{"id":66162,"date":"2018-10-10T18:24:03","date_gmt":"2018-10-11T00:24:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?p=66162"},"modified":"2018-10-10T18:24:03","modified_gmt":"2018-10-11T00:24:03","slug":"of-eclipses-cyanobacteria-predatory-dinosaurs-extraterrestrial-dust-storms-and-divine-order","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2018\/10\/of-eclipses-cyanobacteria-predatory-dinosaurs-extraterrestrial-dust-storms-and-divine-order.html","title":{"rendered":"Of eclipses, cyanobacteria, predatory dinosaurs, extraterrestrial dust storms, and divine order"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"On<\/a>
An artist\u2019s conception of a lake on the Saturnian moon Titan (NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/USGS public domain image)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

A couple of science-related items out of Brigham Young University:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

31 May 2018: \u00a0\u201cScientists reveal the secrets behind Pluto\u2019s dunes\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

9 October 2018: \u00a0\u201cDust storms on Saturn\u2019s largest moon: what can they tell us about Earth\u2019s dunes?\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

In this context, having now been introduced to Professor Jani Radebaugh, some of you may enjoy a video of Dr. Radebaugh speaking at a 2013 Interpreter Foundation conference on a related topic:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Outer Solar System: A Window to the Creative Breadth of Divinity.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

You can also watch Dr. Radebaugh as she introduces her friend, the planetary scientist and official Vatican astronomer Guy Consolmagno S.J., as the keynote speaker at another Interpreter Foundation conference in 2016:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAstronomy, God, and the Search for Elegance\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I confess that it would never have occurred to me to research this. \u00a0But I\u2019m glad that somebody thought of it, because the results are interesting:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat bees did during the Great American Eclipse: Rare study of pollinators during totality shows the insects responding to sudden darkness\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Organic life is remarkably adaptable:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThese light-loving bacteria may survive surprisingly deep underground: Some cyanobacteria may consume hydrogen to grow without sunlight\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I have to admit that I had never before realized that there is a scientific discipline called marine geomicrobiology.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

What most interests me about the cyanobacteria mentioned in the article above is their relevance to the search for extraterrestrial life.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The vegan dinosaurs living in a future Jurassic Park may miss their old, familiar salad dishes. \u00a0But maybe they won\u2019t have to do so. \u00a0Scientific progress continues:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c50 years ago, a 550-year-old seed sprouted: Since then, much older seeds have proved resilient\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

But let\u2019s not forget the non<\/em>-vegan dinosaurs!<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cNewly Discovered Tyrant Dinosaur Stalked Ancient New Mexico:\u00a0The\u00a0Dynamoterror<\/i>, a relative of\u00a0Tyrannosaurs rex<\/i>, lived millions of years before other known species of tyrannosaur\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yikes. \u00a0I don\u2019t think that it would have been very pleasant to have lived in New Mexico in the days of the thirty-foot-long Dynamoterror. \u00a0But, on 24 August, AD 79, it probably wouldn\u2019t have been all that enjoyable to have been living in the vicinity of Mount Vesuvius, in modern-day Italy:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cExtreme heat of Vesuvius eruption vaporized body fluids, exploded skulls:\u00a0New analysis of human remains shows many victims didn\u2019t suffocate from gas or ash.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some very current meteorological analysis:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHere\u2019s what\u2019s unusual about Hurricane Michael: The late-season Gulf of Mexico storm rapidly intensified to a category 4 before making landfall\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 A couple of science-related items out of Brigham Young University: \u00a0 31 May 2018: \u00a0\u201cScientists reveal the secrets behind Pluto\u2019s dunes\u201d \u00a0 9 October 2018: \u00a0\u201cDust storms on Saturn\u2019s largest moon: what can they tell us about Earth\u2019s dunes?\u201d \u00a0 In this context, having now been introduced to Professor Jani Radebaugh, some of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-66162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nOf eclipses, cyanobacteria, predatory dinosaurs, extraterrestrial dust storms, and divine order<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"    A couple of science-related items out of Brigham Young University:   31 May 2018: \u00a0"Scientists reveal the 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