gregladen | February 10, 2008Men are largely useless, and worse, detrimental to normal operation of a society. But they have been retained because they were the only known source of sperm. Not any more.
British scientists are ready to turn female bone marrow into sperm, cutting men out of the process of creating life.
The breakthrough paves the way for lesbian couples to have children that are biologically their own.
Gay men could follow suit by using the technique to make eggs from male bone marrow.
Researchers at Newcastle upon Tyne University say their technique will help lead to new treatments for infertility.
But…
gregladen | February 10, 2008A very important and truly wonderful paper in Nature described a tour-de-force analysis of the Mammalian Evolutionary Record, and draws the following two important conclusions:
The diversification of the major groups of mammals occurred millions of years prior to the KT boundary event; and
The further diversification of these groups into the modern pattern of mammalian diversity occurred millions of years later than the KT boundary event.
[This is a repost from gregladen.com]
The KT boundary event is the moment in time when a ca. 10 km. diameter object going very fast hit the earth in the…
gregladen | February 9, 2008I've not been commenting on the comments on this post about the Myers - Rue debate, but I have been reading them with great interest. The following, while not addressing most of the comments, arises from them.
In this post, I mentioned Loyal Rue's linear hierarchy of ... I'm not sure what he called it ... let's say certainty (in science). It ran something like this:
Facts
Laws
Theory
Hypothesis
Conjecture
Speculation
Absurdity
This is not exactly what he use, but close. Perhaps conjecture and speculation were reversed... but you get the idea. You think of something that might be true (…
gregladen | February 9, 2008After the Sunday service in Westminster Chapel, where worshippers were exhorted to wage "the culture war" in the Second World World War spirit of Sir Winston Churchill, cabbie James McLean delivered his verdict on Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.
"Evolution is a lie, and it's being taught in schools as fact, and it's leading our kids in the wrong direction," said McLean, chatting outside the chapel. "But now people like Ken Ham are tearing evolution to pieces."
This is a short piece in the Barrie Examiner updating the growing American-like trend of creationism in Britain.
gregladen | February 9, 2008... is a book by Charles Darwin. But it is also a web page at The Guardian (UK).
150 years ago, Charles Darwin unveiled his theory of natural selection. To mark this anniversary we bring you the definitive guide to the naturalist's great book, with extracts from key chapters and essays from leading scientists and thinkers
Here
gregladen | February 9, 2008With maverick flair and a strategist's disdain for accepted wisdom, Jaime Lerner re-invented urban space in his native Curitiba, Brazil. Along the way he managed to revolutionize bus transit, awaken green consciousness in a populace accustomed to litter and blight, and change the way city planners and bureaucrats world-wide conceive what's possible within the tangled structure of the metropolitan landscape.
gregladen | February 9, 2008Bad News: It's a Big Lizard!!
According to a report noted in Evolving in Kansas, Komodo Dragons have been hatched in Sedgwick County without fertilization by a male.
There are two of them, both males. (Isn't that interesting?) ...
I think they should name them Jesus and Brian.
gregladen | February 9, 2008What do you eat when you are traveling the world in search of truth about the natural world? Most of the time Darwin ate pretty well...
While traveling through the interior near Rio, Darwin makes note of some of the agricultural practices of the region. He is visiting farms ... plantations .. carved out of the forest.
The chief produce of this part of the country is coffee. Each tree is supposed to yield annually, on an average, two pounds; but some give as much as eight. Mandioca or cassada is likewise cultivated in great quantity.
... that would be Manihot, or cassava, also known as…
gregladen | February 9, 2008Marshall Helberger writes an interesting editorial in the Timberjay, a northern Minnesota newspaper, about creationist tactics.
As editor of the Timberjay's editorial pages, there are few things that have been more frustrating over the years than determining how to handle this perennial debate over evolution, prompted for the most part by a single, local proponent of creationism.
While I inherently believe in the free exchange of ideas, the purpose of the editorial pages is to discuss ideas and viewpoints that can affect the world in which we live. To a large degree, the debate over…
gregladen | February 8, 2008The Ugly American Company, Microsoft, will now have a third investigation run by the EU regarding their smarmy "lobbying" (read, "bribery and coercion" tactics during the OOXML file format fight last year.
"The investigation will be especially welcome in standards circles, due to the wide range of reports from the field that Microsoft has engaged in 'stacking' of the national committees that were voting on OOXML as well as other overreaching activities intended to influence the result" of standards voting, said Andrew Updegrove, a standards expert who has opposed the Microsoft effort in the…
gregladen | February 8, 2008The Texas Acadamy of Science has come out with a statement about creationism in Texas schools science classes, called "Texas Academy of Science Position Against the Inclusion of Creationism and Design Concepts in the Science Curricula in Texas Schools"
You can get the PDF here.
Among other things, the document states:
Texas science teachers have a finite amount of class time and textbook space in which to teach the many valid and foundational scientific concepts that enable students to become knowledgeable consumers, decision makers and voters. Inclusion of creationist or intelligent design…
gregladen | February 8, 2008From the Wildlife Conservation Society:
Unless major conservation measure are enacted, Madagascar's turtles and tortoises will continue to crawl steadily toward extinction, according to a recent assessment by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and other groups. With their habitat shrinking and illegal hunting worsening, these reptiles now rank among the most endangered on Earth.
The groups, which met for four days in Madagascar's capital city Antananarivo, said there is still hope to save these ancient animals, but time is running out. Five of the nine assessed species have been…
gregladen | February 8, 2008Despite a love and fascination for Rome dating to his days as an architecture student, David Macaulay found the path to his book Rome Antics took some unusual (and frustrating) turns. Through failed pop-up designs, scribbled out title possibilities, surreal sketchbook pages (think "Piranesi meets Escher"), and rambling story lines, MacAulay details each step of his winding journey towards completion of his illustrated homage to the city.
gregladen | February 8, 2008Guitarist and singer Raul Midon performs "All the Answers" in a world premiere at TED2007. "This is a song I wrote about the meaning of technology," he says, and he asks his listeners: What will we do with all this information we have at our fingertips? He follows with the sprightly "Tembererana."
gregladen | February 8, 2008Last night, the Campus Atheists, Skeptics and Humanists club (C.A.S.H.) presented a debate between PZ Myers and Loyal Rue on the question: Can religion and science co-exist? I witnessed this event and would like to tell you what happened.
I want to begin with a message to PZ Myers: Thank you, PZ, for your service! There are a lot of people in the twin cities who could engage in an interesting debate on religion, atheism, evolution, creationism, etc. and do an OK job, but none others have the experience and intellectual preparation (to do an excellent job) and the draw (to guarantee lots…
gregladen | February 7, 2008I came across this chilling misanthropic missive in support of home schooling.
The greatest pitfalls of public education are the humanistic philosophies taught at the expense of biblical truth, ungodly teachers and classmates seeking to influence our children, and the absence of spiritual or moral considerations within the educational process. However, those problems aren't isolated to the public-school setting (as evidenced by just a few minutes of television-watching).
Within most of our neighborhoods--and even in some Christian schools--there are influences that tear at our desired…
gregladen | February 7, 2008This person needs a job.
This individual seeks an executive position.
He will be available in January 2009, and is willing to relocate.
(Resume below the fold)
RESUME
GEORGE W. BUSH
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20520
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
Law Enforcement:
I was arrested in Kennebunkport, Maine, in 1976 for driving under the influence of alcohol. I pled guilty, paid a fine, and had my driver's license suspended for 30 days. My Texasdriving record has been "lost" and is not available.
Military:
I joined the Texas Air National Guard and went AWOL. I refused to take a drug…