Creation Moments

Jonathan Cotton: What's so good about noise? The answer next on today's Creation Moment. And now, here's our Creation Moment's host, Ian Taylor.

Ian T. Taylor: In 1981 it was only a theory. A theory that seemed to go against all logic. The theory said that if you had a signal, say a sound which was too quiet to hear, adding a little noise would make it easier to hear. However, adding too much noise and you would drown out the quiet sound or add too little noise and it wouldn't help at all. But add just the right amount of noise and a sound too quiet to hear could then be heard. The theory was shown to be a scientific fact in 1983. This illogical effect was given the name stochastic resonance.

Since the 1980s, scientists have discovered many examples of stochastic resonance and research some uses for it. Radiostatic makes it hard to listen to a station, especially if the station's signal is weak. However, researchers are building unique radios that add just the right amount of static to make impossible to get stations quite understandable. Now for the surprise. Do you ever wonder how you are able to select a single voice in a noisy, crowded room and hear what it was saying? Scientists now believe that our brains have built-in stochastic resonance processors much more sophisticated than the units they hope to build someday.

What seems illogical to add noise to a sound to make it clear is actually an astonishing piece of wisdom. The wisdom in the way this advanced technical knowledge is used is yet one more witness, not to impersonal nature, but to our Creator.

Jonathan Cotton: To receive a free catalog of the Creation Science books, curriculum, CDs, and DVDs we carry in our store, call us toll-free at 1-800-42-BIBLE.