pharyngula

Chris Matthews, who has lately been hammering the Republicans for their problem with science in general and evolution in particular, had a guest on to 'debate' the issue: Tom Tancredo, the ignorant Republican congressman who ran for president in the last election, and was one of the candidates who…

The season of comic book movies is off to a very poor start. I went off to see Wolverine with low expectations — I read Ebert's review ahead of time — but even so, it failed to rise even to the basement of my presumption. The problem was that comic book movies should be fun, and they should explore…

As another sign of the ongoing decline of our traditional science media, Scientific American runs a superficial article on plastic surgery with a rather dubious source. We spoke with osteopathic physician Lionel Bissoon to help us get to the bottom (so to speak) of some of the cellulite hoopla.…

You know why? Because the governor of Maine just signed a bill into law that legalizes same-sex marriage.

That Pat Robertson video in the last post was just too ghastly. Right now, the sun is shining and I just finished my very last lecture of the semester, so here's something to celebrate with: two of the coolest people in the world, David Bowie and Annie Lennox. It'll cheer you right up! Right now…

Just what we need: relationship advice from Pat Robertson. In case you don't want to watch it, it's very simple. In any relationship with an atheist, just remember that he or she is of Belial, and serves Satan. He or she will suck your soul down and destroy you. So he may be a nice guy and all,…

Look at what's happening to the opinion on religion in our country: Historically, the percentage of Americans who said they had no religious affiliation (pollsters refer to this group as the "nones") has been very small -- hovering between 5 percent and 10 percent. However, Putnam says the…

You should be flattered. The Germans are asking you — yes, you, that person sitting at your computer — what you think of the Catholic Church. When Germany asks, you must answer. What do you think of the Catholic Church? 35% Sie ist eine gute und wichtige Institution (it is a good and important…

You know how I feel about the uselessness of internet polls, so you can guess how my feelings are mixed by this one. It's a good cause: grants are being given for preservation of historic places in Boston. But they're allocating funds on the basis of votes in an internet poll! This isn't even a…

Five months before the election, and thirteen years after her death, the Mormon Church posthumously baptized Barack Obama's mother into their church. This is a common practice. It's harmless and stupid, but it does highlight the fact that the church is a collection of ghouls. They're also chronic…

Chris Matthews ask Representative Mike Pence a simple question — "Do you believe in evolution?" — and Pence spends 5 minutes squirming avoiding giving an answer. He changes the subject repeatedly, to global warming and stem cells, and tries to pretend that the Republican party doesn't have a…

Best read of the day: Roger Ebert muses on mortality. I don't expect to die anytime soon. But it could happen this moment, while I am writing. I was talking the other day with Jim Toback, a friend of 35 years, and the conversation turned to our deaths, as it always does. "Ask someone how they feel…

The US military has gathered up a collection of soldier's bibles…and destroyed them. No word yet on whether Satan's imps were observed dancing in the flames; I'm sure the wingnut news services will soon be melting down with hysterical tales.

The other day, I read this fawning review by Andrew O'Hehir of Terry Eagleton's new book, Reason, Faith, and Revolution: Reflections on the God Debate, and was a little surprised. I've read a smattering of Eagleton before, and the words "brisk, funny and challenging" or "witty" never came to mind,…

The advertising copy is right: Bali does sound like an exotic wedding destination. But wouldn't you know it, there is a hitch: All couples who marry in Indonesia must declare a religion. Agnosticism and Atheism are not recognized. The Civil Registry Office can record marriages of persons of Islam,…

And it's gorgeous. Holbo has found a set of scans from a 1972 biology textbook (and an associated blog) that will blow your mind, baby. Here are some eukaryotic cells. I think this is a very trippy metaphor for the synapse. I like it. It's got style. I'm going to have to cruise some used…

I mean, really — who gets all worked up over cephalopods? It's incomprehensible.

My prior post on Missouri's bill permitting pharmacists to neglect their responsibilities was incorrect on one point: the bill has not been passed. The bill has only been proposed. It's the usual situation: Not to put too fine a point on it, but the republicans in the Missouri House of…

And it's…Obama! Ho hum. I was kind of let down. I keep hoping for a big surprise, like that it's a squirrel living in downtown Des Moines, or that it's Jan Crouch, but yeah, it's always the Christian politician who isn't quite Christian enough for the wingnuts.

Let me just say: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHRGGGHG. It's the last week of classes here; I have to finish a big pile of grading, and there's a hogshead of administrative work hanging over my head. I also chose, freely and of my own irresponsible will, to flit off to New York for a pleasant weekend with a mob…

Jenny McCarthy, dangerous quack and ignorant fraud, has just signed a contract with that professional peddler of pablum, Oprah Winfrey, to put on a syndicated talk show, among other media puffery. It's quite a step up. Oprah only spreads a kind of fuzzy mind-rot, but McCarthy actually promotes…

They're dangerous and destructive, and erode the mission of our soldiers — and they also seem to be remarkably stupid. In the latest incident, people in Afghanistan are unhappy with the Christian evangelism that accompanies the US military. I can't blame them. In one recorded sermon, Lieutenant-…

It's May, which means I have to tally up all the votes you made in April for the Molly-worthy commenters in March. We have two winners this month, the alliterative duo of Janine and Josh. Everyone say "OM!" Now you face the onerous task of thinking back over the last month and nominating an…

And Ema gets very, very snarky. Missouri's legislators have just passed a vague law that says pharmacists don't have to fill prescriptions for things that they don't like, especially nothing that might look sorta like an abortifacient. This is a bad law that removes standards of professional…

It could be a very interesting morning on Sunday at 9am on Atheists Talk radio. Eugenie Scott will be on, and she's always interesting…and Greg Laden will be interviewing her, and he threatens to bring up the recent accusations of truckling to the theistic evolutionists. I will be looking forward…

I guess we have our own little anti-blasphemy principle operationally at work in the US. Look what can get you in trouble with the law now: A Mission Viejo high school history teacher violated the First Amendment by disparaging Christians during a classroom lecture, a federal judge ruled today.…

Ugh. Steve Austin, creationist geologist, is coming to Roseville to debate the age of the Grand Canyon on 13 May. He's going to be engaging a local "evolutionist" who I don't know — Steve Johnson — who I will trust to have the facts, but still — more geologists need to show up in the audience,…

They are there, and they are trying to organize. If you're a godless Nebraskan, look into Omaha Atheists — they're looking for you, too.

When I teach genetics, I like to pull a little trick on my students. About the time I teach them about analyzing pedigrees and about sex linkage, I show them this pedigree and ask them to figure out what kind of trait it is. It's a bit of a stumper. There's the problem of variability in its…