern Colorado. specters to make their “scientific” case of 100% pelvis:

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APOLOGETICS JAMES J. S. JOHNSON, J.D., Th .D.

PolarSTEARDSIP Bears, Fitted to Fill and Flourish olar bears are really cool. These furry frost-giants are fitted to fill vived. Vikings captured and marketed them as exotic animals.6 After frigid habitats in Arctic Ocean waters, ice floes, and shore lands.1 those “global warming” centuries, the cooler Little Ice Age followed Polar bears also provide four living lessons in apologetics: from approximately 1350 to 1850. Polar bears survived again—evi- 1) their lifestyles corroborate biblical information; 2) their lives dence that global warming-based “save the polar bears” doomsaying P 3,6 refuteCREATION evolutionist Q speculations; & A 3) they help to clarify historical truth is just histrionic hype. about global climate change; and 4) they glorify their Creator—sim- ply by living their lives.2 Polar Bears Exhibit God’s Providence Like other wild beasts in God’s created world (Revelation 4:11), When Mama Bear Ain’t Happy, Ain’t Nobody Happy RESEARC polar bears daily demonstrate God’s caring providence just by being Female bears, as described in Scripture, are serious threats to themselves. For example, although baby polar bears are conceived anyone who angers them, especially anyone threatening their cubs during the spring, uterine implantation of embryos (as with other (2 Samuel 17:8; 2 Kings 2:24; Proverbs 17:12; Hosea 13:8). It’s a risky bears as well as mustelids and seals) is delayed by design until autumn. adventure to fight a mamaROM bear (1 SamuelTE EDITOR17:34-37)! That’s when mama bear enters her maternity-ward den, ensuring that Bears are omnivorous predators.3 Bears growl (Isaiah 59:11), lie births occur in winter during hibernation. The family’s den exodus is

Image credit: Copyright © 2016 D. Moynahan. Adapted for use in accordance with federal copyright (fair use in accordance for Adapted Moynahan. Copyright © 2016 D. credit: Image of endorsement not imply ICR does copyright by holder. Usage use doctrine) law. in wait for edible prey (Lamentations 3:10), and showcase fierceness timed for spring, when food availability is optimal and infant cubs are LEGACY(Daniel 7:5; Revelation 13:2). Hungry bears should be avoided until the physically developed enough to travel on sea ice.3 time when God transforms them into strict vegetarians (Isaiah 11:7). Also, consider the energizing nutrition that God installed in po- Scripture portrays bear behavior that matches what we observe lar bear mothers. Polar bear babies are born small, about 1.5 pounds— in today’s bears, including polar bears. one-fifth the size of human babies. Before leaving the den in spring, CONTENTS each cub needs to weigh around 25 to 30 pounds! Following the initial Polar Bears Can Hybridize, Yet “Missing Links” Are Still Missing protein-loaded, antibody-rich colostrum, milk for newborns can be 46% fat, facilitating a get-big-and-fat-quick growth pattern. Yet, fat Consistent with how Genesis reports biodiversity, creationists content declines over time to about 5% (like in human milk) at wean- recognize an ursine “bear kind.”3 Unsurprisingly, polar bears can mate ing, having fueled a 1,500 to 2,000% weight gain during three to four with other bears (e.g., polar bears breeding with grizzly/brown bears), months.3 God’s design delivers precisely what’s needed. yet this reality disproves earlier evolutionist notions of ursine specia- Polar bears are cool exhibits of God’s creatorship! tion and genetic incompatibility.4 References Meanwhile, imaginary phylogenetic lineages—of bears with 1. Polar bears spend more time in arctic waters than on land, so they are classified as marine mammals. non-bears such as canines—are still missing the predicted transitional 2. These same four apologetics priorities—corroborating Scripture, impeaching evolutionist sci- forms despite 150-plus years of extensive searching for them in the ence fiction, clarifying confusion, and glorifying God as Creator—are priorities for the exhibits in ICR’s anticipated Discovery Center for Science and Earth History, now under construction. fossil record.5 3. Cansdale, G. S. 1976. All the Animals of the Bible Lands. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 17-18, 27, 109-110, 116-119; Derocher, A. E. 2012. Polar Bears: A Complete Guide to Their Biology and Behavior. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University, 155, 172-180. Creation evidences defend the faith by corroborating Bible-reported information. Polar Bears Aren’t Threatened by Global Warming 4. Roach, J. Grizzly-Polar Bear Hybrid Found—But What Does It Mean? National Geographic News. Posted on nationalgeographic.com May 16, 2006, accessed Polar bears aren’t going extinct even if Earth warms up a few de- June 5, 2017. Creation evidences routinely impeach and refute evo- lutionist errors such as materialism and animism in natural selection grees, notwithstanding alarmist pseudoscience. Polar bears can safely mythology. 5. Morris, J. D. 2006. What’s a Missing Link? Acts & Facts. 35 (4). survive vacillations of global climate change without any help from 6. Logan, F. D. 2005. The Vikings in History, 3rd ed. London: Routledge, 58-61. Correcting confusions caused by uniformitarianism is yet an- politicians. other priority for biblical creation apologetics.

