Reproduction, Behavior, and Design
By: Jim Virkler; ©2014 Dealing with each of the three topics in this post title with any degree of thoroughness could be an exercise in futility. Each topic, however, has lately been brought to mind by the activity around the small suet feeder suspended from our rear deck. An exceedingly cold, snowy winter in northwest…
Read MoreNo Mitosis without Meiosis
By: Jim Virkler; ©2014 For animals and plants, including humans, cell division resulting from mitosis results in growth, repair, and renewal of the body and its tissues. Our posts have recently discussed gestation–prenatal events up until birth. During this interval mitosis produces startling growth of body mass. A body cell may duplicate itself in 24…
Read MoreMitosis Memories
By: Jim Virkler; ©2014 Flashback to memories of your early courses in biology. One term–mitosis–may come to mind. Perhaps you even recall diagrams or animations of chromosome pairs organizing themselves along an imaginary plane equidistant from the cell’s poles, followed by impressive parting and separation of the chromosome pairs. Two identical pairs of chromosomes are…
Read MoreMystery of Reproduction
By: Jim Virkler; ©2014 Our posts on human reproduction have focused on only one of earth’s species. The total species count is variously estimated to number in the millions. According to one new study by UNEP, the United Nations Environmental Programme, the number has been pegged at 8.7 million, of which over 1.2 million appear…
Read MoreImageries of Building
By: Jim Virkler; ©2014 Building projects supply instructive imageries to illustrate life’s important lessons. Imageries use figurative language to make a point. As a classroom teacher, one of my favorite instructional imageries supplied students with advice for construction of their “life house.” For instance, we must build our life house using good construction materials. Good…
Read MorePlotting Prenatal Progress
By: Jim Virkler; ©2014 The astonishing beginning and subsequent development of the human embryo and its transition to the category of fetus at roughly eight weeks is known to medical scientists in stunning detail. For forty weeks these events are hidden from the outside world. At birth the child makes its grand entry to the…
Read MoreEmbryo to Fetus
By: Jim Virkler; ©2014 Few narratives compare with the startling sequence of events leading to the birth of a fully-formed human baby during a nine month time interval. Obstetricians are specialists in pregnancy and the care of women before and after birth. Their medical skills interconnect with experts in many other fields of medicine. For…
Read MoreLet the Building Begin
By: Jim Virkler; ©2014 Homeowners exult when the preliminary preparations for a home building project are complete. Months of planning and consultation assumes a new trajectory when the actual initial building process begins. Careful planning is now complete; actual construction soon follows. This building sequence reminds us of far more majestic and miraculous events associated…
Read MorePrenatal Science and Theology
By: Jim Virkler; ©2014 C. H. Spurgeon (1834-1892) was a powerful “Prince of Preachers,” and prolific author. By one estimate he preached to over ten million people. My personal favorite is Spurgeon’s The Treasury of David, a lengthy commentary by Spurgeon blending his own sayings with those he assembled from other authors. Virtually every chapter…
Read MoreBody Building Blueprint
By: Jim Virkler; ©2014 When we reside in a home for many years, our awareness of the initial steps in design and construction of the home may diminish with the passage of time. Encountering the designer’s blueprints for our residence in a basement file cabinet after many years triggers a renewed adventure for the homeowners.…
Read More