In the News

Kathy Hanson, for the Ames Tribune, reports that some representatives from Iowa's regent universities are calling for the state Legislature to kill "The Evolution Academic Freedom Act," introduced Feb. 3 by Rep. Rod Roberts, R-Carroll.

A statement released Tuesday includes a petition with more than 200 signatures by faculty opposing HF 183 from Iowa State University, the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa, as well as from 17 other Iowa universities, colleges and community colleges, seven primary and secondary schools, and three research organizations.

According to the statement, HF 183 is one of many "academic freedom" bills that have been introduced in the last year that are sponsored and supported by the Discovery Institute, a "Seattle-based anti-evolution organization." Similar bills have been introduced in several states, including Alabama, Florida and Oklahoma. One such bill passed and was signed into law in Louisiana.

Robert Crowther Jr., Discovery Institute's communications director, said the Discovery Institute has not been directly involved in writing HF 183 but thinks it is likely Roberts crafted the bill's language along the lines of the institute's "model legislation."

"That's what we hoped would happen," Crowther said. "We want anyone interested in furthering academic freedom to use our resources."

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David Cyranoski, for naturenews, reports that a debate over the teaching of intelligent design in schools is raging in the unlikely battleground of Hong Kong.

The controversy is affecting all levels of education. In the latest episode, a dean of science at one of Hong Kong's premier universities backed out of a radio show earlier this month after finding he was being set up to debate with an advocate of intelligent design within his faculty.

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The C. S. Lewis Society of Tampa, Florida which is the lead sponsor of the educational event "Darwin's Legacy: The Hidden Story" at the University of South Florida this Thursday, February 26th, just announced that the two hour program would be broadcast live on 860AM WGUL in Central Florida, and streamed live across the US on their station's website, 860wgul.com.

The event, which will run from 7:05 pm to 9:00 pm Eastern time, will feature three speakers:

1) Michael Medved is a Yale graduate with honors, and a culture critic who hosts a daily talk show that attracts over 2 million listeners, has written ten non-fiction books, including several New York Times bestseller.

(2) Dr. Steve Fuller, the renowned sociologist of science at the University of Warwick in the UK and founder of the "Social Epistemology" subfield, has been noted for an unusual analysis of the "design controversy" which is sympathetic of intelligent design, even though he approaches the topic with the perspective of a self-described "leftist" and "secular humanist." His newest books, which deal with this topic head-on, are Religion vs. Science? and Dissent over Descent.

(3) Dr. Tom Woodward, who completed his Ph.D. in the Rhetoric of Science field at the University of South Florida, is research professor at Trinity College of Florida and has written two books tracing the intellectual controversy raging between "Darwinism vs. Design": Doubts about Darwin and Darwin Strikes Back. He is the founder and director of the C. S. Lewis Society.

WGUL's technical directors have confirmed that by Saturday, Feb 28th, the program will become an archived audio file, and thus will be available from 860wgul.com as a podcast.

Ron Jenkins, for AP, The Senate Education Committee on Monday narrowly defeated legislation to allow classroom discussion of alternative theories to evolution, along with other topics where science conflicts with religious or moral viewpoints.

The vote was 7-6 against Sen. Randy Brogdon's Scientific Education and Academic Freedom Act.

Brogdon, R-Owasso, said science teachers in his district fear retribution for bringing up alternative theories on a wide range of subjects, such as evolution and stem cell research.

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As their birthday gift to Charles Darwin, yesterday many PBS stations re-aired the "Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial" movie that they first released in November, 2007. The "documentary" purports to re-tell the story of the Kitzmiller v. Dover trial, but it portrays an extremely inaccurate, biased, and one-sided view of the case.

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On February 12, 2009 we celebrate Charles Darwin's 200th birthday. At ARN we would like to celebrate his birth with an often overlooked quote from Darwin's Introduction to his famous book On the Origin of Species,

"I am well aware that scarcely a single point is discussed in this volume on which facts cannot be adduced, often apparently leading to conclusions directly opposite to those at which I have arrived. A fair result can be obtained only by fully stating and balancing the facts and arguments on both sides of each question, and this cannot possibly
be done here."

Just what opposite conclusions did he have in mind? Did natural selection prevent major evolutionary change from occurring on a gradual step-by-step basis thus accounting for stasis and the conservation of the basic body plans of life since the Cambrian Explosion? Why are the pervasive patterns of natural history essentially backwards to Darwinian predictions?

