Reading the Rocks

I just finished a great book titled Reading the Rocks by Marcia Bjornerud, a geologist at Lawrence University. The book provides an introduction into geology and all of the earthly processes that interact to allow life on the planet. In particular, interactions between the earth's interior, the mantle, crust, ocean circulations, atmosphere, and physical characteristics on land (mountains, basins, deltas etc....). She does an excellent job explaining a series of complex subjects and not overwhelming the reader with the reams of geological jargon. What geological terms she does use are handily printed in bold with a corresponding glossary in the back. All told, I highly reccomend the book to anyone who would like to understand the earth's history and how has influenced life today (and in the future).

One passage in particular stuck out to me. In a chapter where she describes what the rocks tell us about animal life and how it evolved in conjuction with changing environments related to physical processes, she ends with an insight into what makes humans unique, and a warning about ignoring our past. She says,


Human consciousness is arguably the first truly novel innovation to arise since Cambrian time, in the sense that the technologies our consciousness has spawned have freed us from the limits of our own body architecture. Perhaps even more important, consciousness has allowed us to transcend our single moment in geologic time and glimpse the great tapestry of Earth's history. But we are only beginning to understand the richness of Earth's history and the imprint it has left deep in our genes. For all of its potency, consciousness can become a pathological condition if it gives us delusions that we have somehow been exempted from the rules that have always governed the biosphere. The belief that we can engineer what evolution has done in 4 billion years- and expect the results to be predictable and controllable- is a sign of our youth and ignorance. Naive tinkering with such ancient systems is foolish, arrogant, and dangerous. (pg. 172)

Bjornerud raises an important point. Humans have existed for a blip on the geological radar. To ignore our planet's past, in particular the vast climate changes that were caused by a variety of factors, and to continue to act without a long term plan is incredibly irresponsible. Understanding earth's history reveals a great deal as to how we should behave now if we want to be a species that demonstrates any type of longevity. Thinking about these issues brings to mind an old Iriqouis saying,

In our every deliberation we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.

Our decisions are typically based on scales of less than a decade. I think we should start heeding the wisdom of the Iriqouis. Reading this book might help gain some perspective.

The Diving Dog

I've been vacationing the last couple of weeks at my in-laws in northern Michigan. They live on Mullet Lake which is an amazing place to be when the weather is hot and you enjoy swimming. What I especially like is how the first couple of hundred feet of lake from the shore is only 2-3 feet deep. Perfect for wading, swimming, water sports etc.... I have a black lab named Augie who also loves the water. She can swim for hours, bouncing around and getting a lot of exercise. In the last week she has started to exhibit a behavior that I have never encountered in a dog before: she dives. Augie will feel along the lake bed with her back paws for large stones. When she finds a likely candidate she flips over and dives to search the bed with her mouth. All you can see is her tail occasionally break the surface. She's been down there for stretches as long as 15 seconds. It's absolutely hilarious and somewhat bizarre. If anyone has a story of a dog they know diving, please pass it on. I'd like to know if this is an isolated occurence or common behavior.

Teach the Debate

Via Cosmic Variance:

Republican Government - Your Thoughts?

I thought this was a pretty good quote from the Oregonian:

Other than telling us how to live, think, marry, pray, vote, invest, educate our children and, now, die, I think the Republicans have done a fine job of getting government out of our personal lives.

Bush on ID

President Bush has come out on record as saying he supports the teaching of Intelligent Design in public schools. Never mind that he is completely unqualified to really comment on the subject, but it also contradicts the statements of his own science advisor, John Marburger. What is the point of having a science advisor if you are going to ignore him? It also reverses previous statements his administration has made in the past regarding ID and public school curricula. Now, if they want to teach ID in a comparative religion course, fine, but it has no business in a science classroom. ID has not met any of the criteria to establish itself as a scientific idea. When is that going to sink in? Starting next year I'm going to be including evolution in my science curriculum, and I wonder if I'll get any grief out of it from parents or suggestions that I should include ID.

UPDATE: Science journalist Carl Zimmer has a good question for President Bush.

Mr. President, I would ask, how do you reconcile your statement that Intelligent Design should be taught alongside evolution with the fact that your administration, like both Republican and Democratic administrations before it, has supported research in evolution by our country's leading scientists, while failing to support a single study that is explicitly based on Intelligent Design? The National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and even the Department of Energy have all decided that evolution is a cornerstone to advances in our understanding of diseases, the environment, and even biotechnology. They have found no such value in Intelligent Design. Are they wrong? Can you tell us why?

