Uncommon Descent Serving The Intelligent Design Community

Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
October 18, 2019
Categorized
Evolution, Intelligent Design, speciation
Tagged
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Claim: Sexual selection could spark new species

Denyse O'Leary
October 18, 2019
Evolution, Intelligent Design, speciation
Of course, sexual selection could spark new species. Lots of events could. At least in theory. The problem is, it must persist generation after generation to make and maintain a difference. How often can it work that way unchecked in an ecology where a great many other shaping events are happening at the same time? Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
October 17, 2019
Categorized
Cosmology, Intelligent Design, Physics
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Hossenfelder: Could the problem with dark matter come down to using wrong equations?

Denyse O'Leary
October 17, 2019
Cosmology, Intelligent Design, Physics
Sabine Hossenfelder: Given how much brain-power physicists have spent on trying to figure out what dark matter and dark energy is, I think it would be a good idea to definitely settle the question whether it is anything at all. At the very least, I would sleep better. Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
October 17, 2019
Categorized
Animal minds, Intelligent Design, Mind
Tagged
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Animal studies tend to show that the human experience is unique

Denyse O'Leary
October 17, 2019
Animal minds, Intelligent Design, Mind
Many people assume that human consciousness arose accidentally many eons ago from animal consciousness and that therefore we can find glimmers of the same sort of consciousness in the minds of animals. But that approach isn’t producing the expected results. Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
October 17, 2019
Categorized
Human evolution, Intelligent Design, Mind, Neuroscience
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Researchers: Human neurons mature more slowly than those of chimpanzees and macaques

Denyse O'Leary
October 17, 2019
Human evolution, Intelligent Design, Mind, Neuroscience
Interesting but not really a surprise because humans mature more slowly generally and live longer. No big news here that accounts for human uniqueness. Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
October 17, 2019
Categorized
Epigenetics, Intelligent Design
Tagged
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Researcher: The question is not whether epigenetic learning is inherited but how

Denyse O'Leary
October 17, 2019
Epigenetics, Intelligent Design
Why do the epigenetic changes last only a few generations? Hmmm. Well, if life, in general, exists by design and not by chance, many adaptations may only be intended to last a few generations. Environments constantly change, after all, and a requirement that all patterns be locked in could be a road to extinction. Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
October 17, 2019
Categorized
Intelligent Design, Mind, Naturalism, Neuroscience
Tagged
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Templeton is sponsoring a historic type of contest in the quest to understand consciousness

Denyse O'Leary
October 17, 2019
Intelligent Design, Mind, Naturalism, Neuroscience
We are sure that, in reality, anyone really attached to the losing theory will find wiggle room. But never mind. The point is, there is something to test. This sure beats: Consciousness is an evolved illusion; your coffee mug is conscious; consciousness is a material thing; electrons are conscious No wonder consciousness studies have been described in Chronicle of Higher Education as “bizarre.” Maybe not so much now. Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
October 16, 2019
Categorized
Intelligent Design, Peer review, Psychology
Tagged
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Researchers: There is an inference crisis as well as a replication crisis

Denyse O'Leary
October 16, 2019
Intelligent Design, Peer review, Psychology
In other words, even if social scientists can replicate research results, there may be little agreement about what, if anything, they mean. Is it a good idea for governments to consult them on social policy? Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
October 16, 2019
Categorized
Cosmology, Intelligent Design, Multiverse
Tagged
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Rob Sheldon: The quantum effects shown in large molecules may make theories like the multiverse testable

Denyse O'Leary
October 16, 2019
Cosmology, Intelligent Design, Multiverse
Sheldon: "By measuring a hot stream of molecules with billions of states, this experiment may rule out CSL [Continuous Spontaneous Localization]. If so, it would be the first time an interpretation of QM was actually invalidated, suggesting we have entered a new era of testing theories of the foundations of QM." Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Cornelius Hunter
Date
October 16, 2019
Categorized
Intelligent Design

New Research on Animal Egg Orientation

Cornelius Hunter
October 16, 2019
Intelligent Design

When the first cell of an animal—the zygote—divides, it usually has a front end, and a back end, and this orientation will influence how the embryo develops. This orientation is inherited from the egg, where certain gene products are deposited, often at the front end of the egg. These so-called … read more