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News:
December 7, 2004
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Religion in the News
Power center
driven by religion to reshape nation
Home School Legal Defense Association has taken on the appearance of a political
party in its own right, with an evangelical Christian mission to shape the
American culture and change the face of government, the news media and international
affairs (Akron Beacon Journal, Oh.)
Using
the Bible to support the wrong cause
Today's Christians who oppose homosexuality are akin to generations of similar
Christians who found in the Bible strong arguments to support slavery, scorn
Jews, demean women and, for good measure, condemn liquor (Steve Gushee,
Palm Beach Post, Fla.)
Giving
the law a religious perspective
The Rev. Jerry Falwell's Liberty University is part of a movement around
the nation that brings a religious perspective to the law (The New York
Times)
10
questions for Billy Graham
How he's feeling, how many crusades he has left in him, what he thinks of
politics, and other issues (Time)
A Modest
Step Toward Unity
Richard John Neuhaus on the Catholic bishops' decision to join Christian
Churches Together.
Interview by Rob Moll.
Lesbian Methodist Minister Defrocked.
The
Virgin Birth? Come on!
Both Newsweek and Time have Jesus on their covers, and neither article quotes
an evangelical scholar in its attempt to narrate how Christians concocted
the story of the birth of Jesus.
Conservative
Christians protest movie on Kinsey
Conservative Christian groups across the country are protesting a film about
the life of researcher Alfred C. Kinsey, calling it a Hollywood whitewash
of the man they hold largely responsible for a revolution and a panoply
of related ills, from high divorce rates to AIDS and child abuse (The
Washington Post)
Killing
with Kindness
Why is the church against euthanasia in instances where people are in terrible
pain? Answered by David P. Gushee.
Pop Love for
a War-Torn World
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb is classic U2, with a prescription for healing
the world. By Scott Calhoun
Jim
Carrey: 'Life is too beautiful'
"I'm a Buddhist, I'm a Muslim, I'm a Christian. I'm whatever you want
me to be … it all comes down to the same thing" (60 Minutes).
Science in the News
Scientists
get their own Google
New search engine ranks papers by importance, and finds the free versions.
See http://scholar.google.com.
Quirkiest
News of 2004
See National Geographic's top ten picks of the oddest discoveries of the
year, from cat cloning to flatulent fish.
Archaeology/Anthropology
"Lost"
Treasures of Afghanistan Revealed
In a secret vault, more than 22,000 antiquities survived the Taliban and
25 years of conflict.
"King
Tut" Treasure To Return to U.S.
After 26 years, the world's most famous Egyptian tomb trove is coming to
museums in 2005.
Pharaoh's
Firstborn, Proof of the Plagues?
The Discovery Channel's Rameses: Wrath of God or Man? seeks to determine
if God really killed Pharaoh's oldest son.
Another
Stonehenge Found in Russia? Nov. 17, 2004
Russian archaeologists have announced that they have found the remains of
a 4,000-year-old structure that they compare to England's Stonehenge, according
to recent reports issued by Pravda and Novosti, two Russian news services.
Mexican
tomb reveals gruesome human sacrifice
The burial chamber found in the 'Pyramid of the Moon' suggests that the
people of Teotihuacan may have been bloodthirsty warmongers.
Ancient
ape gives clue to family origins
Fossil from 13 million years ago sheds light on human split from apes.
Astronomy
NASA Launches Swift,
To Track Gamma Rays Washington (AFP) Nov 20, 2004
NASA launched Saturday its Swift satellite, which will track huge explosions
of gamma rays, the US space agency said. The Delta rocket launcher lifted
of from Cape Canaveral at 12:16 pm, according to NASA, which televised the
launch live.
Precocious
Supermassive Black Holes Challenge Theories
NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has obtained definitive evidence that a
distant quasar formed less than a billion years after the big bang contains
a fully-grown supermassive black hole generating energy at the rate of twenty
trillion suns. The existence of such massive black holes at this early epoch
of the Universe challenges theories of the formation of galaxies and supermassive
black holes.
Hovering
Over Titan Pasadena CA (JPL) Nov 24, 2004
A mosaic of nine processed images recently acquired during Cassini's first
very close flyby of Saturn's moon Titan on Oct. 26, 2004, constitutes the
most detailed full-disc view of the mysterious moon.
The Martian
Methane Surprise Moffett Field CA (SPX) Dec 07, 2004
At the recent Division of Planetary Sciences conference in Louisville, Kentucky,
Michael Mumma, Director of the Center for Astrobiology at NASA's Goddard
Space Flight Center, announced that relatively high levels of methane had
been detected on Mars.
Proof
Positive: Mars Once Had Water, Researchers Conclude
There is undeniable proof that water once existed on the planet Mars, a
team of researchers has concluded in a series of 11 articles this week in
a special issue of the journal Science.
In the Stars:
Searching For Armageddons Washington DC (UPI) Nov 23, 2004
The universe was regarded even until the early 20th century as a stable
and eternal place, but evidence collected in the intervening years has shown
the cosmos is anything but placid. It is seething with activity, some of
it entirely hostile to life.
