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News:
February 22, 2004
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Religion in the News
Good
Question: Operation Evil Power
If Christ has truly defeated the powers of Satan on the Cross (Col. 2:15),
why do the powers of evil effectively operate in this world? Answered by
Richard B. Hays.
Is a Religious
Civil War Beginning in Iraq?
American religious group ambushed as Al Qaeda reportedly tries to ignite
intra-Muslim fighting. Compiled by Ted Olsen.
China
Arrests Dozens of Prominent Christians
At least 50 detained in fresh crackdown on house churches, reportedly promoted
by new video and book releases.
By Timothy C. Morgan with David Neff in Washington, D.C.
The Dick
Staub Interview: China's Christian Syndrome
David Aikman, author of Jesus in Beijing, says in 20 years Christians
could have a major impact on China, and that could change the world.
Children
to study atheism at school
Falling church numbers prompt radical syllabus reform (The Observer, London).
Little
consensus on marriage amendment
Even authors disagree on the meaning of its text (The Washington Post).
Scientists recommends
bedtime prayers
A German scientist says people who suffer from bad nightmares should say
their prayers before going to bed (Ananova).
Gibson
reworks 'Passion' to mute anti-semitism
The blood pours more freely than in any Jesus film in history, but the final
cut of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" takes some care
to distance Jewish people from centuries-old anti-Semitic charges of deicide
(The Plain Dealer, Cleveland).
Deconstructing
'Da Vinci'
"The Da Vinci Code," the best-selling novel that asserts as fact
that Jesus Christ had a daughter as well as a wife, has provoked fierce
opposition from Protestants and Catholics alike (The Washington Times).
Lincoln
a believer, but also a doubter
Abraham Lincoln was a deeply spiritual man who never embraced organized
religion (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution).
Rewriting
the Bible: A heretic's handbook
A review of Killing the Buddha by Peter Manseau and Jeff Sharlet (The Denver
Post).
The next
testament
If the Bible were being compiled for the first time right now, what would
we put in it? Making the case for a NEW New Revised Standard Version (Cullen
Murphy, The Atlantic Monthly).
Science in the News
AAAS 2004
All the latest news from the annual meeting of the American Association
for the Advancement of Science in Seattle, one of the largest gatherings
of international scientists and reporters of the year. 12-16 February 2004.
Creation/Evolution
Evolution
Caught In The Act
An experiment which forced E. coli bacteria to adapt or perish showed that,
in a pinch, they were capable of improvising a novel molecular tool to save
their skins. "The bacteria reached for a tool that they had, and made
it do something it doesn't normally do," said James Bardwell, an associate
professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology at the University
of Michigan. "We caught evolution in the act of making a big step."
Human
Evolution At The Crossroads: Integrating Genetics And Paleontology.
Seattle - Feb 16, 2004
Advances in genetics during the last decade not only have influenced modern
medicine, they also have changed how human evolution is studied, says an
anthropologist from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Rutgers
Researcher Offers A New Perspective On Human Evolution. NEW BRUNSWICK/PISCATAWAY,
N.J.
The fossil remains of early humans gave generations of scientists the clues
needed to piece together much of our ancestral lineage. Chi-Hua Chiu now
leads us into another dimension in the study of human origins: the underlying
developmental and genetic processes that led to these remarkable evolutionary
changes.
Evo-Devo Biology
Tackles Evolutionary History's Unanswered Questions. Bloomington - Feb
18, 2004
The recent marriage of evolutionary biology with developmental biology has
resulted in the birth of a new field, evolutionary developmental biology,
or "evo-devo."
Intelligent Design:
The New 'Big Tent' For Evolution's Critics. Seattle - Feb 16, 2004
Since the advent of Darwinism in the mid-19th century, a variety of movements
have jousted for the intellectual high ground in the epic evolution versus
creationism debate. At one end of the spectrum reside the "naturalistic
evolutionists" who argue that life neither requires nor benefits from
a divine creator.
