Exploring Creation With General Science Table of Contents 1 MODULE #1: A Brief History of Science 1 Introduction 1 The First Inklings of Science (From Ancient Times to 600 B.C.) 3 True Science Begins to Emerge (600 B.C. to 500 A.D.) 4 Experiment 1.1: Density in Nature 6 Experiment 1.2: Atomic Motion 8 Three Other Notable Greek Scientists 12 The Progress Of Science Stalls For A While (500 A.D. To 1000 A.D.) 12 Experiment 1.3: A Chemical Reaction 16 Science Begins To Pick Up Steam (1000 A.D. To 1500 A.D.) 18 The Renaissance: The "Golden Age" Of Science (1500 A.D. To 1660 A.D.) 20 Experiment 1.4: Mapping the Paths of the Planets 23 The Era of Newton (1660 A.D. to 1735 A.D.) 24 The "Enlightenment" and the Industrial Revolution (1735 A.D. to 1820 A.D.) 26 The Rest of the Nineteenth Century (1820 A.D. to 1900 A.D.) 29 Modern Science (1900 A.D. to the Present) 31 Summing It Up 35 MODULE #2: Scientific Inquiry 35 Introduction 35 What Science is NOT 35 Experiment 2.1: How Does Weight Affect the Speed at Which Objects Fall? 36 Experiment 2.2: Learning More About Weight and the Speed at Which Objects Fall 40 The Scientific Method 42 Experiment 2.3: The Broken Flashlight 44 Failures of the Scientific Method 48 The Limitations of Science 49 Science and Christianity 59 MODULE #3: How to Analyze and Interpret Experiments 59 Introduction 59 Experiments and Variables 60 Experiment 3.1: A Floating Egg? 64 Using A Series Of Experiments 64 Experiment 3.2: Which "Boat" Will Move? 66 Experiment 3.3: What Does Soap Do To Water? - Part 1 67 Experiment 3.4: What Does Soap Do To Water? - Part 2 70 Recognizing Experimental Variables When They Are Not Obvious 74 Interpreting the Results of Experiments 83 MODULE #4: Science, Applied Science 83 Introduction 83 The Distinction Between Science, Applied Science and Technology 87 Simple Machines 87 The Lever 87 Experiment 4.1: The Lever 93 The Wheel And Axle 95 The Pulley 96 Experiment 4.2: A Simulaton of Using Multiple Pulleys 99 The Inclined Plane 100 The Wedge 101 The Screw 109 MODULE #5: The History of Life - Archaeology, Geology, and Paleontology 109 Introduction 109 How Do We Learn About the History of Life? 110 Archaeology and History 114 The Internal Test 118 The External Test 122 The Bibliographic Test 124 Archaeology in the Absence of Historical Documents 128 Relative Dating and the Principle of Superposition 130 What Do We Know About Human History? 135 MODULE #6: Foundations of Geology 135 Introduction 137 Soil, Rocks, and Minerals 138 Experiment 6.1: "Growing" Crystals 140 Strata In Sedimentary Rock 142 Experiment 6.2: Separation of Sedimentation 144 Weathering Of Rocks 144 Experiment 6.3: Phyiscal Weathering: The Power of Plants 145 Experiment 6.4: Chemical Weathering 147 Erosion 148 Experiment 6.5: Erosion 152 Bringing It All Together: The Basic Structure of the Grand Canyon 159 MODULE #7: The Fossil Record 159 Introduction 159 The Making of Fossils Part 1: Casts and Molds 160 Experiment 7.1: Making a Fossil Cast 162 The Making Of Fossils Part 2: Petrifaction 162 Experiment 7.2: Minerals in Water and Evaporation 164 The Making Of Fossils Part 3: Carbonized Remains 165 Experiment 7.3: A Model of the Carbonization Process 166 The Making of Fossils Part 4: Avoiding Decomposition 168 Three General Features of the Fossil Record 172 A Fourth General Feature of the Fossil Record 174 Geology and Paleontology from the Uniformitarian Perspective 177 Geology and Paleontology From the Catastrophist Perspective 180 Uniformitarianism or Catastrophism: Which View Is Correct? 185 MODULE #8: Uniformitarianism and Catastrophism 185 Introduction 185 Uniformitarianism and the Geological Record 186 Experiment 8.1: A Simulation of Using Index Fossils to Order Rock Layers 191 Uniformitarianism and Evolution 194 Catastrophism and the Geological Record 199 Catastrophism and the Fossil Record 203 Uniformitarianism or Catastrophism: Which Is Better? 