Most people know that if they are stranded at sea without fresh water they should not drink sea water. While we need salt, the amount of salt in sea water would kill a person more quickly than thirst. Have a little too much salt on your popcorn and your kidneys will filter out the extra. But to do so, they need extra fresh water.

The marine iguanas of the Galapagos islands drink too much salt water every day. They feed on the algae that grow in sea water, but they lack a good freshwater supply to flush the salt out using their kidneys. Since God knew what kind of environment this iguana would one day be living in, He gave the marine iguana a special gland. Located in its head, it removes excess salt from the iguanas' blood and holds it. Periodically, the iguana will sneeze, expelling the salt-saturated fluid. As it dries it leaves a salty crown on the top of its head that dissolves back into the sea during the next swim. Several other reptiles also have salt glands, but each of these work very differently. This means that evolutionists must explain how these salt glands evolved at least ten times.

God gave the marine iguana these unique glands because He knew what they would need for the life He gave them.

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for providing so wondrously for all Your creatures, even as you have provided for my salvation. Amen.

References: Answers, 3-4/09, pp. 20-22, Mary Mitchell, "Salt-Sneezing Lizards."

Perhaps you have a self-cleaning oven in your kitchen, and if you have small children in your house, you've probably wished for self-cleaning walls. Self-cleaning clothes would be nice, too!

Lotuses often grow in muddy water where mud can accumulate on leaves. Yet, for efficiency in collecting sunlight, their leaves need to be clean. And, yes, they stay clean despite the environment in which they grow. Close examination under a powerful electron microscope reveals why. The top of the leaves are covered with tiny spikes that feel waxy. They are so tiny that they can even hold up a particle of dust that settles on a leaf. As a result, any water that lands on the leaves rolls right off. As it rolls off, it collects any dirt that may be on a leaf. These leaves are self-cleaning! Researchers realized that this microscopic spike structure could be used to make self- cleaning products. For example, self-cleaning paint for homes is already in use under the product name Lotusan. Self-cleaning food containers are being developed as well. And one day we may even have self-cleaning clothes, including swimming suits that never get wet.

However, when it comes to our standing before God, we are not self-cleaning. We must rely on the cleansing from our sin won for us by our Lord Jesus on the cross.

Prayer: Father, thank You for the forgiveness of sins I have through my Lord Jesus Christ and the life He gives me. Amen.

References: Science Illustrated, 7/8/08, pp. 62-69, "Inspired by Nature," ("Mr. Clean," pp. 68-69).

In the perfect world that God created there were no meat eaters. In today's sinful world it is hard to imagine meat eaters, like spiders, being vegetarians.

Some spiders have occasionally been observed tasting plants. The male crab spider has been seen tasting plant nectar. Some baby spiders eat spores that they find in their webs. But now a small jumping spider that lives on acacia trees has been discovered that is vegetarian. Acacia trees are often home to vicious ants that protect the tree from other gnawing insects. In return, the tree offers the ants protection and tasty nectar. So the little jumping spider must constantly avoid the guard ants when it heads out for a meal of nectar. One of their strategies for avoiding ants is to build their nests on mature leaves. These leaves are the least guarded on the plant. Researchers noted that they did observe four instances of a spider eating ant larva, but this was out of 140 feeding observations.

Our experiences in a fallen world do not begin to prepare us for what God is able to create, despite all the wonders around us. If it pleases God, He can make vegetarian lions, tigers and even spiders. Who of us would ever have thought of His plan to rescue us from sin through His Son, Jesus Christ?

Prayer: Thank You, dear Father, for providing for all of Your creatures, even in a fallen world. Amen.

References: Science News online, http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/35121, 8/12/08, Susan Milius, "Vegetarian Spider."

When God told Noah that man could now eat meat after the Flood, He kindly filled the animals with a natural fear of man. However, He evidently left a few animals without that fear in order for them to be helpmates and companions for man.

The dog has been man's best friend probably since before the Genesis Flood. Researchers recently tested whether Border Collies were intelligent enough to fetch an unseen item in another room simply by being shown a picture or model of it. Chimps and dolphins had also been tested for this ability and were unable to do it. Collies, both trained and untrained to "fetch", were tested in their own homes. Eight toys they were to fetch were in a second room. Then the dogs were shown either an exact copy of what they were to fetch, a model of it, or a photograph and were told, "bring it here." All retrieved their toy easily after being shown a model of it. Trained dogs did well when shown an exact copy, but the untrained dogs needed a little practice with this task. Some dogs were even able to fetch a toy when shown a full-sized photograph.

Not only does the domestic dog have no natural fear of man, but many of them can relate to us in very helpful ways.

Prayer: Father, thank You for those animals which can be companions and even help us. Amen.

