Microbiologist Loses Faith In Evolution (Dr. Rick Oliver)

Rick Oliver explains his background as a micro-biologist and evolutionist and how he eventually came to Christ.

Rick Oliver has a B.S. in Biology from the University of California, Fullerton and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Biology from the University of California, Irvine. He is a member of the American Federation of Herpetoculturalists, the California Science Teachers Association, and the New York Academy of Science. He is now the Founder/CEO of Confound the Wise Ministries.

Read Dr. Oliver's blog at ConfoundTheWise.org.

J. Richard Oliver, Ph.D. CEO and Founder, Confound The Wise Ministries

Dr. Richard “Rick” Oliver is currently the CEO and founder of Confound the Wise Ministries based in Tonto Basin Arizona. Confound the Wise Ministries is a unique Creation based Ministry dedicated to spreading the unerring Word of God through science education. In June, 2008 Dr. Oliver stepped down from his full time position as superintendent of the Mount Hermon Outdoor Science School which he founded. 

Dr. Oliver served in this position for over 15 years at Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center located in the beautiful Santa Cruz Mountains in California.He designed and developed a science curriculum based on the California state science framework for middle school students (grades 5-8). The Creation centered experiential learning based curriculum not only allowed students to become more knowledgeable about their environment, but developed an appreciation, respect and responsibility for it as well.

Dr. Oliver earned his undergraduate degree in science at the California State University in Fullerton California. He later was granted his M.S. in life science with a minor in geology and went on to earn a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology with an emphasis in herpetology from the University of California. Dr. Oliver has participated in numerous scientific research projects over the course of his academic career including working with the Veterans Administration Hospital on extensive research on rattlesnake venom, major research projects involving both biology and geology at the Grand Canyon in Arizona and at the volcano at Mount Saint Helens in Washington State as well as several Dinosaur research projects in Wyoming and Montana.

Dr. Oliver became a Christian in 1987 and began lecturing on science regarding the origin of life from a Creationist point of view. As a gifted communicator affectionately known as “Ranger Rick” by both his colleagues and students his enthusiasm and knowledge of both biology and geology make him a popular speaker throughout the country. 

Dr. Oliver is an adjunct faculty member a several colleges, both secular and Christian and has been invited to speak at churches and schools both in the United States and overseas.Dr. Oliver’s professional organizations include:

• California Science Teachers Association
• American Federation of Herpetoculturalists
• California Academy of Sciences
• New York Academy of Science
• Board of Directors, U.C. Santa Cruz, Longs’ Marine Laboratory
• Military Officers Association

Evolutionists Call New Plant Epigenetic Study 'Heresy' - Jeffrey Tomkins, PhD

Evolutionists Call New Plant Epigenetic Study 'Heresy'

by Jeffrey Tomkins, Ph.D. *

New research has uncovered a hidden layer of trait-determining epigenetic information that resides outside the DNA sequence in plants. This new discovery challenges the evolutionary paradigms of the scientific community and their long-standing views on how organisms adapt to changing environments at the molecular biological level of the cell. In fact, some are even calling this recent research "evolution heresy."¹

For over the past 50 years, Darwinian evolutionists have attributed changes in an organism's traits to the specific DNA sequences that code for them. They never anticipated a hidden layer of epigenetic information overlaying the DNA code to be directly involved in how a plant interfaces with its environment.

Both plants and animals have genetic machinery that modifies the information and function of their genomes without actually changing their genetic code. This modification process is known as "epigenetics." One of the best studied of these epigenetic processes involves the chemical tagging of DNA nucleotides across the genome using methyl groups. These "methyl tags" are attached to cytosine nucleotides in specific patterns around genes and other expressed sequences by a specialized group of proteins called methyltransferases.

This methyl-tagging system (methylation) plays a key role in determining how and when genes are turned off and on along chromosomes. The specific placement and maintenance of these methyl tags is both dynamic and precise. When a cell divides and its DNA is replicated, the duplication of its methyl-tag patterns is also copied, and this complex systems engineering is only now beginning to be understood.

A recent study of the Arabidopsis plant adds to the emerging importance of epigenetics in adaptation.¹ In this project, researchers tested 80 different Arabidopsis strains that were nearly identical genetically, except for some that lacked a gene controlling proper DNA methylation patterns. Thus, the test focused on a large population of genetically similar plants that had both normal and aberrant levels of methylation in their genomes. The researchers tested the plants over several generations for flowering time and root growth.

The goal of the study was to determine if variability in these traits was passed along from generation to generation by genetic or epigenetic differences. They found that the DNA sequence in the regions of the Arabidopsis genome that control both flowering time and root length was identical for all 80 plants and did not contribute the observed variability. What they discovered was that the inherited variability for these traits was associated with methylation changes!

This whole scenario presents a variety of substantial problems for evolution...CONTINUE READING

From Evolutionist to Creationist by Walter J. Veith

Prof. Walter J. Veith is a university lecturer with a background in zoology, biomedical sciences, and research in archeology and history. He was also a strong believer in evolution. However, through an amazing journey He is now believer in creation. How did this happen?



