Creeping Things That Creep Along the Ground
We’re still discovering the extent of God’s command to the earth to bring forth creatures. On seven different mountains in Brazil, researchers have recently discovered seven new species of frog. All under a centimeter, their micro-anatomy is fascinating:
As some of the very smallest land-dwelling vertebrates, much of their anatomy is optimized to this tiny scale. For example, they typically have three toes and two fingers, instead of the five toes and four fingers found in most frogs.
The Waters Swarm
When we want to be awed by creation in real time but can’t get out of our office, there’s generally two webcams we turn to: The International Space Station Earth Viewing camera and Nautilus Live. The latter webcasts live video of deep sea exploration, and for the last year or so has been in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. But this week it began broadcasting from the Galapagos Islands, focusing on hydrothermal vents. There’s something wonderful about watching a real time live stream of the dives, with all the “boring” parts, waiting, and open water that highlight reels and nature documentaries cut out—interrupted by stunning animals and geology. (That said, we love highlight reels, too.)
So Long, Training Wheels
Remember when we learned to ride bikes, how we had to have mechanical aid in not falling? Turns out, without us, bicycles can actually balance themselves. The Atlantic’s City Lab explains the science.
Perichoretic Fingerprints
This is not some obscure medical condition, but a theological phenomenon, which Peter J. Leithart’s addresses in his book, Traces of the Trinity. In an excerpt for Christianity Today, he explains why we see God in His creation:
We might discover perichoretic fingerprints—traces of the Trinity—throughout the creation. We are freed to imagine the world in terms of relations of mutual penetration and indwelling. Once our eyes our opened, we see it everywhere . . .we are seeing the imprint of God’s life in his creation—which is what we’d expect if he is the Creator who has created his creation as an expression of his own eternal glory.
Mars-Tinted Glasses
From this lovely planet, we enjoy sunsets in shades of red, orange, and pink. A video from NASA’s Curiosity rover shows that from Mars, sunsets are actually blue. Watch and learn.
