stand up for REAL science

Antievolution Legislation Update

2010-02-05T08:33:00.011-06:00

The Mississippi anti-evolution bill that would have required public schools to present "scientifically sound arguments by protagonists and antagonists of the theory of evolution" has died in committee.

It appears that the Mississippi legislature's search for "scientifically sound arguments" by antagonists of the theory of evolution came up empty.

Next time, maybe they'll complete their search before they file the bill.

Hat-tip: NCSE

Surprise, suprise, surprise!

2010-01-25T06:45:00.000-06:00

No, unfortunately, I've learned by now that the surprise would be if the Discovery Institute didn't engage in repeated quotemining.

Once again, the DI is promoting its so-called "Academic Freedom Day" for February 12th, the birthday of Charles Darwin. The DI is pimping this movement based on this ostensible quote from Darwin:

A fair result can be obtained only by fully stating and balancing the facts and arguments on both sides of each question.

Jeremy laid bare the DI's deception at about this time last year.

It's telling that a movement that loudly claims to be concerned with freedom and truth has to resort to quotemining and deliberate deception to gain and retain its followers. Can the DI's bad tree of behavior really be expected to produce good fruit? Matt 7:16-20

2012 - Science Cafe in Hays

2010-01-21T20:54:00.001-06:00

What fun!

Tuesday night's Science Cafe in Hays was certainly stimulating. For starters, the scheduled presenter (Dr. Paul Adams) was tasked elsewhere by his boss so the presentation was given by a local astronomy buff recruited for the task. The substitute presenter, Megan Adams*, is a gifted public speaker who kept us on our toes with her no-holds-barred approach to debunking ridiculous ideas and with her wry quips. Paul joined the Cafe via Skype video from Topeka.

Megan began by explaining four of the common prophecies regarding 2012:

1. The Mayan calender ends on December 21, 2012.
2. Earth is destined to collide with the undiscovered planet Nibiru.
3. Various alignments of the planets, the galactic plane, the solar system's plane, and the spin of the earth will wreak havoc on the earth's spin and/or magnetic field.
4. The solar cycle will be at a maximum, producing gigantic solar flares which will wipe out life on Earth.

Each of these was shown to be in conflict with scientific evidence; some examples are given at the National Geographic website. In short:
1. Mayan calendars were notoriously inconsistent. And think about it - when your 5-year calendar ends with December 31, does it mean civilization will come to a screeching halt? Of course not - you just go get a new calendar!
2. There is no such thing as "planet Nibiru." Period.
3. Those alignments have happened lots of times during the 5-billion-year history of the earth. If such an alignment was capable of destroying Earth, we'd have clues by now.
4. Although 2012 will be the peak of a solar maximum, there is no data to suggest this maximum will be any more catastrophic than any other solar maximum - which happens every 11 years.

The Fort Hays State University Leader had an excellent summary of the evening on its front page, and the Hays Daily News ran a blurb as well.

During the discussion after the presentation, one of the 50-some attendees presented a prophecy I hadn't encountered: the Lakota Sioux White Buffalo prophecy. As she told it, the birth of a white buffalo is supposed to signify the return of a Sioux deity, and of course all signs point to it happening in 2012. This idea was promoted along with the slowing of the earth's spin which is being hidden by the scientists from the general public, and is the reason time seems to pass so much more quickly as we get older.

Neither contention was presented with any scientific support.

One nugget of wisdom that this speaker did note was that as people, we need to be treating each other much more nicely. (Of course, my own thought was, "why should we only treat each other well if we think doom is imminent?" But I digress.)

It should be noted that

Although she said she did not believe the world would end Dec. 21, 2012, Adams admitted she had a slight ulterior motive: her 21st birthday is Dec. 22, 2012.

She said even the end of the world could not keep her from celebrating.

"If the world ends on the 21st, I'll hang on and survive and still celebrate on the 22nd."

(*in interests of full disclosure, yes, I am proud to be Megan's mother!)

Missouri Loves Company

2010-01-18T15:05:00.002-06:00

Last week, Cheryl reported that Mississippi is the first state this year to be visited by the Ghost of Intelligent Design known as "Academic Freedom" legislation.

Apparently, some members of the Missouri legislature did not like the spectre of Mississippi being the only state possessed by anti-evolution legislation this year. According to the NCSE, eleven Republican representatives recently tried out their skills as ghost whisperers by summoning the ghost of Intelligent Design into Missouri science classrooms via House Bill 1651.