Young Stars
Poised for Production of Rocky Planets Garching, Germany (SPX) Nov 25,
2004
One of the currently hottest astrophysical topics - the hunt for Earth-like
planets around other stars - has just received an important impetus from
new spectral observations with the MIDI instrument at the ESO VLT Interferometer
(VLTI).
Study
Paints Our Sun as a Planet Thief
A close encounter between our sun and a passing star some four billion years
ago may have played a role in shaping our solar system. New computer simulations
describe how a rendezvous between two young solar systems could have occurred.
And one potential scenario shows our sun kidnapping a planet or smaller
object from the other star's solar system.
Hubble
watches baby galaxy in bloom
The galactic newcomer formed incredibly recently from a pristine gas cloud
in a quiet part of the universe - the space telescope is watching it grow
Russia May Have
Moon Base By 2025. Moscow (UPI) Nov 22, 2004
Russia may have a base on the moon by 2025, according to a Russian space
official, the Interfax news agency reported Monday.
The Geminid Meteor
Shower Huntsvile AL (SPX) Dec 07, 2004
The best meteor shower of 2004 is about to peak on a long cold December
night. It's the Geminids. The best time to look is Monday night, Dec. 13th.
Sky watchers who stay outside for a few hours around midnight can expect
to see dozens to hundreds of "shooting stars."
Biology
Cracking
The Genomic Code: Gene Decoding Revealed At Atomic Level
A recent finding by a North Carolina State University biochemist advances
the fundamental biology of how genetic information, encoded in DNA, is decoded
for the production of proteins.
Antibiotics
get new lease of life
Drug-resistant bacteria can be forced to eject their protective DNA.
Persistent
coughs melt away with chocolate
An ingredient in chocolate may actually be a more effective cough medicine
than traditional remedies, researchers suggest.
A
New Target For a Fat-Fighting Drug. THURSDAY, Nov. 18 (HealthDayNews)
A newly discovered enzyme that plays a major role in fat metabolism could
be a target for a different kind of weight-loss drug, Austrian researchers
report.
Zapped
human eggs divide without sperm
The new technique could supply embryonic stem cells for research while avoiding
ethical issues as embryos are not required.
"Brain"
in Dish Pilots Flight Simulator
Scientists have grown a "brain" in a petri dish that can fly a
simulated F-22 fighter airplane. It's all part of a quest to build "living"
computers.
Creation/Evolution
Third of Americans
say evidence has supported Darwin's evolution theory
All most half of Americans believe God created humans 10,000 years ago (Gallup
News Service) On the question of whether evolution is well-supported
by the evidence, 35% of the respondents said that it is, 35% said that it
is not, 29% said that they didn't know enough about it to reply, and 1%
expressed no opinion. On the question of the origin and development
of human beings, 38% of the respondents agreed with "human beings have
developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God
guided this process," 13% agreed with "human beings have developed
over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God had no
part in this process," 45% agreed with "God created human beings
pretty muc h in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years
or so," and 4% offered a different or no opinion. On the question
of biblical literalism, 34% of respondents regarded the Bible as to be taken
literally, 48% regarded it as divinely inspired but not always to be taken
literally, 15% regarded it as a collection of fables, etc., and 3% expressed
no opinion. For the CBS News poll, visit: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/11/22/opinion/polls/main657083.shtml.
Genome of the mammalian
common ancestor reconstructed. Science News, Washington, Dec 1
(ANI):Using computer programs,scientists have suceeded in reconstructing
the DNA of a creature that lived at the time of the dinosaurs more than
75 million years ago, a small, furry nocturnal animal that was the common
ancestor of all placental mammals, including humans, with 98 percent accuracy.
"We will be able to trace the molecular evolution of our genome over the past 75 million years. It's a very exciting new way to think about our origins, a kind of DNA-based archaeology to understand how we came to be."
Were the
Darwinists Wrong?
National Geographic stacks the deck. By Thomas Woodward.
Was
Darwin right or not?
Our science classrooms are failing if they're not giving students a solid
understanding of what Darwin actually said (Randy Scholfield, The Wichita
Eagle, Kan.)
Cosmic
conundrum
The universe seems uncannily well suited to the existence of life. Could
that really be an accident? (Time)
Creating Creationism
by Ron Numbers
The roots of the modern creationist moverment started with Ellen G. White's
vision of creation. Ellen White founded the 7th day Adventists. Her vision
of the solar system is way off. Ron Numbers writes about the history of
the label creationist which may surprise you.
