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We're learning that there's much more to learn about this universe. My response to our expanding horizons of knowledge is delight. Others react differently. A Christian worldview and shameless interest in God's creation may seem like an odd combination, so before sharing what I've read about volcanoes, the Grand Canyon, and fossilized brains, I'll discuss why I accept reality "as is."... ...Like the psalmist, the works of God make me jubilant. That's why I share what scientists are learning about the vast, ancient, and astounding universe.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

We've been learning a great deal about human origins in the last century: and discovering that there's much more to learn. Scientists studying bones from a cave used by both Neanderthals and the current human model found DNA from a girl who was 'none of the above.' She's from a previously-unknown species, or sub-species, of human Other scientists discovered that chimpanzees communicate in an unexpectedly 'human' way. We live in an exciting era: or a disturbing one, depending on a person's assumptions and preferences.... ... Denisovans lived in or near the Altai mountains about 41,000 years before we started playing baseball. Some scientists call them a different species, others say they're a subspecies of homo sapiens sapiens . Either way, they're part of the human family. We don't know much about the Denisovans yet, apart from a bit of finger bone, two teeth, and a toe bone. That's not much to work with: but scientists found i

It looks like cloudinids, critters whose skeletons look like a stack of ice cream cones, made Earth's first reefs.... ...Thinking about God's Design Decisions Every time I write one of these 'science' posts, I wonder if I need to explain why thinking is not a sin . If you've been here before, feel free to skip down to 'Cloudinids and a Precambrian Reef.' As a Catholic, I'm obliged to believe that God creates everything, including us. We're designed with a thirst for truth, which should lead us to God. Thinking about the world's beauty and order doesn't get in the way of faith. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 27 , 31 - 35 ) God's design decisions don't upset me. I like living in an immense universe: one where we keep finding new facets of reality. It's as if God created a world loaded with puzzle games for us to solve. But since so many folks seem convinced that science and religion are at war, an explanation may be

Instead of wring about the World Cup, I decided to take a look at lukewarm dinosaurs; the earliest fish that we've found so far; and a pretty good explanation for why men's faces don't, on average, look like women's. God, Clay, and Me Darwin 's "On the Origin of Species," a best-seller in 1859, brought evolution to the attention of a great many folks, and still upsets some. I can understand why dedicated secularists use tightly-wound Christians who insist that much of what we've learned over the last few centuries is a lie as proof that religion is 'unscientific.' What's less understandable is why some Christians insist that science threatens faith. I'm not shocked and horrified at the idea that humanity comes from something that's not human. As a Christian, I pretty much have to believe that God made us from the stuff of this world. All that's changed is how much we know about the "clay" God used. ( Genesis

Studying ticks preserved in amber, mutant crickets in Hawaii, and flint tools from paleolithic London give scientists a few pages from Earth's story: and help us understand how this astounding world works.... ...Living Amid Ancient Splendors (From NASA; ESA; G. Illingworth, D. Magee, and P. Oesch, University of California, Santa Cruz; R. Bouwens, Leiden University; and the HUDF09 Team; used w/o permission.) About a half-dozen centuries after Sargon of Akkad became the first known emperor , quite a few folks thought we lived on a circular plate , surrounded by a cosmic ocean. That's where we get the Old Testament's poetic imagery about this universe. ( January 3, 2014 ) More recently, a 17th century Calvinist decided that God created the universe at nightfall before October 23, 4004 BC . A remarkable number of folks still think he was right. ( April 4, 2014 ) I'll grant that, as far as my personal experience goes, the universe might be no more than a few tho

Leinkupal laticauda isn't the smallest known dinosaur. That honor goes to Compsognathus , a turkey-sized fellow you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley. Leinkupal may be the smallest sauropod, though: and probably among the last of that line.... ... Older than the Mountains (From Jon Sullivan, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.) (Mountains in the Teton Range, seen from Jackson Hole, Wyoming.) My parents and I visited Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Parks when I was young, and spent a day in Jackson Hole , Wyoming. Years later, seeing photos we'd taken, I was surprised that my memories of the Teton Mountains were accurate: They really did look as big as I remembered them. It was summer when we were there, which may explain why one of the glaciers was noticeably lower on the mountain when we left. The mountains themselves hadn't changed, of course. If I went back there today, I doubt that they would be appreciably different. Over a human lifes

A 520,000,000 year old fossilized heart caught my eye this week: so did genetically engineered bacteria, and the continuing search for life in the universe.... ...I don't need an iPad to be Catholic: which is just as well, since I don't own one. My son has smartphone, and that's another topic. Catholics coped quite well without WiFi gadgets in their pockets: and without pockets, for that matter. But our faith doesn't depend on avoiding new ideas and technology. We've even been at the cutting edge of new tech a few times: like Gothic cathedrals , stone buildings with walls made mostly of stained glass. The pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses of Gothic architecture are traditional now, but 12th century traditionalists were horrified at the 'barbarous' style. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .