| Site Map | Contacts | Links | Newsletter | |
News:
Creation/Evolution
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.
November 2005
November 9
Evolution
Slate Outpolls Rivals
All eight members up for re-election to the Pennsylvania
school board that had been sued for introducing the teaching of intelligent
design as an alternative to evolution in biology class were swept out of
office yesterday by a slate of challengers who campaigned against the intelligent
design policy.
UCSD
Study Shows 'Junk' DNA Has Evolutionary Importance (October 20, 2005)
Genetic material derisively called "junk" DNA because it does
not contain the instructions for protein-coding genes and appears to have
little or no function is actually critically important to an organism's
evolutionary survival, according to a study conducted by a biologist at
UCSD.
Vatican:
Faithful Should Listen to Science. VATICAN CITY
A Vatican
cardinal said Thursday the faithful should listen to what secular modern
science has to offer, warning that religion risks turning into "fundamentalism"
if it ignores scientific reason.
Professor
defends 'Intelligent Design'
A biology professor who supports classroom discussion of "intelligent
design" testified Friday that major peer-reviewed scientific journals
shun articles on the concept because it is a minority view (Associated Press)
Can biology
do better than faith?
Religions continue both to render their special services and to exact their
heavy costs. Can scientific humanism do as well or better, at a lower cost?
(Edward O. Wilson, New Scientist)
Bird flu, Bush, evolution - and us: by Steven Salzberg.
Natural
Selection Has Strongly Influenced Recent Human Evolution, Study Finds
(October 23, 2005)
The most detailed analysis to date of how humans differ from one another
at the DNA level shows strong evidence that natural selection has shaped
the recent evolution of our species.
Picky
Female Frogs Drive Evolution Of New Species In Less Than 8,000 Years
(October 28, 2005)
Females typically have the upper hand in choosing mates, and this choice
can rapidly give rise to new species
Adult
Stem Cells May Be Just Remnants Of Evolution (November 2, 2005)
Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in
Bad Nauheim, Germany have now demonstrated, in a study published in the
journal Molecular and Cellular Biology, that at least some adult stem cells
could be the mere remnants of former embryonal differentiation processes,
or, in other words, "footprints" of evolution.
Flipped
Genetic Sequences Illuminate Human Evolution And Disease (October 30,
2005)
Chunks of inverted DNA are hundreds of times more common in primates than
previously thought. These large structural changes in the human and chimpanzee
genomes, called inversions, may account for much of the evolutionary difference
between the two species. They may also shed light on genetic changes that
lead to human disease.
September 2005
September 20
Chimp
Genome--and First Fossils--Unveiled
Many animals, ranging from the rat to the puffer fish, have had their genome
sequenced, and now humankind's closest living relative, the chimpanzee,
has joined the group. The recent publication of a draft sequence of this
primate's genome provides the most detailed look yet at the similarities,
and differences, between humans and chimps.
MOTHER
Of All Life
Every living thing on Earth - from humans to bacteria, from bluebells to
blue whales - is thought to be descended from one single entity, a sort
of primitive cell floating around in the primordial soup 3 or 4 billion
years ago. So what did it look like? How did it live, and where? Named the
"last universal common ancestor", or LUCA for short, it has left
no known fossil remains, nor any other physical clues to its identity. For
a long time, questions about LUCA were thought beyond the reach of science.
But now LUCA could be about to enjoy a resurrection.
Life's
Origins Were Easier Than Was Thought
An international team of scientists, leaded by Universitat Autònoma
de Barcelona researchers, has discovered that RNA early molecules were much
more resistant than was thought until now. According to the conclusions
of the study, they may have developed enough to contain around 100 genes,
which is considered to be the minimum quantity required for the most basic
forms of primitive life, similar to the bacteria we have today. The research
was published in Nature Genetics.
ID
Versus Creationism
The grassroots activists and scientific theorists don't see eye to eye.
Compiled by Rob Moll and Ted Olsen
Ending
the debate?
