
Many people naturally think that since stars are billions of light-years
away this is an obvious refutation to the young Earth creation view.
Not so. Dr. Humphreys not only provides a biblically and scientifically
sound theory he also provides some excellent evidence to support his
theory. Learn how practical physics using Einstein's relativity explains
how light could be seen on Earth during Creation week.
Also see
Starlight & Time Revisited
D. Russell Humphreys, Ph.D.
Creationist physicist
Biography
Dr Humphreys was born on 2 February 1942 in Wyandotte, Michigan, U.S.A., and was
raised in a scientifically aware but non–Christian household. Not surprisingly,
Russell himself always had a love for science, and in 1959, he was one of the 40
winners of the Westinghouse National Science Talent Search.
He received a B.S. degree in physics at Duke University, 1959–1963. After
this, he moved to Louisiana State University (LSU) to study postgraduate physics.
In 1969, while doing his dissertation research for LSU in the mountains of Colorado,
he committed his life to Christ. In 1972, he was awarded a Ph.D. in physics, on
cosmic rays and ultrahigh energy nucleon–nucleon interactions, by which time he
was a fully convinced creationist due to both the biblical and scientific evidence.
For the next 6 years he worked in the High Voltage Laboratory of General Electric
Company, designing and inventing equipment and researching high–voltage phenomena.
While there, he received a U.S. patent and one of Industrial Research Magazine’s
IR–100 awards.
Dr Humphreys has been married since 1963, and they have three children.
Research
Beginning in 1979 he worked for Sandia National Laboratories (New Mexico) in nuclear
physics, geophysics, pulsed-power research, and theoretical atomic and nuclear physics.
In 1985, he began working with Sandia’s ‘Particle Beam Fusion Project’,
and was co-inventor of special laser-triggered ‘Rimfire’ high-voltage
switches, now coming into wider use.
The last decade at Sandia saw greater emphasis on theoretical nuclear physics and
radiation hydrodynamics in an effort to help produce the world’s first lab–scale
thermonuclear fusion. Besides gaining two other U.S. patents, Dr Humphreys has been
given two awards from Sandia, including an Award for Excellence for contributions
to light ion–fusion target theory.
Overall, Dr Humphreys’ reseach has been very wide-ranging:
- Designed and theoretically analyzed thermonuclear fusion targets using radiation
hydrodynamic codes.
- Designed key high-voltage parts of Sandia’s 100-Terawatt Particle Beam Fusion
Accelerator II and conducted fusion power experiments on it. Same designs are in
use today on Sandia’s Z machine.
- Research on low-temperature solids and studies on superconductors.
- Nuclear weapons projects, including stockpile engineering for W87 firing set.
- Helped design new inkjet printer component and shared patent on it.
- Developed high repetition-rate neutron tube driver and gamma-ray spectrometer for
borehole logging applications. Patent on high-voltage power supply for it.
- Patents on wide-bandwidth electric field sensor and high-voltage neutron tube supply.
Designed lightning current waveform recorder which won IR-100 Award.
- Studied electric fields and ion currents under ultrahigh voltage DC transmission
lines.
- Theoretical studies of relativistic velocity dependence of nuclear forces.
Creationist work full-time
Dr Humphreys retired from Sandia in 2001 to work full-time for the
Institute for Creation Research (ICR) where he was appointed
an Associate Professor of Physics. In this time, he operated mainly from his home
office in Albuquerque, NM, USA, while still continuing to write for
Journal of Creation
(formerly
TJ) and assisting several other creationist organisations with
questions and information concerning physics, astronomy and cosmology.
In August 2008 he resigned from ICR and now works as an independent researcher.
Dr Humphreys has been a longtime member of the
Creation Research Society
and is on its Board of Directors.
Education
- B.S., Duke University, Durham, NC, 1963
- Ph.D., Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 1972
Honors/Awards/Associations
- Creation Science Fellowship of New Mexico, board member and past President
- Two of Industrial Research Magazine’s IR-100 awards
- Award for Excellence for contributions to light ion-fusion target theory
- Adjunct professor of the Institute for Creation Research in San Diego
- Board member of the Creation Research Society
- Member, American Geophysical Union
Publications
Web articles
- The Nature of peer review
- Origin of the elements—Bible vs the big bang
- Argon diffusion data support RATE’s 6,000-year helium age of the earth, Journal of Creation 25(2):74–77, 2011.
- Mercury’s crust is magnetized
- The Moon’s former magnetic field
- Helium
evidence for a young world continues to confound critics
- The large
hadron collider: will a black hole swallow us?
-
Search continues for a non-creationist solution to the ‘Pioneer anomaly’
-
Mercury’s magnetic message is not yet clear
- Magnetic message from Mercury
- Not too old to be Expelled
- Mercury’s Magnetic Field is Young!