References: Science News Online, 3/21/09, http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/419732, Bruce Bower, "Dogs Show a Fetching Communication Savvy."

According to the theory of evolution, the atmosphere of the very early Earth contained no oxygen, but it did contain carbon dioxide. When the plants and trees evolved, they lived on the carbon-dioxide as they still do today and, by metabolizing carbon dioxide, they released oxygen as a waste product.

When sufficient oxygen had been produced, air-breathing animals evolved, but this was supposedly a slow process. Calculations showed that by the time the dinosaurs were beginning to die out, 65 million evolutionary years ago, the Earth's atmosphere only contained 10 to 12 percent oxygen. Today, the atmosphere is 21 percent oxygen. But to complicate the issue, there is much fossil evidence of wildfires during this era. The researchers wondered whether the small amount of oxygen that was supposedly in the atmosphere then could support such fires under realistic conditions. Tests were carried out in an atmosphere containing 12 percent oxygen using paper, matches, wooden sticks and a candle. The results showed that none of these items will burn readily until the atmosphere contains a minimum of 17 percent oxygen. The evolutionary model of the early Earth's atmosphere was proven wrong!

When God finished creating, He declared that everything was "very good." That includes the design of the atmosphere with enough oxygen to support life, but not too much to cause fire to burn explosively.

Prayer: Father, thank You for so wisely designing the Earth's atmosphere so that it supports life and fire serves us. Amen.

References: Science, 29 August 2008, pp. 1197-1200, C.M. Belcher, J.C. McElwain, "Limits for Combustion in Low Co2 Redefine Paleoatmospheric Predictions for the Mesozoic."

One of medicine's greatest challenges are those populations of bacteria that have become resistant to antibiotics.

The ocean is literally a soup of bio-germs, including bacteria, many of which can infect, sicken and kill a wide variety of creatures. These germs often form biofilms which protect them from antibiotics. Marine researchers were investigating the ocean bottom where something had killed all the marine creatures. In the midst of all this death they found a thriving marine sponge. Why wasn't it dead like everything else? Studying the sponge's defenses, researchers discovered a chemical called ageliferin. Further study showed that this compound prevented biofilms from forming. What's more, the chemical makes resistant germs once again susceptible to antibiotics. It has already been proven to re-sensitize bacteria that cause ear infections, food poisoning, whooping cough and a particularly nasty resistant bacteria that causes infections in hospitals.

While God gave us a perfect world, He knew that mankind would sin and bring disease and death into the world. So God provided antibiotics. But He also knew that some germs would become resistant to antibiotics. So He provided His creation with substances to solve that problem, too. Nevertheless, mankind's primary problem is sin, and He provided us with the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world -- one repentant sinner at a time.

Prayer: I thank You, Lord, for good medicine, but most of all I thank You for sending Your Son to be my Savior. Amen.

References: Science News, 3/14/09, p. 16, Laura Sanders, "Sponge's secret weapon revealed."

Bottlenose dolphins have a reputation as intelligent, playful creatures. A newly released video shows just how intelligent their play is.

The video shows various dolphins creating rotating bubble rings which seem to hover in the water for a few seconds. The dolphins do this by first creating a water vortex with their dorsal fin. The ends of the vortex then come together into an invisible ring. Then the dolphin injects air from its blowhole into the spinning vortex. The vortex has enough energy to hold the ring from rising too quickly for play. Such a vortex bubble is about two feet across. However, dolphins might play with the vortex to create a smaller ring. Sometimes a dolphin will insert a smaller bubble ring inside a larger ring. They also create rings that flip vertically or even flip completely over. Sometimes a dolphin will create two bubble rings that collide and produce a third ring. The video shows one dolphin creating a large ring and watching it rise through the water. Just before the ring breaks the surface, the dolphin swims through the ring and leaps from the water.

Intelligence and such play as this are linked. Our Creator has not just shared intelligence and creativity with man. He clearly has shared some of His intelligence and creativity with His other creatures as well.

Prayer: Father, thank You for the beauty of Your creation and sharing Your creativity with so much of Your creation. Amen.

References: http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/dolphinrings.asp, "Video shows dolphins creating and playing with bubble rings."

When they have a headache or perhaps a toothache many people take an aspirin. It turns out that many plants do almost the same thing when they are under stress.

The plants that do so, however, make their own form of aspirin called methyl salicylate. This phenomenon has been observed in the laboratory, but never in nature until now. Researchers studying air pollution set up their instruments near a California walnut grove. They wanted to see what gases the plants might be emitting. Methyl salicylate was among the gases they detected. Researchers believe that the gas might have some immune function for the plants. It might also warn surrounding plants of a threat. This finding may help farmers and others detect when plants are being stressed by lack of water, insects or disease. Until this finding, those caring for plants could only tell when a plant was stressed once the plant began to show visible signs of stress. With this information, those who tend plants will be able to apply pesticides, for example, in a more timely manner.