The bill's chief sponsor, Robert Wayne Cooper, introduced similar bills in 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2009. All of Cooper's previous bills passed away.

May they rest in peace.

Mississippi is dah loser!

2010-01-13T19:26:00.001-06:00

Sweet! (added in edit: Because it's not Kansas this time!)

According to the National Center for Science Education the state of Mississippi has become the first state legislature of 2010 to file an anti-evolution bill.

But check this out:

"The lesson provided to students ... shall have proportionately equal instruction from educational materials that present scientifically sound arguments by protagonists and antagonists of the theory of evolution."

"proportionally equal" ????

Hmmm.

If the time devoted to the evidence supporting evolution is "proportionately equal" to the amount of evidence supporting evolution, and the time devoted to the evidence against evolution is "proportionately equal" to the amount of evidence against it, then the lesson becomes easy to plan:

99.99% of the time would be devoted to the evidence supporting evolution, while 0.01% of the class time would be devoted to . . . well, since there's no credible evidence against evolution, that time could be used to discuss the anti-evolution movement in the US.

That 0.01% of class time could be used to point out the uniformly religious motivations of the anti-science movement, like the quote from the bill's sponsor:

"Either you believe in the Genesis story, or you believe that a fish walked on the ground," and adding, "All these molecules didn't come into existence by themselves." - Gary Chism (R-District 37), to the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal (January 24, 2009)

Somehow, I doubt Chism recognizes what the word "proportionately" means.

2012: The End of Time?

2010-01-12T08:56:00.005-06:00

Collision with rogue planet Nibiru. The end of the 13th Baktun of the Mayan calendar. The alignment of the equators of Earth, Sun, and the Milky Way Galaxy. Earth passing through the Galactic Plane. Earth spinning wildly out of control. Disastrous geomagnetic reversal. Solar storms. Global consciousness shift, a reincarnated Quetzalcoatl, and Timewave Zero.

Well, it certainly sounds disastrous, don't you think?

Join us next Tuesday, January 19th, at Cafe Semolino's (map) in Hays for our first Science Cafe of 2010. Dr. Paul Adams, FHSU's Anschutz Professor of Education and Professor of Physics, will give us the background behind these scary-sounding events. More importantly, he will help us understand why each and every one of us should be concerned about the effects of 2012 prophecies:

NASA's Ask an Astrobiologist Web site, for example, has received thousands of questions regarding the 2012 doomsday predictions—some of them disturbing, according to David Morrison, senior scientist with the NASA Astrobiology Institute.

"A lot of [the submitters] are people who are genuinely frightened," Morrison said.

"I've had two teenagers who were considering killing themselves, because they didn't want to be around when the world ends," he said. "Two women in the last two weeks said they were contemplating killing their children and themselves so they wouldn't have to suffer through the end of the world."

Hays' Science Cafe is sponsored by the FHSU Science & Mathematics Education Institute, Kansas Citizens for Science, and Cafe Semolino's.

A Very Worthy Cause to Support

2010-01-08T18:27:00.009-06:00

Put down that spoon.

This PSA is from WildAid. Many more celebrity PSAs can be found on their website.

Pass them around!

Hat-tip: Adrian Thysse at A Natural Evolution

The Cambrian Explosion: No Dilemma for Darwin

2010-01-08T17:03:00.006-06:00

I have been home from work for three snow days in a row. Along with scooping snow and playing with the girls, I've had some unexpected free time.

Time to relax, read, and learn something new.

It's a great time to take in a YouTube lecture like the one below:

The lecture is given by Stephen Westrop, the curator of invertebrate paleontology at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History at the University of Oklahoma.

Here's the description of the lecture posted on YouTube:

The Cambrian Explosion was one of the most important episodes in the history of life. Over some 20 to 25 million years, beginning about 543 million years ago, life in the oceans diversified. Today, we find abundant fossils of hard-shelled animals of this age in many parts of the world. The famous Burgess Shale of western Canada formed after the Cambrian Explosion but its unusually preserved fossils give paleontologists a glimpse of a nearly complete Cambrian community. These extraordinary fossils also show the wide range of animals that must have evolved earlier in the Cambrian Period. In this presentation, Westrop takes a look at recent research that gives us a new understanding of this evolutionary "explosion" of ocean life.

Bringing Tiktaalik Home

2010-01-06T15:58:00.003-06:00

A journey that took 375 million years is summarized in just over three minutes!

