Discovery Institute's Blog, page 93

Abraham Lincoln and Intelligent Design

Since February 12 is Abraham Lincoln's birthday as well as Charles Darwin's, I thought it would be timely to draw attention to my previously published essay about Lincoln's views on evolution and intelligent design.

Image credit: Alexander Gardner [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

On the Origin of Chins

Here's an evolutionary puzzle I had never thought about. Why do we have chins?

That bony protuberance at the end of your jaw may be hidden by a beard or a fleshy throat, but it is still there. Chimpanzees don't have chins, neither do gorillas, orangutans, spider monkeys, dogs, horses, frogs, or fish. Did you know that only humans have chins,? I didn't, but then I never studied vertebrate anatomy. It seems that having a chin is diagnostic of being a modern human. Even Neanderthals may have l...

NCSE's Disinformation Campaign Aside, Mississippi Bill Is an Opportunity for Educational Excellence

After the filing of an academic freedom bill in Mississippi, HB 50, the Jackson Clarion-Ledger published a piece featuring some common misconceptions. And predictably, the National Center for Science Education (NCSE), the nation's top Darwin lobby group, claimed the bill is anti-science. Permit me to alleviate concerns and clarify the nature of the legislation.

It's always helpful to read what a bill actually says. This one states, "[T]eachers shall be permitted to help students understand,...

Listen: Robert Marks and Winston Ewert on Conway's Game of Life

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On an episode of ID the Future, Robert Marks and Winston Ewert of the Evolutionary Informatics Lab discuss three of their recently published papers dealing with evolutionary informatics, algorithmic specified complexity, and how information makes evolution work.

Download the episode by clicking here:

Conway's Game of Life, not to be confused with the board game pictured at the top of this post, is played on a rectangular grid. Cells live or die depending on the cells that surround them. Ho...

New York Times Writer Blames the Myth of a Science-Religion Rift on Intelligent Design

James Ryerson at the New York Times has written what starts out as a nice essay reviewing several books on the theme of the New Atheism and the myth of science and faith locked in combat. Check out the riposte he cites (from James W. Jones) to the idea that religion is just a maladaptive holdover from our ancient evolutionary past.

All is well until Ryerson winds up to ask, "You might wonder, then, why the conflict myth has such a grip on us today." The answer he offers is to blame, most cur...

A New York Times Writer Blames the Science-Religion Rift on...Intelligent Design?

James Ryerson at the New York Times has written what starts out as a nice essay reviewing several books on the theme of the New Atheism and the myth of science and faith locked in combat. Check out the riposte he cites (from James W. Jones) to the idea that religion is just a maladaptive holdover from our ancient evolutionary past.

All is well until Ryerson winds up to ask, "You might wonder, then, why the conflict myth has such a grip on us today." The answer he offers is to blame, most cur...

How Microbes Make Earth Habitable

Several recent discoveries point to amazing connections between global forces and Earth's tiniest creatures that maintain the habitability of our planet. Consider some examples and think about the implications.

Atmospheric Requirements

First, let's talk about the atmosphere. As David Klinghoffer reported here last month at Evolution News, it appears we can dispense with the notion that a rise in oxygen caused the Cambrian explosion. That paper in PNAS suggests that "O2 levels capable of supp...

How Microbes Make the Earth Habitable

Several recent discoveries point to amazing connections between global forces and Earth's tiniest creatures that maintain the habitability of our planet. Consider some examples and think about the implications.

Atmospheric Requirements

First, let's talk about the atmosphere. As David Klinghoffer reported here last month at Evolution News, it appears we can dispense with the notion that a rise in oxygen caused the Cambrian explosion. That paper in PNAS suggests that "O2 levels capable of supp...

Changes Afoot at DarwinsDoubt.com, Now with Better Access to Content!

I trust you already know and enjoy the website you are currently reading, Evolution News. It's managed by Discovery Institute's David Klinghoffer, and it boasts contributions by some of today's great science thinkers in a variety of fields. Indeed, you won't find anything else quite like it. But did you also know that Evolution News is a vast, searchable library of informed commentary on evolution, intelligent design, technology, ethics, education, and culture?

That small white box in the t...

For Darwin Day, Political Posturing in Arizona

Darwin Day, February 12, will soon be here, and in addition to the usual celebrations we also see political posturing by some angling to take the "respectable" position on Darwin's great contributions to science and humankind. Thus Arizona State Senator Andrew Sherwood (D-26) has introduced a resolution (Senate Resolution 1001) proclaiming "International Darwin Day in Arizona." The resolution is as follows:

Whereas, February 12, 2016 is the 207th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin;...