Discovery Institute's Blog, page 139

Explore Evolution, Now in Polish

Congratulations to our friend Father Michael Chaberek whose Polish translation of the textbook Explore Evolution is out now and doing a truly excellent job of catching the attention of Polish media. Someone in the publicity department of the book's publisher in that country, Fronda, knows what he's doing.

I don't claim much knowledge of Polish affairs -- cultural, scientific, or political -- but check out this link to a 35-minute interview on Poland's TV-Republika with Father Michael, coveri...

Living Waters Opens with a Splash for Pacific Northwest Premiere; DVD Now on Sale!

Living Waters: Intelligent Design in the Oceans of the Earth was a big hit on Friday night at Seattle Center's McCaw Hall. In the shadow of the iconic Space Needle, the venue provided an elegant setting to celebrate the release. About 250 audience members pretty well packed out the large theater, part of a complex that includes the Seattle Opera and Pacific Northwest Ballet.

The film is now available for sale on DVD. Blu-ray editions will follow in September. Illustra plans to package its t...

The Un-Junk Industry

"Junk DNA" is so 1972. Why is it hard to shed worn-out phrases? One bad stain can wear out dozens of wipes. Fortunately, we don't have to do all the wiping. Science reporters are getting better at helping clean up this genomic blemish.

A recent example is a paper in PNAS summarized on EurekAlert. The paper doesn't refer to junk DNA, but the news item does. "Punctuating messages encoded in human genome with transposable elements" is the title:

The vast majority of the human genome (~98% of th...

Conversations with David Berlinski: What Is a Number?

On an episode of ID the Future, mathematician and philosopher David Berlinski talks with Casey Luskin about the nature of numbers and mathematics.

What exactly is a number, and does mathematics exist beyond the human mind? Berlinski and Luskin discuss how what we know about math comports with modern science.

Image: Georgetown Steam Plant, Seattle, WA, by Joe Mabel [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons.

Understanding Cardiovascular Function: A Challenge to Evolution from Coronary Artery Disease

Editor's note: Physicians have a special place among the thinkers who have elaborated the argument for intelligent design. Perhaps that's because, more than evolutionary biologists, they are familiar with the challenges of maintaining a functioning complex system, the human body. With that in mind, Evolution News & Views is delighted to present this series, "The Designed Body." Dr. Glicksman practices palliative medicine for a hospice organization.

Since the body cannot adequately store oxy...

Science Illiteracy Watch: Genetic Literacy Project Pushes "Plant Rights"

The Genetic Literacy Project's slogan is "science over ideology." Apparently, that's a crock, as a post on the site pushes "plant rights."

From "Are Plants Sentient Beings with Rights?," by Jeremy Hance:

Plants are intelligent. Plants deserve rights. To most of us these statements may sound, at best, insupportable or, at worst, crazy.

But a new book, Brilliant Green: the Surprising History and Science of Plant Intelligence, by plant neurobiologist (yes, plant neurobiologist) Stefano Mancuso...

Listen: Debating Donald Prothero

In the controversy sparked by the publication of Stephen Meyer's book Darwin's Doubt, the critic Donald Prothero holds a special place. The ranting geologist is a gem -- if you enjoy ad hominem attacks. On a new episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin talks with Sarah Chaffee about our new book Debating Darwin's Doubt and the response to Prothero in particular.

Luskin, a prominent contributor to Debating Darwin's Doubt, contrasts Prothero's arguments on the length of the Cambrian explosion...

The Corrupting Influence of Scientism

Perhaps the greatest leap of blind, uncritical and unquestioning faith that I see among well-educated people today is something called scientism. Scientism is the belief that science is the best and only trustworthy method to discover truth. Supernatural explanations are a priori ruled out. The result is atheism dressed up as science.

There are two major problems.

First, a distinguished philosopher of science, Philip Kitcher, argues that the notion of a scientific "theory of everything" is a...

In Tonight's Republican Debate, Will Candidates Be Asked for Their Views on Evolution?

Maybe not tonight, but depending on how things shake out for Trump & Co., there's no question that the leading Republican contenders will at some point before long be asked in a debate context if they believe in evolution. What should they say in response? Well, they should tell the truth first of all. Obviously, they shouldn't pretend to hold opinions, for the sake of expedience. Beyond that, here from Stephen Meyer is a brief response that would be both credible and congenial:

Reporter: "D...

No Animal Is a "Who"

In referring to animals, I sometimes in an unthinking way find myself using the word "who." But I always try to catch myself, and change to "that." The personalizing expression "who" should be reserved strictly for humans, since only a human being is a person.

However, we live in a culture that is largely hostile to the idea of humankind's exceptional status. So word engineering has become a weapon wielded against maintaining proper distinctions and moral hierarchies separating us from fauna...