The Unbroken Thread

2010-01-06T15:40:00.003-06:00

Enjoy the latest song from The Symphony of Science:

What Darwin Never Knew

2009-12-28T09:12:00.002-06:00

One hundred and fifty years later, scientists decode nature's greatest mysteries in a two-hour NOVA special.

The special will highlight breakthroughs in the new science of evolutionary developmental biology ("evo-devo") that have allowed biologists to crack nature's biggest secrets at the genetic level.

Time to set your DVR!

It airs tomorrow, Tuesday, December 29th on PBS.

Check your local listings.

The Known Universe

2009-12-19T21:51:00.004-06:00

Hey, how'd the get a camera out there?

Laugh of the Day

2009-12-17T06:00:00.001-06:00

The Discovery Institute whines, "Why Are Darwinists Scared to Read Signature in the Cell?", Stephen Meyer's latest ID promo.

To which the proper response is, "Why Are ID Proponents Scared to Submit Their Data to Scientists, and Why Do They Market Directly to an Un-Science-Literate Public?"

Or, "Why Does the Discovery Institute Focus on PR Instead of Research?"

Of course we know why. It's because they still don't have the data. And without this evidence, they're forced to pimp their movement directly to an unsuspecting public.

Here's what a help-wanted ad from the DI must look like:

Wanted: Research Scientist.
Duties: Communicate our vision of science to the public through church lectures, popular books published by religious publishers, opinion pieces, and staged debates.
Perks: No long hours in the lab. No submissions to peer-reviewed science journals required. No presentations of data at science conferences necessary.
Requirements: Good hair & smile. Ability to utter contradictory and absurd statements without flinching is a must.
Education: B.A. in Marketing, Leadership Studies or Political Science preferred. Will accept a J.D. if we get really desperate.
Previous Experience: Positions in used-car sales, ambulance chasing, or advertising are helpful.
Salary: Commensurate with experience, and dependent on the generosity of our donors.
Contact:1-800-BUL-LSHI

Infestation, part II

2009-12-14T16:56:00.044-06:00

A few weeks ago, I noted an upcoming Campus-Ministry-sponsored pro-ID lecture at Indiana University-Purdue University, Ft. Wayne (IPFW) to be presented by IPFW associate professor of science education Dr. Jeffrey Nowak.

A couple of intrepid readers attended the talk, including Dr. Richard Sutter, chair of the IPFW Department of Anthropology. (You can read attendees' comments here, here, and here.)

Dr. Sutter let us know of an interesting development in the situation.

The campus cable network was on hand to record the presentation. Usually, the ID community is more than happy to publicize their, um, work; but this time, not so much. Apparently, Dr. Nowak is so concerned that his talk will be misrepresented that he asked the campus cable network to destroy all copies of his talk.

. . . say what? . . .

According to Dr. Sutter,

A colleague informed me that Dr. Nowak requested that the CATV 56 (campus cable network) destroy all copies of his talk because he felt that some of his colleagues would misrepresent his talk. I called CATV 56 and they confirmed that they no longer have any copies and do not intend on broadcasting the talk on CATV 56. One would think that if Dr. Nowak is concerned about the content of his talk being misrepresented he would want the tape of the talk to be widely available so that others could judge the content for themselves.

Funny how he - unlike other scientists and scholars - isn't willing to have the public scrutinize his ideas . . . I always thought that the academy and scholarship were all about?

Ah, but when a movement's primary goals are political and religious, not scientific, censorship is *exactly* what you'll find as we've found time and again. Now Nowak can spin the experience any way he wants regardless of the accounts of onlookers; not exactly a new tactic for the DI's supporters.

Pity poor Dr. Nowak, who has evidently learned he's not even competent to carry water for the Discovery Institute. It does make one wonder why he's entrusted with training trusting young souls who'll soon be teaching science to elementary kids. It's sad that a young professor has chosen to place his ministry ahead of his conscience.

Strange how a scholar is so intent on persuading the public that ID should infest science education that he's ready to exterminate any evidence of his attempt at persuasion.

On the other hand, for an example of someone doing REAL science and communicating it to the public, meet Dr. Richard C. Sutter:

Crystalline Precipitation!

2009-12-08T12:36:00.000-06:00

This image of a freshly-fallen snowflake was captured with Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy.

As snowflakes form, air is trapped within the lattices of the crystal. If the snow doesn't melt, and instead accumulates and packs down, the structure of the snowflakes changes in all kinds of interesting ways.

