Discovery Institute's Blog, page 83

Did You Miss Meyer v. Krauss on "God, Science, and the Universe?" Don't Worry, It's Archived Here; See It Now

If you missed today's conversation with Stephen Meyer, Lawrence Krauss, and Denis Lamoureux on "What's Behind It All? God, Science, and the Universe," don't worry! You should still be able to see it here, archived for your convenience:

Again, thank you to our friends at the University of Toronto's Wycliffe College for their sponsorship of the event. Let us know what you think and we may publish selected reader responses -- just click on the orange EMAIL US button at the top of this page.

Ph...

See It Now -- Stephen Meyer and Lawrence Krauss: "What's Behind It All? God, Science, and the Universe"

We are delighted to present a three-way discussion with Discovery Institute's Stephen Meyer, atheist cosmologist Lawrence Krauss, and theistic evolutionist Denis Lamoureux, streaming live now, 4 pm Pacific, 7 pm Eastern. Find it here:

The program should run about two hours in length. Thank you to the good folks at the University of Toronto's Wycliffe College for their sponsorship of this event. Let us know what you think and we may publish selected reader responses -- just click on the oran...

What to Watch for in Stephen Meyer v. Lawrence Krauss, Saturday at 4 PM, Here at Evolution News

I don't mean to slight theistic evolutionist Denis Lamoureux, but obviously when it comes to the topic, "What's Behind It All? God, Science, and the Universe," the sharpest contrast in tomorrow's discussion at the University of Toronto will be between Stephen Meyer and Lawrence Krauss. (Remember to come back here to Evolution News and watch it live at 4 pm Pacific, 7 pm Eastern.) What should we expect from Krauss?

Thoughtful reader Ryan takes issue with my characterization of the atheist co...

New Paper on Flagellum Reveals Secret Obsessions

Suppose in the course of a pleasant conversation with a colleague you mentioned your vacation last year in Las Vegas. All of a sudden he starts ranting about Area 51 -- Vegas is only a few hours away, right? Did you see any lights in the sky? Any military vehicles heading north? You should stay at the Little A'Le'Inn motel like he has six times. You'll see some funny stuff there.

You'd probably back away slowly, smiling, wishing him a nice day.

That's the feeling I got after reading a couple...

Anti-Humanism Infests the Environmentalist Movement

I had a long interview the other day with a reporter from World Magazine about the current trend to push global warming hysteria in youth fiction. That got us into a discussion of how anti-humanism infests the environmentalist movement. It wasn't always like that. From the story by Melinda Taylor:

Piquing students' interest in science and the environment is a good thing, said Wesley J. Smith, senior fellow at the Discovery Institute's Center on Human Exceptionalism. Growing up in Los Angeles...

Another Fine-Tuned Mechanism Gets Salmon Home

What is carbonic anhydrase and why does it matter? The presence of this enzyme in salmon hearts points to another case of intelligent design in these remarkable fish that were depicted in Illustra Media's film Living Waters. News via the Journal of Experimental Biology explains the challenge salmon face swimming upstream:

Fish plumbing is contrary. As the heart is the last organ that blood passes through before it returns to the gills, and with little direct blood supply to the ceaselessly c...

48 Hours to Go -- Here's How to Watch Meyer v. Krauss v. Lamoureux This Saturday at 4 PM

Just a reminder: Join us right here on Saturday, March 19, at Evolution News to watch what promises to be an enlightening and entertaining discussion on the theme, "What's Behind It All? God, Science, and the Universe." Discovery Institute's Stephen Meyer will face off against atheist cosmologist Lawrence Krauss and theistic evolutionist Denis Lamoureux.

That's just 48 hours away -- 4 pm Pacific, 7 pm Eastern. The event will stream live from the University of Toronto's Wycliffe College, but...

Science Is Often Merely Politics in Another Form

An interesting column in Nature acknowledges the power nexus between "science" and the political establishment. From "The Elephant in the Room We Can't Ignore," by Colin Macilwain:

The playwright Bertolt Brecht had a good line on expertise. In his plays, doctors, lawyers and other 'experts' are generally portrayed in threes. They squabble haplessly among themselves, each manoeuvring into the position that most elevates themselves in the eyes of their aristocratic paymaster.

And that, sadly,...

Remembering Stephen H. Webb

Philosopher and theologian Stephen H. Webb came to my attention a couple of years ago when he published a brilliant response to an attack on Stephen Meyer and other advocates of intelligent design. The attack and the response appeared successively at the journal First Things where Webb contributed essays. He and I subsequently corresponded by email and he wrote a post for us at Evolution News on the quality of argumentation practiced by Darwin apologists.

To my shock and sadness, Webb, just...

My Debate with Michael Ruse -- Evolution as a Rube Goldberg Machine

Editor's note: Evolution News is delighted to welcome back Dr. Hunter as a contributor. He is a Fellow with the Center for Science & Culture, Adjunct Professor at Biola University, and author of the award-winning Darwin's God: Evolution and the Problem of Evil. He blogs at Darwin's God.

It was great to see Professor Michael Ruse again last week in Northern California for our debate on the question, "Is Evolution Compelling?" He was in good spirits as usual, and his jokes were much better tha...