Evolution Inquiry

 The concept of evolution has a firm cultural grip on our population. Our personal worldviews are substantially impacted by personal beliefs on the to[pic. The subject of evolution is frequently addressed in our culture and especially in our science classes. In  previous posts we quoted a well-known scientist whose statement has become a “given” in our modern times: “Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.” We link a previous post where we discussed this statement in more depth:

https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2008/08/nothingmakes-sense.html

The term worldview is an important personal issue for members of our society. We find many definitions and descriptions of worldview. Here is a definition offered by J. R. Miller in his 2024 book Set Apart—How Genesis stands alone. “Worldview is used to describe the lens used to interpret the world and focus our observations into a clear narrative that answers the questions of origin(s)…..” We believe Miller refers to the origin of life, especially human life. Author J. R. Miller further states worldview answers questions such as “How did I come into being?”

Two important worldview categories are theism and naturalism (or materialism). Believers in divine creation of life have a theistic worldview: God created living things, including humans, by an act of fiat creation. In Latin, fiat means “Let it be done.”            This term indicates God spoke life into existence, as well as all physical things, and “it was done.”

The process of evolution, in contrast, is incorporated as part of the naturalism worldview. Evolution does not depend on action by the Creator. According to the theory life develops naturalistically by the process of natural selection and mutation, boosted by other natural mechanisms identified by evolutionary scientists.

We repeat the well known acronym in frequent use by evolutionists—LUCA—the last universal common ancestor. According  to naturalistic evolutionists the LUCA of all modern humans is a single cell, perhaps billions of years in the past. The following passage is from a Wikipedia article titled “Last Universal Common Ancestor”:  (LUCA appears to have been a small , single-celled organism. It likely had a ring-shaped coil of DNA floating freely within the cell. Morphologically, it would likely not have stood out within a mixed population of small modern-day bacteria.)

Our blog positions clearly identify with a theistic worldview. God, however, works through natural laws as well as fiat creation. He establishes natural processes to govern our daily human activities. For example, if a rapid physical healing occurs from a nearly fatal infection, this may or may not be due to a transcendent miracle. The healing may be a transformational miracle or a sustaining miracle. Both of the last two mentioned “miracles” occur frequently as part of the operating system God has created for humanity. Natural bodily healing frequently occurs as do many other wondrous natural events. For reference, see https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2017/11/our-miracle-immersed-planet.html

Our belief is clear regarding creation and evolution. We do not endorse evolution as described in relation to the hypothetical LUCA. Rather, we believe living things, especially humans, are the product of divine fiat creation. We believe evolutionists, even theistic evolutionists, gravitate to a naturalistic worldview, even though many claim to have a theistic worldview.

The discussions pitting evolution v. creation are unending in certain circles, even though many bio-scientists pronounce the theory of evolution “unequivocally true.” Speaking from my personal perspective, a friend challenged me in 2009 to record my beliefs concerning evolution. Here is a link to my article on evolution. We acknowledge the evolution/creation issue is multidimensional and exceedingly challenging:

https://jashow.org/articles/science-evolutions-missing-link/

  

   

 

Questioning Evolution; Exulting in Creation

The periodical cicada phenomenon is almost finished for 2024. It has inspired many conversations among our neighbors and friends. These insects are one of the most extraordinary animals inhabiting our planet.

https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2024/05/cicada-mania.html

 

Several decades ago our family purchased a set of Audubon Field Guides. These books call attention to phenotypes of many thousands of animals and plants. Field guides increase our ability to visualize physical design features and to study their behaviors. 

North American Insects and Spiders highlights arthropods, the most highly populated of 35 animal phyla. Insects and Spiders compose a majority of arthropods—animals with jointed appendages, segmented body, and an exoskeleton. The vast majority of millions of different animal species on Earth, about 75%, are insects. Recently I picked up this volume and could barely put it down. Its beautiful photographs and detailed descriptions of the unique behavior of hundreds of insect species, kept my attention for several hours. The field guide describes less than 1% of all insects known. 

It is difficult to study the literature of science without encountering the term evolution. With respect to the subject of periodical cicadas, some commentators have speculated that their incredible ability to remain underground for exactly 13 years or 17 years was somehow an evolutionary adaptation. Bio-scientists cannot explain the mechanism of their time keeping ability. Famous geneticist Theodosius Dobzhansky (1900-1975) uttered a famous statement: “Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.” Our blog disagrees with this position. The concept of creation is diametrically opposed to evolution. 

Evolution is a theory introduced by Charles Darwin in 1859 in his epic volume On the Origin of Species.The tenets of the naturalistic theory of evolution have become ingrained in the minds of most professional bio-scientists. Currently the belief in evolution as a God-guided process has become part of the belief system of many Christians. It is termed theistic evolution. It proposes all life, including human life, originated with a single cell billions of years ago. That single cell was LUCA—the last universal common ancestor, the foundation of a “bottom up” tree of life.