- Evidence for a Young World, Creation
13(3):28–31, 1992.
- Explaining the Pioneer effect? Russell Humphreys replies, Journal of Creation
(Journal of Creation) 22(1):55–56, April 2008.
- Pioneer anomaly: still unsolved? Russell Humphreys replies, Journal of Creation,
21(3):67–68, December 2007.
-
Creationist cosmologies explain the anomalous acceleration of Pioneer spacecraft,
Journal of Creation 21(2):61–70, August 2007
- D. Russell Humphreys
replies and clarifies cosmology, Journal of Creation 16(3):76–78,
2002.
- Our
galaxy is the centre of the universe, ‘quantized’ red shifts show,
Journal of Creation 16(2):95–104, 2002.
- Russell Humphreys
replies, (Reply to Worracker) Journal of Creation 15(2):47–48,
2001.
- Errors in Humphreys’
cosmological model: Humphreys replies, Journal of Creation 14(2):81,
2000. Among letters Archived at .
- Starlight and time:
a response, (Reply to Connor and Page) Journal of Creation 14(2):73–76,
2000.
- ‘Starlight and Time’ (Reply to Hunter), Journal of Creation
13(1):61–62, 1999.
- Humphreys’ new vistas (Replies to Ross, Duff, and Conner), Journal of
Creation 13(1):50–60, 1999. Among letters archived at
.
- New vistas of spacetime rebut the critics, Journal of Creation
12(2):195–212, 1998. Archived at .
- Timothy tests
theistic evolutionism, Journal of Creation 11(2):199–201,
1997. Archived at .
- C decay and galactic redshifts, Journal of Creation 6(1):74–79,
1992.
- God’s mighty expanse
- Anti-creationists:
do they fear an overthrow of Darwin in the U.S.?
- New creation cosmology
- New time dilation helps creation
cosmology
- God’s global warming worked just
fine
- Explaining a misunderstanding about a YEC cosmology:
Was the fourth day an ‘ordinary’ day?
- Why most scientists believe
the world is old
- The ‘Pioneer anomaly’
- Where is Noah’s Ark?
Secular science publications and awards
- Recently measured helium diffusion rate for zircon suggests inconsistency with U-Pb
age for Awards Fenton Hill granodiorite (lead author is Humphreys), Eos, Transactions
of the American and Geophysical Union 84(46),
Fall Meet.
Suppl., Abstract V32C-1047 (December 2003). Poster at
.
- The enigma of the ubiquity of 14C in organic samples older than 100 ka
(lead author is J. R. Baumgardner), Eos, Transactions of the American Geophysical
Union 84(46), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract V32C-1045 (December
2003). Poster at .
- U.S. Patent No. 6,350,015 (26 Feb 2002) Magnetic drive systems and methods
for a micromachined fluid ejector.
- Sandia National Laboratories Award for Excellence 1995.
- Comparison of experimental results and calculated detector responses for PBFA II
thermal source experiments, Review of Scientific Instruments 63(10),
October 1992.
- Sandia National Laboratories Award for Excellence in developing and executing
new and innovative light ion target theory, 1990.
- Inertial confinement fusion with light ion beams, 13th Internat. Conf. on Plasma
Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research, Washington, D.C. 1–6,
October 1990.
- Reducing aspect ratios in inertial confinement fusion targets, JOWOG 37 Conference,
Albuquerque, NM, January 1990. (Contents classified).
- U.S. Patent No. 4,808,368 (28 Feb. 1989) ‘High voltage supply for
neutron tubes in well-logging applications.’
- Sandia National Laboratories Exceptional Contribution Award, for Rimfire
laser-triggered gas-insulated switch, 1988.
- Progress toward a superconducting opening switch, Proceedings of the Sixth IEEE
Pulsed Power Conference, Arlington, Virginia, 1987, pp. 279–282.
- Scaling relations for the Rimfire multi-stage gas switch, Proceedings of the
Sixth IEEE Pulsed Power Conference, Arlington, VA, 29 June – 1 August
1987.
- Industrial Research Magazine IR-100 award to PBFA-II project, 1986.
- Rimfire: a six megavolt laser-triggered gas-filled switch for PBFA-II, Proceedings
of the Fifth IEEE Pulsed Power Conference, Arlington, Virginia, 10–12
June 1985, pp. 262–269.
- PBFA II, a 100 TW pulsed power driver for the inertial confinement fusion program,
Proceedings of the Fifth IEEE Pulsed Power Conference, Arlington, Virginia,
10–12 June 1985.
- Uranium logging with prompt fission neutrons, International Journal of Applied
Radiation and Isotopes, 34:261–268, 1983.
- Scientific creationism, Physics Today 35:84–86,
June 1982.
