Culture

Further to: Darwin event at museum scuttled when some engineers ask for equal time for ID, here is a story from the Albuquerque Journal: Museum plunged into evolution, religion debate Advocates of “intelligent design” say the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science preferred to cancel Darwin Days events rather than provide an opportunity to present an alternative theory of evolution. Not so, said Mary Ann Hatchitt, communications director for the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, which oversees the state’s museums. “There was nothing to cancel because there were no Darwin Days events planned or scheduled” for 2015, she said. A public records request told a different story: The emails provided via the IPRA request and shared with Read More ›

Doubtless a new experience for you. From International Business Times: Women affiliated with members of terror group Islamic State (Isis) have published a manifesto and guide to living as a militant Muslim female. Education for women is okay as long as they stay at home, but “It is considered legitimate for a girl to be married at the age of nine. Most pure girls will be married by 16 or 17, while they are still young and active. Young men will not be more than 20 years old in those glorious generations.” The authors of the document also urged people to refrain from “exploring science”, aimed at “trying to uncover the secrets of nature”. The focus, rather, should be on Read More ›

From The Netherlands: The professor of media studies, José van Dijck, has been appointed president of the Royal Academy of Sciences, the Academy. Van Dijck follows Hans Clevers on. Van Dyck is a representative of the humanities again headed the association of outstanding scientists. The appointment of the Academy Clevers had previously broken with the tradition that the presidency rotates between social sciences, humanities and natural sciences. Clevers well as its predecessor Robbert Dijkgraaf are scientists. (Google Translate) … It is the first time that a woman in charge is at the Academy.  O’Leary for News, an arts grad and double X, is going to sit this one out. But the rest of you, please, readers, your thoughts! Follow UD Read More ›

Attkisson is a genuine investigative journalist, harassed by authoritarian government in an age of cosseted government media hacks, poseurs, and vapid cheerleaders for “science.” Further to kairosfocus’ Sharyl Attkisson (in a TEDx) cautions on Astroturfing and pseudo-consensus: This also seemed worth calling out as astroturf: A close third is an array of blogs that use words such as “science” and “skeptic” in their titles or propaganda in an attempt to portray an image of neutrality and logic when they are often fighting established science and serving pro-pharmaceutical industry agendas. Or, we would add, attempting to strangle sciences that seek to move beyond the dead ends in which they themselves comfortably burrow. For an antidote to that last, see, for example, Read More ›

As in But what IS a gene? (At one time we knew. We were wrong. Honestly and stubbornly so). Philosopher (and photographer) Laszlo Bencze here: The notion of a gene seems to be becoming less and less useful with every discovery in genetics. Of course all (or practically all) of these discoveries are being made by strict evolutionists. They still palm off the increasing complexity of reproduction as the result of a long evolutionary process no matter how much their own work does not support that notion. The way I see it, the main purpose of the gene concept is to support a comprehensible evolutionary scenario. If one gene equals one protein and one protein equals one trait, it is Read More ›

From EMBO Rep. 2005 Sep; 6(9): 808–810. Jon Turney: Genes are no longer what they used to be. Once the powerful determinants of our biological and evolutionary fate, their central importance is now gradually being chipped away. At first glance, this may just sound like an interesting puzzle for scientists: How can the gene be placed correctly in the larger context of biology? But it also creates an important challenge when it comes to communicating genetics to the public: How can the role of genes in disease and health be explained to a public who put their faith in biology’s ability to improve their lives? There is no doubt that the effort to map and sequence entire genomes in order Read More ›