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News:
2002 Archive
Note: Due to the archiving policies of the various news Websites some links on this page may no longer be valid. All links will take you away from the IBSS Site - use your browser's "back" button to return to this page.
- January 13, 2002; January 20,2002; January 27, 2002
- February 3, 2002; February 10, 2002; February 18, 2002; February 25, 2002
- March 4, 2002; March 10, 2002; March 17, 2002; March 25, 2002; March 30, 2002
- April 7, 2002; April 14, 2002; April 21, 2002; April 28, 20002
- May 5, 2002; May 19, 2002: May 26, 2002
- June 2, 2002; June 9 2002; June 23, 2002; June 30, 2002
- July 7, 2002; July 14, 2002; July 21, 2002; July28, 2002
- August 4, 2002; August 18, 2002; August 24, 2002
- September 1, 2002; September 8, 2002; September 15, 2002; September 22, 2002; September 29, 2002
- October 6, 2002; October 13, 2002; October 20, 2002; October 27, 2002
- November 10, 2002; November 17, 2002; November 24, 2002
- December 1, 2002; December 8, 2002; December 15, 2002; December 20, 2002; December 29, 2002
We will be switching to a faster cable internet service this week. Our new e-mail address is ibss@comcast.net
Religion in the News
John
Walvoord Dead at 92
Theologian
noted for writings on Bible prophecy. See http://ChristianityToday.com/ct/2002/150/14.0.html
The
Positive Prophet
Tony
Campolo is a ferocious critic of Christians left and right. Why do people
still flock to hear him? By Ted Olsen. See http://ChristianityToday.com/ct/2003/001/1.32.html
Benny
Hinn on Dateline
Dateline, on NBC, aired an investigation of faith
healer and televangelist Benny Hinn. According to the network's
site, "[Hinn] claims he can call on God to heal the sick. But Dateline's
hidden cameras reveal another side of the Hinn ministry, and some former
followers raise troubling questions." Religious weblog RelaspedCatholic.com
posted a letter this week from the Trinity
Foundation, an organization that monitors
religious programming. The group said that it had been working with
Dateline for the last two years in its investigation of Hinn.
There's
Something About Mary
Beliefs
about Jesus' virgin mother vary between Christians of
the early church, Roman Catholics, and modern-day Protestants,
but this model of total trustful devotion has lessons to teach
all Christians. An interview with J.I. Packer and Tom
Oden. See http://ChristianityToday.com/ct/2002/150/12.0.html
Boston Archdiocese Asks for Dismissal of All Suits
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston asked a judge to
dismiss all the abuse lawsuits against it on religious
freedom grounds. See
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/24/national/24BOST.html?todaysheadlines
How
to Deal with Criminals
Is
there a biblical principle behind the punishment of those who break the law? See
http://ChristianityToday.com/ct/2002/008/27.59.html
The Koran Online at http://www.hti.umich.edu/k/koran
I'm
Dreaming of a Victorian Christmas
An
ageless story reminds us of the values the Victorians can still teach us. By
Chris Armstrong. See http://ChristianityToday.com/ct/2002/150/13.0.html
Use our interactive map to discover where experts believe the original paradise was located. And don't stop there
Meet Adam's Other Wife
Compare Genesis' TWO Creation Stories
Explore Creation Myths of Different Cultures
What the Expert Says About Eden
Debate Erupts Over Authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls: A crumbling consensus was manifest at a conference of Qumran archaeologists held here in November at Brown University. Organizers said this was the first meeting to focus solely on the archaeology of the site. See http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/24/science/sciencespecial/24SCRO.html?ei=5062&en=0cfd0d817161e93c&ex=1041310800&partner
A Stone Box, Christ and History : Science can't ignore Jesus. (Robert L. Bartley, The Wall Street Journal). See http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/rbartley/?id=110002809
Science in the News
ASA Spring Meeting: We have a speaker for a spring meeting - Dr. Thomas Davis. He is available March 1, 2003. He is a Palestinian archeologist and can speak on current issues in relating archeology to the scriptures. As usual with many topics, the real picture is neither the minimalist view that the Bible says nothing useful for the archeologist nor the overly idealist view that every detail of OT history has been proved. This should be another good one. More details forthcoming.
ICC Meeting: The Fifth International Creation Conference on August 4-9 at Geneva College. See http://www.csfpittsburgh.org/icc03.htm
Creation/Evolution
Our Not-So-Distant Cousin
By LISA BROOKS
Comparing the genome of humans to that of mice gives us a
glimpse into the history of both of our genomes over the 75
million years since we last shared a common ancestor.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/27/opinion/27BROO.html?todaysheadlines
Pa. school district statement sparks evolution debate | Officials at a suburban school district say new wording in the system's mission statement is provoking discussion of evolution and other issues that are often in dispute. (The Boston Globe). See http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/360/nation/Pa_school_district_statement_sparks_evolution_debate+.shtml
Astronomy
Star of Bethlehem: Going back in time to examine its origins (Space.com). See http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=96&ncid=753&e=10&u=/space/20021223/sc_space/star_of_bethlehem__going_back_in_time_to_examine_its_origins
Methane
Clouds Discovered On Saturn's Moon Titan
Teams of astronomers at the California Institute of Technology and the
University of California, Berkeley, have discovered methane clouds near the
south pole of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, resolving a fierce debate about
whether clouds exist amid the haze of the moon's atmosphere. See
Biology
Religious Sect Says It Will Announce the First Cloned Baby
A religious sect that contends space travelers created the
human race by cloning themselves said that it would announce
that the first cloned human baby has been born.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/27/science/27CLON.html?todaysheadlines
Raelian leader says cloning first step to immortality: The leader of a religious sect that claimed to have created the first human clone Friday called the development "just the first step" toward human immortality through cloning. See http://www.cnn.com/2002/HEALTH/12/27/human.cloning/index.html
Echinacea Ineffective for Treating Common Cold: Dec. 17 — The Echinacea herb, which is widely touted as a booster for the immune system, appears to be ineffective in combating the common cold, according to a new study. See http://health.discovery.com/news/afp/20021216/echinacea.html
Protein in the Eye Regulates Body Clock: Dec. 12 — A protein in the eye regulates the body's internal clock and its daily cycles, according to Stanford University research released Thursday. Melanopsin captures light and keeps the body tuned to a daily cycle, called a circadian rythm. See http://health.discovery.com/news/afp/20021209/bodyclock.html
Stanford
Researchers Study Emerging Treatment For Chronic Sinus Infections
Conducted over 12 months beginning in November 2000, the study is the first to
prospectively evaluate the effectiveness of nebulized antibiotics for the
treatment of chronic sinusitis following surgery. Results are published in the
December issue of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/12/021227070722.htm
Religion in the News
Violent
Night, Holy Night
The
Apocrypha tells us about the brutal world Jesus was born
into. By Tim Stafford. See http://ChristianityToday.com/ct/2002/013/2.40.html
No
Humbug
A
Christmas Carol remains the quintessential holiday story, but why? By Elesha
Coffman. See http://ChristianityToday.com/ct/2002/149/52.0.html
Missing from manger: Baby Jesus statue kidnapped; thieves demand ransom (The Trentonian, N.J.) See http://www.trentonian.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=6376155&BRD=1697&PAG=461&dept_id=502176&rfi=6
Walt
Disney World drops weekly church services
Last Friday, in an article about the forgotten Disney Christmas special "The
Small One," Disney archivist Dave Smith told The
Orlando Sentinel that Disney cartoons avoid religion for the same reason
that Walt Disney himself didn't put a church in Disneyland's Main Street, USA.
"He didn't want to single out any one religion," Smith said. See http://orlando.bizjournals.com/orlando/stories/2002/12/16/story1.html
Does
The Lord of the Rings Teach Salvation By Works?
The
authors of Tolkien's Ordinary Virtues and J. R. R.
Tolkien's Sanctifying Myth talk about whether Tolkien
was too ignorant of evil and other subjects.