Estate Tax

There are more rumblings that the Estate Tax will be repealed, another hard sought win for Paris Hilton. Seriously though, there is a lot of misinformation regarding who the estate tax actually impacts. For a look at what taxable estates actually pay, and the idea of a 'double tax', visit Factcheck.org and their analysis, Estate Tax Malarkey. Also, it is worth noting that Bill Gates and a large number of other billionaires and millionares think this is a bad idea. See here for the the full article.

Pick Your Poison

Ever since 9/11 there have been calls from various groups (including the present administration) that some scientific research should not be published as it may find its way into the hands of terrorists who would abuse it. In particular, we are talking about information related to bioterrorism. Scientists of course don't like the idea of censoring their information. Those who speak out agains censorship are called irresponsible and do not fully understand the war on terror. In a letter to the journal Nature today, D. Whitlock rightfully points out that since 2001 only 5 people have been killed through bioterrorism (the short lived anthrax scare). On the other hand, 30,000 people a year are killed by guns in the U.S. (more than the next 10 industrialized countries combind). Yet, whenver gun laws come up there is nothing but shrill protestations from the NRA about obstructing constitutional rights. So, what's worse: bioterrorism or guns? Personally, I'd feel a lot safer it the assault weapons ban were back in place. It's also worth noting that the Senate is considering a bill (which will likely be passed) that would absolve gun manufactures from any wrong doing when their guns and ammunition are used in crimes. The pretense (according to Bill Frist): manufacturers would eventually go out of business. So, is the Second Ammendment more valid than the First? Time will tell.

Why String Theory?

It's been a while since my last post as I've been on vacation in Wyoming. However, I found a nice post about string theory from Sean Carroll over at Cosmic Variance. String theory is often ridiculed by other scientists for its lack of testability. Is it science? Math? Philosophy? Well, Sean provides his opinion as to the usefullness of continued study of this fascinating subject. Click here to read on.


UPDATE: If you've read the post on string theory, it's worth scrolling through the comments to read the thoughts of some physicists who don't think as highly about string theory. Interesting to get their take.

Gravity? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Gravity!

This comes from Paul S. Kemp over at Dark and Empty:

I maintain that gravity does not exist. Instead, I believe that a nearly infinite number of tiny, invisible, undetectable, ethereal faeries spend their lives intertwined in living faerie-chains that span the universe, extending between objects and bodies. It is the pull of the faeries and the interaction of their magical auras that create the phenomenon we have heretofore called gravity.

While it's true that my theory cannot explain all the evidence associated with the thing we've previous thought to be gravity, I confidently believe that the faeries are somehow involved. They are merely inscrutable, beyond our understanding. It is also true that my view is not testable by the scientific method, since my faeries are, by definition, undetectable. But that merely illustrates the sublimity of the faeries, not a failing of the theory.

I hasten to add that belief in invisible faeries goes back over a thousand years, and can be found in many cultures. Thus, the weight of tradition supports the view that faeries exist.

I demand, therefore, that faerie chainism henceforth be included in school textbooks as an alternative to the teaching of gravity. After all, even scientists who do not believe in faeries acknowledge that gravity is little more than a mere theory.

If faeries are responsible for gravity I would love to see what causes plate tectonics!

The Big Unknown

To celebrate its 125th anniversary, the journal Science has published a special section of the 125 top questions that scientists are currently seeking answers to. Fascinating stuff. Click here for the pdf.

A Crash NASA Can Be Happy About

NASA's Deep Impact collided with comet Tempel-1 today. By doing so, scientists hope to understand comet formation and how it relates to the formation of our solar system and its constituent parts. For a movie that shows actual footage of Deep Impact approaching and crashing into Tempel-1 click here.

Just Another Cog in the Wheel

Red and Blue States

Dear Red States: We're ticked off at the way you've treated California, and we've decided we're leaving. We intend to form our own country, and we're taking the other Blue States with us. In case you aren't aware, that includes Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and all the
Northeast. We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, and especially to the people of the new country of New California.

To sum up briefly: You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states. We get stem cell research and the best beaches.

We get Elliot Spitzer. You get Ken Lay.

We get the Statue of Liberty. You get OpryLand.

We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom.

We get Harvard. You get Ole' Miss.

We get 85 percent of America's venture capital and entrepreneurs. You get Alabama.

We get two-thirds of the tax revenue, you get to make the red states pay their fair share.

Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of single moms.

Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro-choice and anti- war, and we're going to want all our citizens back from Iraq at once. If you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They have kids they're apparently willing to send to their deaths for no purpose, and they don't care if you don't show pictures of their children's caskets coming home. We do wish you success in
Iraq, and hope that the WMDs turn up, but we're not willing to spend our resources in Bush's Quagmire.

With the Blue States in hand, we will have firm control of 80 percent of the country's fresh water, more than 90 percent of the pineapple and lettuce, 92
percent of the nation's fresh fruit, 95 percent of America's quality wines (you can serve French wines at state dinners) 90 percent of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most of the U.S. low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools, plus Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT.

With the Red States, on the other hand, you will have to cope with 88 percent of all obese Americans (and their projected health care costs), 92 percent of all U.S. mosquitoes, nearly 100 percent of the tornadoes, 90 percent of the hurricanes, 99 percent of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100 percent of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia.

We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you.

Additionally, 38 percent of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62 percent believe life is sacred unless we're discussing the death penalty or gun laws, 44 percent say that evolution is only a theory, 53 percent that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61 percent of you crazy bastards believe you are people with higher morals than we lefties.

By the way, we're taking the good pot, too. You can have that dirt weed they grow in Mexico.

All the Best,

Kong is King

The first trailer of Peter Jackson's King Kong is up. It got me excited to see it. Click here.

Microbiology of Fermentation

Fermentation of foods has enjoyed a long history, nearly as long as the history of human civilization. In fact, it would be several thousand years before microbes were identified as the source of fermentation (Shurtleff & Aoyagi 2004). The earliest traces of fermentation are found in Iraq, 8000 years before present (BP), where it is thought cheese-making originated after the domestication of animals (Ross et al. 2002). Ancient settlers of the Fertile Crescent region may have inadvertently (or purposefully) added salt to food material. The salt may have then selected harmless microorganisms that fermented the product (Shurtleff & Aoyagi 2004).

Over the next eight millennium, many food types would be fermented. The Egyptians discovered how to use yeast to leaven bread and brew beer (~6000 BP). The Sumerians fermented barley to make beer. In East Asia (~2500-500 BP), yogurt, milk products, pickles, sauerkraut, and vinegar were used. The Chinese would be the first to inoculate basic foods with molds. Indeed, the usefulness of fermentation was immediately obvious, not only in food preservation, but in enhancements of flavor, odor, and texture, and making food more digestible (Ross et al. 2002).

While I will not be focusing this review on fermented beverages, it is worth noting their impact on early societies. The Egyptians praised Osiris for the brewing of beer and the Greeks invented Bacchus, god of wine. Early Japanese miso and shoyu breweries had shrines for patrons to venerate before (Shurtleff & Aoyagi 2004). The word fermentation is derived from the Latin ‘to boil’, due to the bubbling and foaming of the beverages. Fermentation was a considerable achievement and played (and continues to play) a significant role in human health and happiness.

Fermentation is the anaerobic catabolism of organic compounds, usually carbohydrates, in the absence of an external electron acceptor (Madigan & Martinko 2006). This chemical process was first described in the late 18^th century by Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier, when he experimented by transforming sugar to alcohol and carbon dioxide (Donovan 1993). In 1810, J.L. Guy-Lussac summarized the process with the equation C6H12O6 ® 2 CO2 + 2 C2H6O. Louis Pasteur was the first to identify living organisms as the initiators of fermentation. In 1857, he demonstrated that lactic acid fermentation was caused by bacteria. Four years later he again showed that bacteria soured milk, leading to the ubiquitous practice of pasteurization (Shurtleff & Aoyagi 2004).

Modern fermentation practices have developed exponentially from those early times. With improved technology and molecular techniques, fermentation plays a crucial role in human society. Steinkraus (1995) has identified five major purposes of modern fermentation:

1. Enrichment of the diet through development of a diversity of flavors, aromas, and textures in food substrates.

2. Preservation of substantial amounts of food through lactic acid, alcoholic, acetic acid, and alkaline fermentations.

3. Enrichment of food substrates biologically with protein, essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, and vitamins.

4. Detoxification during food fermentation processing.

5. A decrease in cooking times and fuel requirements.

The microbes involved with fermentation come from a relatively small number of genera: eight genera of molds, five genera of yeasts, and six genera of bacteria (Ross et al. 2002). The bacteria are characterized by lactic acid bacteria (LAB), acetic acid bacteria, and propionic bacteria. The most common yeast is Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Madigan & Martinko 2006). LAB are the most important fermenting microbe and the primary focus will be on them.

