SHIPWRECKED ON MALTA

 How about a bit of intrigue?....involving lumps of lead, a retired L.A. cop, the pope, a Jewish prisoner, national pride, tourist dollars, theologians, fishermen, government officials, Catholic tradition, archaeology, lawyers of course, and to cap it off…the Bible!

Since the 1960’s about 6 anchors have been recovered by fishermen from St. Thomas Bay at the south-eastern corner of Malta. Apparently four of them were at a depth of 15 fathoms (90 feet) outside Muxnar Reef that partially obstructs the bay and the others, near a cave. Only the lead stocks remained and by their inscriptions, once belonged to an ancient Egyptian ship.

Here comes the Bible bit. ‘Acts’ carefully details the wreck of a large Alexandrian cargo ship carrying wheat to Italy, that occurred on the coast of Malta (in about AD60). With hurricane Euroclydon raging, four anchors were lowered into 15 fathoms and at least two bow anchors were lost with the ship’s boat. The stern anchors were cast off before the ship ran aground where two seas met, while aiming for a beach unrecognisable to the sailors. All 276 people on board survived, including Paul under Roman guard, on his way to Rome for an appeal before Emperor Nero. Who gave the orders? The Jewish prisoner with a dubious past!

Do you now trust the Bible’s maritime story to be true?

Click on the link to view St. Thomas Bay today...

https://goo.gl/maps/aYHtvpTmzRk




Acknowledgements:
Bob Cornuke, President, BASE Institute, Colorado Springs
Dr. Lucas, author of ‘Acts of the Apostles’ and ship-wreck survivor

Image credit: bbc.co.uk   

TIP-TOEING UNDER BELL-BOTTOMS

Which creature can sneak up on you because under ‘bell-bottom trousers’ it walks on tip-toe?

 Well, something snuck up on you junior and without that trunk you’re doomed - you’ll need it to:

·       greet mum & caress other elephants
·       feed on vegetation
·       drink over 6 litres of water in one shot
·       pick up a pin or a log
·       breathe by snorkel, 2 metres under water
·       smell
·       sense vibration
·       warn, threaten & trumpet
·       dig for water…….but not fish for crocs! 

That’s a pretty handy muscle, wouldn’t you say?   

No, no, no….that’s not just 1 muscle but 150,000 MUSCLE BUNDLES! 

That simple trunk is incredibly complex, versatile, vital, and unique so why is this muscular design omitted from textbooks?

 

Photo credit: Johan Opperman / ra-re.org

EUROPEAN GREEN WOODPECKER

Which male woodpecker is this and why does he arouse so much interest and argument?                   

(Hint: Europeans call them ‘rain birds’)

Okay, what would us Aussies know about woodpeckers anyway?  Probably not much because there are none in Oz and most of us have probably never seen one in action.

Apparently they are remarkable birds for several reasons:

·    heavy duty beak mounted on a shock-absorbing cartilage
·    unique feathers to prevent woodchips entering the nostrils
·    the thickest skull for body weight of any creature
·    2 toes forward and 2 toes rearward, unlike most birds
·    resilient tail feathers provide tripod support

            and last but not least -

·    the eyes open and close BETWEEN EACH IMPACT so progress can be monitored, without the eyeballs popping out!  WOW!

Photo credit: en.wikipedia.org

Here he is, the European Green Woodpecker, with a tongue that is unique in the animal kingdom. Apparently it passes down from the back of the throat to the back of the neck then under the skin of the skull to a hole between its eyes, in one nostril, then out through the beak, ending with a barbed tip complete with glue.  Why doesn’t the glue foul the beak? There is a solvent secreted within the beak that neutralizes the glue. 

How’s that for a design both clever AND weird?                                           

Why is it so difficult to find information in textbooks on the incredible features of this amazing creature and why does the debate turn nasty with the attempt to defend its ‘evolution’?

Photo credit: creationcrusade.weebly.com

What's an Earth-crosser?

 

Here is the NEAR-Shoemaker probe neatly parked on a Near Earth Asteroid: Eros, on 12 February 2001. 

Isn’t it better that we land on the ‘god of love’ than it land on us?                                        

 

Let’s leave the Curiosity rover looking for water on Mars and see if Johannes Kepler was right in 1596 when he declared: “Between Mars and Jupiter I shall place a planet!”  170 years later, astronomer Johann Titius claimed: “But should the Lord Architect have left that space empty? Not at all!” His Titius-Bode Law tells us that at 420 million kilometres from the Sun, there should be another planet in our Solar System. 

Giuseppe Piazzi finally found ‘it’ on New Year’s Day 1801 – Ceres, the largest asteroid at 974 kms diameter. After 205 years the gap could be filled in by discovering millions of planetary fragments, thanks to Jupiter being so big that nothing of any size can exist near it. 

So, these asteroids are in a neat orbit?  Well…….unfortunately, no. 

The Trojans match Jupiter’s orbit and others even cross the orbit of Mars, but what about Earth? U.S. Congress has now realized that not only can we find asteroids but ‘Earth-crossers’ can also find us. Already one has punched a 300 km wide hole in Mexico producing the Chicxulub Basin.

Come on you brilliant NASA scientists!...which Earth-crosser asteroid out there has our number on it and what are you going to do about it? We could do without the headache spoiling our fun. Can’t you make Revelation 8:10-11 prove to be just a symbolic myth?

