NewsWatch

ICR.org, 1/29/24, “Hummingbird Flight Strategies” [Excerpts]: The fossil record shows that hummingbirds have always been hummingbirds. Such amazing mastery of aerial acrobatics could never have evolved. ICR’s Dr. Jeff Tomkins put it succinctly:

“The hummingbird is another animal that glorifies the Creator. This little creature is distinctly different from all other bird kinds. Hummingbirds are the only bird that can fly backward. They can literally zip around in just about every direction due to their wings’ ability to rotate in a full circle and flap up to 80 times per second.”

Thus, hummingbird flight is not only amazing, it is unique among all animals. These specialists, which include the smallest bird in the world, can navigate efficiently with their long, saber-like wings. In fact, “the fast turns of hummingbirds have inspired a massive motion-tracking study of the birds’ flight maneuvers,” stated science writer Susan Milius of Science News. 

Blind evolutionary forces like random mutations could never perfect the hummer’s fast ballistic trajectory, obstacle avoidance, and novel sideways maneuvers we observe today. Instead, we clearly see evidence of purpose, plan, and special creation in these highly specialized creatures.

What can scientists learn from observing the detailed and precise aerobatics of hummingbirds? Five insightful researchers pointed to engineering applications when they stated that “These strategies for aperture transit and associated flight trajectories can inform designs and algorithms for small aerial vehicles flying within cluttered environments.”

Yes, scientists actually learn from what our Creator, the Lord Jesus, designed just thousands of years ago. We should always be ready to give glory to the Creator and not to the creation, as Paul stated in the book of Romans.

https://bit.ly/3UUlL7p

University Postpones Holocaust Lectures 

EuropeanConservative.com, 1/29/24, “‘Disgraceful’: Dutch University Postpones Holocaust Education Lectures” [Excerpts]: Utrecht’s University of Applied Sciences is postponing a lecture series on the Holocaust, causing uproar in the Netherlands.

The timing of the announcement only made matters worse: Holocaust Memorial Day, the annual observance to commemorate the victims of the genocide that claimed the lives of an estimated six million Jews.

The eight-part lecture series, in collaboration with the Center for Information and Documentation on Israel (CIDI), was supposed to start on February 7th, and is designed to combat a “growing antisemitism in Dutch society.”

A spokesman explained to De Telegraaf that the university wanted to “facilitate a diverse and balanced dialogue around this issue,” and that for this, it would “need more time to put the events of October 7th [when Hamas militants massacred over 1,200 civilians and soldiers in Israel] and beyond into broader perspective, with room for diverse opinions and beliefs.”

[A user of the social media site X commented:] “Seriously? A ‘diverse and balanced dialogue’ about the persecution of Jews?! Six million Jews have been murdered because of who they are. Six million lives were brutally destroyed because of pure Jew hatred. Anyone who wants to bring nuance to that needs a history lesson. The nerve.”

https://bit.ly/3SZrZR2

Transgender Runner Breaks Two Women’s Track Records

TheCollegeFix.com, 1/31/24, “Transgender runner breaks two women’s track and field records” [Excerpts]: A biological male who now identifies as female recently set two new track-and-field records for the Rochester Institute of Technology, prompting concern and anger among advocates who say it’s unfair to women competitors.

“Sadie Schreiner set the 200-meter record and qualified for the Atlantic Region Championship with a time of 25.27 seconds at the RIT January Friday Meet. The runner also broke the 300-meter record with a 40.78-second finish,” the National Desk reported.

The Post Millennial pointed out that: “For comparison, Schreiner’s times would have placed the athlete in 18th place in the men’s 200-meter race, and in 10th place in the men’s 300-meter race.”

Schreiner’s accomplishments have caught the ire of women’s rights advocates, including Riley Gaines, who posted on X on Monday: “...Women’s records mean nothing if they’re set by men.”

https://bit.ly/3IhwbGL