Return of the Peppered Mice
August 28, 2009
Slight changes in the coat color of deer mice is the latest triumph of evolutionary theory.
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Selfish Gene Mutates, Dies a Metaphorical Death
July 24, 2009
Richard Dawkins proposed in his book The Selfish Gene that a gene, being the target of natural selection and unit of replication, is the entity most likely to get passed on to posterity; as such, it is “selfish” in that the rest of the organism is really only incidental to its immortality. Dawkins expanded this […]
Bio-Darwinist Beats Up On Psycho-Darwinists
June 26, 2009
Evolution of rape? No way. Sharon Begley won’t let the evolutionary psychologists get away with their tales about how rapists, molesters, and cheaters can’t help themselves because evolution made them that way. The Science Magazine blog Origins seems to be cheering her on. Science writer Sharon Begley, who in 2007 returned to her old job […]
Leading Darwinists Pool Their Speculations
June 22, 2009
The Darwin Bicentennial continued this week with a series of articles in PNAS by leading Darwinists. The Sackler Colloquium, called “In the Light of Evolution III,” explored the history and impact of Darwin’s theory of evolution, and prospects for the future. The lead paper said, “Our intent in this Sackler Colloquium has not been to […]
Evolution Does What Comes Physically
May 7, 2009
Two scientists believe they have unified biology and physics into one law that both animals and falling rocks obey. They call it the “constructal law.” This “universal principle of evolution” explains the “universal design principles” that make fish swim and birds fly – the “physics of evolution.” Even if evolution does not predict what animals […]
Plant Evolution: Wheres the Root?
April 16, 2009
To Darwin, the origin of flowering plants was an “abominable mystery.” Recently, some entries on Science magazine’s blog Origins have claimed the mystery has been solved, at least partially, and a full solution is near at hand. Here is a great test case for evolution. Angiosperms comprise a huge, diverse population of organisms. There should […]
Crystal Mysticism Invades Astrobiology
March 20, 2009
Mystical ideas about the life-giving power of crystals usually go with New Age movies and storefronts. Science is above all that, right? Then what is a reader supposed to think of this opening line by Leslie Mullen on Space.com? One of the greatest mysteries about the origin of life is how the necessary ingredients consistently […]
Can You Have Evolution Without Darwin?
February 11, 2009
It might seem crass to diminish the reputation of a historical figure right before his Bicentennial, but it’s happening. There are some who are trying to chuck Darwin. In the New York Times, Carl Safina shocked readers with his title, “Darwinism Must Die So That Evolution May Live.” Safina was appalled at the […]
Exploring the Malleability of Evolutionary Explanation
January 23, 2009
Is evolutionary theory just a very malleable and ductile idea, able to adapt to changing observations, or should it be described as a strong theory, powerful in its explanatory breadth?
Darwinists Cannot Deny Disturbing Implications
January 15, 2009
A common attitude among scientists is that they are not responsible for what people do with their discoveries. Facts are facts, after all, and nuclear energy can be used to power a city as well as destroy it. Is this a truism or a half-truth? Are there cases where a scientist is responsible for what […]
Darwin in the Air
January 11, 2009
Darwin Day euphoria must be in the air. There have been several news stories with Darwin or Evolution in the title, but little to his credit in the substance of the article. Evolution inaction: The human immune system is, by any account, Science Daily, however not only called it a case of “Evolution in Action,” […]
Go to the Ant, Thou Farmer
November 30, 2008
We humans boast too much. Agribusiness? Ants have it down to a science. “One of the most important developments in human civilisation was the practice of sustainable agriculture,” stated Science Daily. “But we were not the first – ants have been doing it for over 50 million years. Just as farming helped humans become a […]
Trees Communicate with Aspirin
September 25, 2008
Plants communicate with each other through chemical signals. Scientists found a form of aspirin that works as a distress call.
How Not to Prove Positive Selection
September 5, 2008
Erase all that evidence for positive natural selection in the genes you’ve read about.
Update: Cambrian Explosion Damage Control
May 10, 2008
Here’s an update to the “State of the Cambrian Explosion.” Two years ago, our 04/23/2006 entry analyzed a lengthy paper in Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences by Dr. Charles R. Marshall, a Harvard professor of biology and geology. Dr. Marshall had taken on the arduous task of explaining, in evolutionary terms, the sudden […]