God gave us a perfect world where there was no need for medicines. But He knew we would sin and bring death and sickness upon the creation. So, being a loving God, He also gave us medicines to discover and ease our suffering.

Prayer: Thank You, Father, for the gift of medicine. Prosper all good knowledge that brings healing in our midst. Amen.

References: Yahoo! News, 9/18/08, Randolf E. Schmid, AP Science Writer, "Stressed plants produce aspirin-like chemical."

Those who widely travel usually have interesting experiences to talk about. That is no less true of animals that migrate. A commonly known example is the monarch butterfly. In the fall, monarchs from all over North America head south to the same small patch of jungle trees in Mexico. Even more astonishing is that each generation finds this exact traditional wintering spot but has never been there before.

Scientists have recently discovered that another migrating creature has an even more interesting story to tell. Bar-tailed godwits, shorebirds with a wingspan of about 12 to 16 inches, summer in Alaska. But they winter in New Zealand, over 7,000 miles away. As you mentally picture their route, you would be right to notice that there are very few places to stop and rest between Alaska and New Zealand. Researchers outfitted seven female godwits with tracking devices to learn more about their migration. They found that the godwits traveled the distance nonstop, without rest or even food or water. That's the equivalent of a nonstop flight from London to Los Angeles, plus 1,000 miles more!

Godwits glorify God as Creator with their amazing migratory paths. As the first Christians scattered across the Roman Empire in fear of persecution and martyrdom, they spread the wonder of God's love for us in the Gospel of salvation.

Prayer: Father, I thank You for the glory of Your creation, but I rejoice in the wonder of Your love and salvation. Amen.

References: Science News, 11/22/08, p. 14, Laura Sanders, "Nonstop godwit flights."

Without a doubt the brain is a marvelous organ, although there is still a great deal to learn about how it works. We do know that brain cells communicate through connections which reach out in three dimensions to other cells. When thought and motion take place, they communicate with each other very quickly. They are even in communication while you sleep.

In contrast to the human brain, the "thinking" parts of a computer are connected in two dimensions to "communicate" with each other. Researchers thought that it might boost performance if a three-dimensional computer chip could be designed. Cell phones already use a three-dimensional chip arrangement, but these are just individual flat chips stacked one on top of another. Researchers wanted to see what true three-dimensional chips (called TSVs), could do. Now several chip manufacturers have developed working TSVs. They have found that three-dimensional chips transmit information faster and use less power than flat chips. In other words, they are more efficient than flat chips and pack more "thinking" power into a smaller space. Chip manufacturers are now working on ways to successfully mass produce the TSVs.

The three-dimensional computer chip does improve chip performance by mimicking the wiring of the brain. However, except in the area of calculation, we are
nowhere close to mimicking the power of the human brain.

Prayer: Thank You, Father, for implanting in my mind faith in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Amen.

References: The Nikkei Weekly, 12/29/08 & 1/5/09, p. 3, "Semiconductor makers head for third dimension."

It was once thought that only man used tools. However, scientists have learned that some monkeys and even some birds use "tools." Now we can add dolphins to the growing list of tool-users.

Researchers studying dolphins in Australia's Shark Bay noticed that some dolphins were swimming around with sponges on their beaks. After some observation, both on the surface and beneath the water, scientists discovered what the dolphins were doing. Holding the sponges in their mouths, they would sweep the sea bottom sand, flushing out fish. Then they dropped the sponge and ate what they had flushed out. When they were finished eating, they retrieved their sponge and repeated the process. Researchers found that about 10 percent of the females obtained their food using sponges as tools. For some unknown reason, very few of the males used this method. Furthermore, most of the females using this method were related to two maternal tool-using dolphins. Researchers debate whether these two taught their descendants this method of obtaining fish or whether the behavior is based in genetics.

Since this is not a widespread behavior among dolphins, it seems likely that it is a learned behavior probably taught to younger relatives by the maternal dolphins. After all, dolphins are known to be very intelligent, and intelligence is a gift from their Creator.

Prayer: I thank You, Lord, that You have given Your creatures an Earth and the ability to make a living on it. Amen.

References: Science News Online, 12/10/08, www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/39219, Bruce Bower, "Dolphins Wield Tools of the Sea."

Cavemen. The very word conjures images of bear skin clothing, wooden clubs and perhaps some simple stone tools. We think of the cavemen themselves as part ape and certainly less than modern humans. All of these images help make human evolution look more plausible.

