Chika Sa Syensya

Of course 😂😂😂

Sharing to you our research article on fermentation which shows that fermented fern (pako) has high levels of antioxidants that may help reduce oxidative stress.

FYI:
- pako is commonly consumed in Mindanao (maybe in other provinces)
- fermentation is an ancient practice
- fermented foods can be a healthy option

You may read or download the full paper here:
https://www.palawanscientist.org/tps/quantitation-of-antioxidant-levels-of-soy-fern-fermentation-by-dpph-assay/

Creation science apologetics time...

IS CREATIONISM CHANGING RICHARD DAWKINS?

Richard Dawkins, a very prominent biologist and a known crusader of atheism and evolution, has long been considered as one of the 4 horsemen of new atheism (together with Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, and Daniel Dennett). New atheism is focused more on deconstructing religion, telling the world that religion is a poison in our society that needs to be flushed out.

Dawkins is also known to be a long-time hard-core evolutionist where his books 'The God Delusion' and 'The Blind Watchmaker' have been best-selling. These books were a cornerstone used by many evolutionists and atheists in their argument against God, creation and Christianity. I watched several interesting debates between him against creationists especially the mathematician John Lennox.

But just this year, it seems that the wind has changed in the mind and heart of the evolutionist Dawkins. In an April 9, 2024 interview, Dawkins shockingly declared that he is now a "cultural Christian". He said the following lines:

"I call myself a cultural Christian. I’m not a believer, but there’s a distinction between being a believing Christian and being a cultural Christian. … I love hymns and Christmas carols, and I sort of feel at home in the Christian ethos. … We [in the U.K.] are a “Christian country” in that sense. If I had to choose between Christianity and Islam, I’d choose Christianity every single time. It seems to me to be a fundamentally decent religion in a way that I think Islam is not."

His statements echoed what happened to Anthony Flew. Flew was once considered as the "world's most notorious atheist" since his tirades against religion, specifically Christianity, is so intense. And he did that for 40 years. But later in his life, Anthony Flew was converted into theism because he thought a designed universe requires a designer.

Could Dawkins also have this reflection like Anthony Flew? Who knows.

Keep thinking. Keep believing.

God is real. Happy Sabbath




Reference: https://breakpoint.org/richard-dawkins-a-cultural-christian/

"Even if we spend our lifetime looking into the details of the universe, it will never be enough. This universe has hidden so much power, mystery, and wonder, that if we look deep and far enough, you will look into the eyes of the Creator."

-An excerpt of the upcoming book God, The Chicken, and The Egg

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Creation Science Apologetics time...

THE HYPERCOMPLEX, 4-DIMENSIONAL GENOME

By definition, a genome is the entire set of DNA instructions that can be found in an organism. When we say DNA, this is similar to the computer programs or codes that run our digital devices like laptops and cellphones. The different characteristics of an organism like presence or absence of wings, tails, hairs, blood, and so on, are all encoded and programmed in the DNA. And we have to remember that the product of the DNA molecule is protein.

Our current science, especially in molecular genetics, let us realized that our genome is a hypercomplex information structure in our bodies. It operates in a tightly regulated, highly synchronized, and very specific way that even Bill Gates declared that "DNA is like a computer program but far, far more advanced than any software ever created.".

How complex exactly is the genome? It can be viewed in 4 dimensions:

First Dimension: this refers to the sequence letters in the DNA (ATCG). In the human genome, there are approximately 3.4 billion letters that operate our cells. At first glance, the sequence of these letters seems random, but each of these letters are exactly where they need to be.

Second Dimension: molecular geneticists now discovered that that the sequence of the different letters in the DNA (known as nucleotides) are grouped into different compartments. These compartments have distinct roles to play, especially when only a small portion of the DNA sequence needs to be translated into a protein product. The project ENCODE (Encyclopedia of DNA Elements) revealed that only less than 2% of the entirety of the human genome codes for protein; this means that the vast majority of the genome don't end up in protein products. However, this 98% non-coding regions is very much important for the 2% coding region. The non-coding region is compartmentalized into different smaller codes as gene enhancers, silencers, promoters, terminators, histone attachments, telomeric, centromeric, and many more. The organization of the second dimension is crucial for the production of the exact protein products.

Third Dimension: DNA is like a lengthy string inside the cells. But when cells are about to divide, the DNA string is coiled so that it is easier for the cells to equally distribute the genetic information into the new generation of cells. Now the coiling of the DNA is not random. It follows a specific coil so that these different compartments in the second dimension will be closer to each other, especially when they are controlling and coordinating similar genes. In addition, the coiling of the frequently expressed genes and their associated non-coding regions, tend to be closer to nuclear pores for easier transport of the different molecules which leads to the production of proteins. Hence, the third dimension is the specific folding (coiling) of the DNA molecule in a 3D space inside the cell.

Fourth Dimension: the fourth dimension is time. The coiling of DNA (as mentioned in the 3rd dimension) changes over time as the needs of an organism also changes. For instance, during the development from embryo to fetus requires different sets of proteins, then from fetus to adulthood are another set of proteins. As changes in the development of the body progress, the folding of the DNA also changes to provide convenience to the production of necessary proteins as a response to body changes. Not only that, if the environment of a person changes, the folding of the 3D DNA molecule also changes; hence, these changes can happen even in a short period of time.

