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Cassini Celebrates 10 Years in Space
October 16, 2007
The Cassini team is reveling in the outpouring of public praise for the mission. Launched on October 15, 1997, Cassini-Huygens has spent ten years in space and is over three fourths the way through its prime mission, to explore the Saturn system, its rings, moons, magnetic field and the large moon Titan (see ESA and […]
Sweden Bans Creationism
October 16, 2007
Creationism and intelligent design are being banned in Swedish schools, reported the English version of the Swedish news source, The Local. Intelligent design (ID) makes no claim about the Creator, but only the detectability of design; nevertheless, both were banned equally. This may not be unexpected after the Council of Europe resolution last […]
New Horizons at Jupiter
October 15, 2007
New Horizons, a spaceship bound for Pluto, took a good look at the Jupiter system on Feb 28, 2007.
Walking Upright Was a Birth Defect
October 14, 2007
What’s so big about walking upright? A single birth defect in a human ancestor 21 million years ago could have made it all possible, according to Dr. Aaron Filler (Cedars Sinai Medical Center), a specialist in the spine. According to EurekAlert, he proposes that in the “hominiform hominoid” Morotopithecus, a sibling was born […]
Inner Ear More Complex than Thought
October 13, 2007
Another level of complexity has been added to the mystery of hearing. Scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) found that another membrane in the cochlea of the inner ear, once thought to be passive, is actively involved in transmitting sound waves to the hair cell receptors. Their work was published in PNAS.1 […]
Microsoft Billionaire Puts His Money Where His Darwinism Is
October 12, 2007
Paul Allen is spending millions on humanitarian causes: not the cure of disease or the end of poverty, but on helping humans recognize that they evolved from space dust (see next entry). This, presumably, brings enlightenment. Shortly after 9/11, the PBS series Evolution made its debut, thanks to a large endowment from Allen, […]
Dust Became Knowledge
October 11, 2007
The Stupid Evolution Quote of the Week award goes to an Associated Press article reporting on a finding from the Spitzer Space Telescope. It began in a very matter-of-fact manner, claiming that the one of the biggest questions of philosophy is being answered by dust. Astronomers have taken a baby step in trying to […]
Make Your Face Sparkle With Diatoms
October 10, 2007
Human engineers may join forces with cellular architects to produce the next generation of paints, cosmetics and holograms, reported Science Daily. Scientists are finding ways to harness the rapid growth of diatoms. Manufacturing consumer products with these properties currently requires energy-intensive, high-temperature, high-pressure industrial processes that create tiny artificial reflectors. But farming diatom shells, which […]
The Daily Dinosaur Media
October 9, 2007
Dinosaur discoveries continue to make news. Here are some recent findings by those who dig getting out and digging for what they can get out: Giant Ascending the Grand Staircase: A new species of duck-billed dinosaur was found in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, reported Science Daily, EurekAlert, Live Science and National Geographic. High school […]
Will Darwinism End With a Big Bang?
October 8, 2007
We may be seeing the end of Darwinism as we know it.
Crow Cam Lets Scientists See Intelligence at Work
October 7, 2007
Ever want to fly like a bird? Now you can do the next best thing: get a tail-feather view of what it is like to fly from branch to branch. University of Oxford scientists attached a small video camera to the underside of a New Caledonian Crow to watch it in the wild, reported PhysOrg. […]
Nanofabrication Imitates Shells, Butterflies
October 7, 2007
A new plastic “strong as steel” has been manufactured according to the specs in seashells, reported PhysOrg. “By mimicking a brick-and-mortar molecular structure found in seashells, University of Michigan researchers created a composite plastic that’s as strong as steel but lighter and transparent.” (See these previous entries about how marine organisms manufacture their shells: 06/26/2003, […]
European and American Politicians Attack Creationism
October 6, 2007
Actions of political bodies on both sides of the Atlantic have revived questions about the roles of science, politics and religion in public discourse and policy. The Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly voted 48 to 25 to accept a resolution denouncing creationism and intelligent design, according to European Observer and Reuters. The non-binding […]
Appendix to the Vestigial Organs Story: Whoops, Function Found
October 6, 2007
The appendix is not just a useless organ left over from our evolutionary past, new research is showing. According to an Associate Press article (see MSNBC News), this “seemingly useless organ may produce, protect good germs for your gut.” Scientists at Duke University Medical School believe that the appendix can regenerate the normal bacterial flora […]
Darwin Saves Junk, Makes Treasure Out of It
October 5, 2007
The Stupid Evolution Quote of the Week award goes to a press release from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, which began by personifying Evolution1 as a tinkerer in its own junkyard: Evolution has mastered the art of turning trash to treasure – though, for scientists, witnessing the transformation can require a bit of patience. […]
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