A conversation between Brad Birzer and Mark Eddy Smith. See
http://ChristianityToday.com/ct/2002/149/32.0.html
Why
The Lord of the Rings Is Dangerous
http://ChristianityToday.com/ct/2002/149/31.0.html
Hobbits
Aren't Fence-Sitters
The
authors of Tolkien's Ordinary Virtues and J. R. R. Tolkien's
Sanctifying Myth discuss why Tolkien hated modernity and thinking
about evil --and whether he was right to do so. A conversation between
Brad Birzer and Mark Eddy Smith. See http://ChristianityToday.com/ct/2002/149/53.0.html
U.S.
News: Billy Graham brought evangelicalism into respectability. What will his
kids do?
From the cover of the new U.S. News & World Report,
it looks like a story on Billy Graham and his family: "A
Christian Dynasty: How Billy Graham's kids are following up his crusade."
But Jeffrey Sheler's cover story really is a brief history of evangelicalism,
with the elder Graham as a the main actor and foil. See http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/021223/misc/23grahams.htm
There's a new book review of "A Matter of Basic Principles: Bill
Gothard & the Christian Life": See http://members.shaw.ca/batteredsheep/gothard.html
Medicine with a dose of Scripture | Biblical counseling, an evangelical response to secular therapy, tries to raise its profile (The Philadelphia Inquirer). See http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/4740062.htm
Science in the News
New Premise in Science: Get the Word Out Quickly, Online
A group of prominent scientists is challenging the leading
scientific journals with the creation of two peer-reviewed
online journals this week. See
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/17/science/17JOUR.html?todaysheadlines
Creation/Evolution
'Scientific balancing act' dominates AAAS top ten list of science policy
stories for 2002: 5) INTELLIGENT DESIGN-NOT SMART FOR SCIENCE CLASSES:
Efforts to kick the theory of biological evolution out of U.S. public school
classrooms are taking a new twist. Instead of opposing evolution directly,
evolution foes now are seeking to include intelligent design theory in science
classrooms. Such efforts were seen in local and state school boards, including
Cobb County, Georgia, and the State of Ohio during 2002. ID theory suggests that
the complexity of DNA, for example, and the diversity of life forms can only be
explained by a supernatural agent. Science educators will be keeping their eyes
open to see where this issue pops up next in 2003. Meanwhile, the AAAS Board of
Directors passed a resolution in October saying ID theory should be treated in
the same manner as creationism or other family teachings--but not in science
classrooms. See http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2002-12/aaft-ba121302.php
Ancient Antarctica Lake has Ancient Life: Dec. 17 — Scientists exploring a frozen lake in Antarctica have awakened 2,800-year-old microbes that are models for life on Mars. The microbes were found locked in the ice of Lake Vida, which was previously thought to be solid ice all the way down to its 50-foot depths. What's more, the researchers have also discovered that Lake Vida is not completely frozen. The bottom 15 feet or so grade into a slushy brine that is seven times saltier than seawater. The lake-bottom brine contains all the salts that were squeezed out of the ice above by the freezing process, Doran said. See http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20021216/icelake.html
Giant bird spotted in Alaska: A giant bird with a reported wingspan of about 14ft has been sighted in Southwest Alaska. Villagers in Togiak and Manokotak say they have seen a huge bird much bigger than anything they have seen before. See http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_690946.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.phenomena
100,000 tourists flock to see mysterious Thai fireballs: More than 100,000 tourists flocked to a remote part of Thailand to see a mysterious phenomenon in which coloured fireballs shoot into the sky. The flames, said to come from a mythical serpent living in the Mekong River in the north eastern province of Nong Khai, are known as Naga's Fireballs. Some scientists say the red, pink and orange fireballs are caused by flammable natural gas deposits in the river bed drawn to the surface by the moon's gravitational pull. See http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_694513.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.phenomena
Experts
dismiss town's sea monster claims
Experts have dismissed claims a strange sea monster has been washed up on the
Nova Scotia shoreline. See http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_673939.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.phenomena
Girl finds gold ring inside apple: A 12-year-old girl has found a gold ring after biting into an apple. It's thought the ring may have fallen from a fruit picker's finger and then the apple formed around it. See http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_652972.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.phenomena
Cosmologists has produced the most detailed images of the early
Universe ever recorded. The new results provide additional evidence to
support the currently favored model of the Universe in which 30 percent of
all energy is a strange form of dark matter that doesn't interact with
light, and 65 percent is in an even stranger form of dark energy that
appears to be causing the expansion of the Universe to accelerate.
The story is at
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/12/021216071324.htm
Voices of Evolution: Statements from different scientific and Religious organizations about evolution. See http://www.ncseweb.org/article.asp?category=2.
Archaeology/Anthropology
Ancient treasure trove uncovered: Archaeologists have found a 2,700-year-old temple which contains objects from across the ancient world.Gold and silver figures, jewellery and shells from throughout the Mediterranean were gathered in one place on the small Greek island of Kithnos in the Aegean Sea. See http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_730131.html
Experts
rebut claim of biblical bathhouse in Jesus' hometown
Archaeologists and Bible scholars have refuted claims a bathhouse unearthed in
Nazareth may have been used by Jesus. See http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_729492.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology
Researcher
refutes Mummy's curse myth
Australian research has laid the myth of Mummy's Curse to rest. See http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_731026.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology
'Unluckiest
church in the world' is found
A British archaeologist has uncovered what is probably the
unluckiest church in the world. See http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_726609.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology
Astronomy
Mysterious Trials on Mars: Dec. 12 — Mysterious tracks that look like 250-mile long ski or sled trails have been found near the South Pole of Mars. Researchers at the University of Colorado have found the broad, sweeping lines cutting through a section of the southern ice caps of the frigid planet, but haven't a clue what caused them. If the features were on Earth, they would probably be attributed to a long-gone glacier that dragged boulders along its underside and scoured out the grooves. Another possible cause of the features is powerful winds. In fact, the way that the grooves appear to bear west as they head away from the pole suggests as much, since air currents on Mars and Earth are turned by the planets' spins. See http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20021209/marssled.html
Precursors To Early Earth Life Found In Canadian Meteorite
Houston - Dec 17, 2002 - In a study published today in the "International
Journal of Astrobiology," researchers state that a meteorite that fell to
Earth over northwestern Canada in January 2000 contains a previously unseen type
of primitive organic material that was formed long before our own solar system
came into being. See http://www.spacedaily.com/news/life-02zze.html
Seeing Red: Revolutionary Probe Gears For Martian Exploration
Milton Keynes, England (AFP) Dec 19, 2002 - British experts on Thursday put on
display a robot lander that could settle one of the most pressing questions in
space science today: does life, or the potential for it, exist on Mars? The
probe, Beagle 2, will be placed aboard a European Space Agencyspacecraft, Mars
Express, which is scheduled to blast off from Russia's Baikonur launchpad in
Kazakhstan next May 23. See http://www.spacedaily.com/2002/021219155003.ydgjaki5.html
Titan's Methane Clouds Make For A View To Behold
Mauna Kea - Dec 19, 2002 - Teams of astronomers at the California Institute
of Technology and the University of California, Berkeley, have discovered
methane clouds near the south pole of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, resolving a
fierce debate about whether clouds exist amid the haze of the moon's atmosphere.
See http://www.spacedaily.com/news/saturn-titan-02e.html
Hubble Watches Galaxies Engage In Dance Of Destruction
Washington - Dec 17, 2002 - NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is witnessing a
grouping of galaxies engaging in a slow dance of destruction that will last for
billions of years. The galaxies are so tightly packed together that
gravitational forces are beginning to rip stars from them and distort their
shapes. See http://www.spacedaily.com/news/spaceart-02e.html
Planets Aplenty In T Tauri Furnaces
Nashville - Dec 17, 2002 - If David Weintraub and Jeff Bary are right, there
may be a lot more planets circling stars like the Sun than current models of
star and planet formation predict. The associate professor of astronomy at
Vanderbilt and his graduate student are taking a critical look at T Tauri stars.