As we read manuals such as Audubon Field Guides, we are unable to accept that the incredible array of insects and other living things are all products of evolution. Rather, we believe they are products of divine creation activity by the God of the Bible.

Stephen C. Meyer, advocate for Intelligent Design (ID) and director of the Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture in Seattle, has made a powerful case in several recent publications casting doubt about the theory of evolution in the scientific community. In Darwin’s Doubt Meyer writes, “The technical literature in biology is now replete with world class biologists routinely expressing doubts about various aspects of Neo-Darwinist theory, and especially about its central tenet, namely, the alleged creative power of the natural selection and mutation mechanism.” In the book’s last chapter, Meyer goes a step farther in questioning how evolution can generate novel species.  Meyer continues, “The mechanism of mutation and natural selection does not have the creative power attributed to it and, thus, cannot explain all ‘appearances’ of design in life. The Neo-Darwinian mechanism does not explain, for example, either the new genetic or epigenetic information necessary to produce new animal body plans.”

Darwin’s Doubt is an important volume dealing with the weakness of evolutionary theory. It follows his important previous book Signature in the Cell concerning  Intelligent Design and the origin of life. His most recent book, Return of the God Hypothesis more explicitly presents scientific evidence for the existence of a personal God and divine Creator of All Things. 

Our world is populated with millions of beautifully designed, functional living species. Cosmic and geological wonders abound for our inspection. The evidence of divine creation surrounds us wherever we look. We may access many creation passages in Genesis, Job, Psalms, and Isaiah. We rejoice in the wonders of creation.

  

          

 

Genotype v. Phenotype

 Animals and plants have genetic characteristics not visible to observers. DNA is the molecule in the nucleus of almost every body cell. It is responsible for the entire heredity of animals or plants. We speak of the DNA code—the ‘language of life.’ Genotype refers to this invisible ‘language of life.’ 

In contrast, phenotype refers to the traits of a living thing resulting from the genotype. These traits include morphology, the physical form or outward appearance, as well as behavioral characteristics of the living entity. The 17-year periodical cicada possesses a unique phenotype—appearing above ground every 17 years. In addition, it is a beautifully designed animal notwithstanding the fear and dislike they engender among the public.

Periodical cicadas, unique insects frequently highlighted in current news broadcasts and printed articles, are approaching the end of their lives above ground for this calendar year. Noted for their unique behavior, they emerge from underground every 13 or 17 years. We refer, therefore, to their unique phenotype. Brood XIII, inhabiting large portions of the Midwest, will not be seen again until 2041 after tunneling underground for the next 17 years. Its life cycle is the longest of any insect on Planet Earth. In second place is the 13 year periodical cicada.

Scientists and non-scientists alike study the behavior of these insects and also the behavior of all living things. Is their time-keeping behavior programmed by the Creator of All Things? Or is their behavior a result of an evolutionary process? This question is a relevant one in view of the ubiquitous citations of evolution in our society. Genetically hardwired traits include unusual behavioral abilities of many living things inhabiting our personal neighborhoods. Scientific researchers have speculated that evolutionary processes provide optimal survival strategies. We may ask if the process of evolution is responsible for the beauty and functionality of our environment and its inhabitants? Or should we credit the omnipotent skills of the divine Creator?

During our residency in Galena, Illinois, we were able to observe many traits of animals manifesting diverse behavioral phenotypes. We explained these fascinating behaviors to our grandchildren. “God had great ideas” was a statement we used many times.

Following is a list of several of the most interesting behavioral phenotypes we observed during our residence in northwest Illinois:

Cicada killer wasps: These large wasps primarily feed on dog-day cicadas present every summer. Our grandchildren were able to watch a wasp dragging a cicada across a field on its way to provision its underground lair with an anesthetized cicada to feed its larvae: https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2021/08/bugged-by-cicada-killers.html

Digger wasps: Small wasps which feed mostly on grasshoppers and katydids. They anesthetize their prey and transport them to a previously constructed underground tunnel, replete with underground side tunnels. Their prey receives an egg which hatches into the wasp larva. YouTubes capture digging events in living color and high fidelity. Our blog link: https://jasscience.blogspot.com/search?q=digger+wasps

Monarch butterflies: This animal is remarkable for its ability to travel hundreds or thousands of miles to a specific forest in Mexico after producing several generations of Monarchs in North America over the summer. Its ability to pinpoint a tiny location on Planet Earth and undertake a perilous journey to that location is one of the outstanding miracles of the insect world: https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2018/10/monarchs-migrating-and-non-migrating.html