Edmond author hopes book will 'marry' science, religion (Edmond Sun,
Canada)
'Intelligent
design' and faith-based science
The people who are being seduced into thinking that there is a debate and
that students should hear all sides are not giving adequate attention to
the motives of the groups and institutions which have bought and paid for
the popularization of their ideology (John C. Mohawk, Indian Country
Today)
Darwinism On
Trial In Kansas Topeka, Kan. (UPI) Sep 06, 2005
Kansas is reportedly ready to approve teaching standards requiring Darwin's
theory of evolution be challenged in the classroom. See
New
school year, new battle over evolution
Is intelligent design science or religion? That's the question a U.S. district
court judge in Harrisburg will consider starting Sept. 26, and Dover voters
will weigh Nov. 4 (USA Today)
A
natural selection: intelligent design
As a critique of science, intelligent design could have a place in the classroom
too — but not as an alternative to the theory of evolution. Rather,
good biology teachers could use issues raised by the intelligent design
movement to help their classes better understand Darwinism. (Edward J. Larson,
Los Angeles Times)
Intelligent
debate according to Ernie
Up until recently I thought "intelligent design" had something
to do with the arrangement of parking spaces in the basement of large buildings.
It took my cat to straighten me out (Al Martinez, Los Angeles Times)
To read Dawkins and Coyne's "One Side Can be Wrong."
To read Dennett's "Show Me the Science."
Intelligent
donation?
Why the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation gave more than $10 million to
the Discovery Institute, champions of "intelligent design" (Salon.com)
EVOLUTION
Evolution by natural selection is the only workable theory ever proposed
that is capable of explaining life. And Richard Dawkins argues that it does
so brilliantly.
Stressed
Cells Spark DNA Repair Missteps And Speed Evolution (September 16, 2005)
When Dr. Susan Rosenberg, professor of molecular and human genetics at Baylor
College of Medicine, first published her finding that the mutation rate
increased in bacteria stressed by starvation, sometimes resulting in a rare
change that benefited the bacteria, it was controversial.
August 2005
August 2
Information
Theory and Creationism
Both young-earth and intelligent-design creationists often claim that evolution
is impossible because of various claims about information such as mutation
and natural selection "cannot create information." This article
provides a brief background on Information Theory and explains how Creationists
such as Werner Gitt and Lee Spetner misuse one of the greatest contributions
of the 20th Century. (This FAQ is more technical than most. It is hoped
that a less technical version will eventually be posted.)
Petroleum
Evidence for Huge Ancient Biomass
Birger Rasmussen, "Evidence for Pervasive Petroleum Generation and
Migration in 3.2 and 2.63 Ga Shales," Geology 33 (2005): pp.
497-500.
Confirmation
of the biological origin of kerogen on the Apex fossils
J. William Schopf, et al, "Raman Imagery: A new approach to
assess the geochemical maturity and biogenicity of permineralized Precambrian
fossils," Astrobiology 5 (2005): pp. 333-371. Related Resource:
The
Origins of Life: Biblical and Evolutionary Models Face-Off, by Fazale
Rana and Hugh Ross.
Multi-Species
Genome Comparison Sheds New Light On Evolutionary Processes, Cancer Mutations
An international team that includes researchers from the National Human
Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health
(NIH), has discovered that mammalian chromosomes have evolved by breaking
at specific sites rather than randomly as long thought - and that many of
the breakage hotspots are also involved in human cancer.
Report
on the 2005 Mega Creation Conference
Part Two After Falwell came David DeWitt, who directs the Center for
Creation Research at Liberty University. He made only a few brief remarks,
emphasizing Liberty's adherence to a literal interpretation of the Bible
from “Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21” In particular, they believe
Adam and Eve were real people and that God created in six literal days.
Phillip
Johnson's assault upon faith-based Darwinism
A modern monkey trial isn't what Phillip Johnson expected when he wrote
a critique of evolution that launched intelligent design -- or was it? (East
Bay Express, Emeryville, Ca.)
Let's
have no more monkey trials
To teach faith as science is to undermine both. (Charles Krauthammer, Time)
Creation/Evolution
Listen
to NPR's interview of Haught.
Listen
to NPR's story with Miller, Hoonhout, and Haught.
Ape to Man: Special History Channel presentation on August 7 at 9 PM.
July 2005
July 20
Enigmatic
fossils shed light on early evolution
One of the most puzzling phases in the evolution of life - the Ediacaran
period - is giving up its secrets, thanks to two strange fossil types. ONE
of the most puzzling phases in the evolution of life is giving up its secrets.