These are stellar adolescents, less than 10 million years old, which are
destined to become stars similar to the Sun as they age. See http://www.spacedaily.com/news/extrasolar-02z.html
New Theory Unravels Magnetic Instability
Los Alamos - Dec 17, 2002 - Reconnection, the merging of magnetic field
lines of opposite polarity near the surface of the sun, Earth and some black
holes, is believed to be the root cause of many spectacular astronomical events
such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections, but the reason for this is not
well understood. Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory now have a new
theory that may explain the instability and advance the understanding of these
phenomena. See http://www.spacedaily.com/news/solarstorm-02i.html
Chandra X-ray Observatory results:
Lobes of unexpectedly hot gas speeding away from a black hole in our galaxy
have been discovered by Chandra. The high temperature and the distance of
the lobes from the black hole indicate that violent collisions are
occurring between clumps of gas as they fly away from the black hole at
near-light
speed. http://chandra.harvard.edu/press/02_releases/press_121102.html
Discovery Of Giant X-Ray Disk Sheds Light On Elliptical Galaxies - a little
galactic evolution at http://www.ohiou.edu/researchnews/science/xray_disk.html
Young Star Cluster Found Aglow With Mysterious X-Ray Cloud - the x-rays
could change the chemistry of any planets forming in the
area. http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2002/rcw38/
Biology
A
surprise in treating high blood pressure
The cheapest, oldest medicine to treat high blood pressure works better than
newer, more expensive drugs, researchers reported yesterday from the largest
clinical trial ever conducted on high blood pressure. See http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/front/4761881.htm
Scientists Favoring Cautious Approach to Smallpox Shots
Unless a smallpox attack seems highly likely, the public
should not be vaccinated, doctors and scientists warned in a
series of articles posted on the Internet.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/20/health/20SMAL.html?todaysheadlines
Scientists
may have made breast cancer breakthrough
Scientists believe they have made a major breakthrough in the fight against
breast cancer. See http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_726718.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.medicalbreakthroughs
Heart
researchers study regenerative zebrafish
Scientists are studying zebrafish in the hope that they hold the secret to
mending damaged human hearts. See http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_726756.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.amazingscience
Study
suggests bone marrow could offer ethical source of stem cells
Researchers have found it could be possible to take stem cells
from adult bone marrow to treat diseases such as brain cancer or Alzheimer's.
See http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_731309.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.medicalbreakthroughs
Earth Science
Mysterious "Boing" Sound Identified in North PacificDec. 17 — A team of biologists recently identified the source of a mysterious marine sound that has been puzzling scientists for some 50 years, the Academic Press reported. U.S. Navy sonar operators discovered "boing" sound in the 1950s. Their theory was that an enemy submarine was making the sound. Based on the behavior of related whales, the researchers now believe the noise is the mating call of a male minke, said the article. Full story http://animal.discovery.com/news/briefs/200212/boingidentified.html
Scientist
wins means to pursue rain-making ambition
A British inventor has been given a government grant to develop a rain-making
machine. See http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_719937.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.inventions
Religion in the News
Seeking
not to offend, Bush's holiday season doesn't leave anyone out
"There's something for just about every faith at the White House this
holiday season," reports the Associated Press. "Over the course of 24
hours last week, President Bush helped light a menorah for Hanukkah and the
national Christmas tree and visited a mosque at the end of the Muslim holy month
of Ramadan."
Faith-based initiative gets major push, puts hiring decisions in organizations' hands, and goes international. See http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20021212/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush
Boston's
Cardinal Law resigns
"I am profoundly grateful to the Holy Father for having accepted my
resignation as Archbishop of Boston," Archbishop Bernard
Law of Boston
said in a statement
from the Vatican today. "It is my fervent prayer that this action may help
the Archdiocese of Boston to experience the healing, reconciliation and unity
which are so desperately needed. To all those who have suffered from my
shortcomings and mistakes I both apologize and from them beg forgiveness."
See http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/347/nation/Cardinal_Law_resigns+.shtml
Protestants aiding Voice of the Faithful: Protestant ministers have been opening their churches' doors to meetings of Voice of the Faithful, a lay organization seeking "reform" in the Roman Catholic Church that has been criticized by several Catholic leaders. See http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/342/metro/Ministers_reaching_out_to_Catholics+.shtml
Ousted
seminarian reportedly confesses to priest's murder
Roman Catholic priest William
Gulas was shot
to death, then burned, in his office at Cleveland's St.
Stanislaus Church. See http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1039602680180400.xml
Broken vows: A former Catholic priest speaks out about secrecy, scandal, and being gay in the church (The Boston Globe). See http://www.boston.com/globe/spotlight/abuse/stories3/120802_schiavone.htm
Newly released letters tell of Jesus calling Mother Teresa 'my little wife' | The letters she wrote to two priests, who acted as her spiritual mentors, also reveal that Mother Teresa suffered episodes of depression throughout her life in which she underwent grave crises of faith (The Scotsman). See http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1367572002
Missionaries
Flee Violence in Ivory Coast
Muslim
rebel attacks force school closures. David Miller, Compass Direct. See http://ChristianityToday.com/ct/2003/001/22.29.html
oys
Will Be Boys
A
new book by a leading Christian feminist scholar
inadvertently reveals the flawed assumptions
underlying much talk about "flexibility" in
gender roles. By John W. Miller. See http://ChristianityToday.com/ct/2002/148/11.0.html
PBS show to 'counter' perceptions of Islam | The two-hour documentary on the life of the prophet Muhammad is meant to help counter negative images of Muslims, according to its creators (The Washington Times). See http://www.washtimes.com/national/20021213-91496698.htm
Bipartisan furor builds over Lott's remarks | "Thoughtless, careless remarks like this can have a devastating impact" on evangelism efforts, says chairman of Franklin Graham Crusade (USA Today). See http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20021213/4699938s.htm
Temple
Square Face-off
Baptist
evangelist irks LDS, but court is on his side. By John W. Kennedy. See http://ChristianityToday.com/ct/2003/001/11.21.html
Mormons agree, again, to end posthumous baptisms of Jews | Agreement was apparently breached since it was made with Jewish leaders seven years ago (Associated Press). See http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/2/ap_wo_en_po/na_gen_us_baptizing_the_dead_2
Clean
Flicks, Illegal Flicks?
Hollywood
directors file suit against CleanFlicks. By Ted Olsen. See http://ChristianityToday.com/ct/2002/013/20.13.html
Fundamentalists Losing Favor with Public
WASHINGTON -- The American Family Association, a far right lobbying
group in Washington, released results from a recent survey that shows
mainstream Americans see evangelical Christians as one of the least
likable groups in the country. See http://www.datalounge.com/datalounge/news/record.html?record=20398
BBC Progran: Mary was no virgin | Firstly it looks at the possibility that she slept with Joseph while she was engaged to be married to him, secondly that she was raped by a Roman soldier, and thirdly that she fell pregnant to an unidentified man before marrying Joseph (The Sunday Herald, Scotland). See http://www.sundayherald.com/29816
New
Christian Allegory
Science-fiction
adventure novel Arena thrives with spiritual symbolism. Reviewed by
Cindy Crosby. http://ChristianityToday.com/ct/2002/013/44.63.html
Is there a God? Pair trade opinions | Many listen to the debate, but few seem to have changed their minds (Sacramento Bee). See http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/5525008p-6504124c.html
Voyage into the unknown | Hiding behind the comfort of belief are destructive forces. (David Bryant, The Guardian, London). See http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,856393,00.html
Heritage
alert as 1,000 churches face closure | Britain is facing a loss of church
buildings second only to that which took place in the Reformation, a report has
said (The Times, London). See http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-507644,00.html
U.S.