Barn spiders (orb-weavers): The ability of barn spiders to construct a web of intricate beauty using incredible engineering skills also ranks at the top of the list of remarkable insect capabilities: https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2018/09/wonders-of-orb-weavers.html 

Indigo Bunting: This remarkable migratory bird is also skilled in direction finding. We have evidence that the same bird returned to the same tree on our property several years running. The following post highlights several startling facts about the remarkable indigo bunting: https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2011/07/avian-ownership_23.html

Science professionals present several conceptual pillars on which evolutionary theory is anchored. They state evolution is powered by natural selection and mutation which has merged with many theorized supporting concepts. It is a complex theory which supporters have termed a “brilliant theory.” In sharp contrast, creationism and Intelligent Design (ID) have been pronounced “unscientific” or “pseudo-scientific.” In response to this opinion, we quote from a devotional in Our Daily Bread  from 6-12-24: 

  “Although neuroscience has made great progress in understanding how the brain  works, scientists admit they are still in the early stages of understanding it. They understand brain architecture, some aspects of its function, and regions that respond to environment, activate our senses, generate movements, and contain emotions. But they still can’t figure out how all these interactions contribute to behavior, perception, and memory….”

The same devotional booklet quoted Psalm 139 concerning God’s action in creating living things, especially humanity. This powerful psalm is a clear citation of God’s role in creating man, and by extension, ALL living things mentioned in the first chapter of Genesis. As we study the genotypes and phenotypes of all living things, our intuition tells us that action of the divine Creator of All Things rather than evolution more effectively explains the traits of life on our planet.  

   

     

Cicada Mania

 Newspapers and other media around the US recently have been filled with discussions of an exceptional insect—cicadas. Broods or groups of some cicadas are called periodical cicadas. Their unique life cycles occur only in the Eastern United States in various geographic regions even though 3000 species of cicadas occur worldwide. Entomologists have determined that the US broods are composed of seven different species, morphologically similar but not identical. Each brood lives underground for exactly 13 years or exactly 17 years. When one or the other brood completes its life cycle, they break out of the ground to serenade citizens with a cacophonous din for a few weeks before depositing eggs on tiny tree twigs. After the eggs drop to the ground tiny nymphs at once begin their underground life, burrowing underground for either 13 or 17 years. It is clear this trait is genetically programmed in the insects, but scientists cannot explain how genetics produces their precisely timed behavior. How do these cicadas time their behavior so precisely?

This year two broods in Illinois are emerging at the same time. This event is termed a co-emergence. They have been named brood XIX, 13-year cicadas, and brood XIII, 17-year cicadas. Geographically brood XIX is found in southern Illinois and brood XIII is primarily located in northern Illinois. Entomologists predicted this year’s co-emergence for many years. The two specific broods geographically meet each other similar to pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, mostly in the state of Illinois. The 13 year and 17 year broods have not emerged in the same year in Illinois since 1803. This has generated considerable interest and excitement.

When my wife and I lived in Galena, IL, we experienced the din of Brood XIII cicadas in 2007. I recall many tiny dime-size holes in paths in our woods after they emerged from their underground lair after 17 years of subterranean feeding on sap from tree roots. Brood XIII cicadas are emerging once again in many Illinois localities in 2024.  As we write, brood XIII is noisily emerging in eastern IL at the home of our daughter and her family. Dying 17 year insects and their spent exoskeletons are everywhere. These insects are members of brood XIII.

My personal experience with periodical cicadas reverts to 1962 when our family lived in New Jersey. Brood II, a 17-year species, was prevalent in New Jersey and several adjacent states. I recall transporting a group of young Sunday School students from their class picnic to experience the loud singing of cicadas in a nearby wooded area. In 1979, 17 years later, our 3-year old son was frightened when several cicadas alighted on him during a family outing at a nearby park. In 1996 Brad returned from college during the next appearance of Brood II. Together, we journeyed over to the same park to experience the loud singing of the same brood.

As a young person I also had experience with a different species of cicada called “dog day” cicadas, so-called because they emerged every summer during hot days known as “dog days.” These cicadas were similar in their structure but somewhat larger than periodical cicadas. They have greenish or olive colored bodies with large, black eyes. In contrast, periodical cicadas have delicate orange wing veins, dark bodies, and brilliant red eyes. Dog day cicadas do not create the loud noise of periodical cicadas. They sing individually instead of in a collective buzzing. Young and old alike may suffer from entomophobia until they subjectively perceive the physical beauty and behavioral uniqueness of these animals. They may even transition to entomophiles!

There are multiple reasons to exult in the natural world. The beauty and complexity of living things ranks at the top of the list. Periodical cicadas possess the longest known insect life cycle. Our God created countless fascinating characteristics of genetically programmed traits into living things, including the behavioral ability of periodical cicadas to discern time periods of 13 or 17 years. 