During the Medieval Warm Period lasting from about 950 to Dr. Johnson is Associate Professor of Apologetics and Chief 1250 A.D., polar bears (also called white bears or snow bears) sur- Academic Officer at the Institute for Creation Research.

Image credit: Copyright © 2016 A.E. Derocher. Adapted for use in accordance with fed- eral copyright (fair use doctrine) law. Usage by ICR does not imply en- Polar bear Grizzly bear Hybrid bear dorsement of copyright holder. Image credit: Copyright © 2016 N. Lamm / Business Insider. Adapted for use in accordance with federal copyright ACTS FACTS | AUGUST 2017 (fair use doctrine) law. Usage by ICR does not imply endorsement of copyright holder. AUGUST 2017 | ACTS FACTS & & 21 ICR MUSEUM O SCIENCE AND EART ISTORY

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APOLOGETICS

STEARDSIP HENRY M. MORRIS IV

CREATION Q & A Godly Sowing to His perfect time and will. Sowing imagery is also applied RESEARC to Christian giving, and nowhere more strongly than in Paul’s appeal to the believ- ers in Corinth. After praising the Macedo- nian churches that had given “beyond their ROM TE EDITOR ability” to relieve the suffering in Jerusalem, Paul challenged the Corinthians to follow their example and show “the proof of [their] LEGACY owing seed is a frequently used good thing in terms of spiritual labor. Paul love” (2 Corinthians 8:2-8, 24). In the well- image in the Bible, most often as a said, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God known “cheerful giver” passage that follows, symbol of witnessing for the Lord. gave the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:6). And Paul employs a theological cause-and-effect principle to drive home the point—those CONTENTS“Cast your bread upon the waters,” even Jesus, in speaking of the Samaritan Sthe wise Preacher wrote, “for you will find woman at the well, told His disciples that who “sow bountifully” can expect to “reap it after many days” (Ecclesiastes 11:1). The “one sows and another reaps” so that “both bountifully,” and those who “sow sparingly” Hebrew word for bread (lechem) can also be he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice can’t expect to reap much at all (2 Corinthi- translated “grain,” and in context this likely together” (John 4:36-37). The result was ans 9:6-7). refers to the ancient custom of sowing seed that “many of the Samaritans of that city God’s promise of a bountiful return from boats onto the marshy banks of an believed in Him because of the word of the for generous giving is not measured in ma- overflowing river. Once the waters recede, woman who testified” (John 4:39). terial wealth. Rather, the rewards are spiritu- the grain settles on the soil and takes root. Some seed may not ever grow at all, a al, which is far greater and more valuable in But unlike the farmer, Christians are principle that Christ conveyed in His para- terms of eternity (e.g., 2 Corinthians 9:8-14). expected to engage in this special work at all ble of the sower. While much of the spiritual Therefore, when we give with abundance, times everywhere they go. Emphasizing the seed we sow will be devoured on the wayside we are not really giving but sowing—godly need for continual diligence, the Preacher or wither away on stony or thorn-infested sowing—for the cause of Christ. As the In- explained it this way: “In the morning sow ground, some seed “fell on good ground stitute for Creation Research continues to your seed, and in the evening do not with- and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased sow the truth of our Creator’s message, we hold your hand; for you do not know which and produced” (Mark 4:8). Our job is to en- are thankful for those who sow bountifully will prosper, either this or that, or whether sure the seed we sow is good seed—through with us through their gracious support to both alike will be good” (Ecclesiastes 11:6). our testimony and living example, by listen- ensure our vital work con- Such sowing can be difficult, and the ben- ing and praying, in everything we say or do tinues. Keep up the good efits aren’t always assured. But it is absolutely or think—and then to trust God to produce work! necessary before fruit can be produced. The the increase. God will prosper our faithful- Mr. Morris is Director of Donor Re- lations at the Insti­tute for Creation promise is that “those who sow in tears shall ness in His own good way and according Research. reap in joy,” for “he who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall n n doubtless come again with rejoicing, bring PRAYERFULLY CONSIDER SUPPORTING ICR GALATIANS 6:9-10 his sheaves with him” (Psalm 126:5-6). The Through image is of one spreading spiritual seed far n Online Donations Visit ICR.org/give and explore how you can support the n Stocks and Securities vital work of ICR ministries. Or contact us at steward- and wide, trusting that it will eventually pro- n IRA Gifts [email protected] or 800.337.0375 for personal assistance. duce fruit in redeemed lives. n Matching Gift Programs n It may be that others will harvest the CFC (Federal / Military Workers) ICR is a recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry, and all gifts n Gift Planning are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. fruit of our efforts, or we may reap the fruit • Charitable Gift Annuities of those who came before us. But this is a • Wills and Trusts