Irreducible
Complexity is an Obstacle to Darwinism Even if Parts of a System have other
Functions:
A Response to Sharon Begley’s Wall Street Journal Column By:
Michael J. Behe, Discovery Institute. February 18, 2004.
Bill
proposes teaching of 'intelligent design' alongside evolution
Scientists picked Darwin's birthday to announce their opposition to a bill
in the Missouri House (Nixa News-Enterprise. Mo.).
Guide
sparks debate
'Intelligent design' theory will be heard in classroom (Mansfield News Journal,
Oh.).
Theologian
believes evolution makes sense
Dr. Denis O. Lamoureux is a born-again evangelical Christian. He believes
that God created everything. He also happens to believe in evolution (Observer-Reporter,
Washington, Pa.).
From
Alabama to the Grand Canyon, US battle over the Bible knows no respite
The long-running cultural war between religious conservatives and secularists
may very well move from the Ten Commandments monument in Alabama to these
majestic cliffs overhanging the Colorado River (AFP).
A unique
assessment of Galileo-church dispute
Rowland believes that Galileo's mistake was to insist that science -- and
only science -- provides the truth about reality (The Indianapolis Star).
High life prompts
genetic shift
Extreme altitudes have created different coping strategies. 17 February
2004
Study
In Worms Shows How Genes Linked To Complexity In Animals. COLUMBUS,
Ohio
The evolution of a particular gene could be the reason why a certain worm
might better tolerate a salty environment than its relatives, new research
suggests.
Skeptical Sunday:
The Darwin Conspiracy.
Imagine a group of evolutionists, sitting in a darkened room, busily plotting
how to forge fossils and skew facts so that textbooks tilt in favor of Darwinian
evolution. This conspiratorial scenario might sound far-fetched, but
some anti-evolutionists are convinced it's real. Join us with guest
Eugenie Scott, a physical anthropologist, CSICOP Fellow, and Executive Director
of the National Center for Science Education, and find out the top myths
that creationists use to confuse.
Why is the Big Bang Evidence that God Created the Universe?
Archaeology/Anthropology
Fake
ossuary leads Israel to look into sellers of antiquities
An Israeli documentary Wednesday claimed the James ossuary, the ancient
burial box bearing a discredited inscription mentioning Jesus, is just the
tip of a long-running forgery ring that has duped antiquities collectors
worldwide for the last 15 years (USA Today).
Television
report says 'Jesus ossuary' owner ran fraud ring
Oded Golan, who is suspected of forging the inscription "James the
brother of Jesus," on a first century ossuary, worked with a ring of
counterfeiters who sold dozens of forged articles to antiquities dealers
and collectors, Channel 2's "Fact" program reports (Ha'aretz,
Tel Aviv).
JERUSALEM
(Reuters)
The collapse of part of Jerusalem's Western Wall during a rare snowstorm
sparked a row between Jewish and Muslim clerics Sunday as one rabbi called
it a miracle no worshippers were hurt. The collapse late Saturday of an
800-year-old embankment next to where Jewish women pray at the site commonly
known as the "wailing wall" sent people fleeing from tumbling
rocks.
Tourists
To Look for Ancient Persian Army Feb. 13, 2004
Tourists traversing Egypt's desert may solve a mystery that has puzzled
archaeologists for centuries: what happened to the 50,000-man Persian army
of King Cambyses. Set up by tourist operator Aqua Sun Desert, the Cambyses
project will comb the desert sands using four-wheel-drive vehicles packed
with paying tourists eager to find the remains of the lost army swallowed
in a sandstorm in 524 B.C., according to the account of the ancient Greek
historian Herodotus.
Prehistoric
row erupts over hunter-gatherer riddle.
A team of Australian archaeologists have sparked an academic row by claiming
to have solved the riddle of a missing 1,000 years in human prehistory.
The scientists from Melbourne's La Trobe University have found remnants
of grains on the shore of the Dead Sea in Jordan that they believe help
fill the 1,000-year gap in our knowledge of man's transition from nomad
to farmer. But not everyone agrees, and the Australian team is now muscling
up for an academic arm wrestle next month with the exponents of different
theories in France.