Watch this video and many more for free at www.beyondpatmos.org

Blunders in Reasoning by Evolutionists - Dr. Jason Lisle - Origins

Dr. Lisle gives a lesson in logic and the fallacies evolutionists make.

| Dr. Lisle's Blog: http://www.jasonlisle.com | On Institute for Creation Research http://www.icr.org/jason_lisle/ | Origins Podcast - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/origins/id421176606 |

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Name:	Dr. Jason Lisle
Title:	Director of Research
Specialty:	Physics, Astronomy, Astrophysics, Apologetics

As Director of Research, Dr. Lisle leads ICR’s gifted team of scientists who continue to investigate and demonstrate the evidence for creation. He graduated summa cum laude from Ohio Wesleyan University where he double-majored in physics and astronomy and minored in mathematics. He earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in astrophysics at the University of Colorado. Dr. Lisle specialized in solar astrophysics and has made a number of scientific discoveries regarding the solar photosphere and has contributed to the field of general relativity. Since completion of his research at the University of Colorado, Dr. Lisle began working in full-time apologetics ministry, focusing on the defense of Genesis. Dr. Lisle was instrumental in developing the planetarium at the Creation Museum in Kentucky, writing and directing popular planetarium shows including “The Created Cosmos.” Dr. Lisle speaks on topics relating to science and the defense of the Christian faith using logic and correct reasoning; he has authored numerous articles and books demonstrating that biblical creation is the only logical possibility for origins.

Jason Lisle’s books include:

• The Ultimate Proof of Creation: Resolving the Origins Debate
• Discerning Truth: Exposing Errors in Evolutionary Arguments
• The Stargazer’s Guide to the Night Sky
• Taking Back Astronomy: The Heavens Declare Creation
• Why Genesis Matters
•  

Click here for articles by Jason Lisle.
Click here for the ICR Speakers page.
Click here for the ICR Science Team page.

Some Evolutionists Quotes courtesy of Frank Sherwin

Fun quotes from evolutionists about our origins, courtesy of ICR zoologist Frank Sherwin:

“We thought we had just about nailed human evolution, now everything is up for grabs again.” - Ed Yong, New Scientist, July 30, 2011, p. 35. 

“The origin of our own genus remains frustratingly unclear.” - Bernard Wood, paleoanthropologist, in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, June 15, 2011.

“But with so little evidence to go on, the origin of our genus has remained as mysterious as ever.” - Kate Wong, ‘First of Our Kind’ Scientific American, April 2012, p. 32.

“The last common ancestor of chimpanzees and humans remains a holy grail in science....” - Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News, 2010 Discovery Communications.

Name:	Frank Sherwin
Title:	Research Associate, Senior Lecturer, and Science Writer
Specialty:	Zoology, Oceans, Noah's Flood, Microbiology, Dinosaurs

Frank Sherwin received his bachelors degree in biology from Western State College, Gunnison, Colorado, in 1978. He attended graduate school at the University of Northern Colorado, where he studied under the late Gerald D. Schmidt, one of the foremost parasitologists in America. In 1985, Mr. Sherwin obtained a masters degree in zoology. He published his research in the peer-reviewed Journal of Parasitology. He contributes his scientific expertise to a variety of ICR's publications on creation science. He is the author of The Ocean Book and co-author of The Fossil Record: Unearthing Nature's History of Life and The Human Body: An Intelligent Design, and is one of ICR's most sought-after speakers.

Available books by Frank Sherwin:

• The Fossil Record: Unearthing Nature's History of Life
• The Ocean Book

Click here for articles by Frank Sherwin.

Click here for the ICR Speakers page.

Click here for the ICR Science Team page.

Hard Questions for Evolutionists - Dr. Carl Baugh

Rocky Mountain Creation Fellowship was pleased to have Dr. Carl Baugh, Founder and Director of Creation Evidence Museum in Glen Rose Texas speak on the subject "Hard Questions for Evolutionists" at their May 13, 2011 meeting.

More than thirty years of Dr. Baugh's life have been spent researching the atmospheric conditions before the Genesis Flood, and he is Research Director for the world's first Hyperbaric Biosphere. He serves as Discoverer and Excavation Director of fourteen dinosaurs, including Acrocanthosaurus in Texas and Diplodocus in Colorado. Dr. Baugh is also co-discoverer and co-excavator of a unique South American ammonite that has not been described in the technical literature. He has led three scientific expeditions into the rain forests of Papua New Guinea in search of living pterodactyls. He will share with us some interesting recent data on human/dinosaur footprints.

Dr. Baugh's Degrees include:
Doctor of Theology (2005, Louisiana Baptist University),
Doctor of Philosophy in Education (1989, Pacific College of Graduate Studies), Masters in Archaeology (1984, Pacific College of Graduate Studies),
Bachelor of Arts (1961, Burton College), and
Graduate of Theology (1959, Baptist Bible College, Valedictorian).

Dr. Baugh has extensive experience as a lecturer in Scientific Creation, including appearances at Texas A & M University, University of Texas at Arlington, Western Illinois University, Texas Christian University, Southern Methodist University, and many others.

He appeared on TV Network Specials: "The Incredible Discovery of Noah's Ark" , "Ancient Secrets in the Bible," and "The Mysterious Origins of Man." Dr. Baugh has made over 70 guest appearances representing scientific creation on Trinity Broadcasting and hosts a weekly television program. He has also authored several books.