Monthly Archives: September 2010
Sanford’s pro-ID thesis supported by PNAS paper, read it and weep, literally
| September 30, 2010 | Posted by scordova under Creationism, Darwinism, Evolutionary biology, Genomics |
Cornell Geneticist John Sanford argued that Darwinism is wrong because the rate of genetic deterioration is so high that natural selection could not arrest it. If natural selection cannot arrest genetic deterioration, how then could it be the mechanism for evolutionary improvement? Sanford predicted through his research that human genome is deteriorating. This was a […]
How Credulous Are Some Scientists? Very
| September 30, 2010 | Posted by Barry Arrington under Intelligent Design |
We have this report today about an earth sized planet orbiting a nearby star. An excerpt: An Earth-size planet has been spotted orbiting a nearby star at a distance that would makes it not too hot and not too cold — comfortable enough for life to exist, researchers announced Wednesday. If confirmed, the exoplanet, named […]
The Reformed Objection to Natural Theology – by Michael Sudduth
| September 29, 2010 | Posted by Steno under Intelligent Design |
I have recently come across the work of Michael Sudduth on Natural Theology. This very interesting book is published by Ashgate The Reformed Objection to Natural Theology http://www.ashgate.com/isbn/9780754661757 Looks like essential reading for those concerned about intelligent design and Reformed theology. Reviews by Richard Swinburne, Alister McGrath and Alvin Plantinga (Although it is not cheap).
Joe Carter on Monkey Brains
| September 29, 2010 | Posted by Barry Arrington under Animal minds |
Over at First Things Joe Carter considers whether naturalism can ever account for valid belief. “To have trustworthy convictions, we have to have properly functioning noetic equipment (i.e., a brain, spinal cord, sensory apparatus, etc., that recognize reality). But can a strictly materialistic, non-teleological, evolutionary process produce such reliable equipment? The philosopher Alvin Plantinga, one […]
Sacrificial Reiss offered on the altar of ‘Science’
| September 28, 2010 | Posted by David Tyler under Intelligent Design |
The Michael Reiss saga should not be quickly forgotten. His enforced resignation as the Royal Society’s Director of Education in September 2008 was a blot on the history of the Royal Society (see here and here). Yet, after two years, few changes are apparent: Reiss continues to publish his “worldview” perspective on handling creationism in […]
A simple statistical test for the alleged “99% genetic identity” between humans and chimps
| September 27, 2010 | Posted by niwrad under Genomics, Informatics, Intelligent Design |
Typical figures published in the scientific literature for the percentage similarities between the genomes of human beings (Homo sapiens) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) range from 95% to 99%. However, in press releases intended for popular consumption, evolutionary biologists frequently claim that human and chimpanzee genomes are 99% identical. Skeptics of neo-Darwinian evolution have repeatedly punctured […]
Richard Dawkins and Ray Comfort
| September 26, 2010 | Posted by Clive Hayden under Darwinism, Evolution, Intelligent Design, Religion, Science |
Richard Dawkins takes Ray Comfort out of context: Dawkins says he doesn’t debate Creationists, yet he debates what Creationists say quite often. Should Dawkins avoid debating Creationists when they are the subject of his lectures and speaking engagements?