Photo credit: news.bbc.co.uk

DROMEDARY BACKPACKER

Harry enjoyed dates with the girls while fluttering his long eyelashes and showing off his prowess at blowing raspberry bubblegum.

Then, as a new immigrant arriving at Port Adelaide on 12 October 1840 from the Canary Islands, he felt rather lonesome, especially since his siblings had died at sea and he was the first of his family to reach Australia. Alas, no-one seemed to appreciate the rough habits of this ‘back-packer’ - plodding around in sandshoes while burping, dribbling, and spitting.  

You don’t think Harry’s ‘doula’ is raspberry bubblegum??....prove me wrong!                     

Why did outback Australia in the 1800’s find dromedary camels so useful?

Australians are exploring their vast continent and desperately need a ‘ship of the desert’ to carry up to 1000 lbs (450 kgs) of supplies for up to 60 miles (100 kms) each day through searing desert heat with little or no water, and potentially provide fuel, meat, milk, cheese, shelter, clothes, blankets, leather…..

Maree, S.A.  1901

How ever did Harry and his mates do it?              

 

With a protest!  

They say a camel is a horse designed by a committee. 
Let’s see if they’re right:

·         this ‘low-loader’ has integrated knee pads (…mighty hand for mating too!)    
·         a unique backpack holds 80lbs (36kgs) of emergency fat rations
·         any sort of vegetation is acceptable. Thorns?...no problem! (by the way, hide your boots)  
·         double rows of eyelashes, slit shaped nostrils and hairy ears filter out any dust-storm
·         inner eyelids……the first windscreen washer/wipers!
·         unique oval-shaped red blood cells that enables the camel to easily survive 40% DEHYDRATION (we go blind at 5%, dead at 12%)
·         able to cope with a 6 degree C rise in body temperature under the protection of a thick coat of hair (1 degree rise is enough for us)
·         a unique rolling gait with splayed feet that spread on desert sand 

Real ATV racing at Alice Springs, NT

So this highly versatile, water efficient, ‘one-stop-shop’, 4x4 ATV racer incorporates automatic moisture-collecting dust filters, optical washer/wipers, heavy duty sandshoes, integrated knee pads, emergency back-pack……..oh, and don’t forget the bubblegum! (Is there a sense of humour in this?)
What do you think? Was this guy cleverly designed and ‘purpose-built’?                                                                         

THE LOGGERHEAD: fat-head or smart?

How ever do sea turtles find their way around the world's vast oceans?
One of my students suggested we look at the LOGGERHEAD TURTLE or Caretta caretta, one of 7 species of sea turtles, found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans plus the Mediterranean Sea. In this part of the world they use nesting grounds around the northern coast of Australia, including Mon Repos Beach near Bundaberg, Queensland.

This little turtle may live for more than 70 years and weigh at least 135 kgs but right now she is only 4.6 cm long and weighs only 20 grams.  
She has hatched out at night, climbed up through the sand above her, and is now finding her way unaided to the ocean where she will spend virtually the rest of her life.               

How far will she travel?  DNA testing indicates that juveniles test the boundaries (of course!) and could reach the coasts of Chile and Peru, 13,000 kilometres away! 

Whichever feeding ground she settles in, she will return during the summer months some 30 years later, to this very same beach to lay her own eggs, while her brothers will stay at sea for the rest of their lives. 

Does her body contain magnetite to sense the Earth's magnetic field? 

Even if it did - what a miracle! Switch off the GPS satellites and she'd still find the home beach, without even mum to show her the way.

 

Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOvzBnHyziw

Thanks go to student Sam Duck, Beechwood, NSW, Australia

Other acknowledgements:  wikipedia.com                                                                                                   environment.gov.au             conserveturtles.org  

M. Boyle, School of Marine & Tropical Ecology, JCU, Queensland

Photo credits: baldheadisland.com

bioexpedition.com

THE FROG-POWERED HORSE

Protectionist wins the 2014 Melbourne Cup - easily!



.

Wonder mare - Black Caviar

The horse relies on ground pressure against the V-shaped 'frogs' in its hooves to pump venous blood back to the heart, which is comparatively small for such a large active animal.  Watch racehorses cantering around to the starter-gate to get the blood circulating for that 'jump-start', or horses galloping around a paddock before nightfall to avoid lameness next morning. 

What an amazing example of power-pack design – a heart with 4 auxiliary pumps!
Let's get back to the drawing-board and design a mammal that:

·         has 4 powerful legs with a long stable stride
·         is large enough for us to harness or ride
·         has stamina for prolonged activity
·         is mono-gastric (1 compartment stomach) but still eats grass – not us!
·         carries no surplus weight e.g. huge heart
·         has panoramic vision with independent eyes
·         has excellent memory, smell & omni-directional hearing
·         gives birth to live young

We have just designed the horse but....too late - who has beaten us to it?

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

Dr. Jobe Martin, Biologist

R.D. Frandson, Anatomy & Physiology of Farm Animals, 1974, Lea & Febigor, Philadelphia

T.G. Hungerford, Diseases of Livestock, 1959, Angus & Robertson

PHOTO CREDITS:

The horse’s frog / animalturd.hubpages.com
Protectionist / theaustralian.com.au