evolution

A collection of 138 posts

Creationism

Creationists - how do you explain this?

I am going to copy and paste a very normal article from Science Daily here. Nothing special. Just your bog-standard scientific journal publication press release. This one is about a fossilised horse which has had its genome mapped. What I want people like JohnM, a regular commenter here, to do is

counter-apologetics

The 'Why I am a Christian' series - Randal Rauser

As mentioned in my last post, I was graciously asked by Randal Rauser on his blog recently to provide a synopsis of a few paragraphs to run in his series “Why I am an atheist” (or not a Christian. The series has been interesting and has elicited testimonies from Justin Schieber, Counter Apologist, J

DNA

New Research Backs Genetic 'Switches' in Human Evolution

I thought this might be topical, given new commenter Joseph's (a JW) predilection for evolution illiteracy whilst simultaneously claiming intellectual victory over an evolutionary biologist and other's complete pwnage of him. It is actually sad seeing psychology deny a person reality, because that i

cognitive dissonance

Creationism, science denialism and other childhood indoctrination and intellectual abuse

Having attended a fascinating talk by James Williams (a science educator) last night at Portsmouth Skeptics in the Pub, I thought I would post about it. The talk was called Insidious Creationism and concerned Creationism within an educational context.

Charles Darwin

Real Actors Read Christian Forums

Facepalm.   http://youtu.be/zCdBZHBs0y0

censorship

Evolution, Censorship and Adam Deen

Adam Deen is a Muslim apologist famous in the UK for defending, publicly, the philosophy and theology of Islam often touching on scientific contexts. Skydivephil is an awesome duo who you might remember from here who often have William Lane Craig in their sights (where in the linked video they o

evolution

Discovering One Reason Why Swarming Evolved Offers Tantalizing Clues On How Intelligence Developed

Many animals -- from locusts to fish -- live in groups and swarm, but scientists aren't sure why or how this behavior evolved. Now a multidisciplinary team of Michigan State University scientists has used a model system to show for the first time that predator confusion can make prey evolve swarming

evolution

Why Early Human Ancestors Took to Two Feet

Science Daily - May 24, 2013 — A new study by archaeologists at the University of York challenges evolutionary theories behind the development of our earliest ancestors from tree dwelling quadrupeds to upright bipeds capable of walking and scrambling. The researchers say our upright gait may have

evolution

Oldest Evidence of Split Between Old World Monkeys and Apes: Primate Fossils Are 25 Million Years Old

Science Daily: May 15, 2013 — Two fossil discoveries from the East African Rift reveal new information about the evolution of primates, according to a study published online in Nature this week led by Ohio University scientists. The team's findings document the oldest fossils of two major groups of

evolution

Fossil Saved from Mule Track Revolutionizes Understanding of Ancient Dolphin-Like Marine Reptile

Some interesting fossil news from Science Daily: May 14, 2013 — An international team of scientists have revealed a new species of ichthyosaur (a dolphin-like marine reptile from the age of dinosaurs) from Iraq, which revolutionises our understanding of the evolution and extinction of these ancie

evolution

New Carnivorous Dinosaur from Madagascar Raises More Questions Than It Answers

The great thing about fossil discoveries is that they fit, and are often predicted. Case in point here. However, as with this find, many questions are raised. Silly people go, "Aha! A question! My, this can only be answered by positing 'God'!" Of course, clever people leave it to science. Which i

Creationism

Alternative Way to Explain Life's Complexity Proposed

So, complexity is supposedly a tough one for 'evolutionists'. Well, it's not really, if you have ever read around the subject. Incremental steps, such as is evidence with the eye in all its various complexities throughout the natural world, seem to do the trick.

evolution

Original Sin - answering Thomas L. McDonald

I was recently sent a link to Thomas L. McDonald's piece "The Origin of Man, Original Sin, and Why It’s All Your Fault" on his Patheos blog. There is much to talk about in this attempt to reconcile Catholic doctrine with science. My opinion is

Creationism

Are fundamentalist schools up to standard?

Biased political statements in Accelerated Christian Education schools' curriculum may be incompatible with new standardsAn Ace English test question. The 'correct' answer is b. The Accelerated Christian Education (Ace) group of fundamentalist schools has gone largely unnoticed by academic research

Creationism

Creationist stakes $10,000 on contest between Bible and evolution

I wonder what our very own Andy Schueler thinks of this, as an molecular evolutionary biologist! The Guardian reports: Creator of Literal Genesis Trial believes people who argue in favor of evolution are at a scientific disadvantage

evolution

First Migration from Africa Less Than 95,000 Years Ago: Ancient Hunter-Gatherer DNA Challenges Theory of Early Out-Of-Africa Migrations

Recent measurements of the rate at which children show DNA changes not seen in their parents -- the "mutation rate" -- have challenged views about major dates in human evolution.

Creationism

Old Earth, Young Minds: Evangelical Homeschoolers Embrace Evolution

This is a fascinating article. It amazes me that parents can torture their children with AIG inspired textbooks. This is an albeit small step in the right direction:

Creationism

AAAAARRRRGGGHHHHHH!

No need to write a commentary about this. Just read it. Shit me.

evolution

Genetic Study of House Dust Mites Demonstrates Reversible Evolution

In evolutionary biology, there is a deeply rooted supposition that you can't go home again: Once an organism has evolved specialized traits, it can't return to the lifestyle of its ancestors.There's even a name for this pervasive idea. Dollo's law states that evolution is unidirectional and irrevers

evolution

How Predictable Is Evolution?

As ever, divesting the news from Science Daily for your perusal: Feb. 19, 2013 — Understanding how and why diversification occurs is important for understanding why there are so many species on Earth. In a new study published on 19 February in the open access journal PLOS Biology, researchers show that

Creationism

Dang. The Republicans: dinosaurs + people = pass your exams...?

Oh shit. UPDATE: On February 19, HB1674 passed through the Oklahoma Common Education committee on a 9-8 vote. In biology class, public school students can't generally argue that dinosaurs and people ran around Earth at the same time, at least not without risking a big fat F. But

evolution

More evidence of common descent - Humans and Chimps Share Genetic Strategy in Battle Against Pathogens

As if any was needed. Science Daily - Feb. 14, 2013 — A genome-wide analysis searching for evidence of long-lived balancing selection -- where the evolutionary process acts not to select the single best adaptation but to maintain genetic variation in a population -- has uncovered at least six re

Creationism

Endogenous Retroviruses as evidence for evolution

Here is a concise synopsis from Smilodon’s Retreat, here at SIN. I am fascinated with endogenous retroviruses (ERVs). It seems that they are simply not adequately explained on a creationism thesis. This usually entails trying to debunk them since they have no other answer!

Darwin

Remember, it's Dar-win, not Dar-lose!

Mwah! In light of Darwin Day...   http://youtu.be/Odsuv8x67dk   http://youtu.be/N6IQ_4g4Ljc   http://youtu.be/G6r6POHC8zg I love this one:   http://youtu.be/apICqy01jo4

morality

Some Plants Are Altruistic, Too, New Study Suggests

Feb. 1, 2013 — We've all heard examples of animal altruism: Dogs caring for orphaned kittens, chimps sharing food or dolphins nudging injured mates to the surface. Now, a study led by the University of Colorado Boulder suggests some plants are altruistic too. The researchers looked at corn, in wh