The other day, walking down a tree-lined street, a couple of scientists were startled by a sudden crash and scramble at their feet. A squirrel had fallen from a tree! It quickly recovered and dashed away, back up the same tree trunk from which it had come. That never—or, almost never—happens. Wh…
In the July-August 2021 issue of The Lampstand we ran an article on the marvellous octopus. In this article we are going to go one stage further and talk about the mimic octopus.
Discovered in 1988 off the coast of Sulawesi, Indonesia, this species ranges from north-east Australia (Lizard Island)…
There are seven types of eagles found in Israel today (four common species and three rare species). They are the White-tailed eagle, the Imperial eagle, the Lesser and Greater spotted eagles, the Steppe eagle, the Booted eagle and Bonelli’s eagle.
In the past, Bonelli’s eagle was the most…
Natural History of Biblical Lands – Eagles Read More »
When developing modern systems, mankind is very adept at putting in place contingency plans. They are there to anticipate events rolling out of control or to prevent significant loss or damage. Sometimes they are effective, many times, however, they prove to be totally inadequate. The point, though,…
Nature’s Contingency Plans Read More »
In captivity, the octopus is renowned for its ‘unruly’ behaviour, for example, tampering with or blocking outlet valves, causing its tank to overflow. And it can be very difficult to keep contained. It can squeeze its boneless body through a space not much bigger than its eye—just sufficient f…
Hamath was a district which lay north of Damascus in northern Syria (Zech 9:1-2). The modern city of Hama is derived from this ancient place and is situated either side of the Orontes River, 213 kilometres north of Damascus.
The mountain ranges of the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon peaks stretch northw…
A Natural History of Biblical Lands – Hamath Read More »
Butterflies aren’t the strongest fliers. Their large wings cause them to flutter about, rather than generating more direct flight paths. But that fluttery flight makes it hard for predators to catch them. And if you have ever tried to catch a resting butterfly, you know they are surprisingly diffi…
Marvels of Creation – Clapping Butterflies Read More »
Water, like carbon, has a special role in living things. It is needed by all known forms of life. All organisms on earth are made up mostly of water; thus, water is the biological cornerstone of life. Water is a simple molecule, containing just three atoms: two hydrogen and one oxygen. Nonetheless, …
The Wonder of Water Read More »
Myrrh is referred to 11 times in the Scriptures—more than any other perfume. The Hebrew refers to its bitter taste (mar, “bitter”). It is derived from the gummy sap that oozes out of the Commiphora tree when the bark is cut. The leaking resin is allowed to harden and then scraped off the trunk…
Spider silk is one of the strongest materials in the natural world. Consisting almost entirely of large proteins, silk fibres have tensile strengths comparable to steel
and, on a weight to weight basis, some silks are nearly as elastic as rubber. In combining these two properties, silks revea…
