September 22, 2010
NCSE's executive director Eugenie C. Scott was invited to debate Ray Comfort, a creationist in the news recently for his plans to distribute copies of the Origin of Species with his own introduction, on the God & Country blog of U.S. News & World Report. Comfort began the debate on October…
September 22, 2010
Christien Meindertsma, author of "Pig 05049" looks at the astonishing afterlife of the ordinary pig, parts of which make their way into at least 187 non-pork products, from bullets to artificial hearts.
We seep pigs all the time on the highways. Of course, we live near Iowa.
September 22, 2010
That's me!
The article opens by acknowledging that 66 percent of Americans believe creationism is definitely or probably true from a recent poll. Yet the article turns to biological anthropologist Greg Laden for how to squelch the opposing viewpoint to evolutionism.
And so on and so forth.
That'…
September 22, 2010
You will recall my post: A genetic cause of rapid degeneration in some Alzheimer's patients. Well, now it (the topic) is a Ted Video. But before you watch it, I need to take down Nicholas Christakis for saying the dumbest thing I've heard all week.
No, Nicholas, it is not true in any way…
September 22, 2010
In today's world, balancing school, work, kids and more, most of us can only hope for the recommended eight hours of sleep. Examining the science behind our body's internal clock, Jessa Gamble reveals the surprising and substantial program of rest we should be observing.
Quiz: Name all the two-…
September 22, 2010
On this day in 1862, the following proclamation was issued by President Abraham Lincoln:
By the President of the United States of America:
A Proclamation.
Whereas, on the twenty-second day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, a proclamation was issued by…
September 21, 2010
In which I explore the interface between the Jungian Subconscious and my own primordial anguish.
The blocked end tube pipe is a touchstone to the shamanistic world of the people we call the Hopewell. Similar artifacts are found elsewhere in the world, but the Adena-Hopewell cultural complex (…
September 21, 2010
Bill Thompson's The Young Birder's Guide to Birds of North America is a book that I highly recommend for kids around seven to 14 years of age. (The publishers suggest a narrower age range but I respectfully disagree.)
This is a new offering written by Bill Thompson III and published by the same…
September 21, 2010
After 15 years in the British diplomatic corps, Carne Ross became a "freelance diplomat," running a bold nonprofit that gives small, developing and yet-unrecognized nations a voice in international relations. At the BIF-5 conference, he calls for a new kind of diplomacy that gives voice to small…
September 21, 2010
Skeptically Speaking with Desiree Schell.
The podcast for last week's show is available here.
David Dobbs talks about Marc Hauser, which is rather interesting.
Then, Barbara Drescher talks about common mistakes made by scientists (sort of an extension of the theme).
The Podcast is here.
The…
September 21, 2010
Igor is on the cusp of being a hurricane and not being a hurricane. The storm has hurricane force winds but its energy is being rapidly redistributed from a cyclonic pattern (a hurricane is a cyclone) to a frontal pattern (a hurricane is not a front). Either way, somebody's gonna lose themselves'…
September 21, 2010
It is very common, across the U.S., for science teachers to dread the "evolution" unit that they teach during life science class.
As they approach the day, and start to prepare the students for what is coming, they begin to hear the sarcastic remarks from the creationist students. When the day…
September 20, 2010
The latest issue of Evolution: Education and Outreach -- the new journal aspiring to promote accurate understanding and comprehensive teaching of evolutionary theory for a wide audience -- is now published. Devoted to human evolution and edited by William E. H. Harcourt Smith, the issue (volume 3,…
September 20, 2010
The National Research Council first met on this day in 1916, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS, or "Triple-A S") first met on this day in 1848.
September 20, 2010
The winners of the Stick Science cartoon contest, sponsored by Florida Citizens for Science, were announced on September 19, 2010. "The basic concept here," as FCFS's Brandon Haught explained in announcing the contest, "is to draw a cartoon that educates the public about misconceptions the average…
September 20, 2010
There is a reasonably high probability that tropical storm force winds from what is now Hurricane Igor will affect the Maritime provinces in Canada. Look for that to start happening Tuesday and later. Igor could actually be weaker than a hurricane is supposed to be (or close to it) over the…
September 20, 2010
Black Bodies and Quantum Cats: Tales from the Annals of Physics, by Jennifer Ouellette, is an exploration of popular culture, including literature, movies, TV shows, and so on. Ouellette demonstrates a well studied knowledge of these areas of human endeavor, and she is an excellent writer. This…
September 20, 2010
There is an old joke motif the origin of which is obscure (to me, perhaps you can inform us): A highly technical, or perhaps mundanely boring, or perhaps very formal or conventional thing ... a police report, the new HR guidebook for a large company, the manual for your new programmable graphing…
September 20, 2010
Continuing with our discussion of the Evolution 2008 conference ... many things have been going on and I have more to report than time to report it. But I will get to all of it, I assure you. Tonight, I just want to cover part of today's Education Symposium (moderated by your's truly) ... not all…
September 19, 2010
Tarryl Clark. This is her latest ad:
September 19, 2010
Replacing floors is a total exercise routine. Moving furniture out of the way, ripping up whatever is there, measuring and cutting new sub flooring, carting around heavy sheets of plywood, tacking and nailing, and so on and so forth works every single muscle in one's body. That's what we did last…
September 19, 2010
And tells everyone else to kiss off?
Now, go here and vote up this video.
Bonus Rant:
Mwaaa, bitches!
September 18, 2010
A collection of meteor videos for your amusement and amazement:
Peekskill Bolide Fireball of 1992
Police dash cam of Meteor over Edmonton, Canada
Man hit by meteor (very rare footage)
Shower of comets right above some guy's apartment in North Carolina
Five state ongoing intermittent noisy…
September 17, 2010
This is why we love Genie Scott:
The NCSE now has a channel on You Tube, and at this time you can see most, probably all, of Genie's testimony in Texas. It is very instructive.
GENIE SCOTT IS A MACHINE!!!
