A boom in affordable housing in the 1950s was helped by the invention of a distinctive multifunctional piece of equipment: the backhoe. Its strong yet relatively slender articulated arm allowed precise yet rapid placement for digging or lifting. The manipulative device is trim and fast, since hoses transfer power to it from a powerful hydraulic pump within the main chassis.

Many people make a distinction between the origin of life and the evolution of life. In this view, biological evolution refers to the gradual development of the diversity of living things from a common ancestor, while the ultimate origin of life is a separate question.

Holy, holy, holy, LORD God Almighty.... Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. (Revelation 4:8, 11)

I'm writing this month's column looking out over the Black Hills of South Dakota. What a gorgeous site! Rolling hills, beautiful pines, and even Mount Rushmore a few miles away.

When Nathaniel Jeanson graduated from high school, he hadn't yet thought about becoming a doctor and researcher in one of the most cutting edge and controversial fields in medicine today: stem cells.

"I knew that I didn't like insects or blood, but I liked science," he said in a recent phone interview.