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PZ Myers is a biologist and associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris.
…and this is a pharyngula stage embryo.
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It remains one of the most baffling yet affecting phenomena in modern religious life: A beam of light or a spot of dirt in an otherwise ordinary place is perceived as the image of the Virgin Mary, and suddenly thousands of pilgrims descend on the site, turning it into a makeshift shrine. …In previous years, it has been a vision in the sky, a glint off a car bumper, a face in a tortilla, a tear on an icon. …But while church leaders are often loath to debunk a visionary experience, not wanting to damage the faith of thousands, they are also leery of letting such events get out of hand. If someone who claims to have communicated with the divine begins spreading teachings that are contrary to church dogma, bishops have not hesitated to step in.
[David Firestone, Newsday, Press Democrat, 23 December 1990]
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More articles by PZ Myers can be found on Freethoughtblogs at the new Pharyngula!
Elephants are racists!
Category: Science
Posted on: November 24, 2007 1:05 PM, by PZ Myers
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Comments
Posted by: danley | November 24, 2007 2:05 PM
Better warn Al Sharpton.
Posted by: Qrazyqat | November 24, 2007 2:53 PM
When I was a teen I used to hunt in southern Minnesota and I never could get close enough to a crow out in hunting territory to shoot one. Not when I had a gun, that is. I was a decent stalker but when crossing a field where the flock could see me, from an enormous distance, they'd fly off... if I had a gun. I even tried holding the rifle on the side opposite them, blcoking it with my body, and they'd fly off. No gun, no flight.
Interesting. A long string of coincidences? Maybe. Reading my body language? Maybe. Just interesting.
You know, these animals' lives depend on their being able to read signs. Funny how we're so often surprised to find they can read them really well.
Posted by: Speedwell | November 24, 2007 3:04 PM
Sure, but has anyone tested donkeys?
Posted by: MonoApe | November 24, 2007 3:26 PM
V. v. true. As a younger man, I enjoyed wandering out with a gun to find something to 'put under a pastry sky'. Rabbits and wood pigeon (yumm) recognised the 'long pointy stick', and ran as though their lives depended on it.
Sans 'stick', they eyed me with wariness.
Corvids (crows, magpies, etc.) were even more finely tuned to it. If I was 'out on a mission', they'd be flying to the next county before I'd climbed over the gate to the field. If all I carried was a camera, they'd casually walk away if I got within 30 metres.
I only carry a camera nowadays.
Posted by: woozy | November 24, 2007 4:38 PM
Not to over anthropomorphize but crows are damned smart animals. Don't have explanations just how the crows "knew" you had a gun or knew your intent, but I have no doubt that they did "know".
Posted by: Laser Potato | November 24, 2007 6:46 PM
A POIN'ED STICK?
Ooh ooh ooh, we want to learn about poin'ed sticks now do we??
Posted by: Bride of Shrek | November 25, 2007 1:26 AM
When I first read the title of the post I thought it said "sharp pointy EARS" and my initial thought was they'd be buggered on Vulcan then. I kid you not.
...I mention this only to make you all feel better in the knowledge that when you're feeling stumped or a bit daft, there is someone out there who is really thicker than you.
Posted by: DocAmazing | November 25, 2007 4:16 PM
Already posted this link at Greg Laden's site, but movie fans with long memories may remember a difficult-to-watch film from 1982 called "White Dog" that involved similar themes:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084899/
Excellent film, but not for the faint of heart.