‘SCIENTISTS “EVOLVE A FUNGUS” claims Science (AAAS) News 4 June 2021, and Scientific Reports 19 May 2021 doi:10.1038/s41598-021-89811-2. Researchers looking for a method of biological control of the Verroa mite, which has devastated honeybee colonies, have found a fungus that attacks and kills the mites. However, the fungus grows poorly in the warm temperatures of a beehive, which can be up to 35°C. A group of scientists led by Jennifer Han of Washington State University, Pullman, have used “directed evolution” to develop a strain of the fungus that can tolerate the heat and kill the mites. They subjected cultures of the fungus to stress by starvation and adding hydrogen peroxide to the growing medium to increase the rate of mutations. They then placed them in an incubator and raised the temperature. Some of the fungi survived this heat test, and these were selected out and cultured again. After seven rounds of heat and selection the researchers had a strain that would survive at 35°C. The researchers then worked on making the fungus more deadly. They placed a culture of the fungus in a beehive and then collected dead mites from the hive. Only 4% of the dead mites had died from the fungus, but the researcher collected the fungus from these, cultured it, and placed it in the beehive. More mites were killed by the fungus, so the scientists grew the fungus again from the dead mites, repeated the process until they had a strain that killed over 60% of the mites.
Link: Science
ED. COM. This is a clever piece of manipulation and artificial selection, but nothing has evolved, since scientists started with a fungus that already existed and already had strains (variations) that could kill mites in various conditions. If any mutations resulted from the stress imposed on the fungus they only resulted in variations of the same fungus. They did not make a new fungus. After some intelligent purposeful ‘unnatural selection’ the scientists had a strain of the fungus that killed mites at beehive temperatures. The fungus is still the classified as the same fungus since it has no real differences to the original. We commend these scientists making progress in controlling a serious pest, but we cannot commend their deliberate misuse of the language. The use of the words “evolve” and “evolution” for what they have done is another classic misuse of these words designed to keep Darwin’s evolution in people’s minds whenever they read any scientific study on change. This is a good reminder that evolution only really occurs in the minds of evolutionists. Out in the real world there are mutations and selection, both natural and artificial, but none of these are evolution. Mutations simply cause variation in what already exists. Selection only works on what already exists. These processes cannot make something that does not already exist, so they cannot make a new living thing, nor change one kind of living thing into another.’ https://creationresearch.net/
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| MEGASHARK GETS MORE MEGA, according to Science Alert and SciTechDaily 9 June 2021, and Palaeontologia Electronica DOI: 10.26879/1140. The size of the extinct giant fossil shark now named Otodus megalodon (used to be Carcharodon) has been re-estimated using the size of its teeth compared with teeth from the living Great White shark, then using the Great White’s body proportions as a guideline. Over the years a formula has been developed using the height of a fossil tooth to calculate the size of the shark it came from. Estimates based on this formula have ranged from 15 to 18 metres, but when Victor Perez of the Florida Museum of Natural History got school students to measure Megalodon teeth and use the formula they came up with wildly differing estimates. Part of the problem is that shark teeth vary in height according to where in the jaw they are located. So, it is necessary to know where in the jaw the tooth comes from. After studying a near complete set of megalodon teeth in the Florida Museum of Natural History, along with teeth and jaws of living sharks, palaeontologists have come up with a new formula based on the width of the teeth. The researchers now consider this a more accurate indicator as the width of the teeth is related to the width of the jaw, which is related to the overall size of the shark. Using the new formula the scientists have increased megalodon’s size to an estimated body length of 20 metres (65ft). There are still some limits to how accurate this new formula can be as there is no way to know whether Megalodon’s teeth had gaps between them or overlapped, as seen in some living sharks. Victor Perez of Florida Museum of Natural History, one of the researchers, commented: “Even though this potentially advances our understanding, we haven’t really settled the question of how big megalodon was. There’s still more that could be done, but that would probably require finding a complete skeleton at this point”. He still uses the shark teeth and the formula as a school lesson. He explained: “Since then, we’ve used the lesson to talk about the nature of science – the fact that we don’t know everything. There are still unanswered questions”. Links: Science Alert, SciTechDaily ED. COM. It is important for students to understand the nature of science, including its strengths and limitations. In this example the size of teeth can be accurately measured, but as the scientists admit they are not able to observe the precise arrangement of teeth in the megalodon jaw, so they must make assumptions based on living sharks. There is nothing wrong with this, but it is important to acknowledge what is actually observed vs what is assumed. Whatever the real size of Megalodon sharks, they were certainly a lot bigger than any shark observed in the present-day oceans. This should lead scientists to ask why the change? However, they will not find the answer just by studying present day sharks or fossil shark teeth. They need to know the real history of the world, i.e. that it started out very good, and therefore could support giant animals, but has since been degraded due to human sin and God’s judgement. Science will not reveal this. Only the written record of the Creator and Judge can reveal this, and scientists should be humble enough to admit it, and then use it to better understand the results of their study of the present-day world. |
| MORE ON why change shark species names, as well as estimating the size of fossil sharks in our report How Big is a Mega Shark? |
In Biden’s America ‘“Purge” is well chosen, because that’s exactly what this is, a nakedly political purge of the loyal opposition, and the forcible silencing of political dissent in America. It’s plain as day what is coming. What is not clear is whether or not there will be any significant number of Americans who stand for freedom and against tyranny.