How does this hyper-complexity of the genome relate to the creation-evolution issue?

First, the complexities of the DNA structure, as exhibited by how it is structured from the first to the fourth dimension, cannot be explained by random molecular interactions in the unknown past. No random process, whether biological or not, can ever produce complicated events as showed in the genome.

Second, only a living cell, is capable of exhibiting such complex molecular organization. Over and over again, molecular biologists can testify that it is impossible for humans to make a man-made cell that can perform the complex functions of a natural cell. And no one, I repeat, no one, has ever made a functional cell, even with our sophisticated technologies available.

So it leads us to think that the most reasonable explanation for the four-dimensional structure of the genome is that it is already there, existed together with living cells from the very beginning of the history of life.

And as the study of cells and molecules moves forward, we further realized that the cells and the events found inside cells, are becoming more complex than ever. And because of this, the more reason that we believe that life did not evolved by the gradual Darwinian processes.

Keep the faith. God is real

The atheist will say that it is "absurd that God created everything".

But what is more absurd is that nothing had created everything.

-Have a blessed afternoon

"There are at least 650,000 identified protein interactions in the human body. And it is said that this is just

Creation science apologetics time...

JOHN C. SANFORD, from hardcore atheist, to romantic atheist, to agnostic, to old earth creationist, to young earth creationist

John C. Sanford, PhD, is a respected scientist in the field of genetics and a retired professor at Cornell University. In the realm of molecular biology and biotechnology, he is known as the inventor of the gene gun where engineered genes are directly shot to an organism. His invention has significantly contributed to the advances in genetic engineering and its application to biotechnology.

He was once an atheist and evolutionist, where he believed that life formed over billions of years and that random molecular processes had led to the slow and gradual development of simple life forms that led to the existence of complex organisms, including humans.

However, based on his own scientific journey particularly in genetics, he realized that Darwinian evolution cannot account for the precise engineering of the cells and the genome. But the most significant realization that he made is on his studies on genetic entropy.

Genetic entropy refers to the degradation of DNA over time. Based on Sanford's own studies, this degradation, or mutation, is increased each time a cell divides that a 60-year old man has accumulated about 40,000; these mutations break (not build) the different processes of the cells which eventually contributes to diseases. In addition, these entropy still persist even with a repair mechanism inside the cells and will be transferred to the succeeding generations.

Sanford then realized that his data does not follow the Darwinian view of evolution. Further, he realized that genetic entropy does not make sense with old earth creationism (the belief that the creation of the world takes billions of years in the making). And to him, only through a young earth creation model (where the creation of the world is achieved in thousands of years and not millions), does genetic entropy fits.

Genetic entropy makes sense with young earth as mentioned in Genesis, where there was a time when genomes of different species, including humans, were in a perfect state; and when sin entered, human life expectancy had declined.

After embracing faith, Sanford's scientific work was threatened with termination. But according to him, we should be patient with those who still doubt about the creative power of God, and that we must continue to open doors to the gospel using science apologetics.

And this is why I believe that creation science apologetics is one ministerial tool especially in an ever increasing secular philosophies that are silently growing even inside our respective churches.

Keep the faith. God is real.




Video reference: https://youtu.be/i-y_dmi_oF4?si=YNU4udf12B6dSVPb

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If you wish to know more about creation science apologetics, you can contact me directly here.

“If God does not exist, everything is permissible.”

-Fyodor Dostoevsky

Creation Science apologetics time...

"On the laws of the universe and the existence of God"

It is no question that the universe and everything in it from subatomic particles to blackholes have specific set of laws that govern them. These laws can be so complex that our description of our existence can change from time to time.

We have to remember that science laws are not written or developed by scientists, but rather were discovered and were described elegantly in mathematical terms. And even with the advances we have in our mathematics and sciences, still humanity had only described a small grain in an ocean of laws in the cosmos.

These laws of the universe are absolutely not 'nothing'; rather, they are something. Without these laws, gravity for example, this universe would not exist, and at the same time laws will not exist without the universe. Hence, both the material universe and its laws have this mutual ground.

So how did these laws exist?

In atheistic worldview, there is nothing that created these laws and universe. And one of their common explanation is that the universe is just a part of the countly cycle of birth-death-rebirth as advanced by the multiverse theory. But the problem with this view is that though a multiverse can be an exciting thought, no single piece of hard evidence can ever be presented. Currently, there is only a single observable universe.

In addition, laws just do not create themselves, so with the universe. This is similar to a book that cannot create itself. A book needs an external party that is conscious enough to place the proper characters so that the book's content could be understood and studied. You cannot separate the book from the letters; if you do, you only have either a bunch of letters or a useless empty pages.

In like manner, the mathematics of the universe is a language that can be understood. These numbers are not just random; these laws act according to its purpose. And the thing is, even if there are countless possible laws operating in the cosmos, these laws are acting in a choreographed manner.

Therefore is laws exist in the universe, could there exist a universal law-giver? And if these laws are described in mathematics, can this law-giver be a great mathematician?

The great mathematician and physicist Paul Dirac said, "GOD USED BEAUTIFUL MATHEMATICS IN CREATING THE WORLD"

Because of this, I choose to believe that there is a God.




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You may invite me to your churches (if time and resources would allow) where I can present the wonders of creation through science.

(image from: https://www.retr0electr0.com/13-universal-laws/)