Researchers: Earth’s long-lasting habitability was therefore most likely a contingent rather than an inevitable outcome.
Massive horizontal gene transfer in plants
Researchers: This union of two different genomes, called allopolyploidization, is very interesting in evolutionary terms, as it leads to the formation of new plant species and is widespread in many plant groups. Many important crops, such as bread and durum wheat, oats, cotton, canola, coffee, and tobacco have such combined genomes from at least two crossed species.
Researchers: Grey camouflage works better than zebra stripes
The paper uses data from a game played by citizen scientists. We don’t really know for sure how lions would use the same data. But the story is apparently more complex than textbook Darwinism.
Darwinian time trees don’t really work
The article goes on to talk about refutations but so far it seems like a civilized discussion. That’s evidence that Darwinism is losing its chokehold on thought.
Reality is looming down on supersymmetry
In pop science media, supersymmetry has been one of the ideas that lead to support for a multiverse and all that. So, if it’s in trouble…
At Psychology Today: A critic speaks out on retractions as a form of censorship
Remember this shameful episode when faced with bureaucrats huffing “Trust the science!” It appears that the science doesn’t trust the science. And if not, why should anyone else?
Researchers: A pest snake can make itself into a lasso to climb
Either the snake is smarter than we think or there is more intelligence in nature than some suppose.
Now, organisms engineer their own evolution
Well, those organisms must be pretty smart to be evolution’s engineers. Never mind; keep talking, people. Speak more loudly into the mike. Would you be so good as to position yourself so that you are speaking directly into the mike… 😉
Richard Dawkins defends Trump’s Twitter ban. Huh?
We don’t want to get into the politics of that as such. Keep reading till you get to the punch line.
William Lane Craig vs. Daniel Came on Does God Exist
Via Wintery Knight who helpfully provides notes on this 2017 debate in Ireland.
New atheist Christopher Hitchens (1949–2011) on fine-tuning of the universe
He found fine-tuning of the universe a reasonable argument against his position. In the meantime, new atheism has become the godlessness that failed.
Alister McGrath imagines Richard Dawkins and C.S. Lewis in conversation
Nathan Muse: Regarding faith and reason, McGrath does an excellent job showing how many of Dawkins’ arguments for atheism can easily be turned on their head to prove the opposite and that this actually tells the reader something about the meaning of life.
Jellyfish enhance their skills by building a virtual wall
Either jellyfish are smarter than we think or there is design in nature. Researchers: “The fact that these simple animals have figured out how to achieve a ‘ground effect’ type boost in open water, away from any solid surfaces, has the potential to open up a range of new possibilities for engineered vehicles to take advantage of this phenomenon,” Gemmell said.
Convergent evolution: Tasmanian tiger pups “extraordinarily”similar to wolf pups
Researchers: While scientists have worked out that different animals evolve to look the same because they occupy similar places in the ecosystem, they have yet to explain how animals evolve to become convergent, particularly the forces driving their early development.
Breakthrough in measuring protons does not deliver the hoped-for new physics
Diminishing hope for new physics? That isn’t the triumphant scientism we were told to expect.