Samaritans send Christmas gifts | The world's largest cargo plane will next
week jet into Entebbe loaded with the biggest Christmas gift to have ever come
into the country (New Vision, Kampala, Uganda)
See http://allafrica.com/stories/200212090415.html
Science in the News
Scientists
exposed as sloppy reporters
A cunning statistical study reveals that many scientists do not read the papers
they cite as references in their published work. See
Creation/Evolution
Ousted creationist sues over website: A Tennessee creationist is suing the operators of a popular physics website that refused to publish his alternative Big Bang hypothesis. Robert Gentry, a lifelong Seventh-Day Adventist, filed the suit in the district court at Knoxville, Tennessee, against the operators of the arXiv preprint server, claiming that they refused a series of ten of his papers because of their religious content. Counsel representing the chief defendant, Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, says the claims have no merit and that the university has the right to choose what appears on the site. (Must register) See http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nature/journal/v420/n6916/full/420597b_fs.html
Ohio Strengthens Teaching of Evolution
The state school board unanimously approved on Tuesday
standards that more strongly advocate the teaching of
evolution while letting students fully criticize the
legitimacy of the theory. See
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/12/education/12EVOL.html?todaysheadlines
An Open Letter to the Ohio Citizens for Science from Eugenie C. Scott http://www.ncseweb.org/resources/news/2002/ZZ/406_an_open_letter_to_the_ohio_cit_12_13_2002.asp
Religion and Darwin: The fact is that religion mutates with Darwinian restlessness. See http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2002/02/lester.htm
A
God of Math and Order
The new science rode in on the shoulders of new theological
ideas. by Peter Harrison
The
Monkey Trial
The first "trial of the century" revealed a great
divide
separating American Christians. by David Goetz
SEARCHING FOR YOUR INNER CHIMP
Natural History, December 2002 - January 2003
by Carl Zimmer. In the past decade, as molecular biologists have learned to read
DNA
sequences rapidly, the chimpanzee has clearly emerged as humanity's
closest living relative. Our DNA is astonishingly similar. You can see
for yourself by visiting the "Silver Project" Web site of Japan's
National Institute of Genetics (sayer.lab.nig.ac.jp/~silver/), http://www.carlzimmer.com/articles/2002/articles_2002_6.html
Targeted
Comparative Sequencing Illuminates Vertebrate Evolution
This technique may revolutionize the model species concept. See http://www.the-scientist.com/yr2002/dec/research3_021209.html
Revolutionary New Theory For Origins Of Life On Earth
London - Dec 12, 2002 - A totally new and highly controversial theory on the
origin of life on earth, is set to cause a storm in the science world and has
implications for the existence of life on other planets. See http://www.spacedaily.com/news/life-02zzc.html
Archaeology/Anthropology
Archaeology - politics (12 Dec) - Human bones, pieces of skin and bits of hair tucked away in museum display cases and vaults have become the subject of ferocious political battles. Many of these human remains were collected in the nineteenth century, when Western colonial expansion was at its height and there was a lust for scientific enquiry. Today, there are demands that these bones be returned to indigenous groups for reburial. See http://www.spiked-online.com/articles/00000006DB8A.htm
The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey: By analyzing DNA from people in all regions of the world, geneticist Spencer Wells has concluded that all humans alive today are descended from a single man who lived in Africa around 60,000 years ago. See http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/12/1212_021213_journeyofman.html
Astronomy
Mars Odyssey: The latest results from Mars Odyssey are being
released this week,
including evidence of massive amounts of water ice in the soil near Mars'
north polar cap, even more than previously found in the South. Take a
drink at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/2002/release_2002_221.cfm
,
Odyssey at http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/odyssey/
Global Flooding on Mars: The bombardment of comets and asteroids on
early Mars may have caused
cycles of rain that led to global flooding and the formation of Mars' river
valleys and other water-sculpted landscapes. The argument is that the
period when large comets and asteroids struck Mars appears to correlate
with the formation of ancient rivers. Se http://amesnews.arc.nasa.gov/releases/2002/02_126AR.html
Jupiter's Moon: Galileo data suggests that Jupiter's potato-shaped
inner moon, named
Amalthea, appears to have a very low density, indicating it is full of holes.
Cheesy story at
ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/2002/02-237a.txt
, Galileo at
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/
Above and Beyond:Universal classifier detects bacteria in space--and on the homeland | By A.J.S. Rayl. See http://www.the-scientist.com/yr2002/dec/rayl_p26_021209.html
First Images Of Earth's Plasma Sheet
San Antonio - Dec 12, 2002 - Observations led by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI)
using NASA's Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE)
spacecraft may lead to a new, critical technique for monitoring and predicting
space weather. See http://www.spacedaily.com/news/earth-02zj.html
Genesis' First Year A Success
San Francisco - Dec 10, 2002 - As scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory
begin analysis of first-year data from the solar wind probe Genesis they have
determined the spacecraft is working so well that they are considering
possibilities for research beyond the planned 2004 mission completion date.
Three of Genesis' instruments were designed and built at Los Alamos. See http://www.spacedaily.com/news/genesis-02a.html
Biology
The Biological Basis of the Placebo Effect: Therapist-patient interaction activates the endogenous opioid systems. See http://www.the-scientist.com/yr2002/dec/research_021209.html
Stanford may clone human embryos | New Center's Work Could Have Big Impact (The Washington Post). See http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37453-2002Dec10.html
Earth Science
Earth's
volcanism linked to meteorite impacts
Gigantic meteorites may punch straight through the crust and cause massive lava
surges that obliterate the crater, controversial new work suggests. See http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993171
Psychology
MRI May Give Early Warning of Mental Illness: Dec. 10 — A hi-tech scanner may give early warning to people who are at high risk of schizophrenia and other psychotic illnesses, according to a study published online on Tuesday by The Lancet, the British medical publication.See http://health.discovery.com/news/afp/20021209/psychosis.html
Fear (13 Dec) - Researchers have discovered the first genetic component of a biochemical pathway in the brain that governs the indelible imprinting of fear-related experiences in memory. See http://www.hhmi.org/news/kandel3.html
Schizophrenia (13 Dec) - The long search for a gene that helps cause schizophrenia may at last be bearing fruit after many false starts and disappointments, scientists are reporting. An errant gene first implicated among schizophrenic patients in Iceland has now turned up in a survey of Scottish patients, too, giving a clear confirmation of the earlier result. See http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/13/national/13GENE.html
Psychology of happiness (8 Dec) - The happiest people surround themselves with family and friends, don't care about keeping up with the Joneses next door, lose themselves in daily activities and, most important, forgive easily. See http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2002-12-08-happy-main_x.htm
Stress - Bruce McEwen is a pioneering expert on the ways in which the brain influences the body. He is the author of "The End of Stress As We Know It" (with Elizabeth Norton Lasley, published by Joseph Henry Press). The book examines the response of the body to stress, what happens when the body's stress response turns against us, and how to keep that from happening. See http://discover.npr.org/features/feature.jhtml?wfId=864895
Domestic violence (8 Dec) - A new study suggests that the way abusive men try to manage stress in their relationships and other parts of their lives may be associated with their violent outbursts. See http://www.osu.edu/researchnews/archive/violstres.htm
Music - neuroscience (12 Dec) - Researchers at Dartmouth are getting closer to understanding how some melodies have a tendency to stick in your head or why hearing a particular song can bring back a high school dance. They have found and mapped the area in your brain that processes and tracks music. It's a place that's also active during reasoning and memory retrieval. See http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2002-12/dc-miy120902.php
Religion in the News
Nigerian Riots: Last week in Nigeria…Muslims destroyed churches and beat and murdered Christians. Yet in many of the press accounts, there was no mention of who started the violence (Muslims), and who the victims were (Christians). See http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2002/147/31.0.html
An Islamic Reformation: What's going on in Iran today is precisely the war of ideas within Islam that is the most important war of all (Thomas L. Friedman, The New York Times). See http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/04/opinion/04FRIE.html
Police
Arrest Indian Christians Over Dalit Conversion
Low-caste
Indians reject Hinduism, turn to Christianity or Buddhism.
By Joshua Newton in Chennai, India. See http://ChristianityToday.com/ct/2002/147/53.0.html
Boston Documents Show Failure to Oust Accused Priests
Hundreds of pages of church documents show that officials of
the Boston Archdiocese allowed priests accused of abuse to
remain in ministry. See
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/04/national/04PRIE.html?todaysheadlines
Mother Teresa on fast track for sainthood: On December 20, the Pope is expected to announce the exact date of Mother Teresa's beatification next year (BBC). See http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2529471.stm
Religious conversion: Charles University's Catholic Theological Faculty opens program to women (The Prague Post). See http://www.praguepost.com/P03/2002/Art/1204/news1.php
DiIulio:
Bush governs by politics rather than principle
John
J. DiIulio Jr, former
head of the White
House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, says his former boss
has been ineffective
and lacks principle. See http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A62270-2002Dec2.html
Then John
DiIulio apologizes for "Mayberry Machiavellis" comment. Twice.