- Uranium logging with prompt fission neutrons, IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science,
NS–28 (1981) 1691–1695.
- Pulsed neutron gamma ray logging for minerals associated with uranium, 6th Conf.
on Small Accelerators in Research and Industry, Denton, TX, November 3–5,
1980. Sandia National Laboratories document no. SAND80-1531.
- Industrial Research Magazine IR-100 award for lightning waveform recorder
(to D. R. Humphreys and two others), 1978.
- U.S. Patent No. 4,054,835 (18 Oct. 1977) ‘Rapid-response electric
field sensor.’
- Wide-range multi-channel analog switch, Nuclear Instruments and Methods
121:505–508, 1974.
- The 1/γ velocity dependence of nucleon-nucleus optical potentials, Nuclear
Physics A182 (1972) 580.
- Studies of hadron interactions at energies around 10 TeV using an ionization spectrometer–emulsion
chamber combination, Proc. 11th Int. Conf. on Cosmic Rays, Budapest 1969, in Acta
Physica Acad. Sci. Hungaricae 29 (1970) 497–503.
- Wide-range multi-input pulse height recording system, Review of Scientific Instruments
38 (1967) 1123–1127.
Creationist publications
Dr Humphreys is the author of
Starlight and Time, in which he proposes a model that the universe
may only be thousands of years old even though light from distant stars appears
to have taken billions of years to reach Earth (available also as a
DVD). He is also author of
Evidence for a Young World (available as a
booklet). Dr Humphreys has written many articles
and papers on creation issues:
- The Creation of Cosmic Magnetic Fields, Proc. Sixth International Conference
on Creationism (ICC), 3–7 August 2008, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pp.
213–230. Proceedings, PowerPoints, and DVDs available from .
- Creation cosmologies solve spacecraft mystery, Acts & Facts 16(10):10–12,
October 2007. HTML version archived at .
- A tale of two hourglasses, ICR Impact No. 402, December
2006. Archived at .
- Helium pressures Henke, True Origins Internet article, 5 January 2006.
Archived at .
- Young helium diffusion age supports accelerated nuclear decay, in Radioisotopes
and the Age of the Earth, Vol II: Results, Vardiman, Snelling, and Chaffin,
editors, Institute for Creation Research/Creation Research Society, El Cajon, CA,
chapter 7, pp.25–100, 2005.
- Evidence for a young world, ICR Impact No. 384, June 2005.
Archived at .
- What the ASA doesn’t want its readers to know, Creation Matters
13(2):1–2, March/April 2008.
- Helium evidence for a young world remains crystal-clear, True Origins Internet
article, 27 April 2005. Archived at .
- Isochrons made easier, Creation Matters 9(6):1–2,
November/December 2004. Archived at .
- 14C — The creationists’ friend, Creation Matters
9(6):5,2, November/December 2004. At .
- Mercury’s messenger, Creation Matters 9(4):1,9,
July/August 2004. Archived at .
- Helium diffusion age of 6,000 years supports accelerated nuclear decay (lead author
is Humphreys), Creation Research Society Quarterly (CRSQ)
41(1):1–16, June 2004. Archived at CRSQ
/articles/41/41_1/Helium.htm>.
New RATE data support a young world, ICR Impact No. 366,
December 2003. Archived at .
Helium diffusion rates support accelerated nuclear decay (lead author is Humphreys),
Proc. Fifth ICC, 4–9 August 2003, Geneva College, Beaver Falls Pennsylvania,
pp. 175–208. Archived at .
Radioisotopes and the age of the earth, (lead author is L. Vardiman), Proc.
Fifth ICC, 4–9 August 2003, Geneva College, Beaver Falls Pennsylvania,
pp. 337–348. Archived at .
Measurable 14C in fossilized organic materials: confirming the young
earth creation-flood model, (lead author is J. R. Baumgardner), Proc. Fifth ICC,
4–9 August 2003, Geneva College, Beaver Falls Pennsylvania, pp. 127–142.
Archived at .
Gray clouds in the heavens, CRSQ 39(4):278, March 2003.
Carbon 14 is the creationist’s friend, Creation Science Fellowship
Newsletter 14(1), Insert, pp. 1–4, (January 2003), CSF of
New Mexico, P.O. Box 6212, Albuquerque, NM 87107.
Nuclear decay: evidence for a young world, ICR Impact No. 352,
October 2002. Archived at .
Gray clouds, CRSQ 39(2):137, September 2002.
The battle for a cosmic center, ICR Impact No. 350, August
2002. Archived at .
The Earth’s magnetic field is still losing energy, CRSQ 39(1):3–13,
June 2002. Archived at CRSQ
/articles/39/39_1/GeoMag.htm>.
The Earth’s magnetic field: closing a loophole in the case for its youth,
Creation Matters 7(2):1–4, March/April
2002. Archived at
.