Two strange fossil types are helping palaeontologists understand the weird
inhabitants of the Ediacaran period.
"Darwin's forgotten Defenders" by David Livingstone
He discusses a number of other influential evangelicals who saw no inherent
conflict between evolution and the Christian faith. Another very important
advocate of evolution was the theologian B.B. Warfield, who was a strong
advocate of biblical inerrancy. See Darwin's
Forgotten Defenders: The Encounter Between Evangelical Theology and Evolutionary
Thought by David
N. Livingstone also The
Post-Darwinian Controversies: A Study of the Protestant Struggle to Come
to Terms with Darwin in Great Britain and America, 1870-1900 by James
R. Moore and Perspectives
on an Evolving Creation by Keith
B. Miller.
Carbon
dating works for cells
Radioactive fallout from nuclear tests serves as measuring stick.
Creation
exhibit scrapped at Tulsa Zoo
Plans to build an exhibit at the Tulsa Zoo featuring the biblical account
of creation were scratched July 7 by the city's Park and Recreation Board.
(Religion News Service)
The
Bible tells us that the Earth is about 6,000 years old
As a good Christian, how old should I believe the Earth is? (Sun-Sentinel,
Fla.)
July 6
Did
the big bang really happen?
Is it time to admit that the idea of a big bang just does not stack up?
Marcus Chown meets the doubters thinking the unthinkable.
Bill
would allow 'intelligent design' in Pennsylvania schools
The House Subcommittee on Basic Education heard testimony Monday on a bill
that would allow local school boards to mandate that science lessons include
intelligent design, a concept that holds the universe must have been created
by an unspecified guiding force because it is so complex.
Kansas
evolution poll shows majority want change
A majority of Kansans polled say they want public schools to either allow
evolution to be criticized or teach other theories alongside it in science
classes. (Knight Ridder Newspapers)
Kansas Evolution
Hearings: Transcripts of an Intelligently-Designed "Kangaroo Court"
A transcript of the "science hearings" held by a subcommittee
of the Kansas Board of Education composed of three creationists in May,
2005. A background article and many relevant links are also provided.
'Intelligent
Design' belongs in church and not in biology classes
"Intelligent Design" (ID), the religious alternative to Darwinism,
ought to be taught in schools — Sunday schools and high-school social
studies or history classes. But in biology classes? No way. (Morton Kondracke,
Naples Daily News)
Teaching Evolution Controversy.
Tulsa
Zoo caught in creationism-vs.-science flap
Board persuaded to create origins display; to some, it's out of place. (The
Dallas Morning News)
Evolve
fish
Most of us have seen the Darwin Fish symbol on the backs of cars. It's a
takeoff on the Christian fish symbol. The so-called "Evolve Fish"
have feet and "Darwin" written inside them. Ever wonder where
they come from? Would you be surprised to learn it's Colorado Springs? Philip
Lightstone recently talked to the folks who sell the "Evolve Fish"
icons. (Western Skies, Col.)
Trees,
Vines And Nets -- Microbial Evolution Changes Its Face
EBI researchers have changed our view of 4 billion years of microbial evolution.
Christos Ouzounis and colleagues have gained intriguing quantitative insights
into how gene families are transferred, not only 'vertically' through passage
from one organism to its progeny, but also 'horizontally' through the exchange
of genetic material between distantly related organisms. This new view of
the tree of life could help us to better understand how disease-causing
bacteria manage to stay one step ahead of us in our battle to tackle antibiotic
resistance.
May 2005
May 30
Bias in Science, Part 2: By Randy Isaac. In this post, I'd like to take a closer look at Baumgardner's paper which elicited the concern a few weeks ago that it might be rejected by peer-reviewers due to an inappropriate bias.
In “Smithsonian to Screen a Movie That Makes a Case Against Evolution”, New York Times reporter John Schwartz tries to cover—at very short notice—the growing uproar first blogged here about the Smithsonian letting an ID-friendly film be screened. See http://post-darwinist.blogspot.com/.
"A catechism of creation." To read the catechism itself, visit: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_60521_ENG_HTM.htm.