However, in China there are some 20 million people living in caves. The caves there are easily carved in the silty soil of the Western regions of the Yellow River. The caves are generally 10 to 13 feet wide and can extend as far as 25 feet back into the hillside. Sometimes the caves are connected to one another, creating a larger place to live. Many of the people who live in these caves would not think of moving out of them. Caves are warm in the winter, cool in the summer, and they are fireproof. These caves include flues for venting the exhaust from cooking fires. But these caves are not primitive dwellings by any stretch of the imagination. They feature plumbing, electrical wiring and even cable television! Except for windows, some of these cave homes are as modern as anything you'll see in the rest of the developing world.

Throughout the ages, people have taken shelter in caves and even set up housekeeping in them. The fact that they lived in caves does not make them primitive at all.

Prayer: Lord, do not let Your people be misled into unbelief, and enlighten them with Your truth. Amen.

References: Minneapolis Star Tribune, 12/21/08, p. AA5, Tim Johnson, "Cave, sweet cave: Many Chinese find home is in a hillside."

We all know that there is strength in numbers. Many animals have even discovered this and, for example, migrate in large herds. However, one would never expect bacteria to have discovered this or know enough to organize themselves collectively.

Bacteria consist of a single cell that doesn't even have a nucleus. They have no nervous system, and they reproduce by simply dividing in half. Of course, there is no brain; yet, they seem to display a sense of consciousness that totally baffles the neurosciences. Some marine species of bacteria are able to sense when there are other bacteria around them. Then, when a sufficient number have gathered together, their metabolism changes, and they begin to produce a slime that then holds them together. While all this is now known, new research shows that the slime, called biofilm, includes chemicals that are poisonous to the very predators that would ordinarily feed on the bacteria. In fact, the biofilm seems to protect the bacteria. The more bacteria there are, the more biofilm they make and the more protection they have from predators.

There are no simple forms of life. Even bacteria, which are an important part of the ecosystem, have been designed with the ability to protect themselves -- something they could never have invented for themselves.

Prayer: Father, while You teach us to help one another, help me to always look to Your strength for my aid. Amen.

References: Minneapolis Star Tribune, 7/29/08, p. A5, David Brown, "Cellmates: Research shows that bacteria, when under attack, stick together to survive."

It turns out that not all creatures need eyes to see light. It all depends on what the creatures were designed to do. The roundworm, C. elegans, lives below the soil surface where it needs no eyes. At the same time, this roundworm needs to sense light because too much exposure will kill it. Researchers noted that the roundworm has only 302 nerve cells. Study of these cells showed that some of them sense light in the same way that similar cells in vertebrates sense light. Evolutionists suggested that this is an example of an early step in the evolution of eyes. However, there is no evolutionary pressure for this roundworm to evolve eyes, because light will kill it. Besides, animals that supposedly evolved long before C. elegans already had eyes. A better explanation is that, like the cave fishes, this roundworm lives in the dark and needs no eyes and would, in any case, be constantly filling with dirt. No, this is not an example of evolution, but of good design by God.

God has designed all things to fit well into their respective environments. The fish that lives in the dark depths of the ocean and has lighted lures, the fishes that live in the darkest caves have no eyes and neither does the roundworm, C. elegans. All these show God's fingerprints.

Prayer: Father, You have made all things well, showing Your wisdom and power for all to see. Thank You. Amen.

References: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/33889/title/Seeing_without_eyes

Bacteria and fungi form biofilms on just about every wet surface, like that bowl of water you left out last night! In this biofilm state, bacteria cause 70 percent of all human bacterial infections. On underwater pipelines, biofilms cause corrosion. Such biofilms even form on seaweed. That is, except for the seaweed called Delicate Beauty.

Delicate Beauty, grows off the coast of Australia, and researchers long wondered why biofilms never form on this seaweed. Researchers have now discovered that Delicate Beauty secretes chemicals called furanones. Furanones don't kill the bacteria, but prevent it from colonizing by repelling them. This observation is important because it is believed that since the furanones don't kill the bacteria, the bacteria will not develop a resistance to the furanones. Commercial production of these chemicals are now beginning to be used in water-cooling towers to prevent biofilm buildup and in clinical trials on contact lenses to prevent bacterial growth. So far these trials have been successful, and further applications are under study.

It was not God's desire that disease and death should come into His creation because of our sin. But He knew that it would. So He stocked the creation with things for us to discover to alleviate and avoid some of our suffering in this world. Christians know that there is no disease or death in heaven.

Prayer: Father, while we will experience no disease when we get to heaven, I thank You for giving us tools to prevent it here. Amen.

References: Science Illustrated, 7-8/08, pp. 62-69, "Inspired by Nature."