In the News

The above link is to an important document on Smithsonian episode.

In Physorg.com an article discusses the first fossil of a leaf insect.

"One thing that was discovered shows that little has changed with leaf insects during the last 47 million years. Though the fossil has a few differences, it bears a considerable resemblance to extant leaf insects in the size and shape of its segments. This specialized cryptic behavior and morphology, the scientists say, exemplifies evolutionary stasis."

Statis is particularly troubling to the whole Darwinian paradigm. How random mutation and natural selection cannot possibly improve on a species is puzzling and remarkable. Take the bacteria...

More...

Evolution News & Views reports that in a recent speech in New York City, Roman Catholic Cardinal Cristoph Schoenborn of Vienna sharply criticized efforts in America to prevent students and the public from learning about the debate over Darwin's theory. According to the Associated Press report:

Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn of Vienna said that restricting debate about Darwin's theory of evolution amounts to censorship in schools and in the broader public.

More...

PRnewswire reports that another 100 scientists have joined the ranks of scientists from around the world publicly stating their doubts about the veracity of Darwin's theory of evolution.

"Darwinism is a hoax that has been perpetrated for 150 years," says
dissent list signer Dr. Michael Egnor. "It's a trivial idea that has been
elevated to the status of the scientific theory that governs modern
biology." Egnor is a professor of neurosurgery and pediatrics at State
University of New York, Stony Brook and an award winning brain surgeon
named one of New York's best doctors by New York Magazine.

More...

If you view the proposed changes to the Kansas Science Standards
you will see two models for teaching origins. A model that teaches the materialistic theories of chemical and biological origins objectively and a model that teaches those theories dogmatically. The present standards incorporate the objective model. Next week the Kansas State Board will consider throwing out the objective model and replacing it with the materialistic model.

In many's opinion, the effect of the change would be is to cause the state to promote Materialism in public education. The question is whether it is fine for the State to promote materialism?

Student - the Edinburgh University Student Newspaper, recognizes that intelligent design is slowly working its way back onto the agenda and into the classroom.

In the past, what alarmed the secular police was a loophole in the National Curriculum that allowed the critiquing of scientific theories otherwise accepted as fact - and thus, potentially allowing the discussion of creationism and ID in science lessons. That loophole was closed.

Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society explains: "The government has put out guidelines, but they're just that. They're statutory, not mandatory. People can disregard them if they want to. It all depends on what agenda particular teachers have got."

That cuts both ways, Terry Sanderson.

Sanderson's primary concern is that evangelist Christians could slip creationism or essentially religious theories into classrooms under the cloak of science. "Truth in Science is evangelists who are trying to sneak into schools with their strange ideas under the guise of being scientifically legitimate. It's theology not science, and it's not even good theology. It's absolute bunkum.

And there you have it...if you don't have a good rebuttal, it's time for ad hominem attacks.

The issue appears to pivot upon whether ID which has ostensibly little to do with the account in Genesis that the Earth was created in six days - is a valid scientific theory and whether evolution can be accepted as unequivocal fact.

More...

Nick Jackson, of The Independent, interviewed Stuart Burgess, Professor of design and nature in the department of mechanical engineering at Bristol University. He argues that intelligent design is as valid a scientific concept as evolution.

The mammalian knee-joint appears irreducible. Everyone has a four-bar linkage in their knee. Engineers know that for this to work, you need all four bars to be present.

More...

Randy Olson's anti-ID film "Flock of Dodos" is being shown at various venues (museums and universities) in honor of Darwin Day. The film makes many patently false claims about ID. Discovery Institute has posted a response Web site to the film. Access by clicking the link above. The site has many resources, including handouts which can be used to expose some of the falsehoods in the film, plus a short you-tube video.

A post responding to the film is also available at Evoluiton News & Views