  

  

 

    

In the Wake of Natural Disasters

Media reports stress harmful outcomes of natural weather events and other powerful physical phenomena in our dynamic planetary environment. Many are related to the four fundamental forces by which our universe is governed and shaped. 

“The four fundamental forces act upon us every day, whether we realize it or not. From playing basketball, to launching a rocket into space, to sticking a magnet on your refrigerator - all the forces that all of us experience every day can be whittled down to a critical quartet: Gravity, the weak force, electromagnetism, and the strong force. These forces govern everything that happens in the universe.” (Ben Biggs and Jeremy Rehm…”The Four Fundamental Forces of Nature,” space.com, 12/23/21)

Modern news commentators report on disastrous forces of tornadoes, hurricanes, droughts, floods, blizzards, thunderstorms, volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, avalanches, and forest fires. The public desires news concerning unusual and spectacular incidents, as well as destructive and tragic events. Reports about serene and pleasant physical events often do not inspire the same degree of public attention. A physical scientist may be fascinated by information about fundamental forces, but laypeople are more concerned about tragic effects triggered by those forces. However, there is a side effect to many so-called weather and natural disasters—a beneficial side effect.

As this post is being composed Planet Earth is in the throes of a solar storm event. We are being affected by solar flares—magnetic storms on our life-giving sun. They are called coronal mass ejections (CME) of hot magnetic gas. Such storms are not physically harmful to Earth residents because our planet’s atmosphere shields us from harmful effects but our GPS technology and other modes of communication may be adversely affected. The benefit of this solar magnetic storm may be our ability to see aurora borealis—northern lights. We are able to see the beauty of divine creation in a unique manner.

Returning to other commonly observed weather events mentioned earlier, we do not minimize the possibility of tragedy from a natural event. The OT Book of Job records a poignant example of environmental hazards on Planet Earth. Job Ch. 1 describes a great wind, probably a tornado, which took the lives of his ten children. Christians must acknowledge the existence of suffering, not only from environmental hazards, but also for the undeserved suffering of Jesus Christ as He gave His life to redeem humanity.

There are several side effects to consider concerning undesirable physical events.        

Hurricanes redistribute heat and moisture, sometimes providing relief from drought. Some storms move sediment from bays to marshes, revitalizing nutrients. Periodic wet/dry cycles may be more beneficial than changeless, pleasant weather. Blizzards with heavy snow cover may prevent deep freezing of soil and provide insulation from severe cold damage to roots and bulbs. Soil moisture even in winter must be conserved. 

Thunderstorms, however frightening, provide beneficial moisture and provide nitrogen fixation in the atmosphere. Nitrogen is a diatomic element consisting of two atoms chemically bonded. In this state, atmospheric nitrogen is not useful to plants. Lightning in thunderstorms breaks diatomic nitrogen apart so it may join with oxygen to form nitrogen oxides (N2O). Nitrates (NO3) form when nitrogen oxide dissolves in water droplets. This process is known as atmospheric nitrogen fixation. Plants need nitrogen as a nutrient for healthy growth. Veggies, fruits, and meats are proteins rich in nitrogen. We encourage readers to thank God for lightning which ultimately helps fertilize life-sustaining plants. We also caution residents to stay safe during the storm! Eight million lightning bolts strike our planet each day producing 13,000 tons of nitrate fertilizer. 

Volcanoes may result in tragedy, but volcanoes give warnings of future eruptions. Geologically, volcanic material on Earth’s surface provide rich soil nutrients. Eighty percent of Earth’s surface originated in volcanic events. Hawaii’s rich volcanic soil is geologically very recent.

Earthquakes may cause horrific damage but government mandated building codes minimize earthquake damage to a significant degree. A study of earthquakes in terms of their long-term causes and effects, convection currents and mineral recycling, may highlight the truth of divinely created fine-tuning and intelligent design.

We have endeavored to highlight positive effects of several dynamic planetary events most often perceived as tragic. When God created all things (the heavens and the earth) in the beginning (Genesis 1:1), he also created an “operating system” for our habitable planet. Scientists have recognized laws of nature, physical laws which govern how our Earth’s physical system operates. The physical laws obey a suite of physical constants such as  the law of gravitation, the constant speed of light, and the mass of subatomic particles. Many other physical constants have been identified. The subject of physical constants is esoteric—understandable by only a few advanced scientists. 

As we examine Planet Earth’s weather, climate, and geological phenomena, we are struck with awe and wonder at the divine genius of our Creator. He is the Divine Author of our predictable laws of nature. We link this past post for those who wish to study the topic of divine creativity in more depth: 

https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2013/11/naturalism-and-supernaturalism.html