Ga.
county removing evolution sticker
Workers in Cobb County have begun removing controversial evolution disclaimer
stickers from science textbooks to comply with a judge's order. (Associated
Press)
Creationism:
God's gift to the ignorant
As the Religious Right tries to ban the teaching of evolution in Kansas,
Richard Dawkins speaks up for scientific logic. (Times, London)
The Coso Artifact:
Mystery from the Depths of Time
The creation 'science' field known as OOPARTS, or "Out Of Place ARTifactS"
is a lively area of study with numerous examples. This paper will examine
the most popular and least understood specimen, the Coso Artifact.
Dino Blood
Redux
Over a decade ago Mary Higby Schweitzer began her research career by announcing
that she and professor Jack Horner had discovered evidence of blood residues
in a Tyrannosaur rex femur. There followed many years of creationists' distortion
of those findings which they presented as support for a young Earth that
was debunked in Dino
Blood and the Young Earth. In April of 2005, Schweitzer and Horner were
again at the center of a media circus prompted by their announcement that
this time they had discovered blood vessels and identifiable cells. The
creationist reaction was immediate. This article reviews these new discoveries,
their presentation in the popular media, and the sadly predictable creationist
responses.
The
Evolutionary Triumph Of Flower Power (May 25, 2005)
While flowers originally came on the scene to attract potential pollinators
like bugs and birds, it is their appeal to humans that accounts for the
incredible variety of shapes and colors we see.
"Devolution" in the New Yorker.
Orr's 1996/7 review of Behe's Darwin's Black Box.
Orr's 2002 review of Dembski's No Free Lunch.
May 16
"Polonium
Haloes" Refuted: A Review of "Radioactive Halos in a Radio-Chronological
and Cosmological Perspective" by Robert V. Gentry.
Professional geologist Tom Bailleul takes a second look at Gentry's claimed
polonium haloes, arguing that there is no good evidence they are the result
of polonium decay as opposed to any other radioactive isotope, or even that
they are caused by radioactivity at all. Gentry is taken to task for selective
use of evidence, faulty experiment design, mistakes in geology and physics,
and unscientific principles of investigation and argument style.
Dino-Blood
Redux by Gary Hurd.
On 24 March 2005, a team of paleontologists lead by Mary Higby Schweitzer
published their discovery of dinosaur soft tissues recovered from the cortical
bone of a T. rex femur.
Washington Post's editorial "Kansas evolves back."
Salon's "A real monkey trial."
Creationism vs. Intelligent Design Is there a difference? (Daniel Engber, Slate)
'Jurassic'
Tree Planted in London Park. May 11, 2005
A "Jurassic" tree dating from the dinosaur age and long thought
to have been extinct for 200 million years was planted Tuesday at a park
in London by British wildlife expert Sir David Attenborough. One of the
rarest trees in the world, the Wollemi Pine was found in Australia by a
national parks officer, David Noble, in 1994. The discovery astonished botanists
worldwide who had thought the tree died out millions of years ago.
April 2005
April 11
Woolly
Mammoth Resurrection, "Jurassic Park" Planned
Scientists say they'll bring woolly mammoths back to life and create a Jurassic
Park-style refuge for resurrected species. Critics aren't so sure.
Horse
Evolution Followed Twisty Trail, Study Says
New research suggests the horse varied considerably in form and size over
time, following an evolutionary path fraught with unexpected turns.
Reproduction Speeds Up Evolution, Study Finds
New ID Website: http://www.idthefuture.com/
Life's top 10 greatest inventions
Fish
Diversity Tied to Evolution of Diving Ability
From clownfish to catfish, grouper to great white, the diversity of fish
in the sea is nothing short of astonishing. Now scientists have managed
to account for this wide assortment, at least in part, by tracing the evolution
of the organ that allows the creatures to swim at different depths.
Teachers
feel pressed to teach creationism
A new U.S. survey has found about one third of science teachers feel pressured
to present creationism and other non-scientific alternatives to evolution
(UPI)
Teaching
Darwin splits Pennsylvania town
The pastoral fields and white frame houses appear at peace, but this Pennsylvania
farm town is deeply at war over teaching Darwin or Christian creationism
in its schools (AFP)
Intelligent
Design, unintelligent me
For me and many other students, biology as it is usually taught, one complicated
fact or term after another, is deadly dull. Introducing a little debate
would excite teenagers, just as the attacks on conventional wisdom launched
by my favorite high school history teacher, Al Ladendorff, always got me
walking fast to that class so I wouldn't miss anything (Jay Mathews, The
Washington Post)
Science and religion
'Talk more about life's mystery' (Brian Walden, BBC)
The
real conflict between religion and science
Science needs moral guidance that religious values can help shape (The
Charlotte Observer, N.C.)