There's a birthday party being thrown at www.charlesdarwin.org.
Surprise!

A new Zogby poll on the eve of Charles Darwin's 200th birthday shows a
dramatic rise in the number of Americans who agree that when biology
teachers teach the scientific evidence for Darwin's theory of evolution,
they also should teach the scientific evidence against it. Surprisingly,
the poll also shows overwhelming support among self-identified Democrats
and liberals for academic freedom to discuss the "strengths and
weaknesses" evolution.

Over 78% of likely voters agree with teaching both the evidence for and
against Darwin's theory, according to the new national poll.

More from ENV...

A new Zogby poll on the eve of Charles Darwin's 200th birthday shows a
dramatic rise in the number of Americans who agree that when biology
teachers teach the scientific evidence for Darwin's theory of evolution,
they also should teach the scientific evidence against it. Surprisingly,
the poll also shows overwhelming support among self-identified Democrats
and liberals for academic freedom to discuss the "strengths and
weaknesses" evolution.

Over 78% of likely voters agree with teaching both the evidence for and
against Darwin's theory, according to the new national poll.

More from ENV...

Carol Glatz, for Catholic News Service, reports on an upcoming Vatican-sponsored conference on evolution will include critical study of the theory of intelligent design, which, organizers said, represents poor theology and science.

While proponents of intelligent design were not invited to give presentations at the March 3-7 international conference, organizers agreed to discuss how it appeared and developed as a cultural ideology, not as science.

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Odd how no ID folks were invited!?

Matt Soergel in Jacksonville, Flordia writes that State Sen. Stephen Wise, a Jacksonville Republican, said he plans to introduce a bill to require teachers who teach evolution to also discuss the idea of intelligent design.

Wise, the chief sponsor of the bill, expects the Senate to take it up when it meets in March. He said its intent is simple: "If you're going to teach evolution, then you have to teach the other side so you can have critical thinking."

Wise said that if the Legislature passes the bill, he wouldn't be surprised if there's a legal challenge.

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WCAX-TV reported that a familiar face will give this year's commencement speech at the University of Vermont...Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean has been chosen.

Dean replaces Ben Stein as this year's commencement speaker. He withdrew his name earlier this week after faculty and others raised concerns about his controversial views on evolution and the role of science in the Holocaust.

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Let me get this straight...controversial views on evolution get you booted from the platform, but just being controversial in general gets you the microphone. Oh, that's right, Howard Dean is mainstream at UVM. Got it.

In ENV, Casey Luskin provides the best overview and analysis of the Ben Stein affair with UV. This story was picked up by AP as well.

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Mark your calendars university students: July 10-18 in Seattle, WA

The Center for Science and Culture at Discovery Institute announces an extraordinary opportunity for college students in the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities to participate in an intensive nine-day seminar that will prepare them to make research contributions advancing the growing science of intelligent design (ID).

Intelligent Design in the Natural Sciences is designed for college-level juniors, seniors, and first-year graduate students who intend to pursue graduate studies in the natural sciences or the philosophy of science.

Intelligent Design in the Social Sciences and Humanities is designed for college-level juniors, seniors, and first-year graduate students who intend to pursue graduate studies in the social sciences (including law) or the humanities (including theology).

Both seminars will run concurrently and explore cutting-edge ID work in molecular biology, biochemistry, embryology, developmental biology, zoology, paleontology, computational biology, ID-theoretic mathematics, cosmology, physics, philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, evolutionary ethics, bioethics, criminology, law, education, and economics. Each seminar will also include frank treatment of the academic realities that ID researchers confront in graduate school and beyond, and strategies for dealing with them.

Click here for more information...

Click here to download the Summer Seminar flyer...

Jonathan Wynne-Jones, for the Telegraph, reports that more than half of the public believe that the theory of evolution cannot explain the full complexity of life on Earth, and a "designer" must have lent a hand, the findings suggest.

And one in three believe that God created the world within the past 10,000 years.

The survey, by respected polling firm ComRes, will fuel the debate around evolution and creationism ahead of next week's 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin.

Richard Dawkins, the evolutionary biologist and author of The God Delusion, said the findings revealed a worrying level of scientific ignorance among Britons.

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