Genesis
through the back door
Trying to disguise creationism with the label of "intelligent design"
(which sounds like an IKEA marketing pitch) doesn't pass the smell test
— or any valid science test. (Editorial, Los Angeles Times)
Pennsylvania
school district retreats from evolution
A Pennsylvania school district on Friday defended its decision to discount
Charles Darwin's theory of evolution and take a lead in teaching what critics
say is a version of creationism. (Reuters)
School
science debate has evolved
The long-simmering battle over how evolution is taught in high school biology
is boiling again. (USA Today)
GILKEY DIES
Theologian Langdon Gilkey died on November 19, 2004, at the age of 85, in
Charlottesville, Virginia. Gilkey testified for the plaintiffs in
McLean v. Arkansas, the case that challenged the constitutionality of Arkansas's
"Balanced treatment for creation-science and evolution-science act"
of 1981. In his account of his experiences, Creationism on Trial:
Evolution and God at Little Rock (1985), he explained his antipathy to the
law: "I came to the conclusion that this law and ones similar
to it are ... in fact dangerous to the health of our society. For the Washington
Post's obituary of Gilkey, visit: Langdon Gilkey Dies; Theologian, Author, Educator.
Intellectuals
who doubt Darwin
Hunter Baker on Uncommon Dissent: Intellectuals Who Find Darwinism Unconvincing.
(The American Spectator)
Creator
won't rest in bashing of Darwin
I believe in a creator of the universe. But that's faith, not science. (Linda
Valdez, The Arizona Republic)
Creation
science isn't science at all
Special pleading does a disservice to both faith and facts. (J. David Pleins,
Mercury News, Calif.)
NPR: In the first hour of NPR's show Science Friday for November 19, 2004, host Ira Flatow and his guests discussed the recent decision by the Dover (Pennsylvania) Area School District to require the teaching of "intelligent design" in its science classrooms, as well as other recent battles over evolution education. For the archived version of the show, look under the "Archived Audio" section of: http://www.sciencefriday.com/pages/2004/Nov/hour1_111904.html
Ducks in evolution's
crossfire
Brood parasitic black-headed ducks caught in their host's interspecific
arms race.
A link for unrelated
viruses
Viruses which infect all three domains of life could be descended from bacteriophage.
Earth Science
Scientists Discover Air Is Heavier Than We Thought.
Researchers Probe
Marine Mysteries Off The Alaskan Coast San Diego CA (SPX) Nov 24, 2004
A summer voyage to investigate the causes of one of the most devastating
tsunamis in United States history has uncovered new mysteries about biological
and geological processes off Alaska.
Climate Change:
Humans Fuss, Animals Adjust Boulder CO (UPI) Nov 15, 2004
Scientists can argue all they want about how many degrees Celsius - or Fahrenheit
- the planet is warming and what the trend portends, but meanwhile Earth's
plants, insects and animals are not waiting for the outcome. They already
are altering their patterns of behavior in response to what is happening.
Vast Water
Supplies Hidden Under North China Desert: Study Paris, France (AFP)
Nov 24, 2004
A desert in China's Inner Mongolia that has the highest sand dunes in the
world holds a vast store of underground water which, if used wisely, could
ease the chronic water shortage afflicting the north of the country, a study
says.
Fossil
Egg Finds Yield Clues to How Pterosaurs Lived
Two new pterosaur eggs have been discovered, and they suggest that the
dinosaur-era flying reptiles lived in colonies and raised their young, experts
say.
Dinosaurs'
'bulletproof' armour revealed
Some dinosaurs' protective plates had a similar arrangement of fibres as
seen in bulletproof fabrics, making them extremely tough.
Physics
US
review rekindles cold fusion debate
Energy panel split over whether experiments produced power.
Simple
wire picks up terahertz waves
'Coat-hanger' probes could boost airport security.
Physicists
Find Strong Evidence for New State of Superconductivity
Researchers have found the clearest evidence yet for a superconducting state
that differs from its mirror image. The team says the results, which come
after six years of effort, are "definitive proof" that strontium
ruthenate, or SRO, exhibits "odd-parity" superconductivity, sometimes
called spin-triplet superconductivity. But not everyone is convinced yet.
Psychology
Teenagers
fail to see the consequences
Research into juveniles' appreciation of ultimate outcomes is being used
to support a ban on the US death penalty for under-18s.
Humans
can learn to be nice
Upbringing is a key contributor to a person's social responsibility, a new
study suggests, reducing the overwhelming role of genetic factors.
Psychotic
symptoms more likely with cannabis
Young adults using cannabis increase their risk of developing psychotic
symptom in later life, finds a large-scale study.
Chromosomes
aged 10 years by stress
Psychological stress acts on a cellular level and can prematurely age a
woman's chromosomes, a new study suggests.
Technology
Nano World:
Software To Speed Nanotech New York (UPI) Dec 03, 2004
New consortia of corporations, universities and federal agencies are seeking
to accelerate the development in the wide-open field of nanotechnology software
- programs to create and enhance devices with features on the molecular
scale.
Zoology
Up
from the deep: World's oceans yield thousands of new species.
Threat
of Extinction Plagues More Than 15,000 Species
The annual report card on the state of the planet's species contains some
sobering statistics. According to this year's Red List of Threatened Species,
compiled by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), a total of 15,589 species
are currently at risk for extinction, with more than 3,330 new threatened
plants and animals added to the roll since last year. As it stands now,
one in three amphibians, one in four mammals and one in eight birds stand
to disappear permanently.