ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 121

Strange Dark Matter Findings Could Rewrite the Universe’s History

By Carly Minsky In November, astronomers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijng published a paper identifying 19 galaxies which might violate the most fundamental theory of how the universe first formed. They had been searching the sky for yet-undiscovered galaxies which seem to be lacking the usual dark matter component, aiming to add …

The Anti-LGBTQ Extremists of Evangelicals for Trump

By Trudy Ring The Evangelicals for Trump coalition, launched at an event Friday night in Miami, is pretty much a who’s who of anti-LGBTQ extremists from the Christian right. The group’s members have called being gay “filthy” and “immoral,” equated homosexuality with pedophilia and alcoholism, and blamed LGBTQ people for natural disasters, according to research …

Jim Bakker: Supporting Trump is a “Test” to Find Out Who’s a True Christian

By Hemant Mehta What does it take to be “saved”? Is it accepting the divinity of Jesus? No, no, no. The true test of being a Christian, according to scamvangelist Jim Bakker, is whether or not you support Donald Trump. You know what? Trump is a test [of] whether you are even saved. Only saved people can love …

More Americans now see ‘very high’ preventive health benefits from measles vaccine

By Meg Hefferon and Cary Funk Public attitudes about the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine remain broadly positive in the United States, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. An overwhelming majority of U.S. adults (88%) say the benefits of the MMR vaccine outweigh the risks – the same share as in 2016, …

What’s causing Australia’s devastating fire weather?

By Scott K. Johnson An absolutely astonishing set of bushfires is burning around Australia currently, producing surreal images like those of evacuees fleeing to beaches—or boats—for safety. The situation has been particularly dangerous in Victoria and New South Wales, where fires have surrounded Sydney, choking the air with smoke. So much smoke, in fact, that even New Zealand has …

Holy War: Conservatives Celebrate After Trump Assassinates Iran’s Soleimani

By Michael Stone Onward Christian Soldiers: Conservatives celebrate after the Trump-ordered assassination of General Qassem Soleimani, Iran’s top general and the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, the foreign arm of Iran’s military force. CNN reports: A US drone strike ordered by President Donald Trump on a Baghdad airport has killed a top Iranian commander …

In speech to evangelicals, Trump says God is ‘on our side’

By Jack Jenkins President Donald Trump insisted that he is favored by God during a speech to evangelicals on Friday evening (Jan. 3), in which he also went through a roll call of evangelical rallying points and challenged the faith of his Democratic rivals as he kicked off a new campaign initiative aimed at conservative …

It’s Happening: Congressional Lawmakers Ask Supreme Court to End Legal Abortion

By Jessica Mason Pieklo More than 200 members of Congress, along with the largest anti-choice advocacy group in the United States, filed amicus briefs Thursday urging the U.S. Supreme Court to use this spring’s abortion rights case to end legal abortion. Americans United for Life (AUL) and conservative lawmakers called on the Court to revisit …

What CRISPR-baby prison sentences mean for research

By David Cyranoski A Chinese court has sentenced He Jiankui, the biophysicist who announced that he had created the world’s first gene-edited babies, to three years in prison for “illegal medical practice”, and handed down shorter sentences to two colleagues who assisted him. The punishments put to rest speculation over whether the Chinese government would …

Diocese of Knoxville settles sexual abuse lawsuit out of court

By Amy McRary The Catholic Diocese of Knoxville has reached an out-of-court settlement with a Blount County man whose lawsuit alleged he was sexually abused as a child by two priests. The settlement means the July suit bought by attorneys for Michael Boyd of Blount County will not proceed in Knox County Circuit Court. The terms and amount …