104-year-old Lucio Caicedo completes his Ph.D. during lockdown; Oxford biologist seeks robot code in spider legs; Ornithologists studying starling genetics find rapid variation that their evolutionary worldview did not predict; Genetic engineers want to assist evolution; Virginia lawmakers remove protections for Christian adoption; Indian judge cites local gods in his decision to force an abortion on a 15-year-old; Study shows puberty-suppressing drugs affect bone-growth and fertility . . . and other stories reviewed during this February 22, 2021, broadcast of Answers News.

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Hear what the Lord says to you, people of Israel. This is what the Lord says:

“Do not learn the ways of the nations
or be terrified by signs in the heavens,
though the nations are terrified by them.
For the practices of the peoples are worthless;
they cut a tree out of the forest,
and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel.
They adorn it with silver and gold;
they fasten it with hammer and nails
so it will not totter.
Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field,
their idols cannot speak;
they must be carried
because they cannot walk.
Do not fear them;
they can do no harm
nor can they do any good.”

No one is like you, Lord;
you are great,
and your name is mighty in power.
Who should not fear you,
King of the nations?
This is your due.
Among all the wise leaders of the nations
and in all their kingdoms,
there is no one like you.

They are all senseless and foolish;
they are taught by worthless wooden idols.
Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish
and gold from Uphaz.
What the craftsman and goldsmith have made
is then dressed in blue and purple—
all made by skilled workers.
But the Lord is the true God;
he is the living God, the eternal King.
When he is angry, the earth trembles;
the nations cannot endure his wrath.

“Tell them this: ‘These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.’”

But God made the earth by his power;
he founded the world by his wisdom
and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.
When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar;
he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth.
He sends lightning with the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

Everyone is senseless and without knowledge;
every goldsmith is shamed by his idols.
The images he makes are a fraud;
they have no breath in them.
They are worthless, the objects of mockery;
when their judgment comes, they will perish.
He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these,
for he is the Maker of all things,
including Israel, the people of his inheritance—
the Lord Almighty is his name.

- - - - - - - - - - - Jeremiah 10:1-16

Articles:

104-year-old Colombian man completes his Ph.D., credits lockdowns for keeping him home to work
https://disrn.com/news/104-year-old-colombian-man-completes-his-phd-due-to-lockdowns/

Spider Legs Build Webs without the Brain’s Help
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/spider-legs-build-webs-without-the-brains-help/

Genetic evolution doesn't always take millions of years
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/02/210209151837.htm

Assisting Evolution: How Far Should We Go to Help Species Adapt?
https://e360.yale.edu/features/assisting-evolution-how-far-should-we-go-to-help-species-adapt

Virginia House Advances Bill Repealing Protections for Faith-Based Adoption Agencies
https://www.ncregister.com/cna/virginia-house-advances-bill-repealing-protections-for-faith-based-adoption-agencies

Indian court orders abortion on teen girl: ‘The fetus wouldn’t wish to be born’
https://www.liveaction.org/news/indian-court-abortion-teen-fetus-wish-born/

Study reveals stunted bone growth in youth who take puberty blockers
https://disrn.com/news/study-reveals-stunted-bone-growth-in-youth-who-take-puberty-blockers/

Ancient caterpillar had armoured spikes to protect it from early birds
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2267052-ancient-caterpillar-had-armoured-spikes-to-protect-it-from-early-birds/

Oldest DNA from poop contains a Neanderthal’s microbiome
https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/02/oldest-dna-from-poop-contains-a-neanderthals-microbiome/

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Photo from Durga Devi temple in Mumbai by Sonika Agarwal
https://unsplash.com/photos/QwPaMYCGy_A