Information Related to "God, Science and the Bible (11/06)"
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The mystery of dark matter
The more scientists study the universe, the stranger it sometimes seems.
For instance, did you know that approximately 96 percent of the forces that sustain the universe is not produced by ordinary matter and energy?
Since 1933, scientists have measured the gravitational force holding galactic clusters, galaxies and solar systems together and have determined that only about 4 percent of it consists of ordinary matter. In other words, if you piled up all the known matter in the universe—all the stars, planets, cosmic dust and gases—and measured the gravitational effect their combined mass exerts, it would be only about 4 percent of the force necessary to hold things together!
Where is the remaining 96 percent of the missing mass, scientists ask? This has been a real puzzle for astronomers. One remarked that this is a case not of the dog wagging the tail, but the tail wagging the dog. It's as if more than 90 percent of the universe consisted of something other than atoms and photons, the bedrock of ordinary matter and energy.
The unseen force holding things together, scientists conclude, must be produced by other things—which, for lack of better terms, are classed as "dark matter" and "dark energy" ("dark" meaning they emit no radiation directly perceptible to us, whether visible light or otherwise).
Dark matter, the scientists believe, coexists with normal matter, but they still don't know what it is. Even stranger than dark matter is dark energy, for it appears to work across large distances and in an opposite way to gravity. This antigravity force seems responsible for the accelerating pace of the universe's ongoing expansion.
Just recently, the existence of dark matter appears to have been substantiated when astronomers observed two large clusters of galaxies passing through each other. Dark matter and normal matter seem to have been wrenched apart by the tremendous collision of these two galactic clusters. The discovery, using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and other telescopes, provides supporting evidence for dark matter.
"A universe that's dominated by dark stuff seems preposterous, so we wanted to test whether there were any basic flaws in our thinking," said Doug Clowe of the University of Arizona at Tucson and leader of the study. "These results are direct proof that dark matter exists" (NASA news release, Aug. 21).
This finding also backs the notion that Newtonian gravity on earth and in the solar system works on the huge scales of galaxy clusters as well. "We've closed this loophole about gravity, and we've come closer than ever to seeing this invisible matter," Dr. Clowe said (ibid.).
"But observing dark matter and knowing what it is are very different," cautions an Aug. 23 editorial in The New York Times, "and we are nowhere near the latter. Then, beyond the problem of dark matter lies the greater problem of dark energy. This is a mysterious universe, and the more we know about it the more mysterious it seems."
Hmmm. Dark matter, dark energy—constituting 96 percent of the force that holds things together and more than 10 times the known mass of the universe—yet imperceptible to scientists with even the best of our modern technologies?
Dare we call this unseen force holding the universe together—brace yourself— spiritual in nature?
Isn't it interesting that when we turn to the Bible it says, "By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible" (Hebrews 11:3, emphasis added throughout).
Then notice what Hebrews 1:1-4 states about Jesus Christ: "God . . . has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high."
Where is the missing mass—the so-called dark matter and energy—exerting this enormous force on the entire universe? Is it possible the answer has been hiding in plain sight in Scripture all this time?
Evolution's "vestigial organ" argument debunked
How many have been taught in school about our body's supposed "vestigial organs"? The standard definition of a vestigial organ is a body part that was once useful in a species' ancestral past but has now become virtually useless.
Evolutionists have used the vestigial-organ argument for decades to show the supposed evolution of animal and human bodies. They claimed that vestigial or diminishingly useful organs, which Charles Darwin called rudimentary, proved that bodies had evolved from more primitive forms.
However, research has shown the supposed vestigial organs or structures of the human body—such as the appendix, the tonsils and the tailbone—are not "vestigial" at all, but rather are quite useful and purposeful body structures.
The appendix, probably the prime example of a supposed vestigial organ, is now known to have an important immunological function, especially in the first years of life.
"The appendix, like the once 'vestigial' tonsils and adenoids, is a lymphoid organ (part of the body's immune system) which makes antibodies against infections in the digestive system. Believing it to be a useless evolutionary 'left over,' many surgeons once removed even the healthy appendix whenever they were in the abdominal cavity. Today, removal of a healthy appendix under most circumstances would be considered medical malpractice" (David Menton, Ph.D., "The Human Tail, and Other Tales of Evolution," St. Louis MetroVoice , January 1994, Vol. 4, No. 1).
The tonsils, long thought to be useless, are now known to have a useful function in the immune system. They act as a defense mechanism against infection of the upper respiratory tract and perform an important service to the digestive system by filtering out alien materials that may enter the body through the mouth or the nose.
"Doctors once thought tonsils were simply useless evolutionary leftovers and took them out thinking that it could do no harm. Today there is considerable evidence that there are more troubles in the upper respiratory tract after tonsil removal than before, and doctors generally agree that simple enlargement of tonsils is hardly an indication for surgery" (J.D. Ratcliff, Your Body and How it Works, 1975, p. 137).
The tailbone, properly known as the coccyx, is another supposed example of a vestigial structure that has been found to have a valuable function—especially regarding the ability to sit comfortably. Many people who have had this bone removed have great difficulty sitting.
Moreover, various muscles attached to the tailbone are important for helping bowel and childbirth movements, for supporting internal organs and keeping the entrance of the alimentary canal closed. It also has an important function as a point of insertion for several muscles and ligaments, including the gluteus maximus, which is the large muscle that runs down the back of the thigh and allows us to walk upright.
The list of what were once considered vestigial organs in our body has gone from 100 in the early 20th century to virtually zero in 2006, thanks to more research and discoveries in the fields of human anatomy and physiology. What were once considered virtually useless organs have now proven to be quite useful, yet many school and college textbooks on evolution still continue to use them as evidence of evolutionary theory.
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