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Feb. 3rd, 2009 09:51 amHalf of Britons do not believe in evolution - although many are uncertain rather than opposed.
Recent decisions mean Creationism will be taught in science classes in Louisiana and Texas.
An interesting perspective on the Discovery Institute: It's not a Catholic theory of creation
Meanwhile, in actual science (ta,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
alryssa!): New Tree Of Life Divides All Lower Metazoans From Higher Animals, Molecular Research Confirms. By comparing DNA, you can create a tree showing how animals are related to each other. We usually think of "primitive" animals, like sponges, as being superseded by more complex animals, like hummingbirds or Frankus, as though evolution is trying to produce more and more elaborate creatures until finally an intelligent species pops out. But of course evolution doesn't try to do anything, any more than gravity tries to make stars and planets; it just happens. "Primitive" creatures like sponges and jellyfish are hugely successful in their own right. Anywho, this tree shows that many of those simple animals evolved right alongside the more complicated ones, and that rather than having descended from sponges, we share a common ancestor with them. Hmmm, that could bugger up the science in Bernice Summerfield: Nobody's Children, I'll have to go and have a look.
I was rummaging around in CafePress yesterday for t-shirts on evolution, and almost all of them are just insults, rather than conveying any useful information. (I quite liked the "Evidence of evolution? You're sitting on it!" one, with a diagram of the coccyx.) The UK survey suggests what peeps need is more information and explanation, not to be told they're morons.
That said:
"There are many, many gaps that don't link species changing and evolving into another species, so we want our students to get all of the science, and we want them to have great, open discussions and learning to respect each other's opinions." - Barbara Cargill, Texas Board of Education member
"There is no democracy in physics. We can't say that some second-rate guy has as much right to his opinion as Fermi." - Luis Alvarez
Recent decisions mean Creationism will be taught in science classes in Louisiana and Texas.
An interesting perspective on the Discovery Institute: It's not a Catholic theory of creation
Meanwhile, in actual science (ta,
alryssa!): New Tree Of Life Divides All Lower Metazoans From Higher Animals, Molecular Research Confirms. By comparing DNA, you can create a tree showing how animals are related to each other. We usually think of "primitive" animals, like sponges, as being superseded by more complex animals, like hummingbirds or Frankus, as though evolution is trying to produce more and more elaborate creatures until finally an intelligent species pops out. But of course evolution doesn't try to do anything, any more than gravity tries to make stars and planets; it just happens. "Primitive" creatures like sponges and jellyfish are hugely successful in their own right. Anywho, this tree shows that many of those simple animals evolved right alongside the more complicated ones, and that rather than having descended from sponges, we share a common ancestor with them. Hmmm, that could bugger up the science in Bernice Summerfield: Nobody's Children, I'll have to go and have a look.I was rummaging around in CafePress yesterday for t-shirts on evolution, and almost all of them are just insults, rather than conveying any useful information. (I quite liked the "Evidence of evolution? You're sitting on it!" one, with a diagram of the coccyx.) The UK survey suggests what peeps need is more information and explanation, not to be told they're morons.
That said:
"There are many, many gaps that don't link species changing and evolving into another species, so we want our students to get all of the science, and we want them to have great, open discussions and learning to respect each other's opinions." - Barbara Cargill, Texas Board of Education member
"There is no democracy in physics. We can't say that some second-rate guy has as much right to his opinion as Fermi." - Luis Alvarez