By drilling into Arctic & Antarctic glaciers and examining the ice cores brought up, researchers can look at snow that has built up over tens of thousands of years. The air that was trapped can be analyzed to help figure out what the climate was like at the time the snow fell. The evidence is there, regardless of how nasty a few scientists get toward denialists. (Those scientists have since received "torrents" of death threats.)

Here in semi-arid western Kansas, we usually don't have to worry about that much snow. In fact, we're grateful for whatever precipitation we get - except for ice.

There's No Comfort in the Truth

2009-12-05T23:48:00.010-06:00

If you follow the creation/evolution debate, you've probably heard of Ray Comfort. In case you haven't, Ray is a Christian apologist who is probably best known for his hilarious comedy routine in which he argues that the characteristics of a banana provide evidence for the existence of God.

Well, here's the part where Ray slips on the banana peel.

You see, Ray Comfort's "special introduction" to Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species includes a short biography of Darwin that was apparently cut-n-pasted from University of Tennessee professor Stan Guffey's essay "A Brief History of Charles Darwin" (pdf).

Here's how Guffey described his unacknowledged contribution to Comfort's ministry:

"I am party to a scam," Guffey says. "The introduction begins with a nice, sweet little biography, then degenerates into intellectually lame, lazy distortions, selective reading of the literature, picking and choosing of facts, and misreadings of the historical record." He says Comfort "gently moves folks into the notion that they don't want to read what comes after the introduction. He just wants his 50 pages read, 47 of which are anti-intellectual, dishonest drivel, the first three of which are pretty good because I wrote them."

See? There's no Comfort in the truth.

Even worse, according to the Metro Pulse article linked above, Comfort and his publisher were confronted about the apparent plagiarism months ago and apparently chose to do nothing about it.

As I said before, I wish people like Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron would stop harming Christianity by making such fools of themselves in public. They're bumbling attempts at evangelism are self-defeating.

HT: NCSE

Happy Origin Day!

2009-11-24T16:39:00.005-06:00

Today marks 150 years since the publication of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species, and scientific understanding of evolution continues to take some remarkable twists and turns. To commemorate this historic day, the National Science Foundation has released a special anniversary edition of their Evolution of Evolution online resource.

This report, with its thoughtful essays, intriguing interviews, and extensive timelines, chronicles the challenges and triumphs of the evolution of evolution.

How are you commemorating this historic day?

Plug Your Nose, Then Insert Bookmark

2009-11-24T16:34:00.002-06:00

The latest from the NCSE's Don't Diss Darwin Institute:

Get your own saftey bookmarks here!

The science in the movie "2012"

2009-11-23T06:47:00.001-06:00

Greg Laden has the scoop.

Branching Out

2009-11-20T20:00:00.003-06:00

Look out, Internets!

Cheryl and I are expanding our presence on the web!

We recently created a "stand up for REAL science" page on this little up-and-coming website called Facebook.

If you happen to have your own Facebook account and would like to help us continue to stand up for REAL science, then we encourage you to become a fan.

Oh, yeah. Now I remember...

2009-11-16T21:34:00.013-06:00

This is why I gave up arguing with creationists on the Internet.

Consider the following exchange between yours truly and someone named "afar1" in the comment section of one of my YouTube videos.

afar1: Let me dwell on the fossil record since most people assume it is supportive of evolution. It is not. The fact is, evolution fails miserably and in this regard there is zero evidence for macroevolution, which is why evolutionists never present any. And they should not claim to be presenting evidence, when all they have is the claim that "many micro step lead to macro", which is a load of crap that they cannot prove and they know it!

standup4REALscience: Zero evidence?

Have you seen video #5 in this series yet?

watch?v=l_Dad_GhkT4

I'd like to know how you can so casually dismiss all of this evidence.

afar1: The evolution THEORY is plagued with a primitive idea with no real evidence. Il give it to you guys for using your imagination...but the lack of credibility speaks for itself. I think the ape cartoon drawings are a testament to the inventiveness and primitive approach used. Believing in a creator that is in full control of everything including the steady expansion of the universe that science only figured out recently is far easier to digest using logic and reason. Evolutionists - in a fantasy.

standup4REALscience: I'm a Christian who believes in a "creator that is in full control of everything."

It seems to me that you're more interested in dismissing evolution as "fantasy" than actually discussing the evidence for it. That's too bad, because you might actually learn something new.