Owner of parody Web sites heads to court: Judge Norman K. Moon will hear arguments for the dismissal of Falwell's suit, which claims the parody sites www.jerryfalwell.com and www.jerryfallwell.com are an illegal use of Falwell's trademark, libelous, unfair competition and cybersquatting (The News & Advance, Lynchburg, Va.). See http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-sou--falwell-website1126nov26,0,4860265.story?%2Dheadlines%2Dvirginia
Head of Parents Television Council fired, allegedly for prayer
After just three months as executive director of the watchdog group Parents
Television Council, Dennis Mansfield has been fired. He tells The
Idaho Statesman it was because of "Jesus."
Mormon scholar predicts his expulsion: Thomas W. Murphy, 35, published an article in the May Signature Books anthology "American Apocrypha," which uses genetic data to discredit the Book of Mormon claim that American Indians are heathen descendants of ancient Israel (Associated Press). See http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/education/134586805_mormon30m.html
Myth at the multiplex : Lord of the Rings, Tolkien poured Christian values into a pagan world (John J. Miller, The Wall Street Journal). See http://www.opinionjournal.com/taste/?id=110002732
The
Ultimate Language Lesson
Teaching
English may well be the 21st century's most promising way to take the Good News
to the world.
By Agnieszka Tennant. See http://ChristianityToday.com/ct/2002/013/1.32.html
Florida atheists challenge angels on lawn of City Hall: City Council votes unanimously to keep the display (The Washington Times). See http://www.washtimes.com/national/20021205-441042.htm
The History of Christmas: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03724b.htm
Science in the News
Bigfoot Legend Creator Dies; Family Calls Bigfoot A Hoax: Ray Wallace, who started one of the most notorious myths of our time -- the legend of Bigfoot -- has died. Wallace died of heart failure Nov. 26 at a Washington state nursing home, at the age of 84. Wallace's family feels that they can finally reveal the truth: Wallace made up Bigfoot. Wallace, a native of Clarksdale, Mo., used photos, footprints, and Sasquatch sightings that convinced some people that Bigfoot was real. But his family says it was all a hoax. His family says Wallace asked a friend to carve 16-inch feet, then he and his brother wore them to create huge tracks on the ground at his California construction company in 1958. That led The Humboldt Times to coin the term "Bigfoot" on its front page. His nephew Dale Wallace still has those "Bigfoot" fake feet. Pictures and more of the story at http://www.nbc4.tv/irresistible/1823767/detail.html
Creation/Evolution
Phillip
Johnson Interview
Asking
the right questions is at the heart of the evolution debate. See http://ChristianityToday.com/ct/2002/147/22.0.html
Feedback From Kent Hovind Article by AIG: See http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/feedback/negative_02December2002.asp?srcFrom=aignews
Creation/Evolution Journal Online: This publication was first started
by the American Humanist Association in 1980, and was the first to devote itself
entirely to the creation/evolution
controversy. In 1991 NCSE was invited to purchase C&E from the AHA,
and until 1996 continued to published both it and its own NCSE Reports.
After five years of producing both publications they were combined into
Reports of the National Center for Science Education. See http://ncseweb.org/article.asp?category=16
Icons of Evolution Critique: Many of you sent us (NCSE) emails after
we posted our critique of Icons of Evolution by Jonathan Wells to let us know
the content was not printable because of the
way the pages had been coded. That problem has now been fixed and the complete
content of the critique can be printed from the individual pages. Please feel
free to distribute this document as you wish. See http://www.ncseweb.org/icons
Revolutionary
New Theory For Origins Of Life On Earth
A totally new and highly controversial theory on the origin of life on earth, is
set to cause a storm in the science world and has implications for the existence
of life on other planets. See http://sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/12/021204080856.htm
The glue that broke flying dinosaur's back | Once hailed as a missing link, forgery is found to be mosaic of fossils from Microraptor and a bird (Los Angeles Times). See http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-fossil2dec02,0,4432678.story?coll=la%2Dheadlines%2Dnation
Pow! Splat! Take that, you Darwin disparagers! | School boards have found creative ways to smuggle creationism into the classroom, even in a comic book (The New York Times). See http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/30/arts/30TANK.html
Survival of the slickest | How anti-evolutionists are mutating their message (Chris Mooney, The American Prospect). See http://www.prospect.org/print/V13/22/mooney-c.html
Archaeology/Anthropology
NEW BOOK - "THE EXODUS CASE"
"The Exodus Case" is the
print version of the research that the video "The Exodus Revealed"
which is
based upon Ron Wyatt's discoveries. Wyatt's claims have never been substantiated
by archaeologists. A good book that refutes Wyatt is Holy Relics or
Revelation by Russell and Colin Standish. See http://www.csicop.org/bibliography/display.cgi/634
BBC1
Program on Moses
In 'Moses', the latest scientific evidence is combined with state-of-the-art
computer graphics and dramatic reconstructions to reveal the sensational truths
that lie at the heart of the Moses story.There is also an accompanying website
with behind the scenes stories, computer graphics video clips, history and much
more.
See http://www.bbc.co.uk/moses
Experts question authenticity of bone box for `Brother of Jesus' | Some see differences in the handwriting (The New York Times). See http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/03/science/social/03JAME.html More on the debate at www.bibleinterp.com also http://www.bib-arch.org/bswbbreakingV.html
Oldest American writing (6 Dec) - Archaeologists may have found the oldest example of writing from the Americas. The find gives clues to how the ancient civilizations of Central America developed, they say. Others dispute that the objects discovered bear writing. See http://www.nature.com/nsu/021202/021202-13.html
Oldest American Skulls (4 Dec) - Tests on skulls found in Mexico suggest they are almost 13,000 years old - and shed fresh light on how humans colonized the Americas. See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2538323.stm
Astronomy
New Research Belies Previous Idea That Mars Was Once Warm, Wet Planet :A new study led by University of Colorado at Boulder researchers indicates Mars has been primarily a cold, dry planet following its formation some 4 billion years ago, making the possibility of the evolution of life there challenging at best. See http://sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/12/021206074940.htm
Hubble
Makes Precise Measure Of Extrasolar World's True Mass
NASA Hubble Space Telescope's crisp view has allowed an international team of
astronomers to apply a previously unproven technique (astrometry) for making a
precise measurement of the mass of a planet outside our solar system. The Hubble
results place the planet at 1.89 to 2.4 times the mass of Jupiter. See http://sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/12/021205084515.htm
How
Small Are Small Stars Really? VLT Interferometer Measures The Size Of Proxima
Centauri And Other Nearby Stars
At a distance of only 4.2 light-years, Proxima Centauri is the nearest star to
the Sun currently known. It is visible as an 11-magnitude object in the southern
constellation of Centaurus and is the faintest member of a triple system,
together with Alpha Centauri, the brightest (double) star in this constellation.
From its spectrum, Proxima Centauri (PR Photo 27a/02) is classified as a
"late M-dwarf star". Such stars are among the smallest and faintest,
but also the most numerous in our Milky Way galaxy. In the case of Proxima
Centauri, both the mass and the diameter are about 1/7 of those of the Sun.
Contrarily, while it is 150 times more massive than Jupiter, it is only about
1.5 times larger than that planet. See http://sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/12/021204082258.htm
From Darwin To Internet At The Speed Of Light
Paris - Dec 2, 2002 - Internet traffic jams may become history if ESA succeeds
in developing new technology to see nearby Earth-sized planets. See http://www.spacedaily.com/news/internet-02n.html
Biology
Infant rat heads grafted onto adults’ thighs
Infant rats are being decapitated and their heads grafted onto the
thighs of adults by researchers in Japan. If kept cool during the
operation, a transplanted brain can develop as normal for at least
three weeks. The mouth of the head will move, as if it is trying to
drink milk, the team reports.
