Philosophy of Science

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"Evidence-Based" Findings May Not Be

September 12, 2013

Patients are encouraged to seek only "evidence-based" treatments for disease, but a look behind the scenes of clinical trials reveals some of the same human foibles that plague any science: shortcomings in honesty and transparency.

Origin of Life

Mars Panspermia a Sign of Desperation

September 7, 2013

A second article proposes life began on Mars, prompting some observers to point out the failures of naturalistic origin-of-life theories.

Bible and Theology

Scientists' Letter Challenges PZ Myers' Revisionism

September 4, 2013

In a letter to Nature, three scientists set the record straight about theology and science, after atheist P.Z. Myers got off with only a mild rebuke in a previous book review.

Darwin and Evolution

Darwin Fumbles

September 4, 2013

154 years after Darwin’s Origin of Species, evolutionists say they still do not understand the origin of species. In addition, they've lost most of whatever data they had.

Physics

Snowball Earth: Manufacturing a Narrative

September 2, 2013

The press and TV treat presumed scenarios like a "snowball Earth" as historic facts. A look at how the sausage is made, however, shows little empirical meat and mostly filler in a process characterized by tweaking, picking, and constant debate.

Politics and Ethics

Ethical Stem Cells Can Be Used Unethically

September 1, 2013

Induced pluripotent stem cells allow researchers to ethically create any cell type from an adult cell, raising hopes for regenerative medicine. Eyebrows started to raise recently, though, when labs grew brains with them and turned others into sperm and egg cells.

Mind and Brain

Psychotherapy Has a Shrink

August 27, 2013

For better or worse, the practice of psychotherapy is shrinking, reports say.

Origin of Life

Observable Chemistry Does Not Logically Apply to the Origin of Life

August 22, 2013

Origin-of-life researchers assume that intelligently-designed experiments in the lab can inform them about the emergence of life without design – in short, that design proves non-design.

Politics and Ethics

Scientists Are Not Experts on Values

August 18, 2013

The "fact-value split" is a dubious distinction, illustrated by several recent articles. Scientists cannot act as if their findings are values-free.

Solar System

Scientists Dodge Youthfulness of Saturn Moon Enceladus

August 7, 2013

Planetary scientists have figured out that the geysers of Enceladus vary during its orbit, but seem oddly silent about the question of how long the little moon could remain so active.

Politics and Ethics

Thank Evolution that Nothing Is Evil (or Good)

August 1, 2013

When evolutionists discuss the evolution of war, or of monogamy, or of religion, they rob mankind of any basis for judging good and evil.

Mind and Brain

Toddler Beats Artificial Intelligence Computers

July 25, 2013

Artificial intelligence, despite decades of work, still cannot match some of the mental capabilities of a 3-year-old. Computers have no common sense.

Solar System

Cassini Shoots "Blue Dot" of Earth

July 24, 2013

Another epic photo of Earth from space was taken on July 19 of Earth from Saturn by Cassini, and released on July 22. From Mercury, the MESSENGER spacecraft also portrayed Earth as a small dot.

Darwin and Evolution

"Extreme Convergence" Strains Credibility of Darwinism

July 22, 2013

When completely unrelated animals or plants display the same engineering solution, is it reasonable to assume a blind, unguided process of selection achieved improbable outcomes multiple times? Is calling it "convergent evolution" meaningful? Here are three examples.

Philosophy of Science

Does the Mind Create Reality or Discover It?

July 21, 2013

Philosophical questions about "reality" are fun if not practical. But we need a concept of reality in order to function practically.

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