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Pharyngula

Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal

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PZ Myers is a biologist and associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris.
zf_pharyngula.jpg …and this is a pharyngula stage embryo.
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There are actually two ways to prove the non-existence of something. One way is to prove that it cannot exist because it leads to contradictions (e.g., square circles, married bachelors, etc.). The other way is, in the words of Keith Parsons, 'by carefully looking and seeing'. This is how we can know that such things as the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, the Abimonable Snowman, etc. do not exist.

Jeffery Jay Lowder, "Is a Proof of the Non-Existence of a God Even Possible?"

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Science:

The platypus genome

Finals week is upon me, and I should be working on piles of paper work right now, but I need a break … and I have to vent some frustration with the popular press coverage of an important scientific...

Manufactured controversies vs. the real edge of science

There's a clumsy little two-step move creationists like to make: first, point to dissent in the scientific community over real and often interesting issues at the edge of knowledge, and second, swap in their dissent over basics, like common descent,...

Subversive chemistry

I must urge you to steal buy this book: Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments: All Lab, No Lecture (amzn/b&n/abe/pwll). The description makes it sound perfect. Laboratory work is the essence of chemistry, and measurement is the essence of...

Evolution, with teeth

My last Seed column is online, which reminds me (as if I weren't uncomfortably aware already) that I have to finish up the next one today, which actually isn't the next one, which is already done and submitted, but the...

Still just a lizard

The title gets the principal objection of any creationist out of the way: yes, this population of Podarcis sicula is still made up of lizards, but they're a different kind of lizard now. Evolution works. Here's the story: in...

Basics: How can chromosome numbers change?

There in the foaming welter of email constantly flooding my in-box was an actual, real, good, sincere question from someone who didn't understand how chromosome numbers could change over time — and he also asked with enough detail that I...

Who needs a vat when you've got a chicken?

Revere is thinking about how to grow meat without the animal. It's a cool idea that's been floating around in science fiction for a while now, but, well, of course it has problems, and Revere notes a couple. The two...

A neurological mechanism for Fragile-X disease

I'm busy preparing my lecture for genetics this morning, in which I'm going to be talking about some chromosomal disorders … and I noticed that this summary of Fragile-X syndrome that was on the old site hadn't made it...

Optical Allusions

Jay Hosler has a new book out, Optical Allusions(amzn/b&n/abe/pwll). If you're familiar with his other books, Clan Apis(amzn/b&n/abe/pwll) and The Sandwalk Adventures(amzn/b&n/abe/pwll), you know what to expect: a comic book that takes its science seriously. Hosler has a fabulous knack...

Franklin Institute Awards

Look: it's possibly the world's most annoying, boring video. Turn the sound down, it's a car driving in traffic with a siren howling. Of course, if you look a little bit more closely, you might notice…nobody is driving! This is...

Fossil snake with legs

Check it out: it's yet another transitional form, a 92 million year old snake with two hindlimbs. Cool! Just last week I was told that none of these things exist....

When scientists battle…

Since I was sent this photo from the evo-devo conference by Kevin Emerson, I couldn't resist: this is the aftermath of two scientists duking it out in an intellectual arena. Greg Wray, left, in the blue "Exons, Schmexons" t-shirt; Jerry...

The Sunday morning session at the Oregon evo-devo symposium

[Since I had to fly away early this morning and missed all these talks, I had to rely on regular commenter DanioPhD to fill in the gaps … so here's her summary:] This morning's final series of talks each focused...

The afternoon session at the Oregon evo-devo symposium

I'm going to get off a quick summary of this afternoon's talks, then I have to run down to the poster session to find out what the grad students have been doing. Are we having fun yet? I'm going...

The morning session at the Oregon evo-devo symposium

My brain is most wonderfully agitated, which is the good thing about going to these meetings. Scientists are perverse information junkies who love to get jarred by new ideas and strong arguments, and meetings like this are intense and challenging....

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Top Five: Most Active

  1. What year is this again? 05.13.2008 · PZ Myers
  2. Unclear on the concept 05.13.2008 · PZ Myers
  3. Professional Creationism: A Dying Profession? 05.13.2008 · ERV
  4. Why we could use another William Tecumseh Sherman 05.13.2008 · Kevin Beck
  5. Bad Gas Math 05.13.2008 · Mark C. Chu-Carroll

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