The researchers claim the grafted heads could be “excellent models”
for brain damage suffered by human babies. But other experts are far
from convinced by the grisly technique. Read the full story on NewScientist.com
at: http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993135
Investigators Find Repeated Deception in Ads for Drugs
Some companies have repeatedly disseminated misleading
advertisements for prescription drugs, even after being
cited for violations.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/04/health/04DRUG.html?todaysheadlines
Study Suggests Mercury in Vaccine Was Not Harmful
A groundbreaking study of infants who received vaccines
containing a mercury-based preservative has found that the
levels of mercury in their blood were well within federal
safety limits.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/04/health/04VACC.html?todaysheadlines
Caught
Sleeping: Study Captures Virus Dormant In Human Cells; Cytomegalovirus, Hidden
In Most People, Begins To Give Up Secrets Of Its Stealth
Princeton scientists have taken an important step toward understanding a virus
that infects and lies dormant in most people, but emerges as a serious illness
in transplant patients, some newborns and other people with weakened immune
systems. See http://sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/12/021205084431.htm
Grape
Seed Extract Help Speed Up Wound Recovery, Study Suggests
Grape-seed extract may help skin wounds heal faster and with less scarring, a
new study suggests. The extract seemed to aid wound healing in two ways: It
helped the body make more of a compound used to regenerate damaged blood
vessels, and it also increased the amount of free radicals in the wound site.
See http://sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/12/021204081709.htm
Mouse to Man (3 Dec) - Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have bred a mouse to model human L1 retrotransposons, the so-called "jumping genes." Retrotransposons are small stretches of DNA that are copied from one location in the genome and inserted elsewhere, typically during the genesis of sperm and egg cells. See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2536501.stm
Researchers
Begin To Unlock Genetic Mysteries Of Down Syndrome
One of the most common genetic abnormalities is Down syndrome, which occurs when
a person inherits three copies of chromosome 21 instead of the normal complement
of two. Although the association has long been known, no one understands how the
extra genetic material produces the syndrome, which is the most common genetic
cause of mental retardation. See http://sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/12/021205083700.htm
Neurotheology (3 Dec) - Neuroscientist Rhawn Joseph has spent years studying history, myth and biology in his quest to understand the universality of spiritual experience and its evolutionary function. In his studies of the brains of Tibetan monks and Franciscan nuns, radiologist Andrew Newberg seeks out the relationship between neural activity and mystical experience. Both men believe that the connection between the brain and spirituality suggests that there is a physiological basis for religion -- that human beings, in essence, are hard-wired for God. See http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-5/103889954795810.xml
Earth Science
Key To Global Warming Prediction Within Reach
Boston - Dec 2, 2002 - The search for a Holy Grail of climate science may be
nearing an end, if an MIT-led project is launched by NASA to measure soil
moisture -- data needed to predict global change, assess global warming and
support the Kyoto Protocol. See http://www.spacedaily.com/news/greenhouse-02n.html
Climate
Change Surprise: High Carbon Dioxide Levels Can Retard Plant Growth, Study
Reveals
Writing in the journal Science, Stanford University researchers concluded that
elevated atmospheric CO2 actually reduces plant growth when combined with other
likely consequences of climate change – namely, higher temperatures, increased
precipitation or increased nitrogen deposits in the soil. See http://sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/12/021206075233.htm
Psychology
UCLA
Study Names 10 Keys To Recovery From Schizophrenia
UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute researchers have identified 10 key factors to
recovery from schizophrenia. The findings open opportunities to develop new
treatment and rehabilitation programs and to reshape the negative expectations
of many doctors, patients and their families.
Technology
Toyota, Honda Launch World's First Commercial Use Of Fuel-Cell Cars
Tokyo (AFP) Dec 02, 2002 - The world's first commercial use of fuel-cell cars
began Monday with the lease by Japanese auto giants Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda
Motor Co. Ltd. of their environmentally friendly vehicles to the Japanese
government. See http://www.spacedaily.com/2002/021202102937.38u0nunx.html
Japan's Denso Develops World's First Carbon Dioxide Air Con For Cars
Tokyo (AFP) Dec 04, 2002 - Japan's top car parts maker Denso Corp. said
Wednesday it has developed with Toyota Motor Corp. the world's first air
conditioner for cars using carbon dioxide, which is kinder on the environment.
See http://www.spacedaily.com/2002/021204065123.7v5mu33v.html
New Research: Against All Odds, Plutonium Is Latest Superconductor
Gainesville - Dec 2, 2002 - Scientists have discovered superconductivity in a
most unlikely place: the highly radioactive element used to make nuclear
weapons. In an article set to appear Thursday in the journal Nature, a group of
researchers, including a University of Florida physicist, report discovering a
plutonium-based electrical superconductor. See http://www.spacedaily.com/news/materials-02zu.html
Religion in the News
Gwen
Shamblin's New Jerusalem
Remnant
Fellowship grows, but critics see 'graceless legalism.' By John W. Kennedy.
See http://ChristianityToday.com/ct/2002/013/6.15.html
'VeggieTales' to sprout another movie | Unlike "Jonah," "Bob and "Larry" won't feature an overtly religious yarn (Reuters). See http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=579&e=5&cid=638&u=/nm/20021126/en_nm/film_veggietales_dc
Eat,
Drink, and Relax
Think the Pilgrims would frown on today's football-tossing, turkey-gobbling
Thanksgiving festivities? Maybe not. by Elesha Coffman. See http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2001/147/31.0.html
Trickle-Down
Evangelism: The earliest missionaries to China started with the elite.
by Ralph R. Covell. See http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/52h/52h024.html
Ask
Christian History
Was the phrase "he descended into hell" always part of the
Apostles' Creed, or was it introduced later? And how have
Christians interpreted it over time? by Steven Gertz. See http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/features/ask/2002/nov15.html
Did
You Know?
Interesting and unusual facts about Christians in the scientific revolution. by
Chris Armstrong. See http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/2002/004/16.2.html
Science in the News
Wolpe and Richardson on placebo effect and science and the spiritual quest
12/4 and 12/11 at the Metanexus Institute:
Dr. Wolpe¹s talk on Wednesday, December 4 will be "Everything is a Placebo
Effect: Science, Medicine, and Ways of Knowing." On Wednesday,
December 11,
Dr. Richardson will speak on ³Science and the Spiritual Quest: Does the
Relationship Matter?² Both talks will take place at the Metanexus Institute,
3624 Market Street, Suite 301, in Philadelphia at 5:30 PM. The talks,
which
are part of the Fall Lecture Series, are open to the public. They are
sponsored by the Philadelphia Center, the regional educational and outreach
program of the Metanexus Institute. See http://www.metanexus.net
Creation/Evolution
Geneticists Track More of Earliest Humans' First Itineraries
By NICHOLAS WADE. COLD SPRING HARBOR, N.Y. ‹ Through the wizardry of modern
genetics, it is
possible to reconstruct the travels of the earliest humans as they moved out
from their ancestral home in northeast Africa and spread around the globe.