And as a minor addendum, of course, Jihad Watch will be one of the many casualties of their campaign to “purge” the Internet of “extremist content.” We stand for the values of the Constitution of the United States and the denial of those rights to no one. We stand for the enforcement of the nation’s existing laws to protect the freedom of speech, the freedom of conscience, and the equality of rights of all people before the law. We do not support the supremacy of any race or any other group. But the Left and Islamic groups have for years insisted that to stand against jihad violence and Sharia oppression of women was “hate.” And they have all the power now.
“White House calls Capitol riot a ‘terrorist attack’, introduces Pentagon anti-radicalization to stop the ‘lethal’ rise of ‘white supremacy’ in the military and pushes to ‘purge’ the internet of ‘extremist content,’” by Rob Crilly, Daily Mail, June 15, 2021 (thanks to Henry):
The Pentagon is to start training for service members leaving the military to prevent them being radicalized by violent extremists, as part of Biden administration’s plan to combat the ‘lethal threat’ of white supremacy that was unveiled on Tuesday morning.
It follows a review that stated the most dangerous elements of the threat today come from white supremacists and anti-government extremists.
The White House also called the Capitol riot a ‘domestic terrorist attack’ in a report released on Tuesday and backed a ‘purge’ of extremist content online.
The strategy includes $100 million for the Department of Justice, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security for analysts, prosecutors and investigators.
‘In addition, the Department of Defense is incorporating training for servicemembers separating retirements in the military, who may potentially be targeted by those who seek to radicalise them,’ said an administration official.
‘Domestic terrorist attacks in the United States also have been committed frequently by those opposing our government institutions. In 1995, in the largest single act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history, an anti–government violent extremist detonated a bomb at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people – including 19 children – and injuring hundreds of others,’ the report says.
‘In 2016, an anti–authority violent extremist ambushed, shot, and killed five police officers in Dallas. In 2017, a lone gunman wounded four people at a congressional baseball practice. And just months ago, on January 6, 2021, Americans witnessed an unprecedented attack against a core institution of our democracy: the U.S. Congress.’
The move follows revelations that a disproportionate number of people arrested during the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol were active military personnel or veterans.
Experts in domestic terrorism have long warned that far-right militants were targeting people with military or law enforcement training for recruitment.
The new strategy brackets the Capitol assault – when thousands of Trump supporters descended on Congress – with mass shootings at a synagogue in Pittsburgh and a Walmart in El Paso as part of the country’s ‘tragic history’ of domestic terrorism
The strategy will also address the danger of ‘insider threats’ within the military or security agencies.
‘The Department of Defence, Department of Justice, and Homeland Security Department are similarly pursuing efforts to ensure that domestic terrorists are not employed within our military or law enforcement ranks, and that they improve their screening and vetting processes,’ said the official.
‘Training and resources will be developed for state, local, tribal and territorial law enforcement partners as well as for sensitive private sector partners, to enable them to enhance their own employee screening programme, and to prevent individuals who post domestic terrorism threats and being placed in positions of trust.’
The strategy will be launched by Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday morning.
In a foreword, President Biden said America could not ignore the threat from domestic terrorism.
‘Together we must affirm that domestic terrorism has no place in our society,’ he said.
‘We must work to root out the hatreds that can too often drive violence.
‘And we must recommit to defend and protect those basic freedoms, which belong to all Americans in equal measure, and which are not only the foundation of our democracy— they are our enduring advantage in the world.’
The strategy comprises four pillars: enhancing analysis and information sharing between agencies; preventing recruitment and mobilization to violence, including targeting the online spread of hate; disrupting and deterring terrorism, including the $100 million cash injection; tackling long-term drivers such as racism and the flow of firearms….’https://www.jihadwatch.org/2021/06/bidens-handlers-unveil-program-to-fight-white-supremacy-in-military-and-purge-internet-of-extremist-content
‘Five years ago today, a young man opened fire in the in the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, on June 12, 2016, murdering 49 people and injuring another 53. NBC News reported Thursday that the Senate voted unanimously in favor of legislation designating the site a national memorial. Almost certain to be omitted from the memorial, however, as it has been from all the coverage of the legislation, is any information about the beliefs and motivations of the attacker. This is because the killer, a Muslim named Omar Mateen, was an Islamic jihadi, and in Old Joe Biden’s handlers’ America, jihad terrorism just doesn’t exist.
