ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 58

Antibody therapies could be a bridge to a coronavirus vaccine — but will the world benefit?

By Heidi Ledford As the race to develop a vaccine against COVID-19 rages on, some researchers are focused on a short-term way to treat people with the disease: monoclonal antibodies. Rather than wait for vaccines to coax the body to make its own antibodies, these scientists want to inject designer versions of these molecules to …

Atheist Kelda Roys Wins Democratic Primary for Wisconsin Senate Seat

By Hemant Mehta For four years, from 2009-2013, Kelda Roys was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, serving in a variety of leadership roles. She only left that otherwise-safe seat to run for Congress, in 2012, but lost her primary to the eventual winner (and current member of the Congressional Freethought Caucus) Mark Pocan. Roys took a …

Christian Parents Call Wisconsin School District’s Face Mask Requirement ‘Satanic’

By Michael Stone Satanic Panic: Christian parents in a Wisconsin school district are fighting a face mask requirement for returning students, claiming the requirement is a “pagan ritual” for “satanic worshipers.” WTMJ TV reports: BROOKFIELD, Wis. — The Elmbrook School District will reopen five days a week to in-person learning. The decision came after three and …

Trump’s 2020 religious attack on Biden harks back to 1800

By Mark Silk In case you hadn’t heard, last week President Donald Trump attacked his presumptive Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, on religious grounds. “No religion,” declared Trump. “No anything. Hurt the Bible. Hurt God. He’s against God.” It’s been 220 years since the religion card was played so bigly in an American presidential campaign. The precedent is …

New study confirms the power of Deinosuchus and its ‘teeth the size of bananas’

By Taylor & Francis A new study, revisiting fossil specimens from the enormous crocodylian, Deinosuchus, has confirmed that the beast had teeth “the size of bananas,” capable of taking down even the very largest of dinosaurs. And, it wasn’t alone! The research, published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, also reveals various kinds of ‘terror crocodile.’ …

With Falwell on leave, Liberty board names Jerry Prevo acting president

By Sarah Rankin and Elana Schor Liberty University in Virginia announced Monday that its board had chosen an interim president to lead the school days after Jerry Falwell Jr. began an indefinite leave of absence after one of his posts on social media created an uproar. Jerry Prevo, who has served as chairman of the …

Nigerian Islamic court sentences singer to death for blasphemy

By Reuters An Islamic court in northern Nigeria sentenced a 22-year-old singer to death on Monday for blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad in a song he circulated on the messaging platform WhatsApp in March. Kano state, in predominantly Muslim northern Nigeria, has Islamic Sharia courts that function alongside civil courts. While the courts are active, death sentences for …

Disgraced West Virginia bishop Michael Bransfield was told a year ago to make restitution. His successor says Bransfield has gone incommunicado.

By Michelle Boorstein More than a year after Pope Francis ordered ousted West Virginia Bishop Michael Bransfield to make personal amends for alleged sexual and financial misconduct, his successor bishop says he has yet to hear from Bransfield about a restitution proposal. Last Tuesday, MetroNews, a West Virginia news site, quoted Bishop Mark Brennan as saying that …

Planet Ceres is an ‘ocean world’ with sea water beneath surface, mission finds

By Agence France-Presse The dwarf planet Ceres – long believed to be a barren space rock – is an ocean world with reservoirs of sea water beneath its surface, the results of a major exploration mission showed Monday. Ceres is the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and has its own …

Jerry Falwell Jr., a prominent evangelical supporter of Trump, on indefinite leave of absence from Liberty U.

By Sarah Pulliam Bailey, Susan Svrluga, and Joe Heim Jerry Falwell Jr., an early and prominent supporter of President Trump, will take a leave of absence from leading Liberty University after posting a provocative photo to social media that drew widespread criticism, including from other evangelical leaders. The school issued a brief statement Friday afternoon …