Issues – Page 234

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Update: Iraq Marshlands Recovering Quicker Than Expected

June 6, 2006

How is south-central Iraq doing? Recall that Saddam Hussein nearly obliterated, intentionally, one of the world’s premier wetlands (05/01/2003, 02/18/2005). His fall from power enabled scientists to measure the damage and estimate hopes for recovery. The outlook was pretty bleak at first. Now, after two seasons of above-average rainfall upstream, fresh water has again been […]

Bible and Theology

Paper View: Cosmic Questions, Personal Implications

May 11, 2006

A good question provokes good thinking. It stimulates the imagination and inspires reasoning about profound issues. It focuses attention on problems, calls for clarification of assumptions, and leads to good follow-up questions, too. Such a good question was asked in four simple words by Sean M. Carroll1 (U of Chicago, Enrico Fermi Institute) this month […]

Education

Book: Darwin Centurions Join Forces Against ID Visigoths

May 9, 2006

A new book attacking intelligent design has chapters by most of the big names in evolutionary thought: Daniel Dennett, Richard Dawkins, Jerry Coyne, and others. An introduction to the book Intelligent Thought: Science vs. the Intelligent Design Movement (ed. John Brockman, Vintage Press, May 2006), with a synopsis of each chapter, is available at The […]

Health

Doctors Deny Darwin

May 5, 2006

Doctors and medical professionals may comprise the largest block of scientists with qualms about evolution. According to a Finkelstein poll, an average of 60% of doctors, depending on religious demographics, reject the completely unguided Darwinian evolutionary explanation for life. A new organization, Physicians and Surgeons for Scientific Integrity (PSSI), has begun a website Doctors Doubting […]

Bible and Theology

Soviet Cosmonaut No Atheist

May 3, 2006

World Magazine reported a surprise tidbit from history, to set the record straight: the first man in space was no atheist. According to an urban legend, Yuri Gagarin, who flew a Soviet rocket in 1961, said that he didn’t “see any god up here” in space. The quote has provided fodder for preachers ever since […]

Bible and Theology

UNESCO To Rebuild Mystery Babylon

April 26, 2006

The United Nations has plans to make ancient Babylon a tourist attraction. This International Herald Tribune article will be of interest to Biblical historians. …and maybe to prophecy buffs.

Education

The Politics of Darwinism: Dictate, Slander, Block

April 21, 2006

In a state of panic over the rise of intelligent design and creationism, most scientific societies supporting Darwinism are doing what their opponents feel is doomed to fail: avoiding, at all costs, a fair and intellectual debate about the evidence. Instead, many pro-Darwin forces issue prepared statements, misrepresent their opponents, and use legal maneuvering to […]

Dumb Ideas

Stupid Evolution Quote of the Week: Scientists, Learn Darwinism on TV

April 18, 2006

In Current Biology, Kenneth E. Sawin of Wellcome Trust Center for Cell Biology at Edinburgh University was interviewed about his career. One of the questions was, “What are the big ideas for you now?” Here is part of his answer: Another thing that I think about, which may be more ethereal, is that cell biologists […]

Media

Gospel of Judas TV Documentary Sells Gnosticism to the Public

April 9, 2006

National Geographic aired its long-awaited documentary Sunday night about the discovery, restoration, and translation of a Gnostic manuscript found in 1970, the Gospel of Judas (see next entry). The trailers had titillated audiences that this was an explosive document that would call our deepest beliefs into question. The content of the documentary clearly gave better […]

Media

Can You Trust the Bible Skeptics?

April 7, 2006

Ever since National Geographic announced the completion of a translation of the Gospel of Judas (a 2nd-century apocryphal gospel attributed to, but not authored by, Judas), the news media have been abuzz with speculations that it provides a clearer view of Jesus from Judas’ point of view, and that the early church leaders suppressed it. […]

Education

The Class Struggle: Students Challenge Teachers Over Evolution

April 5, 2006

Teaching uncooperative teenagers has always been challenging, but some of today’s biology teachers may feel nostalgic for the days when rowdy students whacked the bulletin boards with real spitballs instead of verbal ones. Now, dodging student challenges to evolution is getting downright exhausting. Students used to just accept what the teacher said about the subject […]

Education

War Stories: Darwinism vs. ID

April 3, 2006

How are things going in the Darwin Wars? The rhetoric is still flying, and there have been gains and losses on both sides. Here are assorted war stories from battle stations and strategic summits: Golden Rule at Hahvahd: The Harvard Gazette held a panel discussion on “How Do We Teach Evolution.” Richard Lewontin sees the […]

Politics and Ethics

Scientists Cheer Theoretical Holocaust

April 2, 2006

Popular science reporter Forest Mims III heard a chilling round of applause at a meeting of scientists, reported World Net Daily. When lizard expert Eric R. Pianka suggested it would be a good thing if airborne ebola killed off 90% of the human population, he got a standing ovation – and an award. At a […]

Education

New Book: Traipsing Into Evolution

March 23, 2006

The Discovery Institute has published a new book, Traipsing Into Evolution, analyzing the Dover decision. (Traipsing is defined as walking or traveling about without apparent plan but with or without a purpose.) An article on Evolution News introduces the contents, and describes the authors: “The book was written by David K. DeWolf, professor of law […]

Intelligent Design

Can Scientific Journals Perpetuate False Ideas?

March 17, 2006

An unusual paper appeared in PNAS this week.1 Four social scientists from Columbia and Yale argued that scientific papers can actually perpetuate false ideas rather than correct them. The abstract says that an influential paper can generate momentum that becomes merely cited as fact by subsequent authors: We analyzed a very large set of molecular […]

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