Stone-Making Plants

Creation Moments

Stone-Making Plants

November 13, 2024 • Ian Taylor

Have you ever wondered how you could get cut by a blade of grass or the edge of a palm leaf? Plants have a nasty secret. They absorb silica, the same stuff of which glass is made, and store it in their cells.

Some plants, like corn, store large mounts of silica on their leaves, making the edges of the leaves sharp and strong enough to give you a nasty slash. And yes, they do this largely to protect themselves. Insects that like to eat plant leaves find that when they chew on plants with lots of silica, their mouth parts wear out faster. Plants also store silica between their cells, giving them a strong, stony skeleton.

These silica particles made by plants are called phytoliths, which literally means “plant stones.” Chemically they are colorless and transparent opals. They can range in size from a thousandth of a millimeter to a millimeter. Each plant forms phytoliths that are unique in shape, and some plants make up to a dozen different types. After the plant has died and decayed, the phytoliths and their unique shapes remain in the soil. This means that with a microscope and a good knowledge of which plants make which phytoliths, you could examine the soil and tell which plants have grown there in the past. This is how scientists learned that the Indians were growing corn in South America 2,500 years before the birth of Christ!

God’s creation is filled with wonderful surprises. And every one of them glorifies Him!

Psalm 30:12

“To the end that [my] glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.”

Prayer: I give You thanks, Lord, for Your wonderful creation. Forgive me for those times I am slow to thank You or when I take Your wonderful works for granted. Help me see more of the wonders You have made. Amen.

Notes: Ivars Peterson. “Plant Stones.” Science News, Vol. 124. Aug. 6, pp. 88-94. Photo: Cornfield, Envato.

A Matter of Life or Death

December 3, 2024 • Ian Taylor

According to the Bible, God created the heavens and the earth in a perfect condition – without disease or death. However, when man did his own will instead of God’s will, death became a reality, just as God had warned. On the other hand, evolution says that death has nothing to do with man’s disobedience to his Creator. Evolution also says that our genetic information has developed over the years to help us survive. Can these opposite claims be tested? Biologists have discovered that living cells have a built-in suicide gene. The suicide gene remains dormant until it is necessary for the cell to die. For example, as a tadpole turns into a toad, its tail is no longer needed. As a result, the suicide genes in the tail cells instruct them to die. In other words, living cells have a gene in them that prevents the death of the cell until its appointed time. So in a sense, we can test the Bible’s and evolution’s conflicting claims about life and death. Why would evolution develop genes that order death? By definition, such a gene would not aid survival. However, God told our first parents that the day that they sinned, they would die. It was obviously the curse of sin that created the genetic instructions for cell death, on the very day that they sinned. What biologists are learning about the cell’s workings fits much better with Scripture than with evolutionary claims. Genesis 3:2-3 “And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which [is] in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.” Prayer: I thank You, dear Father, that You have provided a remedy and cure for my death through the forgiveness of my sins in Jesus Christ. By Your Holy Spirit, help me to live the new life You have given me to Your glory. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. Photo: Tadpole of pelophylax frog, Envato.

Riders on the Wind

December 2, 2024 • Ian Taylor

The tiny insect called ice plant scale has no wings. That’s why scientists were surprised to learn that the creature uses sophisticated preflight and flight strategies to move from one ice plant to the next. Ice plant scale infects ice plants, which are plants used in landscaping. To study the insect, scientists had to observe ice plant scale hatchlings under the microscope because they are only one-fiftieth of an inch long. It was in this setting that scientists saw an unexpected insect ballet. Sensing a wind of ten miles per hour or more, a scale would determine the wind direction with its antennae and turn its back to the breeze. It then reared back on its hind legs and extended its antennae and legs. This doubles the insect’s surface area and makes it possible for the insect to be lifted and carried by the wind. By extending its legs and antennae, the insect slows the rate of fall so that it can be carried further by the wind. Scientists noted that even insects that are one day old are knowledgeable about flight and ready to migrate. These actions are designed to allow the wingless insect to take every advantage of the principles of flight. The only scientific conclusion that makes sense is that this knowledge was wired into the insect by its Creator, God Himself. Mark 11:24 “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive [them], and ye shall have [them].” Prayer: Lord, I am amazed when I see the care and detail You have given to everything in the creation. Forgive me for the times I have treated You as though You were distant and I had been left here on my own. Amen. Notes: “Blown Away: Riders on the Wind.” Science News, Vol 125, #13, Mar. 31, p. 201. Photo: Iceplant scales, Mary K. Hanson, CC-BY, via iNaturalist.

Did Humans Evolve from Cockroaches?

November 29, 2024 • Ian Taylor

Scientists who believe in evolution will argue that similarities between different species are the result of evolution. They say that similarities between humans and apes show that we are closely related. The fact that we are so unlike sponges or microbes, says this argument, shows that we have evolved much further. The problem with this argument is that it often leads to absurd conclusions. Take, for example, the discovery that a chemical in the brains of cockroaches closely resembles two human hormones. Does that mean that humans evolved from cockroaches? Evolutionists are quick to deny an evolutionary link between humans and cockroaches. However, they add that humans and cockroaches must have a common ancestor. Or, consider the protein abbreviated CK that is found in the brains of many species. Evolutionists would expect that the CK would be most similar in the most closely related species. From what evolutionists say, one would expect humans and apes to have the most similar CK. However, when scientists compared all the CK information they have, the two most closely related creatures turned out to be the domestic housefly and the African elephant! When facts such as these are interpreted in terms of the theory of evolution, it simply flies in the face of reason, but this is the only option when the Creator God of the Bible is denied. 2 Peter 1:16 “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” Prayer: Dear Lord, I ask that You would help me to identify those foolish claims made by men who call the truth of Your Word into question. Increase my thirst for the truth of Your Word. Amen. Notes: Katie Tyndall. “Man and Roach. Pet Microchips.” Insight, Nov. 3, p. 50. Creation ExNihilo, Vol. 14, No. 1, p. 37. Photo: Cockroach, Envato.