Not
intelligent, and surely not science
The term "intelligent design" is nothing more than a linguistic
place-filler for something unexplained by science (Michael Shermer, Los
Angeles Times)
Would
you Adam and Eve it?
A teachers' union has said it is alarmed by an increase in lessons which
teach that Adam and Eve was the literal truth, rather the fable which science
believes it to be. The rise in creationism is not just an American phenomenon
(BBC)
Creation
conflict in schools
How some biology teachers are handling the hot button debate over the theory
of evolution, creationism and intelligent design (NewsHour with Jim Lehrer,
PBS)
March 2005
March 29
Young-Earth
Creationist Helium Diffusion "Dates": Fallacies Based on Bad Assumptions
and Questionable Data
Young-Earth creationists consider the helium diffusion studies of D. Russell
Humphreys and others to be one of their greatest achievements in arguing
for a 6,000 year old Earth. A geologist shows that these studies are extensively
flawed and include: serious miscalculations in their data, sampling the
wrong rock type, failing to eliminate possible contamination, using equations
that are based on invalid assumptions and relying on questionable data.
"Why so many find the anti-evolution argument so appealing."
Verdict
that Demands Evidence
It is Darwinists, not Christians, who are stonewalling the facts. By Charles
Colson, with Anne Morse
Censorship
in the Science Museums
It is unacceptable for museums to reject legitimate science films because
they offend the beliefs of religious fundamentalists.
A
CALL TO ARMS
The March 23, 2005, issue of USA Today featured Dan Vergano and Greg Toppo's
"'Call to arms' on evolution," which described a letter circulated
by Bruce Alberts, the president of the National Academy of Sciences, to
members of the NAS, calling on them "to confront the increasing challenges
to the teaching of evolution in public schools."
Battle
on teaching evolution sharpens
Propelled by a polished strategy crafted by activists on America's political
right, a battle is intensifying across the nation over how students are
taught about the origins of life. Policymakers in 19 states are weighing
proposals that question the science of evolution. (Washington Post)
Religion
and Natural History Clash Among the Ultra-Orthodox Jews.
Banned books: Three of Rabbi Slifkin's books, published from 2001 to 2004,
were singled out in the letter or in related materials: "Mysterious
Creatures," "The Science of Torah" and "The Camel, the
Hare and the Hyrax." Predictably, the banned books have become hits.
Dances
with fruit flies
Scientist Sean Carroll goes beyond genetics to look at how evolution actually
works (US News & World Report)
Key Books on the Creation./Evolution debate.
March 8
"Hobbit"
Brains Were Small but Smart
Tiny, newfound fossils are in fact from a new human species, says a study
that could turn evolution theory on its head.
Science,
'frauds' trigger a decline in atheism
Godlessness is in trouble, according to a growing consensus among philosophers,
intellectuals and scholars (UPI).
Creationism: from the US, with love (Stephen Pincock).
Journals and intelligent design (Graciela Flores).
Bryan
Appleyard meets Richard Dawkins
The fault is not in our genes but in our minds. Here are two recent news
stories: we’ve found the genes that make people believe in God and
that make women unfaithful. At a stroke, scientists have scuppered religion
and taken the moral sting out of infidelity. If you think you have any of
these genes, go to your doctor at once and get them removed.
The
Science and Religion Dialogue: Where It Stands Today and Why It Matters,
by George F. R. Ellis
"Science and religion are two major long-term themes of human thought-indeed
two dominating aspects of human culture, each making major contributions
to how we live and think. At issue here is the way we understand ultimate
reality and humanity: the very nature of existence."
Evolution
revolution
Scientists and educators fear conservative muscle could force religious
ideology into public schools (Deidre Pike, Las Vegas City Life).
February 2005
February 21
The
Fossil Fallacy
The fossil fallacy and the nature of scientific proof.
