2017

From Daniel Oberhaus at Motherboard Vice: “We are investigating the possibility of interplanetary migration of microorganisms,” Kensei Kobayashi, the lead research on the Tanpopo mission, told me during the recent NASA astrobiology conference. “Cosmic dust is a very promising carrier of organic compounds, but it’s exposed directly to solar radiation. Our hypothesis is that there are some kinds of extraterrestrial compounds that can survive and be delivered to Earth by cosmic dust.” Researchers at the European Space Agency are preparing to launch the OREOcube, which will be attached to the ISS and will focus on exposing “organic thin films” deposited on an inorganic substrate (read: rocks) to space to see how the Sun affects organic-inorganic interactions. The main goal is Read More ›

Forwarded by reader, from Journal of Paleontology, 2012: —Tympanal ears in insects are important for both intraspecific communication and for the detection of nocturnal predators. Ears are thought, based on modern forms, to have originated independently multiple times within insects and can be found on multiple regions of the body. Here we describe and document the exceptionally well preserved tympanal ears found in crickets and katydids from the Eocene Green River Formation of Colorado, which are virtually identical to those seen in modern representatives of these groups. These specimens are among the best preserved insect ears in the fossil record and establish the presence of ears in two major clades of Orthoptera 50 million years ago. Also discussed and evaluated Read More ›

No currently known living or extinct bird has them. From ScienceDaily: “In ostriches, the upper kneecap looks similar to the single kneecap in most other species, but the lower kneecap resembles a fixed bony process, like the point of your elbow,” says Ms Regnault. “As far as we know, this double kneecap is unique to ostriches, with no evidence found even in extinct giant birds.” … The effect that this double-kneecap has on the running performance of ostriches is hard to identify, but Ms Regnault and her team have a few ideas: “We speculate that this might mean ostriches are able to extend their knees relatively faster than they would with one kneecap.” Society for Experimental Biology More. Ah yes, Read More ›

From Amy Maxmen at Nature News: tenOever speculates that RNAse III proteins originally helped bacteria to maintain their own RNA, and that bacteria later deployed the proteins against the genetic material of viruses. He points out the occurrence of RNAse III proteins in immune responses throughout the tree of life. For instance, some CRISPR systems, a virus-fighting response in archaea and bacteria, include RNAse III proteins. Plants and invertebrates deploy the proteins in RNAi. And although vertebrates rely on interferons for viral control, this study now shows that Drosha still chases after viruses, in the same way a pet Golden Retriever — a dog bred to retrieve waterfowl — fetches a stick as if it were a fallen duck. Donald Read More ›

From Charles Q. Choi at Space.com: For the first time ever, scientists have directly spotted a pair of supermassive black holes orbiting each other, a new study suggests. This orbital motion — which was noted in observations made over the course of a dozen years — may be the smallest-ever movement detected of an object across the sky, the researchers said. … The presence of these giant black holes so close together suggested that the galaxy in which they lie resulted from dozens of galaxies merging sometime in the past, the researchers said. This raises the possibility that the two black holes themselves might one day merge also, the scientists said. More. Better than fireworks. Happy Fourth of July to Read More ›

This is becoming an anthology. From Joshua C. Tom at Sociological Perspectives: Social Origins of Scientific Deviance: Examining Creationism and Global Warming Skepticism Abstract: Scientific communities maintain respected authority on matters related to the natural world; however, there are instances where significant portions of the population hold beliefs contrary to the scientific consensus. These beliefs have generally been studied as the product of scientific illiteracy. This project reframes the issue as one of social deviance from the consensus of scientific communities. Using young-earth creationism and global warming skepticism as case studies, I suggest that consensus perception in light of public scientific deviance is a valuable dialectical framework, and demonstrate its utility using logistic regression analyses of the 2006 Pew Religion Read More ›

In the journal Nature Geoscience:  Abstract Here.    

