Discovery Institute's Blog, page 175

How Man Solves the Problem of Being a Multi-Cellular Organism

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.

A single-celled organism is like a microsco...

From Steven Wise, TED Conference Hears that Chimps and Bonobos Are "Slaves"

The personalization of some animals continues apace, and most people don't see, believe -- or perhaps, care -- that it is happening.

The prestigious TED conference heard a talk recently from Steven Wise, the attorney who leads the Nonhuman Rights Project. Wise sued to have chimpanzees declared "persons" and asked courts to issue writs of habeas corpus freeing them from captivity. So far, no go, but he's not quitting.

Wise told the TED audience that chimps and other animals should be declared...

See John West on "Scientism in the Age of Obama" Now!

That was fast. Discovery Institute's John West spoke on "Scientism in the Age of Obama" just yesterday at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC -- and they've already got the speech up on YouTube.

There's a cute exchange at the beginning between Becky Norton Dunlop, Heritage's VP for External Relations, and Dr. West over the hundred-plus pages of footnotes at the end of his book Darwin Day In America: How Our Politics and Culture Have Been Dehumanized in the Name of Science, the newly e...

Privileged Species with Geneticist Michael Denton Gets Its Online Premiere; See It Now!

Finally, the stirring and profound documentary with geneticist Michael Denton, Privileged Species, is available to see now, free online.

Dr. Denton extends the argument for intelligent design to the ultra-, ultra-fine-tuning of the cosmos for carbon-based life forms like ourselves. You cannot watch these 33 minutes without coming away with the very powerful conclusion that the universe was designed with us very specifically in mind.

The documentary investigates the special properties of car...

In the Mainstream Media, a "Safe Space" Protected from Discomfiting Ideas about Evolution

Judith Shulevitz contributes regular op-eds to the New York Times on "feminism, culture, and science." On Sunday she wrote incisively about a now trending concept on university campuses: the notion of creating "safe spaces," where students are protected from having to hear potentially offensive or distressing intellectual discussions ("In College and Hiding from Scary Ideas").

She's not openly mocking, but you can't mistake her attitude either.

Shulevitz gives as an illustration my own coll...

In Seattle? Join Us Thursday as Geneticist Michael Denton Speaks on "The Place of Life and Humanity in the Cosmos"

Are humans the accidental products of a blind and uncaring universe? Or are they the beneficiaries of a cosmic order that was planned beforehand to help them flourish?

Here's your reminder to meet Discovery Institute geneticist Michael Denton as he offers a public lecture in the Seattle area on "The Place of Life and Humanity in the Cosmos." If you missed Dr. Denton's last presentation in Seattle where we premiered Privileged Species, or you're as excited as we are to go deeper with him on...

Streaming Live at Noon Eastern, John West at the Heritage Foundation on "Scientism in the Age of Obama"

See Discovery Institute's Dr. John West streaming live at 12 pm Eastern time today, speaking at the Heritage Foundation about the new expanded edition of his book Darwin Day in America: How Our Politics and Culture Have Been Dehumanized in the Name of Science and "Scientism in the Age of Obama." Find the link here.

Image: Heritage Foundation, by Ser Amantio di Nicolao (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons.

"Solution" to an Origin of Life Puzzle Highlights the Need for Careful Planning by an Intelligent Investigator

Last week they found the oldest human ancestor (a tiny scrap of a jaw) and now, as ENV earlier noted, they've solved a major puzzle in the origin of life. Science reports that "Researchers may have solved origin-of-life conundrum," claiming that a new paper in Nature Chemistry may show that many building blocks of life could have been created through organic chemistry on the early Earth.

The Science report starts with what I've called in the past a "retroactive confession of ignorance." Wha...

On World Down Syndrome Day, Honor Our Brothers and Sisters -- but Note, Too, a Dereliction of Duty

Today is World Down Syndrome Day, a time for us to honorour brothers and sisters with Down and to stand up for the value of their lives. From the WDSD website:

21 March 2015 marks the 10th anniversary of World Down Syndrome Day and each year the voice of people with Down syndrome, and those who live and work with them, grows louder. Down Syndrome International encourages our friends all over the world to choose your own activities and events to help raise awareness of what Down syndrome is,...

Real Science vs. Bill Nye the "Science" Guy

If you grew up among Generation Xers and Millennials as I did, then you probably loved watching Bill Nye the Science Guy on TV. Nye's quirky, off-beat, after-school PBS show achieved no small feat: It made kids laugh and got them to appreciate science -- and they didn't even realize they were learning.

While most Bill Nye-fans -- myself included -- enjoyed his wacky experiments and corny jokes, few if any realized there was another side to Bill, one that he didn't start unveiling until just...