Discovery Institute's Blog, page 96

Flat-Earth Myth, Anyone? Recalling Neil deGrasse Tyson's Long Pedigree

There's only one Neil deGrasse Tyson, winner of last year's Censor of the Year award. Discovery Institute's Center for Science & Culture recognized celebrity TV educator Dr. Tyson for his outstanding work in foisting a photoshopped narrative of scientific history on viewers of the popular series Cosmos, animated by a desire to falsely cast religious faith as the enemy of scientific progress.

Well, a neat article at Newsweek reminds us that others pioneered in the same censorious field long b...

A Fourth Layer of Epicycles on the Standard Cosmology

From Science Daily, reporting on a paper in Physical Review Letters, "Inflatable Dark Matter":

Standard cosmology -- that is, the Big Bang Theory with its early period of exponential growth known as inflation -- is the prevailing scientific model for our universe, in which the entirety of space and time ballooned out from a very hot, very dense point into a homogeneous and ever-expanding vastness. This theory accounts for many of the physical phenomena we observe. But what if that's not all...

Brave New World, Here We Come

The West seems congenitally incapable of restraining Brave New World. In the cause of eliminating suffering by any means necessary, no technology -- including lethal -- is apparently off limits.

Now, the we-never-say-no UK Embryo Authority -- which once approved attempts at human cloning with cow eggs -- has told CRISPR gene editors to feel free to edit away. From the BBC story:

It is the first time a country has considered the DNA-altering technique in embryos and approved it.

The research...

Information and Mutation -- Responding to David Levin

David E. Levin, who teaches in the Department of Molecular & Cell Biology at Boston University's School of Dental Medicine, wrote an emotional negative review of my latest book, The Evolution Revolution, for the online journal Reports of the National Center for Science Education. He also posted it on my book's Amazon page. I replied here at Evolution News.

In the meantime, Levin has responded again on Amazon, interacting with another commenter, "Les." Levin writes:

Only the mutational aspect...

The Heart of the Matter: Berlinski and Denton on the Issue that Lies Behind the Evolution Debate

What is the real nub of the disagreement between Darwinists and Darwin skeptics? I mean if you could sit down with an orthodox evolutionist and drill through the layers of reason and assumption, to the very heart of our dispute with them, what would it be?

On ID the Future, I had the opportunity to ask David Berlinski and Michael Denton for their views. Dr. Berlinski thought the question itself...somewhat nave. Ha! And he's likely right about that. And Dr. Denton? Listen and find out:

Down...

Conversations with Michael Denton: What Is Structuralism?

Biologist Michael Denton explains structuralism, the prevailing picture of biology before Darwin -- how it differs from the current orthodox view, and how the coming biological revolution will mirror this older perspective. How does structuralism relate to the theory of intelligent design? Listen and find out.

Get your copy of Dr. Denton's new book, Evolution: Still a Theory in Crisis, now! For a limited time, you'll enjoy a 30 percent discount at CreateSpace by using the discount code QBDH...

Nature Wants to Get Darwinists on the Biomimetics Bandwagon

There's no question that biomimetics is all about design. Biological designs in plants and animals, from cells to humans, from lotus plants to beetles or human brains, are motivating a gold rush for engineers, chemists, computer scientists, physicists, and biologists who continue to be inspired by perfection in the way creatures have solved problems. Darwinian explanations usually enter in (if at all) as an afterthought, like "Isn't it amazing what millions of years of tinkering came up with...

For Darwin's Birthday, Poll Shows Broad Support for Teaching Evidence For and Against Darwin's Theory

Just in time for Charles Darwin's birthday on February 12, a new nationwide survey reveals that 81 percent of American adults believe that "when teaching Darwin's theory of evolution, biology teachers should cover both scientific evidence that supports the theory and scientific evidence critical of the theory."

Only 19 percent of Americans believe that "biology teachers should cover only scientific evidence that supports the theory."

"Americans agree by an overwhelming margin that students s...

Michael Denton and David Berlinski Discuss: How Does Darwinism Hang On?

If the most brilliant Darwin critics, like David Berlinski and Michael Denton, are right, how then does Darwinism hang on? How does a failed theory maintain its grip on our science and on our culture? Why is there a sense of stalemate? On ID the Future, we posed these questions to Dr. Berlinski and Dr. Denton.

Click here to download the episode:

Listen in, and when you're done, don't forget to order your copy of Denton's important new book, Evolution: Still a Theory in Crisis. You can get...

Defending the Body: Neutrophils

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 is delighted to offer this series, "The Designed Body." For the complete series, see here. Dr. Glicksman practices palliative medicine for a hospice organization.

Life must not only...