A cup at
the end of the rainbow
The British medieval scholar Richard Barber examines how the concept of
the Holy Grail evolved (The New York Times).
Astronomy
Keck And
Hubble Team Up To Find Farthest Known Galaxy In The Universe. Kamuela
- Feb 16, 2004
A team of astronomers may have discovered the most distant galaxy in the
universe. Located an estimated 13 billion light-years away, the object is
being viewed at a time only 750 million years after the big bang, when the
universe was barely 5 percent of its current age.
Most Distant
Quasars Probe End Of Cosmic Dark Ages. Tucson - Feb 16, 2004
The most distant known quasars show that some supermassive black holes formed
when the universe was merely 6 percent of its current age, or about 700
million years after the big bang. How black holes of several billion solar
masses formed so rapidly in the very early universe is one mystery raised
by astronomers with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). They have discovered
13 of the oldest, most distant quasars yet found.
Titan Is
Ideal Lab For Oceanography, Meteorology. Tucson - Feb 16, 2004
After a 7-year interplanetary voyage, NASA's Cassini spacecraft will reach
Saturn this July and begin what promises to be one of the most exciting
missions in planetary exploration history. After years of work, scientists
have just completed plans for Cassini's observations of Saturn's largest
moon, Titan.
Ulysses Catches
Another Comet. Paris (ESA) Feb 13, 2004
Ulysses is not normally associated with the study of comets. Nonetheless,
the European-built space probe demonstrated its ability as a "comet
catcher" when it crossed the distant tail of comet Hyakutake (C/1996
B2) in 1996.
Moon-sized
crystal revealed in star's heart
Although made partly of carbon, the crystal is unlike any known on Earth
- but it may help improve estimates of the age of our galaxy.
Hubble Supernova
1987A Has Another Burst. Baltimore - Feb 20, 2004
Since its launch in 1990, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has watched a celestial
drama unfold at a stellar demolition site. A shock wave unleashed during
a stellar explosion, called Supernova 1987A (SN 1987A), has been racing
toward a ring of matter encircling the blast site. Astronomers used Hubble
to monitor the ring for signs of the impending bombardment.
Martian 'pebbles'
don't prove watery past
NASA probe could be walking on broken glass. 10 February 2004
Opportunity
Examines Trench As Spirit Prepares To Dig One. Pasadena - Feb 20, 2004
By inspecting the sides and floor of a hole it dug on Mars, NASA's Opportunity
rover is finding some things it did not see beforehand, including round
pebbles that are shiny and soil so fine-grained that the rover's microscope
can't make out individual particles.
Biology
Silent sound zaps
cancer
Ultrasound cuts side effects when used to remove tumours. 16 February 2004
Researcher
Successfully Vaccinates Some Patients Against Lung Cancer
John Nemunaitis, M.D., oncologist and researcher at the Mary Crowley Medical
Research Center (MCMRC) at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, has
developed a vaccine that suppresses lung cancer in some patients.
Hormone
Transforms Fat Cells from Foes to Friends, Rat Study Suggests
Set against the backdrop of an increasingly overweight population, the 1994
discovery of the fat-regulating protein leptin was widely heralded as a
boon for obesity research. The hormone continues to be a focus of investigation.
New work suggests that increasing leptin levels in the body can fundamentally
change the nature of fat cells--from idle storage containers to fat-burning
machines.
Chemical
Turns Mouse Stem Cells Into Heart Muscles. San Diego - Feb 18, 2004
A group of researchers from The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology at
The Scripps Research Institute and from the Genomics Institute of the Novartis
Research Foundation (GNF) has identified a small synthetic molecule that
can control the fate of embryonic stem cells.
Neural Aging Walks
Tall: Aerobic activity fuels elderly brains, minds.
Moderate amounts of regular walking improve brain function and attention
in formerly sedentary seniors.
Biochemical
Clues To Long Lifespan Revealed: Findings Extend Longevity Research From
Yeast And Worms To Mammals
Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston have discovered how two key cellular
influences on lifespan work together, providing insights that may help reveal
aging mechanisms in humans.