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APOLOGETICS I thoroughly enjoy Acts & Facts. I’ve been reading it in its entirety for years now (even the material that’s way above my head). I found the article STEARDSIP “DNA Science Disproves Human Evolution” most satisfying as I’ve felt that way for years. So much so I use an acronym I hope catches on: DDD for DNA Disproves Darwin. Thanks so much for the important work you do. — G. S. CREATION Q & A

Gentlemen, recently received your July 2017 edition of Acts & Facts. RESEARC Your [Days of Praise] devotional for As almost always it was filled with intel- March, April, and May arrived, and the ligent, informative, and interesting articles women [in this correctional facility] as expected. But the article “Dinosaurs and appreciate the selectionsROM forTE each EDITOR Dragon Legends” was without a doubt the day. Most women here have a deep desire finest dragon/dinosaur/behemoth to walk with God….Through this ministry, we explanation I have read in years, if not ever. Ever since encourage them to stay the course, and you are reading Job 40 back in 1966, the dinosaur/behemoth topic has LEGACYinstrumental in the process. The women pray for you and your been of special interest to me. Mr. [Brian] Thomas’ clear and logi- wonderful organization in their prayers every Friday. cal explanation of the situation was well presented. His discussion — M. A. C., chaplain of dragon lore and language was informative and enlightening. Editor’s note: Due to varying restrictions, we cannot offer Your presentation of this topic as always was clear, logical, con- CONTENTSinmates individual subscriptions to Days of Praise or Acts & Facts. However, subscriptions can come through a chaplain. vincing, and both scripturally and culturally based. Congratula- tions on an excellent article well presented! — J. W. Thank you for writing on this con- troversy. I recently was shocked by a friend’s comment when I was talking to Editor, You don’t really think him about the validity of Genesis when that ¾ to 1-page articles debunk he said, “You do know the earth all the science behind the issues is flat?” After I said, “You have got to be kidding me,” I started trying to con- you intend to address in the above- vince him otherwise. You already know how hard it is to referenced issue, do you? bring sight to the “willingly ignorant.” — T. L. B.

He asked me to provide him with one proof that NASA Editor’s note: Each one-page Acts & Facts article usu- ally focuses on a single topic boiled down into a lay- did not fix! God led me to have him find two things; man-friendly form. Virtually every article is a brief look however, he wanted to dig them up. Find a picture taken into a substantial issue that either debunks hypotheses of the full moon in the Northern Hemisphere and one like evolution or the Big Bang, or demonstrates that the taken in the Southern Hemisphere. They are upside down Bible’s narrative is a highly accurate description of his- to each other. Explain that from a flat earth. Only God’s tory and reality. We challenge you to thoroughly study grace and time will tell if it made an impact. the vast material associated with these vital issues be- fore jumping to conclusions. — F. W.

Have a comment? Email us at [email protected] or write to Editor, P. O. Box 59029, Dallas, Texas 75229. Note: Unfortunately, ICR is not able to respond to all correspondence.

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