evolution

A collection of 138 posts

evolution

ESPN Suspends One Of Their Reporters For Defending Theory Of Evolution On Twitter

From Addicting Info: In between clips of touchdowns and postgame interviews with sweaty athletes, ESPN typically doesn’t find itself having to pick sides on the debate over the reality of evolution by natural selection, but it’s now become abundantly clear which side they’re on. After former baseball

bible

Islam vs Christianity: the core differences

I have articulated this many, many times, but never yet as a full blog post, so here goes. What is it that differentiates the two major world religions, and how does this translate across to the behaviour of their adherents? This is a pretty vital question for understanding the state of affairs w

evolution

The exactitude of human evolution up in the air

So human evolution in its African context has been hotly researched, but the research is necessarily slow. Fossil digs take a ling time and are few and far between. New finds from 2000 onwards in Georgia are throwing a lot of theories up in the air. What were once thought to be different species of

AGW

​The Two Organizations Trying to Destroy U.S. Science Education

The Heartland Institute, a prominent, Chicago-based organization opposing climate science, has teamed up with the creationist Discovery Institute to launch a smear campaign against a group promoting the nationwide adoption of updated science education guidelines.

Creationism

On theists believing ridiculous, unscientific things, and Terror Management Theory

Over at another post of mine, we have been discussing whether religion can and should be destroyed. During that conversation, the idea came up that Christians, in all probability, hold more ridiculous beliefs which are unscientific in nature; and also arose the connected idea that Christians, in a g

evolution

My 3-year-old makes an evolutionary hypothesis

OK so my twins are almost 4, but that doesn't stop me being proud when they make what appears to be good causal connections about the world around them. In this case, looking closely at a dinosaur boo, this is what happened. I was busy getting dressed and ready for work; I was impatiently in a hurry

Creationism

Irreducible Complexity Cut Down to Size

Good stuff: http://youtu.be/W96AJ0ChboU

evolution

Evolution and Agency

I was worried recently when I read the phrase “goal-directed evolution” in some philosophy writing. This annoys me since it shows what I consider to be a fundamental misunderstanding of what evolution is and does, and philosophers should know better.

Creationism

Scaramanga takes on Accelerated Christian Education. And wins.

Jonny Scaramanga came to do a talk about his experiences with Christian education at Portsmouth Skeptics in the Pub recently. I was gutted to have missed it - I was really looking forward to that one. However, keeping a tab on his blog, it seems clear that he is embroiled in a right ding-dong with h

Creationism

Nye vs Ham - who won?

Well, without having yet finished, it seems open and closed. Don't get me wrong, both were assured and neither will shift the other's position, obviously. But you simply can't argue against such robust and predictive science.

counter-apologetics

Free Will, the Problem of Evil and Heaven and Christian commenters

I don't know why, but Christians seem to be posting a few comments just now on some old videos of mine. The comments irritate me because they are not so well thought out. This 'sombodysdad' in particular... People seem to think they are all that and

Creationism

"There is no association between evolution, science, academics, or the intellect. It does not exist."

OK, it might take you a while to stop laughing. Now, these days, I don't really get involved in evolution arguments with people who flatly deny evolution on such blatantly anti-intellectual terms. I see it as self-delusion, and having written before that such people are impervious to reason and evid

evolution

Discovery of New Tiktaalik Roseae Fossils Reveals Key Link in Evolution of Hind Limbs

The discovery of well-preserved pelves and a partial pelvic fin from Tiktaalik roseae, a 375 million-year-old transitional species between fish and the first legged animals, reveals that the evolution of hind legs actually began as enhanced hind fins. This challenges existing theory that large, mobi

Andreas Schueler

Quote of the Day - Andreas Schueler (I love this one)

Good ole Andy. Always says sensible stuff. Well, this one pops up fairly often in conversations with IDers. Andy uses it to good effect. I thought I would repeat it here as a foil to anybody who asserts that Intelligent Design is any sort of proper theory, with any sort

Creationism

Bill Nye the Science Guy to debate evolution with creationist (Ken Ham)

Bill Nye the Science Guy plans to visit Kentucky next month for a creation-vs.-evolution debate with Creation Museum founder Ken Ham. Ham wrote on his blog that the museum will host Nye, the star of a long-running science show for kids, on Feb. 4.

DNA

Oldest Hominin DNA Sequenced: Mitochondrial Genome of a 400,000-Year-Old Hominin from Spain Decoded

Using novel techniques to extract and study ancient DNA researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, have determined an almost complete mitochondrial genome sequence of a 400,000-year-old representative of the genus Homo from Sima de los Huesos, a unique

Conservatives

Cause for concern: two state schools challenge Government policy on teaching evolution

This is a disgrace. This is what our schools are coming to given the government's insistence that anyone can set up schools (Free Schools). This is just an excuse for ideological indoctrination. Here is an email the British Humanist Association sent me:

Creationism

Texas textbook review panel: Put more ‘creation science based on Biblical principles’ in biology books

Religious conservatives on the Texas state textbook review panel have targeted for elimination high school biology textbooks that don’t include robust refutations of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection. The panel, which includes several creationists, is urging the State Boar

evolution

Altruism or Manipulated Helping? Altruism May Have Origins in Manipulation

Manipulation is often thought of as morally repugnant, but it might be responsible for the evolutionary origins of some helpful or altruistic behavior, according to a new study.

determinism

Lizards Show Evolution Is Predictable

Science Daily - July 19, 2013 — If you could hit the reset button on evolution and start over, would essentially the same species appear? Yes, according to a study of Caribbean lizards by researchers at the University of California, Davis, Harvard University and the University of Massachusetts. The

evolution

Seeing Sea Stars: The Missing Link in Eye Evolution?

July 5, 2013 — A study has shown for the first time that starfish use primitive eyes at the tip of their arms to visually navigate their environment. Research headed by Dr. Anders Garm at the Marine Biological Section of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, showed that starfish eyes are image-fo

Biology

Grandma's Experiences Leave a Mark on Your Genes

Check out this fascinating article from Discover. H/T Neil Webber. Your ancestors' lousy childhoods or excellent adventures might change your personality, bequeathing anxiety or resilience by altering the epigenetic expressions of genes in the brain. [This article originally appeared in print as "Trait vs. Fate"] Darwin

Creationism

Evolution as part of a necessary mechanism (and putting Creationism to bed)

This is one of my old posts from when I wrote more often at DC: We have had a resurgence in discussing evolution recently, thanks in no small part to the Creationist mental contortions of Creationbabble over on this thread. what this seems to show, to me at any rate, is that Creationists, and any

Creationism

And again - Creationists - how do you explain this?

Further to my point earlier this week, and to give me another excuse to post stuff about dinosaurs, evolution and fossils, here we have another piece of the evolutionary jigsaw located and fitted. Of course, the only answers they have are silly and ad hoc:

Creationism

The "Satan is a Dick Theory of Fossilisation". Genius.

Watch. Laugh. Cry at its reality. [H/T Stefano S.]