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Prominent Biologist Espouses Darwinian Racist Views

October 17, 2007

The history of evolutionary thought includes many aspects modern evolutionists would rather forget, such as racism and eugenics. Old ideas that blacks are evolutionarily inferior have cropped up again, though, not from some redneck schoolhouse but from the co-discoverer of the DNA structure. James Watson, outspoken secular humanist, let loose with some comments about racial […]

Solar System

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 […]

Bible and Theology

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 […]

Solar System

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.

Dumb Ideas

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 […]

Amazing Facts

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 […]

Education

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, […]

Astronomy

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 […]

Amazing Facts

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 […]

Dinosaurs

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 […]

Darwin and Evolution

Will Darwinism End With a Big Bang?

October 8, 2007

We may be seeing the end of Darwinism as we know it.

Amazing Facts

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. […]

Biomimetics

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, […]

Education

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 […]

Health

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 […]

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