If you want to discuss the evidence of evolution from the fossil record, I'd be happy to do that.

If you'd rather simply dismiss the evidence and insult your fellow believers who accept evolution, then count me out.

afar1: Sorry,liberal Christianity hurts the real one.
Interestingly, militant atheists get much of their beliefs about "Christianity" from liberal Christians.They'll pejoratively label all Christians as "Fundies",then presumptively attack liberal theological concepts
they suppose us "Fundies" subscribe to. You do more harm to thr Bible than the God Haters could ever achieve with the best of their b.s.

standup4REALscience: It's interesting that you label me a "liberal Christian" without even knowing anything about my specific beliefs. It's much easier to label others than to put in the effort to understand them, isn't it?

Apparently, your real reason for rejecting evolution stems from the fact that it conflicts with how you choose to interpret the Bible. Otherwise, you'd be interested in discussing the scientific evidence, right?

If you'd like to discuss the fossil evidence of evolution, my offer still stands.

afar1: If the first Adam never existed, there would have been no need for Christ to come and qualify to rule earth. If there was not a first Adam, the reason for Christ's first coming would not be true! Again, there would be no need for a second Adam, because there would have never been a first.You are an apostate w/ no evidence to back up your anti-Biblical beliefs.

standup4REALscience: There you go again, calling me an "apostate" without even knowing anything about my beliefs. Nevertheless, I have not labeled you or your beliefs, even though you have disparaged mine.

Clearly, your reason for rejecting evolution is theological, not scientific. Otherwise, you'd jump at the chance to discuss the fossil evidence of evolution. That evidence will not go away, despite your desire to ignore it.

Apparently, you are too afraid to even discuss the scientific evidence. Why is that?

afar1: You're so sure of yourself, deliver the goods. Give us *the* answer and this thread will be over and you can get your nose back in joint. Every book, by evolutionists provides many embarrasing quotes that can be used as ammunition against the theory of evolution. I've studied this issue for over twenty-five years. How many of these quotes would you like to see me post? Believe me, some of these guys *are* real nutcases.

standup4REALscience: Who cares about quotes? Let's discuss evidence.

Earlier, you claimed that "evolution THEORY is plagued with a primitive idea with no real evidence." How do you dismiss the evidence presented in Evolution is REAL Science #5?

What about Gerobatrachus?
What about Odontochelys?
What about Najash?
What about Onychonycteris?
What about Amphistium?
What about Pezosiren?

Evolutionists predicted these fossils and their intermediate characteristics before they were discovered. How do you explain them?

afar1: Gerobatrachus is a specimen,and an incomplete one at that. However, shared features are not transitional features, Fossils do reveal some truth about Darwins theory they reveal that the same inconsistencies he noted between his theory and the fossil data persist, even after 150 years of frantic searches for elusive transitions.Not only is there no single, undisputed transition, but real fossils reveal that animals were fully formed from the beginning.

standup4REALscience: If you wanted me to read an ICR article, you should have just pointed me to the article. Instead, you copy-n-pasted from it and dishonestly tried to pass it off as your own.

Apparently, you just typed in "Gerobatrachus" in the search bar on the ICR website and clicked on the only article that came up. That's not a very effective way to build a convincing argument. You don't come across as someone who has been studying this issue for 25 years.

Care to actually address the evidence?

afar1: Evolution is about as scientific as a rooster plucking ceremony in Haiti. Evolution has no labs and no testability. Evolution lacks supportive fossils and has more changes in it than Tyra Banks dressing room and a gazillion pissed off fruit flies haven't suggested it.Now let's talk real science.

standup4REALscience: I'm still waiting for you to actually offer a response to the fossil intermediates that I presented earlier. Those are each examples of the testability of evolution. Paleontologists used evolutionary theory to predict the existence of those fossils *before* they were actually discovered.

As it stands, all you have done is copy-n-paste material from a creationist website that does not answer my question.

You want to "talk real science?"

Address the evidence that I presented please.

afar1: Offer a response to what? You've yet to present anything that remotely helps you.The science behind evolution is not empirical, but forensic. Because evolution took place in history, its scientific investigations are after the fact-no testing, no observations, no repeatability, no falsification, nothing at all like physics. I think this is what the public discerns-that evolution is just a bunch of just-so stories disguised as legitimate science.Convoluted facts stirred into half-truths.

standup4REALscience: Another copy-n-paste from a creationist website?

