ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 208

Plans for world’s next major particle collider stuck in limbo

By Elizabeth Gibney Japan’s government has said that it is not ready to commit to hosting the world’s next major particle accelerator — the planned International Linear Collider (ILC). The decision appears to deal another blow to a project that has been more than a decade in the making, although some physicists are hopeful that the …

Atheist summits aim to find community, and power, in networking nonbelievers

By Heather Adams TEMECULA, CALIF. (RNS) — In early March, more than 30 atheist, humanist and secular leaders gathered at a residence overlooking Southern Californian vineyards to discuss politics, social issues and how to draw in more people at a first-ever SoCal Secular Leadership Summit. The event was the first of three summits planned by Secular …

Utah Was Set to Ban Conversion Therapy. Then It Didn’t.

By Samantha Allen A lot can change in a weekend. Last week, a Utah bill banning conversion therapy for minors seemed poised to pass: the bill had secured sponsors in the Republican-dominated legislature, Gov. Gary Herbert endorsed the bill, and—crucially—the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon Church, said it would not oppose the …

Secret Group of Killer Whales Discovered in Southern Ocean

By Kimberly Hickok Killer whales are beautiful and majestic, but there’s very little variation in what they look like — their shape, size and coloring are pretty standard from whale to whale. So, when people started spotting killer whales with a noticeably different physique — thinner, with much smaller white eye patches and narrower, sharp dorsal fins …

Bill requiring school elective Bible course passes FL House Education panel

By Curt Anderson TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Legislation that would require all Florida public high schools to offer elective courses on the study of the Bible won approval Thursday in a House committee but still faces many hurdles and constitutional questions before it could become law. The bill sponsored by Democratic Rep. Kimberly Daniels of …

Monthly HIV injection could free patients from gruelling drug regimen

By Amy Maxmen Long-acting medicines have proved as effective as daily pills in preventing HIV from replicating, according to results from twin trials that enrolled more than 1,000 people in 16 countries. The drugs tested, cabotegravir and rilpivirine, are given once a month as an injection. They are the first of several long-acting antiretroviral HIV …

Measles Outbreak: 1 Student Got 21 Others Sick

By Tyler Pager Public officials and health experts had given several warnings: Do not allow a student in school if they had not been vaccinated against measles. Still, during New York City’s largest measles outbreak in a decade, a school in Brooklyn ignored that advice, resulting in one student infecting at least 21 other people …

Could a Third Person Be Cured of HIV?

By Rachael Rettner On the heels of the news that a U.K. man may be cured of HIV comes the announcement that a man in Germany may also be HIV-free thanks to a similar treatment. On Monday (March 4), researchers announced that a U.K. man — known as the “London patient” — was HIV-free following a bone marrow …

2 astronauts are scheduled for the first all-female spacewalk in history

By Gianluca Mezzofiore For the first time in history, an all-female crew will conduct a spacewalk at the International Space Station, NASA confirmed to CNN. As part of Expedition 59, NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Christina Koch will carry out the spacewalk on March 29. They’ll be supported on the ground by Canadian Space Agency flight controller …

‘Religious freedom’ arguments kill Nebraska’s LGBTQ employment protections bill

By Zack Ford Nebraska is one of more than two dozen states that have no LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections at the state level. That’s not changing anytime soon, as a bill to create employment protections came to an abrupt end this week. State Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks (D) introduced LB 627 in January this year. The legislation would have updated …