Anthropologist
resigns in 'dating disaster.'
God
and evolution
Modern science is turning up a possible reason why the religious right is
flourishing and secular liberals aren't: instinct (Nicholas D. Kristof,
The New York Times)
Signs of intelligent design emerging.
Walt Brown's hydroplate theory.
The Wichita Eagle's story about the Kansas board's resolution.
'Intelligent
design' flap inspires school board campaigns
Two Dover Area School District board members who have resigned in protest
of the policy say they plan to circulate nominating petitions for the May
17 primary election. A plaintiff in a federal lawsuit against the district
is also expected to make a bid for the board. (Associated Press)
Evolution
revolution
Scientists and educators fear conservative political muscle could force
religious ideology into public-school classrooms. (Tucson Weekly)
Key
National Figures to Debate Intelligent Design at Elizabethtown College
Intelligent design theory has received extensive national media coverage
because of actions taken by the Dover (Pa.) School District and subsequent
federal lawsuit by parents. Elizabethtown College is sponsoring a series
of debates that will feature national key figures involved in the case.
See also Key National
Figures to Debate Intelligent Design.
War
between religion and science is not inevitable
It's possible to be Darwinian and still believe in design (Leo Sandon, The
Tallahassee Democrat, Fla.)
Researcher
claims bias by Smithsonian
A former editor of a scientific journal has filed a complaint against the
Smithsonian Institution, charging that he was discriminated against on the
basis of perceived religious and political beliefs because of an article
he published that challenged the Darwinian theory of evolution (The Washington
Times)
Scientists
document complex genomic events leading to the birth of new genes HEIDELBERG,
Germany, Mon., February 14, 2005
A team of scientists led by Peer Bork, Ph.D., Senior Bioinformatics Scientist
at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, report today in the journal
Genome Research that they have identified a new primate-specific gene family
that spans about 10% of human chromosome 2. Comprised of eight family members,
the RGP gene cluster may help to explain what sets apart humans and other
primates from the rest of the animal kingdom.
January 2005
January 23
NEW
on DVD! Arguments Creationists Should NOT Use by Dr. Jonathan Sarfati.
In this candid presentation before an international conference of nearly
600 creationist speakers and writers, scientist Dr. Jonathan Sarfati reveals
the out-of-date, faulty and downright “flaky evidences” that reputable
creationists must avoid. In his trademark style, Sarfati challenges some
of the most-loved arguments of modern creationists. Bottom line: hold “facts”
loosely and focus intensely on God’s written Word as the absolute guide
to evidence interpretations!
School
board to appeal ruling to remove evolution stickers
On January 17, 2005, the Cobb County School Board voted 5-2 to appeal the
ruling in Selman et al. v. Cobb County School District et al., which ordered
the removal of evolution disclaimers from the school district's textbooks.
Announcing the decision, Kathie Johnstone, chair of the board, described
Judge Clarence Cooper's ruling as an "unnecessary judicial intrusion
into local control of schools." For the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's
editorial condemning the board's decision (registration required), visit:
COBB
COUNTY APPEALS
"Wedging creationism into the academy," by Barbara Forrest and Glenn Branch.
Pennsylvania
Students 'Taught' Intelligent Design
For the first time ever, public high school administrators addressed students
specifically about Intelligent Design as an alternative to evolution. The
Dover, Pennsylvania, school district mandated
that students be taught that evolution is a theory, "not a fact."
The revised biology curriculum says, "Students will be made aware of
gaps/problems in Darwin's Theory and of other theories of evolution including,
but not limited to, Intelligent Design."
Creationist
sees science through 'Biblical glasses'
As a scientist, Lisle uses his expertise to make try to defend the idea
of creation. One of the simplest defenses he offered Saturday was what he
described as information science, the idea that information always goes
back to an intelligent source. (The Green Bay News-Chronicle, Wis.)
Are
Humans Still Evolving?
A new study suggests that natural selection in people is alive and well.
Ants'
'Genetic Engineering' Leads To Species Interdependency (January 15,
2005)
Findings reported this week reveal how an evolutionary innovation involving
the sharing of genes between two ant species has given rise to a deep-seated
dependency between them for the survival of both species populations.