Here is a rundown of the week in creationist news, strange goings on and oddball ideas from the past week courtesy of Doubtful News. 

Let's begin with a spate of stories from those who take the Bible selectively literally. 

A credulous media story in Iowa promotes the mythical flood. Was it a slow news day? It wasn't even false balance.    

This view is dying out as evidenced by the lack of funding for an Ark park. 

But there are some still actively promoting the old time religion view with new sexy marketing.   

Here is a recap of the stories that appeared last week at Science-Based Medicine, a multi-author skeptical blog that separates the science from the woo-woo in medicine.

Stanislaw Burzynski: A deceptive propaganda movie versus and upcoming news report (David Gorski) http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/stanislaw-burzynski-propaganda-versus-news/ Eric Merola’s new film about Burzynski and his cancer “cures” is a bad movie, bad medicine, and bad PR. The patient reports are misleading, the evidence is lacking, the propaganda is unrelenting, and the attacks on skeptics are nonsensical.

New Developments in Acupuncture: Turtles and Motion-Style Treatments (Harriet Hall)  http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/new-developments-in-acupuncture-turtles-and-motion-style-treatments/ A report of treating turtles with acupuncture and a new study of motion-style acupuncture for patients with low back pain are equally unconvincing. Motion-style acupuncture involves assisted walking with the needles in place. Assisted walking with physical support and encouragement may indeed be effective; the acupuncture was probably irrelevant.

With a swarm of determined zerglings, the Brood War is currently underway on the East coast. Brood II, a cohort of slumbering cicadas, recently made their way out of the ground in the billions (or maybe trillions) to outnumber the humans in their path 600 to 1. Even more amazing than their numbers is how long the cicadas have waited to emerge. Every 13 or 17 years—depending on the brood, of whare 15—they flood the trees, shrubbery, and streets with deafening sex sonatas. The cicadas have waited nearly two decades for a few weeks of procreation.

What is less amazing is ending this conversation here, attributing the rest to the supernatural.

In an article published in late May, Brian Thomas, a science writer at the Institute for Creation Research (ICR), outlines the many amazing adaptations of this big-eyed bug. Notably, Thomas points out the evolutionary mystery going strong for the last 350 years—why cicadas emerge at prime-numbered times as opposed to other times. Scientists are working hard on the question. Some researchers think the long cycles reduce competition among broods, others think it helps to avoid predators. Still more think the cicadas’ cycles help control bird populations—their primary predators.

But for Thomas, the mystery is solved. As astronomers would notice a prime numbered signal directed at us as a sign of extraterrestrial intelligence, Thomas knows that the cicadas’ prime-numbered life cycle signifies a divine intelligence. He writes:

Here is a rundown of the week in oddball news, questionable claims and medical mess-ups from the past week courtesy of Doubtful News.

This week was abuzz with odd sea tales. First, there was vehement negative reaction by science writers and reviewers to the Animal Planet's second installment of a mermaid fake documentary.   

This is just weird. Dolphins are called on to detect cancer and to help in natural childbirth -both are really awful ideas. 

A mystery hairless animal appears in Indiana. 

A new ancient bird fossil is evaluated cautiously but curiously as it comes from China where many spectacular fossils are actually faked.