Seven years of Starlight and Time, ICR Impact No. 338,
August 2001. Archived at .
Accelerated nuclear decay: a viable hypothesis? in Radioisotopes and the Age
of the Earth, Vol. I, Vardiman, Snelling, and Chaffin, editors, Institute for
Creation Research/Creation Research Society, El Cajon, CA, chapter 7, pp. 333–379
(2000). Book Archived at (free 2.8
MB PDF file).
Evidence for a young world, Creation Matters 4(4):1–4,
July/August 1999. Archived at .
Mars Global Surveyor confirms creation, Creation Matters 4(3):8,
May/June 1999. Archived at .
Catastrophic flood on Mars? Creation Matters 2(5), September/October
1997. Archived at .
Creation wins some more in New Mexico, Creation Matters 2(3),
May/June 1997. At .
It’s just a matter of time, CRSQ 34:32–34,
March 1997.
Can evolutionists now explain the earth’s magnetic field?’ CRSQ
33:184–185, Dec. 1996.
Was Mars ‘infected’ by life from Earth? Creation Matters
1(5), September/October 1997. Archived at .
How we can see a young universe: a reply to Conner and Page, Bible-Science News
33(7):12–19, September 1995.
There you go again, Dr. Ross! Bible-Science News 33(6):6–7,
August 1995.
No good reasons to oppose relativity, Bible-Science News 33(5):9,
July 1995.
Seeing distant stars in a young universe: a new creationist cosmology, Bible-Science
News 33(4):14–17, May 1995.
An open letter to Hugh Ross, Bible-Science News 33(4):21–22,
May 1995.
God created relativity, Bible-Science News 33(3):10–11,
April 1995.
Starlight and Time, Master Books, Green Forest, Arkansas, 1994.
Towards a young-earth relativistic cosmology, Proc. Third ICC, 29 July
– 4 August, 1994, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pp. 267–286.
Award, 1994 International Conference on Creationism. (For cosmology paper above.)
A Biblical basis for creationist cosmology, Proc. Third ICC, 29 July –
4 August 1994, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pp. 255–266.
The Earth’s Magnetic Field is Young, ICR Impact No. 242,
August 1993. Archived at .
Bumps in the Big Bang, ICR Impact No. 233, November 1992.
Archived at .
Physical mechanism for reversals of the Earth’s magnetic field during the
Flood, Proc. Second ICC, 29 July – 4 August 1990, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
Vol. II, pp. 129–142.
The sea’s missing salt: a dilemma for evolutionists, (co-authored with Steven
A. Austin), Proc. Second ICC, 29 July – 4 August 1990, Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, Vol. II, pp. 17–33.
2nd Prize, Best Technical Paper award, 1990 ICC. (Shared with Steven A. Austin).
3rd Prize, Best Technical Paper award, 1990 ICC. (For "Reversals" paper.)
Good news from Neptune: The Voyager 2 magnetic measurements, CRSQ
26:15–17, June 1990.
New evidence for rapid reversals of the Earth’s magnetic field, CRSQ
26:132–133, March 1990.
Beyond Neptune: Voyager II supports creation, ICR Impact 203,
May 1990. Archived at .
Reply to Bowden, CRSQ 26:33, June 1989.
Inadequate defense of c-decay hypothesis, CRSQ 26:30–32,
June 1989.
The mystery of the earth’s magnetic field, ICR Impact No.
188, Feb. 1989. Archived at .
Has the Earth’s magnetic field ever flipped?" CRSQ 25:130–137,
Dec. 1988.
Has the speed of light decayed recently?" CRSQ 25:40–45,
June 1988.
Creation’s tiny mystery (book review), Ministry 60:28–29,
July 1987.
The magnetic field of Uranus, CRSQ 23:115, Dec. 1986.
Reversals of the Earth’s magnetic field during the Genesis flood, Proc.
First ICC, 4–9 August 1986, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Vol. II, pp.113–126.
Best Technical Paper award, 1986 ICC. (Shared with Steven A. Austin and John D.
Morris).
¿Son contemporaneos los hombres y los dinosaurios?, el Centinela, Año
89(2)11–13, Feb. 1985. Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1350
North Kings Road, Nampa, ID 83563.
The creation of planetary magnetic fields, CRSQ 21:140–149,
Dec. 1984. Archived at CRSQ
/articles/21/21_3/21_3.html>.
The creation of the Earth’s magnetic field, CRSQ 20:89–94,
Sept. 1983.
Dinosaurs lived with men, Moody Monthly 83:44–46,
May 1983.
Is the Earth’s core water? Part one: the Biblical evidence, CRSQ
15:141–147, Dec. 1978.
Using the Second Law more effectively, CRSQ 14:209–210,
March 1978.
Interview