Richard Weikart: If Darwinists believed that conscience really exists, he would be their conscience
| September 25, 2010 | Posted by O'Leary under Darwinism, Racism |
Here and here, historian of Nazi Germany Richard Weikart responds to yet another whitewash of Darwinism’s role in helping to create a particularly malignant type of racism, this time by Darwinist Michael Ruse: Last November at a conference on Darwinism I conversed with a graduate student in philosophy who embraced Ruse’s position on the evolution […]
| September 24, 2010 | Posted by Robert Sheldon under Intelligent Design |
The Fibonacci post has generated a longer comment thread than anything else I’ve written. I was just digging a little dirt and must have hit a power line. The question I tried to address, was “is there any physics in Fibonacci, or is it just a mathematician’s curiosity?” Here’s the physics that came back: a) […]
Have Glycine – but no life
| September 24, 2010 | Posted by David Tyler under Intelligent Design |
Earlier this year, the work of Nir Goldman and colleagues was noted (here). Using sophisticated computer modeling tools, it was concluded that cometary impacts could generate C-N bonded oligomers that subsequently break apart to form a glycine-containing complex. This research has now been published in Nature Chemistry, resulting in a new flurry of discussion about […]
A Review of Why Us? by James Le Fanu
| September 23, 2010 | Posted by clivecopus under Intelligent Design |
Many members of the ID community will no doubt have been relieved to see the back of 2009. The secular establishment took the opportunity provided by the 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birth, and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species, to launch a defence of their hero’s largely discredited theory. […]
Centre for Intelligent Design UK Website Now LIVE
| September 23, 2010 | Posted by Jonathan M under Intelligent Design |
In recent years, the development of Intelligent Design has been associated largely with the USA. This week marks the launch of the Centre for Intelligent Design UK (website here). The Centre brings ID back to its roots, which can be traced right to the early developments of science in the UK and wider Europe. Many of the […]
Fibonacci Life
| September 20, 2010 | Posted by Robert Sheldon under Intelligent Design |
The Fibonacci sequence is one of those math marvels that even elementary students can appreciate. Like the discovery of the √2, it possesses this element of mystery that makes Pythagoras‘ harmonic series look like a rubber-band shoe-box next to a concert grand. Pythagoras famously drowned the fellow who discovered that √2 was neither even nor […]
Evolution and ID in academic circles
| September 19, 2010 | Posted by Gage under Intelligent Design |
This isn’t new, but I think it is pretty revealing of how the academic establishment deals with intelligent design. An Educator’s Guide to Dealing With Intelligent Design
The various positions in a nutshell
| September 19, 2010 | Posted by Gage under Intelligent Design |
Help me out here: are these simple but accurate descriptions of where each school of thought stands? (a) Naturalism (evolutionism) says that matter just happens to have the properties to sometimes spontaneously lead to life, life that can improve itself through evolution. (b) Theistic evolution says that God designed matter to have the properties to […]
Who needs night vision? When evolution means going blind
| September 18, 2010 | Posted by O'Leary under Evolution, Intelligent Design |
Becoming eyeless is an adaptation of sorts, no? ScienceDaily (Sep. 15, 2010) – University of Maryland biologists have identified how changes in both behavior and genetics led to the evolution of the Mexican blind cavefish (Astyanax mexicanus) from its sighted, surface-dwelling ancestor. In research published in the August 12, 2010 online edition of the journal […]
My Proclivity for Inspiring Long UD Threads — Part Deux
| September 16, 2010 | Posted by GilDodgen under Intelligent Design |
At this writing I see that my post here has 122 responses, and that my post here has 81 responses. After examining all the dialog one thing seems clear to me: The ID versus Darwinian-materialism question must inevitably invade and challenge the core of the human soul. Don’t tell me that anyone doesn’t at least […]
My Proclivity for Inspiring Long UD Threads
| September 14, 2010 | Posted by GilDodgen under Intelligent Design |
Because of my many duties and responsibilities I post infrequently at UD. However, I’ve noticed an interesting phenomenon: My posts seem to inspire a great amount of debate and very long threads, as is the case here. I have a theory about why this is the case. My thesis is that people like me, a […]
Jurassic lacewings demonstrate leaf mimesis
| September 13, 2010 | Posted by David Tyler under Intelligent Design |
The ability of some insects to imitate the leaves and stems of plants has fascinated collectors and researchers alike. Wings, legs and other body parts can all contribute to a very effective disguise, a phenomenon known as mimesis. There has been speculation, of course, about the adaptive origins of the observed characters, but very little […]
Carbon Dioxide Sensors
| September 13, 2010 | Posted by Cornelius Hunter under Intelligent Design |
Did you ever wonder how mosquitoes find you so quickly? Next time you might try not breathing because they are attracted to the carbon dioxide you exhale. And how do insects detect carbon dioxide? Studies have found two different neuron cell proteins (neural receptors) that seem to do the job. And they do the job […]