Is that really all you can come up with?

I wish I could say I was shocked by your continued dishonesty.

Evolution is testable and falsifiable. My videos demonstrate that.

You have no explanation for why paleontologists were able to use evolutionary theory to predict the existence of transitional fossil *before* they were discovered. This is evident from the fact that you have not even attempted to address the fossils that I presented.

I think I'll go back to ignoring comments from people who so obviously have no ability or interest in conducting an honest argument.

The Evolution of Standardensus kansiensis

2009-11-11T17:52:00.000-06:00

Now showing on YouTube, a brief history of the science education standards issue in Kansas:

This is my first *ever* YouTube venture . . . please don't hesitate to advise and critique!

Infestation

2009-11-11T17:00:00.000-06:00

Elementary science teachers receive little instruction in science. Part of this is understandable because of the emphasis on reading, writing, and basic mathematics that comprise childrens' basic literacy toolkit. But I've heard discouraging reports from professors of general education science courses about the dearth of scientific literacy among their students who are elementary education majors.

So, it's safe to say that the instructor of a science teaching methods course has considerable influence on what these elementary science teachers actually do in the classroom. Which is why I found the following little news item - "IPFW religious forum explores the nature of science" - troubling, with the concerning bit bolded:

Nowak is an associate professor of science education at IPFW [Indiana University-Purdue University at Fort Wayne] and director of Northeast Indiana Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (NISTEM) Education Resource Center. He will discuss why people believe the theory of intelligent design is not true science and attempt to demonstrate that intelligent design should be considered a scientific theory.

Dr. Jeff Nowak has been listed as the instructor for IPFW's "EDUC Q200 - Introduction to Scientific Inquiry" as well as the faculty advisor for IPFW's InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. This fall, Nowak is listed as teaching "EDUC-E328-01 Science In Elem Sch:"

Objectives, philosophy, selection, and organization of science materials and methods. Concept development and use of multidimensional materials in science experiments. Analysis of assessment techniques and bibliographical materials. Public school participation required.

This course is likely the only science pedagogy course these future grade school teachers will receive.

We're not sure why Dr. Nowak considers his own background and experiences to be superior to those of the vast majority of scientists and science educators in this country. Likewise, his religious beliefs are rightfully not considered in evaluating his job performance.

When a key science education professor is taking a public, pro-IDcreationism stance, though, one has to wonder how far the ID movement has infested public education.

Of course, this has been the goal of the ID movement all along: get ID into the public school science classrooms through political pressure and stealth instead of actually doing the scientific research.

"E.T. Phone Rome"

2009-11-10T16:32:00.000-06:00

Recently, the Vatican convened experts in science and theology to delve into the implications of the possible existence of extraterrestrial life.

Fundamentalists have long argued against the existence such life, stating that since God "created man in His image," and because God "gave his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" to die for our sins, that we humans on this pale blue dot must necessarily be the only form of life in the universe.

The largest Christian denomination begs to disagree: according to Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, an astronomer and director of the Vatican Observatory,

"How can we rule out that life may have developed elsewhere?" Funes said in that interview.

"Just as there is a multitude of creatures on Earth, there could be other beings, even intelligent ones, created by God. This does not contradict our faith, because we cannot put limits on God's creative freedom."

Funes maintained that if intelligent beings were discovered, they would also be considered "part of creation."

The importance of astronomy in science education cannot be underestimated. Indeed, during the infamous 1999 Kansas EvoWar I, creationists on the Kansas State Board of Education removed three key concepts from the standards: evolution, the 4.6-billion-year-old earth, and the history of the universe. Although much of the headlines went to the removal of evolution, cutting out cosmological concepts was just as damaging.

"It was astronomical observations that let us understand that Earth (and man) don't have a privileged position or role in the universe," he said. "I ask myself what tools will we use in the next 400 years, and I ask what revolutions of understanding they'll bring about, like resolving the mystery of our apparent cosmic solitude." - Tommaso Maccacaro, president of Italy's national institute of astrophysics

Just another reminder that science education battles aren't issues of science v. religion. Nope, they're strictly sectarian squabbles between competing sects. And the residents of Northern Ireland and Iran can tell us how productive those disputes are.

Science in Art

2009-11-10T06:30:00.000-06:00

Our Science Cafes in Hays have been lucky to have local artist/musician/barrista Brendan Arnold design our posters. The entire collection can now be seen here.