Birds and Flight–by Timothy G. Standish

The Perfect Wing Stroke–by Raul Esperante

Biomimicry: The Search for Brilliant Design–by David Steen

Creation, Flood and Biogeography: Part 3–by L. James Gibson

The third part of this series on biogeography examines how the flood might have influenced the present patterns of distributions of various types of living organisms.

Teeming Creatures of the Sea!–by Stephen Dunbar

The number of different kinds of living organisms is one measure of biological diversity, or what has become known as “biodiversity.” Our world’s oceans have the highest known biodiversity, second only to the number of species found in the tropical rainforest.

Microbes, Symbiosis, and the Lesson of Interdependence–by Suzanne Phillips

Organisms in Their Niche: Passive Modeling Clay or Problem-Solving Entities?–by Randy J. Guliuzza

One person’s cultural background can bias their view about people from other cultures… even before they have ever met. Could people also have a bias about how they think about other creatures? It may even be possible that scientific culture could prejudice the way researchers see creature-environmental relations with the potential to bias whole research programs.

A Review of the Nature Documentary “The Riot and the Dance”–by Ronny Nalin

Most nature documentaries include some language that refers to an underlying naturalistic understanding of origins. However, the recently released nature documentary “The Riot and the Dance” breaks this common pattern in a refreshing way.

Is There Biological Evidence of Life's Recent Creation?–by Timothy G. Standish

A Baraminological Analysis of Subtribe Flaveriinae (Asteraceae: Helenieae)–by Todd C. Wood, David P. Cavanaugh

The subtribe Flaveriinae is a group in the sunflower family. This group of plants appears to have diversified from a single ancestral species after the flood. Published in Origins n. 52.

Which Vertebrates Make Vitamin C?–by Elwood S. McCluskey

Vitamin C is important in vertebrate physiology, but is acquired in different ways. Some mammals and perching birds do not synthesize it and must get it in their diet. Most other mammals and birds synthesize vitamin C, in their kidneys, the livers, or both. The pattern of synthesizing sometimes follows taxonomic patterns and sometimes not. Published in Origins v. 12, n. 2.

Temperature Regulation in Tetrapod Vertebrates: Ectotherms vs. Endotherms–by Elwood S. McCluskey

Animals with high metabolic rates (birds and mammals) are capable of greater work output (speed, etc) but are restricted in size and shape in order to avoid losing too much body heat. Reptiles and amphibians have lower metabolic rates, and can survive at much smaller sizes and elongated shapes than birds or mammals. This is interpreted as a result of design for a diverse ecosystem. Published in Origins v. 9, n. 2.

Coral Reef Growth–by Ariel A. Roth

Coral reefs take time to grow, and some have questioned whether certain coral reefs could have grown to their present size in the time since the Flood. Evidence reported here indicates that rates of coral reef growth are quite variable, depending on water temperature, carbonate concentration, and depth. At the surface, ultraviolet light inhibits coral growth, so surficial measurements of coral growth are not a good basis for estimating rates of growth. Under ideal conditions, coral is capable of growing fast enough to produce present coral reefs in the time since the Flood. Published in Origins v. 6, n. 2.

Do Rabbits Chew the Cud?–by Leonard R. Brand

Rabbits have a mechanism for re-processing food after it has fermented in the cecum. This is functionally equivalent to the cud-chewing of cattle, in which fermented food is redirected so that the nutrients produced by bacterial action can be utilized by the mammal. Published in Origins v. 4, n. 2.

Neopilina: A Living Fossil–by Conrad D. Clausen

A living mollusk from the eastern Pacific is similar to a Silurian fossil thought to be extinct for millions of years. This "living fossil" (a "Lazarus species") is a major discovery in mollucsan biology. Published in Origins v. 3, n. 1.

What is the Meaning of Kinds in Genesis?–by L. James Gibson

The words kind and kinds that are mentioned in the Creation narrative of Genesis 1:21, 24, and 25. How are we to understand these terms in a modern context? How do they relate to current terms and classifications in biology?