More details of these historic itineraries emerge each year. See http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/12/science/social/12ORIG.html
cultured? They exhibit human-like behaviour, but should they join the Royal Society,
asks Roger Highfield. See http://www.telegraph.co.uk/connected/main.jhtml?xml=/connected/2002/10/31/e
Novel Method of Creating New Species Observed in Laboratory Yeast. See http://www.uh.edu/admin/media/nr/2002/112002/yeast11272002.html
Archaeology/Anthropology
Scholars debate small box's reference to Jesus | Authenticity of inscription on ossuary is questioned (The Baltimore Sun). See http://www.sunspot.net/news/nationworld/bal-te.ossuary25nov25,0,2350420.story?coll=bal%2Dnews%2Dnation
Experts disagree about authenticity of ossuary | Toronto attracts international academics for hot debate on origin of limestone box (The Globe and Mail, Toronto). See http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/PEstory/TGAM/20021125/UBIBLN/national/national/national_temp/1/1/9/
Lexington man helps explain James Box | Ossuary may be link to Jesus Christ (Lexington [Ky.] Herald-Leader). See http://www.kentucky.com/mld/heraldleader/news/local/4588090.htm
8 Roman Witnesses to Jesus: See http://www.uncc.edu/jdtabor/saw.html
Wandering
around in Egyptian history
Gaston Maspero, the first director of Egypt's national storehouse of ancient
treasures, is said to have believed his museum should resemble pharaohs' tombs -
crowded with paintings and statues, furniture and jewelry. See http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/nation/4621823.htm
Envelopes used 4000 years ago
Love letters encased in mud envelopes found at Kültepe-Kaniþ Tumulus
show that little has changed in four millennia. See http://www.ntvmsnbc.com/news/190319.asp?cp1=1
Archaeology - Aubrey Manning visits the Meadowcroft Rock Shelter near Pittsburgh to examine evidence that there were humans in North America 14,000 years ago, earlier than anyone thought possible. But how did they get there? Over the ice from the North-West or even across the Atlantic Ocean from the East? See http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/unearthingmysteries.shtml
Astronomy
Big Planets Form in Hundreds of Years, Not Millions
Thu Nov 28, By Deborah Zabarenko: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Astronomers unveiled a
quick new recipe for creating big planets, using high-powered supercomputer
calculations to show these gassy giants could form in hundreds of years, instead
of millions. See http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=585&e=2&cid=585&u=/nm/20021128/sc_nm/space_planets_dc
Do you believe in the Big Bang? 5 Reasons you should: 1. The darkness of the night sky, Olber's Paradox. 2.The expanding universe. 3. Cosmic microwave radiation. 4. The abundance of light elements. 5. The evolution of stars. See Astronomy Magazine's feature article in December issue. See www.astronomy.com
Birth of the
Universe: Scientists have recreated a temperature not seen since the first
microsecond of the birth of the universe and found that the event did not
unfold quite the way they expected. See
http://www.rochester.edu/pr/News/NewsReleases/latest/manly-quark.html
Exploring the Cosmic
Microwave Background
Astronomers use a variety of instruments to study the signature of the Big
Bang.
by Maggie McKee, Vanessa Thomas. See http://www.astronomy.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/001/041yhlel.asp
Unveiling the Flat
Universe
New observations of the cosmic microwave background suggest that the
universe is flat and will expand forever at an accelerating rate. by Diana
Steele. See http://www.astronomy.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/000/083dsscy.asp
Black Hole: A nearby black hole is hurtling like a cannonball
through the disk of our galaxy. The detection of this speed demon is the
best evidence yet, some astronomers say, that stellar-mass black holes --
those that are several times as massive as the Earth's Sun -- are created
when a dying, massive star explodes in a violent supernova. Hubble results
at http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/2002/30/
X-ray Glow From Clusters Of Galaxies Confirms Evidence Of Missing Matter
Huntsville - Nov 26, 2002 - The spectral glow of an oxygen isotope from
three clusters of galaxies might be proof that hot gases there account for a
large fraction of the previously unseen matter in the universe. See http://www.spacedaily.com/news/darkmatter-02e.html
Firm
plans to fly first private moon mission
A California company plans to fly the world's first private mission to the moon
next year, delivering messages, business cards and cremated remains for a fee.
See http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/nation/4627119.htm
Biology
Stem Cell Mixing May Form a Human-Mouse Hybrid
Some biologists argue that the best way to test stem cells
for their usefulness in treating diseases is to see how
they work in a living animal, such as a human-mouse hybrid.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/27/science/27CELL.html?todaysheadlines
Human
clone due in weeks, Italian says
The world's first human clone should be born in about seven weeks, a
controversial Italian gynecologist said at a news conference here yesterday. See
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/nation/4612954.htm
'Dolly' scientist embryo bid: Scientists "fooled" cells into
dividing.
The man who led the team which created Dolly the sheep has applied to use
cloning technology to create human embryos. See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2510055.stm
Sense and sensibility
For centuries, science and philosophy have grappled with the mystery of our
inner life. But, argues David Lodge, it is literature that has provided the
most accurate record of human consciousness. See http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,12084,823955,00.html
Synaesthesia - As many as one in 2000 people has an extraordinary condition in which the five senses intermingle. This major two part series reveals how synaesthesia is changing our understanding of the world of neuroscience. See http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/hearingcolours.shtml
Aging (27 Nov) - New research suggests that changes in less than 1% of our genes are responsible for the ageing process. See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2521243.stm
Earth Science
Two-Billion-Year-Old Surprise Found Beneath The Azores
Bristol - Nov 26, 2002 - Geologists may have to revise their ideas about
what goes on in the Earth's interior, following the publication today of new
research in the journal Nature. See http://www.spacedaily.com/news/early-earth-02h.html
Seismic History Suggests Big Quakes Impending in California
Menlo Park - Nov 25, 2002 - An in-depth analysis of major long-term research
on the San Andreas fault indicates that parts of the fault are likely to
experience a major temblor sooner than previously believed, including the
section near Palm Springs and the San Bernardino-Riverside areas, and the
Hayward fault in the Bay Area. See http://www.spacedaily.com/news/tectonics-02p.html
Arctic Sea Ice Could Be Gone By End Of The Century
Greenbelt - Nov 29, 2002 - A NASA study finds that perennial sea ice in the
Arctic is melting faster than previously thought -- at a rate of 9 percent per
decade. If these melting rates continue for a few more decades, the perennial
sea ice will likely disappear entirely within this century, due to rising
temperatures and interactions between ice, ocean and the atmosphere that
accelerate the melting process. See http://www.spacedaily.com/news/iceage-02e.html
Dirt, The Final Frontier
Paris (AFP) Nov 28, 2002 - An international team of scientists announced
Thursday they would go below ground in seven tropical countries to find out more
about "minibeasts" -- minute soil creatures believed to the largest
untapped source of life on Earth. See http://www.spacedaily.com/2002/021128144541.mwjv6l5m.html
Technology
NASA Breakthrough Method May Lead To Smaller Electronics
Moffett Field - Nov 26, 2002 - NASA scientists have invented a breakthrough
biological method to make ultra-small structures that may well be used to
produce electronics 10 to 100 times smaller than today's components. See http://www.spacedaily.com/news/chip-tech-02k.html
Zoology
Primatology (26 Nov) - A secret population of orang-utans has been discovered in the forests of the island of Borneo. Conservationists believe about 2,000 rare apes are living out of sight in a remote lowland region of East Kalimantan. See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2510803.stm
French Creek Mines
The Institute for Biblical and Scientific Studies, a non-profit, tax-exempt organization, has a great opportunity to save the French Creek Mines in St. Peters, PA from destruction by land developers. The French Creek Mines are famous for their unusual mineral specimens. We want to preserve and restore the mines. The mine shaft itself would remain buried. We would restore the old railroad station as a museum with mineral displays from these mines. The cost of the property is $85,000. We can obtain half of this money with easement grants, but we still need to raise at least another $40,000 before the property is sold to others. There may be some that could give a donation for a tax write off to help us save the mine. If you know anyone that might be interested in helping us out financially to save the French Creek Mines, please let me know. You can contact me by e-mail at ibss1@aol.com.You can see pictures of the mines at http://bibleandscience.com/french_creek_mines.htm .
Spanish translation of Bible and Science now available: http://bibleandscience.com/spanish.htm.
I want to thank Felipe,
a biochemist from Chile, South America with Corporación Cristiana Anabaptista
"Puerta del Rebaño"
http://www.puertachile.cl, for his
translation of my article.
Religion in the News
The Teachings of Bill Gothard discussed live on the internet tonight at 10 CST by Don Venoit. See http://www.kfuo.org/Issues_Main_page.htm
Black
churches lost millions in scam, SEC says
Abraham L. Kennard cast himself as an entrepreneurial man of God, out to raise
big bucks for his brethren, that they might better spread the Word. For about 40
black churches in this area and more than a thousand others across the country,
Kennard seemed a godsend. But federal regulators contend that Kennard, 44, is an
ex-con who traded on race and faith in an $8.7 million "affinity
fraud" that mostly targeted African American churches. See http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/4595981.htm
Murder
in Lebanon: Are Falwell and Robertson to blame?
More details are emerging about the death of the American missionary killed in
Lebanon yesterday, although such key facts as her actual name are still disputed.
