ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 110

Is the rise of the nones slowing? Scholars say maybe

By Yonat Shimron For the past 25 years, the number of Americans claiming no religion has steadily ballooned as more and more people quit church, synagogue or mosque and openly acknowledged being a  “none.” The reality is particularly stark when looked at from a generational perspective. If 10% of people from the silent generation (born …

Acts 29 CEO Removed Amid ‘Accusations of Abusive Leadership’

By Kate Shellnutt As CEO of Acts 29, Steve Timmis was an effective and respected leader. During his seven years at the helm, the church planting network rebounded from the fallout around its co-founder Mark Driscoll and expanded from 300 mostly US churches to 800 around the world.A gray-haired British pastor with sharp Bible teaching and …

Super-precise CRISPR tool enhanced by enzyme engineering

By Heidi Ledford A super-precise version of the CRISPR genome-editing tool just got even better. Researchers have boosted the accuracy of a technique based on the popular but error-prone CRISPR–Cas9 system by engineering enzymes that can precisely target DNA without introducing as many unwanted mutations. The enzymes, reported on 10 February in Nature Biotechnology1, could make …

Gallup: 60% of Americans Say They Could Vote for an Atheist President

By Hemant Mehta Every few years, Gallup asks Americans a version of this question: “If your party nominated a generally well-qualified person for president who happened to be _____, would you vote for that person?” Just about every time they’ve asked that question, “atheist” has been at the bottom of the list. (Atheists are unelectable! the …

Let Us Say: It’s Time to End the National Prayer Breakfast

By Becky Garrison President Donald Trump strutted onto the stage at the National Prayer Breakfast last week, brandishing newspapers with bold headlines declaring him acquitted in the Senate impeachment trial. In his address the president took what the Chicago Tribune termed “a scorched-earth victory lap” by blasting “dishonest and corrupt” people for putting him, his family, and our country …

Exclusive: Justice Department anti-human trafficking grants prompt whistleblower complaint

By Sarah N. Lynch A U.S. Justice Department anti-human trafficking grant program is facing internal complaints, after two nonprofits were denied funding in favor of two less established groups whose applications were not recommended by career DOJ officials. The awarding of more than $1 million total to the two groups, Hookers for Jesus in Nevada …

Spacetime ‘Echoes’ From Quantum Black Holes Could Soon Change Physics Forever

By Becky Ferreira A key mystery about black holes might be resolved by eerie “echoes” in spacetime, which could unlock an entirely new branch of exotic physics if they are ever detected. In fact, the echoes may have already been detected, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, though it will …

Solar Orbiter blasts off to capture first look at sun’s poles

By the Associated Press Europe and NASA’s Solar Orbiter rocketed into space Sunday night on an unprecedented mission to capture the first pictures of the sun’s elusive poles. The $1.5 billion spacecraft will join NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, launched 1 1/2 years ago, in coming perilously close to the sun in order to unveil its …

Tennessee Republican Tries (Again) to Make the Bible the “Official State Book”

By Hemant Mehta In 2015, Tennessee State Rep. Jerry Sexton filed a bill to make the Holy Bible the official state book. It didn’t work. While the bill passed in the House, the Senate did nothing with it, in part because even Attorney General Herbert Slatery said it was unconstitutional. In 2016, Sexton’s GOP colleague State Sen. Steve Southerland tried again… and …

Methodist minister at George Mason University could face discipline over officiating a same-sex wedding

By Sarah Pulliam Bailey A Methodist-ordained minister from Northern Virginia could be one of the last members of the clergy in the United Methodist Church to face disciplinary action for officiating at a same-sex wedding ceremony. The Rev. Drew Ensz, 35, who works at Arise Campus Ministry at George Mason University in Fairfax County, conducted …