The Riddle of Migratory Birds: Another Evidence of God’s Design–by Kyu Bong Lee

How does one account for bird migrations? Why do they migrate at all? How do they know when it’s time to begin the long journey? What guides their flight path and direction? How do they know their destination, and how do they prepare for the trip?

Ecology, Biodiversity, and Creation: A View from the Top–by Henry A. Zuill

The complex and vitally essential ecology and biodiversity we find in nature today, at the top of the structural hierarchy of nature, suggest that many interacting organisms would have been required right from the beginning. Only a short-term creation would provide such ecosystem requirements.

Caenorhabditis elegans as a Model to Understand the Role of Epigenetic Heritage in Microevolution–by Tiago A. J. de Souza

What a Wood Warbler Can Tell us About “Filling the Earth”–by L. James Gibson

Hybridization among wood warblers suggests “filling the earth” through dispersal, speciation and adaptation to local habitats.

Prolonged Milk Provisioning in a Jumping Spider–by L. James Gibson

A jumping spider has been discovered to produce a kind of milk to nourish its babies, in a manner similar to what mammals do.

Genesis Kinds and the Sea Urchin–by L. James Gibson

The idea that different types of organisms were created and commanded to reproduce "after their kinds" seems widely believed among creationists. It may therefore come as a surprise to many to learn the idea is not stated in the Bible. Published in Origins n. 60.

Genetic Similarity Does Not Necessarily Mean Common Inheritance–by L. James Gibson

Different populations of stickleback fish have parallel genetic adaptations to similar local habitats.

Annotations from the Literature

A collection of short commentaries on scientific papers published in 1991, covering topics such as Permian trees, molecular genetics, epigenetics, inheritance of paternal mtDNA, water and formation of petroleum, water in mantle rocks, impacts, Ordovician volcanism, molecular phylogenies of ratites, termites, cichlids and sabertooths, osteocalcin in dinosaur bones, fossil flowers, origin of life, Precambrian predation, stromatolites, Cambrian Explosion, quality of fossil record, rapid speciation, tree biogeography, Miocene ape, fossil dermopteran, Asian marsupial, dinosaurs, mammal-like reptile. Published in Origins v. 19, n. 2.

Annotations From the Literature

A collection of short commentaries of scientific papers published in 2008, covering topics such as biogeography, sponge reefs, origin of life, human mutations, Arctic tree rings, fossil gecko. Published in Origins n. 63.

Genomes and Design–by Timothy G. Standish

Within a Darwinian framework, this means that all genes shared by humans and sea urchins must have been present in a common ancestor shared sometime before Cambrian strata, which contain both chordate and echinoderm fossils, formed. Published in Origins n. 60.

Two Jellyfish Genomes Are as Different as Humans and Sea Urchins–by L. James Gibson

Comparison of genomes of jellyfish and sea anemones highlights the importance of orphan genes in taxonomically close organisms.

The Giant Flightless Birds Have Similar Changes in Regulatory Genes Leading to Flightlessness–by L. James Gibson

Is the genetic basis of loss of flight due to mutations in protein-coding genes or in regulatory genes?

Different Colors on Different Soils–by L. James Gibson

The specific genes have been identified that cause a lizard to match the black rocks it lives on.

Cnidarian Venom Evolution: Nothing New Under the Sun–by David Nelsen

Cnidarians appear to have recruited as toxins the same kinds of proteins recruited by many other venomous animals. However, toxin diversity within groups of organisms does not appear to be related to the alleged evolutionary history of the various groups.

The “Australian Problem”–by Richard D. Tkachuck

A review of the book, Ecological Biogeography of Australia. An exhaustive review of the geology, flora nad fauna of Australia. Published in Origins v. 8, n. 2.

Is a Yak a Buffalo?–by Anthony J. Zuccarelli

A review of the book, Variation and Fixity in Nature. The nature of created kinds (baramins) is discussed and evaluated. Published in Origins v. 4, n. 2.

Design in Crane Fly Eyes–by L. James Gibson

Fossilized crane fly eyes discovered to be calcified and have melanin

Review—The Riot and the Dance: Water–by Timothy G. Standish

New nature documentary by Dr. Gordon Wilson premiers on March 6.