ABSTRACTS
Modern Genetics vs. Outdated Darwinism
by Robert Carter, PhD
Biology is a lot more complicated than anyone thought, but Darwinism was developed at a time when we knew so little about living things that scientists were free to speculate wildly. In one sense, Darwinism depends on life being simple. Yet, as we learn more and more about life, we see the opposite is true. What follows is a discussion of two different but related topics that have grave implications for evolutionary speculations: the fall of the Weismann Barrier and the ubiquity of RNA in the cell. This will be just a sketch, however. For more information, see my new book Biblical Biology 101 and the second edition of Evolution’s Achilles’ Heels, both of which will be available on creation.com by the end of the year
The Hubble Constant
by Don DeYoung, PhD
During the 1920s, astronomer Edwin Hubble (1889-1953) and colleagues made a profound discovery. California’s 100-inch Hooker telescope on Mount Wilson, then largest in the world, revealed vast star systems at great distances. It was realized that the universe was filled with distant galaxies and much larger than previously known.
Light from the remote galaxies also indicated an outward motion with recessional velocity proportional to distance. That is, the greater the distance, the greater the outward expansion of the deep space galaxies.
The Hubble-Lemaitre Law, as it is known, describes the rate at which the universe is expanding. A galaxy’s distance d and velocity v are related by the Hubble constant H, v = Hd. Galaxy velocity is readily measured by the Doppler redshift of its starlight. In contrast, distances are less well known and various measurement techniques do not always agree. As a result the constant H is not precisely known.
Current values of H are in the range 69.8 - 74 km/s/Mpc. The units are a bit awkward with the galaxy speed in km/sec, divided by distance in megaparsecs (Mpc). One parsec is a distance of 3.26 light years, and a light year itself is about 6 trillion miles (10 trillion kilometers). As a Hubble Law example, consider the barred spiral galaxy NGC 2903, located far beyond the constellation Leo. It is about 9.33 Mpc away (30 million light years) and moves radially outward at 556 km/sec. These values give a Hubble constant of 59.6 km/sec/Mpc, less than the typical range for H
The big bang model assumes that all space matter began at a single singularity point. In this model, galaxies have moved to their current distances d in a time T = d/v = 1/H, just the inverse of the Hubble constant. This time T is thus taken as the age of the universe, the time when expansion began. For galaxy NGC 2903, with the proper conversion of units, H-1 = 16.4 billion years. Creationists reject this age estimate entirely since it assumes the standard big bang origin of the universe. In sharp contrast, the cosmos was supernaturally created with its majestic components spread across distant space.
The value of the Hubble constant is much debated in current astronomy and appears to be a variable rather than a single value. The physical universe does appear to be expanding and perhaps even accelerating outward. Such findings provide clues to Day Four of the Creation Week when the heavens were spoken into existence. For example, a static universe with no expansion would be unstable with an eventual inward collapse of galaxies due to the attractive pull of gravity. A stable universe requires dynamical activity, including orbital motions as well as the universal expansion as observed.
Defending the Christian Worldview with Evidence
by Lindsay Harold, MAT
Skeptics of Christianity commonly mock the resurrection of Jesus as impossible and ridiculous. It is wellknown and established by countless observations that no living thing can come back to life, they say. Christians actually agree with this if we are speaking of natural causes. However, the Christian claim is not that Jesus rose from the dead by natural causes but by the supernatural power of God. It was a miracle designed to demonstrate who He is.