208 Evolution: Can It Provide Evidence for Uniformitarianism? 215 MODULE #9: What Is Life? 215 Introduction 215 DNA and Life 218 The Structure of DNA 220 Experiment 9.1: Building a Model of DNA 223 Energy And Life 223 Experiment 9.2: Finding Food in Plants 225 Experiment 9.3: A Simple "Self-Sustaining" System 227 Sensing And Responding To Change 228 Experiment 9.4: Sensing and Responding to Change 229 Reproduction And Life 230 Experiment 9.5: Fruit Fly Reproduction 234 The Cell: Life’s Smallest Unit 241 MODULE #10: Classifying Life 241 Experiment 10.1 - Part 1: Factors that Affect Bacterial Growth 241 Introduction 243 The Five-Kingdom System 245 Kingdom Monera 247 Experiment 10.1 - Part 2: Factors that Affect Bacterial Growth 250 Kingdom Protista 252 Kingdom Fungi 255 Experiment 10.2: Yeast is a Decomposer 256 Kingdom Plantae 256 Experiment 10.3: Vegetative Reproduction 258 Experiment 10.4: Turgor Pressure 260 Kingdom Animalia 265 MODULE #11: The Human Body: Fearfully and Wonderfully Made 265 Introduction 265 The Superstructure of the Human Body 267 Bones 267 Experiment 11.1: Minerals in Bone 271 Skeletons In Other Organisms 273 Skeletal Muscles 279 Smooth Muscle And The Cardiac Muscle 281 Muscles And Movement In Other Organisms 281 Experiment 11.2: Phototropism and Gravitropism 282 Skin 286 Experiment 11.3: Skin Color 287 Skin in Other Organisms 288 Summary 293 MODULE #12: Energy and Life 293 Introduction 293 Life’s Energy Cycle 296 How Do Organisms Get Energy From Food? 297 Experiment 12.1: What Combustion Needs 299 Experiment 12.2: The Products of Combustion 302 What Actually Gets Burned For Energy? 306 Energy Use In The Body 307 Experiment 12.3: Body Temperature 308 Calories and Food 310 Metabolic Rates Throughout Creation 312 How Combustion Works in Living Organisms 319 MODULE #13: The Human Digestive System 319 Introduction 319 The Process of Digestion 319 Experiment 13.1: Seeing a Part of the Digestive Process 320 The Human Digestive System 323 The Mouth, Pharynx, And Esophagus 326 The Stomach And The Small Intestine 327 Experiment 13.2: Stomach Acid and Antacids 332 No, It’s Not Useless! 333 The Liver, Pancreas, And Gall Bladder 335 Experiment 13.3: The Effect of Sodium Bicarbonate on Stomach Acid 337 The Micronutrients 343 MODULE #14: The Human Respiratory and Circulatory Systems 343 Introduction 343 The Human Circulatory System 347 The Heart and Blood Flow 350 Experiment 14.1: Measuring Your Own Cardiac Cycle 352 The Components Of Blood 355 Lungs And Blood Oxygenation 357 Experiment 14.2: The Vital Capacity of Your Lungs 358 The Respiratory System 359 Experiment 14.3: A Model of Your Lungs 361 Experiment 14.4: A Model of Your Vocal Cords 361 Circulation And Respiration Throughout Creation 362 Experiment 14.5: Xylem 367 MODULE #15: The Human Lymphatic, Endocrine, and Urinary Systems 367 Introduction 367 The Lymphatic System 371 Lymph Nodes 375 Tears 376 Experiment 15.1: Working Your Lacrimal Glands Too Hard 377 The Urinary System 379 Experiment 15.2: A Model of Kidney Function 382 The Endocrine System 387 MODULE #16: The Human Nervous System 387 Introduction 389 Neurons: The Basic Unit of the Nervous System 393 The Basic Layout of the Human Nervous System 398 Our "Split" Brains 398 Experiment 16.1: Determining a Person's Dominant Side 400 The Brain And Blood 402 The Peripheral Nervous System (Pns) 403 Experiment 16.2: The Pupil of the Eye 405 The Human Sense Of Taste 407 The Human Sense Of Smell 408 Experiment 16.3: The Sense of Smell and the Sense of Taste 409 The Human Sense Of Vision 411 Experiment 16.4: The Human Blind Spot 414 The Human Sense Of Touch 415 Experiment 16.5: Variation in Touch Sensitivity 416 The Human Sense of Hearing 417 Do We Really Use Only 10 Percent of our Brain? 418 Summing It All Up 423 Glossary 433 Appendix A 443 Appendix B 475 Appendix C 483 Index