From Maria Gallucci at Mashable: Florida residents can now challenge how climate change, evolution are taught in school Florida’s statute is one of 13 measures proposed this year that the National Council for Science Education considers to be “anti-science,” the Washington Post recently noted. Alabama and Indiana, for instance, both adopted non-binding resolutions to promote the “academic freedom” of science teachers in the state’s public schools. Educators are encouraged to “teach the controversy” around “biological evolution, the chemical origins of life, global warming, and human cloning.” Legislators and parents aren’t the only ones putting pressure on public school teachers. More. Reading material like this prompts some reflections: Parents are legally required to send their children to a public school if Read More ›

From Thomas E. Elliott at Acta Cogitate (Eastern Michigan University): Abstract: The cultural debate about Creationism contra evolution by natural selection may be far from over, but the logic underlying it is settled. Creationism is ill-suited to take the place of methodological naturalism for the investigation of biology. In this paper, I survey how philosopher Elliott Sober uses some well-formed concepts from statistics and epistemology, including the nature of evidence, data, as well as the contemporary theory of evolution by natural selection to destroy Creationism as a viable theory once and for all. Creationism is a demonstrable logical fallacy, one that has no support biblically, or in science, but is a thoroughly political conception. I also challenge the idea that disproving Read More ›

As far as the practice of science is concerned, is there a practical difference between assuming the probability that a miracle will not occur is 1.00 and assuming the probability that a miracle will not occur is 0.9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999? Tom Gilson addresses this question in his contribution to Naturalism and Its Alternatives in Scientific Methodologies in a chapter entitled Methodological Naturalism, Methodological Theism, and Regularism. Gilson starts off by quoting J. B. S. Haldane: My practice as a scientist is atheistic. That is to say, when I set up an experiment I assume that no god, angel or devil is going to interfere with its course; and this assumption has been justified by such success as I have achieved in my Read More ›

From Nick Hughes at Aeon: We tend to treat power as though it is intrinsically valuable. We seek it out and covet it, quite irrespective of how we might wield it and what it might get us. One need only look at the history of totalitarian politics to recognise this tendency in its most grotesque form. But power isn’t intrinsically valuable, it’s only instrumentally valuable – valuable as a means to an end. And whether or not they are objectively valuable, the ends that matter to us, the things that we care about most – our relationships, our projects and goals, our shared experiences, social justice, the pursuit of knowledge, the creation and appreciation of art, music and literature, and Read More ›

From Robert Larmer at Sophia: Contemporary Thomists, by and large, have been very critical of the intelligent design movement. Their criticism raises two important issues; the first being whether such criticism is well-founded, the second being whether it is consistent with the views of St. Thomas, from whom they claim to take their direction. I shall argue that their criticism typically misses the mark and that they are mistaken in their representation of Thomas’s views as regards intelligent design. (paywall) More. Readers unfamiliar with philosopher and theologian Aquinas (1225–1274) should read his views on the mind at First Things and ask whether he sounds in any way like a typical Christian evolutionist anxious to accommodate naturalism at any cost. Nothing Read More ›

A new journal seems to be trying to push Darwinism and eco-feminism on undergrads at Abilene Christian University.

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How would you argue against the author of Darwin’s House of Cards: A Journalist’s Odyssey Through the Darwin Debates? Throughout his career as a journalist, Tom Bethell interviewed some of science’s top thinkers and discovered deep flaws in evolutionary thinking. In this documentary, Iconoclast, as well as his book, Darwin’s House of Cards, he reflects on his discoveries and discussions, drawing together the main themes of the Darwin debates from Darwin to today. What’s your best argument against that view? See also: Laszlo Bencze on Tom Bethell’s Darwin’s House of Cards  

Robert Marks sends these endorsements for Evolutionary Informatics: (Note: It is surprisingly easy to read.) ··············· “An honest attempt to discuss what few people seem to realize is an important problem. Thought provoking!” Gregory Chaitin, Ph.D. Professor, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro Eponyms: Kolmogorov-Chaitin-Solomonov Information Theory Chaitin’s Number Chaitin’s algorithm Author of:The Unknowable Meta Math!: The Quest for Omega The Limits of Mathematics Thinking about Gödel and Turing: Essays on Complexity Algorithmic Information Theory. ··············· “Darwinian pretensions notwithstanding, Marks, Dembski, and Ewert demonstrate rigorously and humorously that no unintelligent process can account for the wonders of life.” Michael J. Behe, Ph.D. Professor of Biological Sciences , Lehigh University Author of: Darwin’s Black Box The Edge of Evolution ··············· “This Read More ›