Todd's Blog

  Last week, I had the privilege of spending the entire week with my student Peter as we worked together on his Sanders Scholarship research.  We have been studying the "postcranial" skeleton (everything from the neck down) of hominins, as we continue to learn how to recognize what is human in the fossil record.  This work flows from my ongoing baraminology research project studying the skulls of fossil hominins.  In that research, I've found repeatedly a relatively clear distinction between human and nonhuman, most of which has been described here on my blog: Homo sediba ? Let's talk about Homo naledi Recent creationist comments on Homo naledi Hominins: Was I wrong???? The lingering issue that has always bothered me is the importance of the skeleton.  It was the skeletal similarities, for example between Homo sapiens and the Nariokotome Homo erectus skeleton, that led me to strongly suspect that humans were recognizable from their skeletons.  Likewise, t...

  I'm just back from another exhausting and exhilarating  weekend with friends new and old at the 2022 Smoky Mountain Creation Retreat.  Core Academy has been hosting this event for seven years now, and this was our first post-COVID event.  I think everyone was more than ready to get back to work and life and fellowship. Our guest this year was Bob Hill, associate professor of physics at Bob Jones University and the president of the Creation Research Society.  He gave us a gentle and very basic introduction to the mind-bending world of planetary astronomy (with a little dark matter and dark energy thrown in for good measure).  I hardly even glance at this subject on most days, so it was a great learning opportunity.  On our final night together, we shared some concerns and had a spontaneous prayer meeting.  It was so very beautiful to be together again.  I am grateful. Next year, I'm hearing rumors of a geology weekend...  I guess we'll ...