pharyngula

This is a nicely done lecture on design flaws in our anatomy and physiology, to refute claims of intelligent design. Part 2 Part 3 I know exactly how creationists will reply, though, since I've heard it often enough. She's making a theological argument, they'll say, claiming to know God's intent…

I'd hate to think that someone at Syracuse University might be driving to RIT tomorrow to hear my lecture, since I've been invited by The Atheists, Agnostics and Freethinkers Alliance to speak at Syracuse next week, on 8 April. Oh, and look: Hemant is there tonight, warming up the audience for me…

That recent episode in which hackers broke into computers at East Anglia University and extracted private email from climate researchers was the subject of much triumphal rejoicing by the climate change deniers. The UK set a parliamentary Science and Technology Committee to review the affair and…

Coryanthes speciosa (via Custom Life Science Images)

Now that the LHC is online, The Editors have catalogued three ways it will destroy the world, using the Airwolf scale of awesomeness crossed by a goofiness scale. It looks like being sucked into a black hole is one of the more pedestrian scenarios. I am relieved that they didn't consider the…

Good news: the Large Hadron Collider is operational, and has fired two particles together with a force of 7 trillion electron volts…and it's only the beginning, since they're going to ramp up the power gradually. It's too bad Michio Kaku had to muck it up with a lot of nonsense. "This is a huge…

This is nice. Andrew Sullivan has a suggestion to exempt those wanna-be terrorists, the Hutarees, from the fold of the faithful. Surely we can all assent to the notion that a Christian militia of the type now accused of planning domestic terrorism is not Christian. This is why I call them…

This is quite possibly the most awesome biology photo ever taken. It is two blind-folded crayfish battling each other in clouds of fluorescent green urine. It's a good thing it's just a picture, because if it were a video, in 3D, with the Star Trek fight music playing in the background, every…

I'm off to some place in New York on 1 April — I'll be speaking at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Webb Auditorium, Bulding 7 at 8:30PM. This is going to be a quick blitz, fly in Thursday, fly back Friday, because I've got work piling up on me…but I'm sure I can find a little time in the…

I especially like her lesbian robot video.

There's always someone ready to take advantage of another's misfortune, often while wearing a pious expression on their faces. Here are two bad charities: Sean Hannity claims to support our troops, endorsing a charity called Freedom Alliance that supposedly pays tuition for the children of fallen…

Whoa. Superman is a humanist! Nice dig against Christianity in that last panel,too. Somebody needs to tell him about the Out Campaign, though.

Meanwhile, the rest of us will laugh. The Republicans have been indulging in a little hanky-panky. The Republican chairman, Michael Steele, promised on taking office that he would bring the party to corners of America it had not reached before. It is a fair bet that most Republicans did not expect…

Quick, here's a distraction! It's strange, but over the weekend we've had several threads top out over the magical 666 comment mark that I use as a signal to kill threads. There's the ever-expanding endless thread, of course, but also the Sins of omission thread, which is now being closed, and…

Apparently, someone is flying around in Federation space with a ship called the USS PZ Myers, NCC-92803. This is a dreadful mistake—everyone knows I would be piloting a Borg cube.

The Moscow subways have been hit by two terrorist suicide bombers — at least 38 people are dead. At least American terrorists have the useful property of being generally incompetent.

The FBI is cracking down on a Christian militia group that has been threatening to assassinate police officers and overthrow the government. There are nuts like this scattered all over the place; they collect guns, dress up in military gear, and play war games in the woods. They have no chance of…

Acanthoplus discoidalis But there's something really special about this insect. To become unpalatable, the insects squirt toxic blood out of gaps in their body and make themselves sick by throwing up food they've just eaten. Isn't that neat-o? (via Colin Hanbury)

One can acquire all kinds of interesting "scientific" perspectives on the interwebs. For instance, Professor Pallacken Abdul Wahid of Kerala Agricultural University has written a fascinating demolition of genetics and genomics for SciTopics ("Research summaries by experts!" Sponsored by Elsevier!)…

It happens now and then that some gibbering loon makes a persistent appearance somewhere on the blog, and the ensuing wrangle goes on and on and on. We've had just such an occurrence on this thread, which is bloating up to almost 700 comments now. Graeme Bird is an Australian wanna-be politician…

They run the country, they surround us, they get cranky if you even question their deity…but they're so darn persecuted. Do you think persecution of Christians will come to America? No, I don't believe it's an issue 5.76% I don't know 3.84% Yes, but in the future 13.06% Yes, and soon 34.57% It is…

…it's too unrealistic. In real life, the Trophy Wife™ would be carrying me.

At least this will be a useful one. And it is hallowed by the Pope! Pope Benedict, facing the worst crisis of his papacy as a sexual abuse scandal sweeps the Catholic church, declared today he would not be "intimidated" by "petty gossip", angering activists who say he has done too little to stamp…

We've got a good answer from Richard Dawkins: No, Pope Ratzinger should not resign. He should remain in charge of the whole rotten edifice - the whole profiteering, woman-fearing, guilt-gorging, truth-hating, child-raping institution - while it tumbles, amid a stench of incense and a rain of…

It's called I Hate When People Take God's Name In Vain, and just the premise is hilarious. Think about this. The meta-hilarity is that they are so serious and so completely oblivious to their message. You apparently aren't supposed to mention "God" except when you're praying or praising him…or…

I've been following the news lately, and have at last unearthed the most horrible, awful, evil thing you can do to a religion, the one simple thing that will get the faithful to melt down. Tattling. Oh, no, don't you tell on the church! It ought to be the first commandment. Church leaders can…

We conquered Australia. The next step is the EU. The atheists are meeting in Copenhagen on 18-20 June, and I've been authorized to tell you that two special guests will be appearing there. The first is the Amazing Randi. You have to go listen to a guy whose first name is Amazing! Besides all the…

Another podcast, this one from Citizen's Radio with Jamie Kilstein and Allison Kilkenny — they interviewed me in Melbourne. Tune in, it's like CNN with more swearing!

The NCSE has put out a press release congratulating Ayala for his Templeton Prize, and thanking him for his support of NCSE. It also parrots his defense of the compatibility of science and religion. You know, I've been a long-time supporter of the NCSE, a vocal crusader for better science education…

You could also smack it with a hammer and set it on fire. More mass media lunacy is looming, with a new show on TLC called Paranormal Court. Robert Hansen, a psychic medium famous among people who believe in psychic mediums, will mediate disputes between family members squabbling over possessions…