Earth Science
Dinosaur Fossil
Record Points To 500 Plus Undiscovered Species. St. Louis - Feb 11,
2004
A graduate student in earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences
at Washington University in St. Louis has combed the dinosaur fossil record
from T. Rex to songbirds and has compiled the first quantitative analysis
of the quality and congruence of that record.
Fossil
Find Is World's Oldest Insect
Researchers have identified the oldest known insect from its fossilized
jaw remains. The discovery pushes back the earliest appearance of winged
insects by nearly 80 million years and suggests that these creatures were
among the first animals to arrive on land.
Pacific
Nation Of Tuvalu Preparing To Disappear Beneath Tides This Week. AUCKLAND
(AFP) Feb 16, 2004
Weather authorities in Tuvalu warned Monday their small South Pacific nation
is likely to be inundated by unusual tides later this week. Tuvalu, home
to 11,500 people living on nine scattered atolls all less than 4.5 metres
(15 feet) above sea level, will be hit Thursday and Friday by "king
tides" associated with the new moon, Hilia Vavae of the Tuvalu Meteorological
Office told AFP.
Geology
Goes Virtual. Los Angeles - Feb 16, 2004
This image uses visible and infra-red imaging to generate a three-dimensional
terrain map of an area north of Mosul, Iraq where two tectonic plates are
colliding. Using virtual reality, geologists can study parts of the world
that are inaccessible or dangerous to visit in person. Data supplied by
Eric Cowgill, Department of Geology, from NASA's TERRA satellite. (3-D visualization
by Oliver Kreylos, CIPIC).
Physics
Research On
Tiniest Particles Could Have Far-Reaching Effects. Seattle - Feb 16,
2004
Neutrinos are about the tiniest things in existence, but developing a greater
understanding of what they are and how they function is likely to have a
huge impact in the next few years. The subatomic particles, created in the
nuclear furnaces of the sun and other stars, have no electrical charge and
only recently has it been found that they have any mass at all, yet billions
pour through each human body every second with no discernable effect or
interaction.
Psychology
Lead linked
to schizophrenia
Study hints that prenatal toxins can trigger psychiatric disease. 17 February
2004.
Maths predicts
chance of divorce
Ignoring nasty comments is secret to long-lasting love. 14 February 2004.
Plenty
of books to sort out love, lust
The images of love that are promoted by American culture often don't lead
to happiness (The Tennessean).
Technology
New Reactor
Puts Hydrogen From Renewable Fuels Within Reach. Minneapolis - Feb 16,
2004
The first reactor capable of producing hydrogen from a renewable fuel source
- ethanol - efficiently enough to hold economic potential has been invented
by University of Minnesota engineers. When coupled with a hydrogen fuel
cell, the unit - small enough to hold in your hand - could generate one
kilowatt of power, almost enough to supply an average home, the researchers
said.
Breakthroughs
In Capacity, Consumption Set To Revolutionize Photonics. Seattle - Feb
15, 2004
For years, organic electro-optic polymers have held the promise of vastly
improving technologies such as communications, data processing and image
displays. Now it appears scientists are on the verge of breakthroughs that
will bring dramatic progress in materials, as well as the devices in which
they are used, setting the stage for a virtual revolution.
Plastic heralds
next-generation batteries
Arrays of tiny carbon rods may build tomorrow's lithium cells. 17 February
2004.
Zoology
One Order of Snake
Legs, Please. University Park - Feb 11, 2004
The mystery of where Earth's first snakes lived as they were evolving into
limbless creatures from their lizard ancestors has intrigued scientists
for centuries. Now, the first study ever to analyze genes from all the living
families of lizards has revealed that snakes made their debut on the land,
not in the ocean.
Fish
at the movies
Last year's movie smash Finding Nemo impressed many marine biologists with
its scientific accuracy. In this free feature, Alison Abbott meets the young
expert in fish biomechanics who helped to breathe life into the film's stars.