See http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/22/international/middleeast/22LEBA.html
and http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2002/145/51.0.html
Making
mileage a matter of morality
A group of religious leaders came to the Motor City yesterday with a proposition
for U.S. automakers: Start producing vehicles that are kinder to God's creation,
and we will urge the faithful to buy them. See http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/nation/4567878.htm
Puritans' dilemma revisited | How did a fanatical search for truth give us religious tolerance? (Julia Vitullo-Martin, The Wall Street Journal). See http://www.opinionjournal.com/taste/?id=110002670
Evangelical
Christians a rising force in Brazil
In this nation with the world's largest Roman Catholic population, evangelical
Christians are growing in record numbers and starting to flex their muscles in
Brazilian politics. See http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/nation/4567903.htm
Alabama
Chief Justice Roy Moore loses Ten Commandments case
It's not whether the Ten Commandments are posted in a courthouse that matters,
U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson ruled
yesterday in an eagerly awaited decision. It's how
they're posted. See http://www.religionwriters.com/public/tips/111802/111802b.html
Evangelical
Theological Society Moves Against Open Theists
Membership
of Pinnock and Sanders challenged by due process. By Doug Koop. See http://ChristianityToday.com/ct/2002/145/54.0.html
Afraid you'll be left behind? | Though he writes from a Catholic perspective, Paul Thigpen, an ex-Pentecostal and former editor of Charisma magazine, takes care to demonstrate in The Rapture Trap how none of the leaders of the Reformation believed in the Rapture (Rod Dreher, National Review Online). See http://www.nationalreview.com/dreher/dreher111802.asp
Wall
Watchers Admits Error in Ministry Critique
In
addition, three other organizations removed from group's Transparency Watch
list. By Todd Hertz. See http://ChristianityToday.com/ct/2002/145/52.0.html
2012:
A School Odyssey
Baylor
strives to go where no Christian university has gone before--in ten years. by
Randall Balmer. See http://ChristianityToday.com/ct/2002/012/5.62.html
Save the Earth, Not Just Souls
http://www.emagazine.com/november-december_2002/1102eword.html
http://www.emagazine.com/november-december_2002/1102feat1.html
Miracle or fake? Weeping statue probe starts | Scientists from two Perth universities have already tested the 70cm sculpture, but were unable to find the source of the rose-scented oil that trickles from its eyes (The Age, Melbourne, Australia). See http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/11/22/1037697864831.html
How
Computer Nerds Describe God
The
founding editor of Wired magazine explains his mission to talk about
faith using the vocabulary and logic of science. An interview with
Kevin Kelly. See http://ChristianityToday.com/ct/2002/145/31.0.html
Science in the News
Creation/Evolution
Icons of Evolution: NCSE is pleased to announce that its extensive
critique of Jonathan
Wells's Icons of Evolution -- "ICONS OF EVOLUTION? Why much of what
Jonathan Wells writes about evolution is wrong" -- is now available at
http://www.ncseweb.org/icons
Hovind vs. Weisenberg Debate at Temple University on November 12, 20002. For a summary of the debate CLICK HERE or see http://bibleandscience.com/hovinddebate.htm#Temple .
What comes naturally | Does evolution explain who we are? (Louis Menand, The New Yorker). See http://www.newyorker.com/critics/books/?021125crbo_books
Man & Dog. (21 Nov) - Dogs today come in all shapes and sizes, but scientists believe they evolved from just a handful of wolves tamed by humans living in or near China less than 15,000 years ago. See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2498669.stm
Genetics (18 Nov) - Scientists have identified the first "master" molecule in the cell nucleus that controls the action of hundreds of different genes at once through its action on enzymes. The broad-acting molecule affects enzymes that restructure chromosomes, exposing genes to proteins that can then trigger key gene processes, including the start of protein production and copying and repairing of genes. See http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2002-11/uoc--si111802.php
Darwin In the Genome: As evidence builds up from studies of the genomes of various species, it's beginning to seem that mutations aren't always random: they occur more often in some genes than in others. Genes that make proteins involved in the simple chores of cellular housekeeping can be virtually identical in widely different species. But those that may give a selective edge - such as those coding for the toxins used by predatory sea snails to catch their prey - change rapidly from generation to generation. In Darwin in the Genome, Lynn Caporale explains the many ways that organisms shuffle the DNA pack to deal a winning hand. The nomadic chunks of DNA known as transposons and even the repeat sequences once dismissed as "junk" now seem to be mechanisms for generating this genetic variety, she says. Caporale, a biotechnology consultant working in New York, subtitles her book "Molecular strategies in biological evolution", but rejects any suggestion that its contents undermine classical Darwinian theory. The term "strategy" is not used to imply that the process is driven by a preordained plan, as creationists would argue. Rather, she says, it is used to indicate mechanisms that "have the effect of anticipating and responding to challenges and opportunities that continue to emerge in the environment". See http://www.newscientist.com/opinion/opbooks.jsp?id=ns237022
Epicurus'--and
Darwin's-- Dangerous Idea
How
we became hedonists. By Richard Weikart. See http://ChristianityToday.com/ct/2002/145/11.0.html
Archaeology/Anthropology
Damage
to James ossuary helps authenticate age
The James ossuary, which may be the oldest extratextual evidence of Jesus'
existence, went
on display in Toronto Friday. The cracks that appeared during shipment from
Tel Aviv have been repaired—and
have led to more evidence that it's as old as archaeologists say it is. Fossils
of plant roots and bacterial staining were found in the cracks, and officials at
the Royal Ontario Museum also discovered a carved funereal rosette with flecks
of red paint, common decorations on bone boxes between A.D. 50 and A.D. 70. As
for recent naysaying, archeologist Ed Keall says it's
clearly untrue that the phrase "brother of Jesus" was added long
after the original inscription. "I'm convinced that all of the criticisms
voiced by people who have only photographs are without substance," he told
a news conference. See http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/PEstory/national/national/nationalTheNationHeadline_temp/9/9/24/
Astronomy
Shuttle
finally heads to space
Space shuttle Endeavour streaked into orbit last night after weeks of delay,
carrying up a new set of residents and another massive building block for the
International Space Station. See http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/nation/4593344.htm
NASA Pushed Everyday Trickle Down Of Space Technology
Huntsville - Nov 19, 2002 - From sunglasses to solar power collection,
technologies derived from NASA's space research continue to change the world
around us. The latest examples are highlighted in the new edition of "Spinoff"
-- an annual publication showing how technology from the space program benefits
everyday life. See http://www.spacedaily.com/news/industry-02f.html
Where on Earth Is Mars?
Pasadena - Nov 19, 2002 - Among the thousands of visitors to Mt. Etna this year,
one group came not just to look at one of most famous volcanoes on Earth. Dozens
of scientists trekked up Etna together this fall to observe what Etna has in
common with Mars. See http://www.spacedaily.com/news/mars-general-02i.html
Biggest Volcanic Eruption Seen on Jupiter Moon : Nov. 15 — A team of astronomers, routinely monitoring Jupiter's moon Io, has witnessed the largest documented volcanic eruption in history. See http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20021111/io.html
US Astronomers Detect Two Black Holes In Far Away Galaxy
Washington (AFP) Nov 19, 2002 - Astronomers using an orbiting X-ray
observatory say they have discovered two enormous black holes co-existing in a
single galaxy 400 million light years away, the first-ever such discovery. See http://www.spacedaily.com/news/021119215024.zwspkvku.html
Hurtling Black Hole Reveals Secrets: Nov. 18 — A black hole barreling through the Milky Way galaxy got its drive from the supernova explosion in which it was born, say astronomers who are calling the discovery the first solid evidence that small black holes are formed in the death throes of large stars. See http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20021118/blackhole.html
How many Universes? http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/29/science/space/29MULT.html?ex=1036901261&e
i=1&en=97762bd90d76a496
We might have a special place in the Universe after all.
Only galaxies about the age of our Milky Way have the right conditions for
intelligent life to develop, argue Jaume Garriga of the University of
Barcelona, Spain, and Alexander Vilenkin of Tufts University in Medford,
Massachusetts1. And that age, they say, might coincide with a fundamental
change in the Universe. See http://www.nature.com/nsu/021028/021028-4.html
Biology
Scientists Hope to Create New Form of Life: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The pioneer scientist who helped crack the human genome (news - web sites) and a Nobel laureate were expected to announce on Thursday plans to create a new life form in a laboratory dish in an experiment that raises ethical and safety questions, according to a published report. See http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=585&e=1&cid=585&u=/nm/2002112