Pulse was a gay club, and so the massacre has been taken for granted from the beginning as an incident of anti-gay violence, although, as Tyler O’Neil recently explained, that is not actually what it was. Nevertheless, Biden’s handlers issued a statement today doggedly assuming that the attack was targeting gays as such, and scolding us yahoos once again to go easy on the “hate”: “We must drive out hate and inequities that contribute to the epidemic of violence and murder against transgender women — especially transgender women of color. We must create a world in which our LGBTQ+ young people are loved, accepted, and feel safe in living their truth.”
This has been the Left’s line on the massacre for years. In the immediate aftermath of the massacre, the ACLU’s ridiculous staff attorney Chase Strangio tweeted that the massacre was the fault of conservative Christians: “You know what is gross — your thoughts and prayers and Islamophobia after you created this anti-queer climate.”
All right. So “Islamophobia” and Christians are the problem, and Biden’s people want us to create a world where LGBTQ-and-all-that young people are loved and accepted. All right. Let’s create that world. Now let’s see. What might be one large belief system, followed with varying degrees of knowledge and fervor by over a billion people, that mandates the death penalty for homosexuality? No, not Christianity, despite its status as the favored whipping boy of the besotted ideologues such as Strangio and the LGBTQ-whatever lobby. While Christianity sees homosexual activity (and all sexual activity outside of a marriage between a man and a woman) as sinful, it does not call for the death of homosexuals.’https://www.jihadwatch.org/2021/06/congress-votes-to-make-pulse-nightclub-site-of-jihad-massacre-a-national-memorial-2
Bible believing Christians leave the judgement for the JUDGE Himself!
These climate scammers are serious in changing life as we know it.
By David Wojick, Ph.D. ~
Seems like every big policy gun wants to take a shot at fantasizing the decarbonization and electrification of the energy system. No doubt that is where the government policy analysis money is going. Sadly I am on the wrong side of the issue, money-wise, but it sure is fun flogging the fallacies in these so-called studies.
A few weeks ago we looked at the hilarious effort by the International Energy Agency. They were growing the global economy, and electrifying everything in sight, but had the need for juice going down in the process. Clearly impossible.
Two other recent reports are also worth laughing at. Which one is worse is hard to say, they are that bad. The titles begin to give the flavor of fantasy.
One is “The Future of Electric Power in the United States” by the collective National Academies of Science…
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By Abigail Streetman ~
Critical Race Theory has been all the rage this year, literally. The media have adopted its language and assumptions, while companies, governments and even the U.S. government have inflicted the ideological poison on their personnel. And yes, it has crept into some schools. the mainstream media can’t stop talking about it. Conservatives have had enough of the left-wing indoctrination and many states have stepped up by creating legislation that prohibits schools from teaching curriculum that paints one race as superior to another. But now the backlash is sparking a backlash of its own, as progressives swear up and down they don’t see what the big deal is.
Valerie Strauss of The Washington Post published an article on June 11 titled “Teachers across the country protest laws restricting lessons on racism.” That’s The Post for you, professionals at creating deceptive headlines. Strauss covered the National Day…
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Just wait an hour or two and he’ll say something that’s a little bit understandable.
This young lady is saying what most of us already know to be true. Now, with the Fake President tearing down everything President Trump built what do we expect from these Leftist Marxist Universities?
Sadly most of the news sources here in Australia are just like those in the USA in their cover-up for the dementia geriatric Fake President. Thankfully we have Sky after Dark!
Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things.”
‘Medical researchers are learning that your thoughts can affect your health.
The cells that make white blood cells can be directly controlled by the brain through nerves. Using the language of hormones, the brain, as well as individual nerve cells, can direct the abilities of immune cells to kill invaders. Immune cells also communicate back to the brain using hormones. It has been shown that stress and highly emotional states can make this communication less efficient, hampering the immune system.
Macrophages are large amoeba-like cells that rebuild injured tissue and devour bacteria, viruses and anything else that should not be in wounded tissue. These amazing little cells can even eat iron filings. But chemicals produced by the body during times of stress – for example, during prolonged periods of feeling helpless – actually make macrophages very sluggish.
A word of caution: While many New Agers have selectively used some of these findings to promote their pagan ideas about medicine and health, there is nothing mystical going on here. Not only does this link between our brain and our health once again glorify the Creator, it supports biblical truth. In Philippians 4:8, the Apostle Paul advises, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there be any praise think on these things.” Not only is this advice good for the soul, it is good for the body.’https://creationmoments.com/sermons/the-brain-and-your-health-2/?mc_cid=a7f6f92584&mc_eid=00c1dcff3c