Food fermentation can be broken into three groups: dairy (e.g. milk, cheese, yogurt, sour cream), meat (e.g. dry and semidry sausages), and vegetable (e.g. sauerkraut, pickles, olives, onions, peppers). LAB are the most significant microbe group and are often introduced as starters in a mixed culture. Secondary inoculation is not uncommon. For example, secondary inoculums of Lactobacillus and Penicillium roqueforti are responsible for the blue veins, taste, and aroma of blue cheese. Secondary fermentation also catabolizes lactic acid to propionic acid, acetic acid, and carbon dioxide (Madigan & Martinko). Enterococci are also introduced as a component of some mixed starters but this is still widely debated, as many species of this genus are known human pathogens and are thought to contribute to antimicrobial resistance (Ross et al. 2002).

Although the most common metabolic pathways in LAB use sugars (hexoses and pentoses) as the primary substrates for lactate and pyruvate formation, there are other uncommon pathways as well. These include polyols (e.g. pentitols, hexitols), organic acids (e.g. citrate, aspartate), and amino acids (e.g. alanine, serine) (Liu 2003). With respect to the primary metabolic pathways, LAB can be grouped into two separate classes based upon their carbohydrate metabolism. Group 1 is the homofermenters, which includes Lactococcus, Pediococcus, Enterococcus, and Streptococcus. This group converts one mol of glucose into two mol of lactate. Heterofermentive bacteria, group 2, produce equimolar amounts of lactate, ethanol, and carbon dioxide using the pentose pathway (Liu 2003; Ross et al. 2002). Only half as much energy is generated this way. Bacteria included in this group are the Leuconostoc, Wessella, and some lactobacilli.

Several essential variables exist that determine fermentation productivity. The type and amount of carbohydrates is important. If it is a milk product, the degree of hydrolysis of milk proteins is taken into consideration, as this determines the availability of essential amino acids. Also, the composition and degree of hydrolysis of milk lipids is taken into account. Lastly, temperature of the raw product, pH (under a pH of 4, LAB won’t ferment), moisture content, and presence of any microbes obstructive of the fermentation process, must all be adjusted appropriately (Heller 2001; Steinkraus 1995).

Due to their small genomes and considerable importance in industrial fermentation, LAB have been the subject of intensive genetic research (de Vos 2005; Liu 2003). Genetic modification has been used to address a number of pertinent issues, including: reduction in food spoilage, avoidance of food borne diseases, preservation/development of attractive flavors, tastes, and appearance (Hansen 2002); improving their use in food technology/manufacturing, improving product safety, production of therapeutic molecules, and creating bacteriophage resistant strains (Renault 2002; Konings et al. 2000). Most modification is done by introducing new genes or by altering their metabolic functions. Any introduced genetic elements are screened so as to be as safe as the host organism, and have a long history in food technology. The majority of genetic elements are derived from plasmids and genes from bacteria of the same species. Increased research in LAB has led to the development of cloning systems, chromosome modification systems, and gene expression systems (Renault 2002). LAB continue to be the subject of many studies in genetic and metabolic engineering.

In recent years there has been an increasing recognition of the health benefits associated with consuming fermented products. These microbes are referred to as probiotics, or microorganisms that when consumed in adequate numbers confer a health benefic to the host (Stanton et al. 2005; Soomro et al. 2002). Preliminary research has shown probiotics to provide relief from lactose intolerance, diarrhea, Crohn’s disease, depressed immune function, and even cancer (Saxelin et al. 2005; Stanton et al. 2005; Wollowski et al. 2001). In addition, some LAB produce as secondary metabolites beneficial vitamins (like B vitamins) and bioactive peptides (Stanton et al. 2005).

Fermenting microbes have had a significant role in human history, from food preservation to modern day medicine. Continued research is sure to yield even more interesting insights and developments.

References

de Vos, W.M. 2005. Frontiers in food biotechnology-fermentations and functionality. Current Opinion in Biotechnology 16: 187-189.

Donovan, A. 1993. Antoine Lavoisier: Science, Administration, and Revolution. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.

Hansen, E.B. 2002. Commercial bacterial starter cultures for fermented foods of the future. International Journal of Food Microbiology 78: 119-131.

Heller, K.J. 2001. Probiotic bacteria in fermented foods: product characteristics and starter organisms. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 73 (suppl): 374S-379S.

Koning, W.N., Kok, J., Kuipers, O.P. and B. Poolman. 2000. Lactic acid bacteria: the bugs of the new millennium. Current Opinion in Microbiology 3: 276-282.

Liu, S.Q. 2003. Practical implications of lactate and pyruvate metabolism by lactic acid bacteria in food and beverage fermentations. International Journal of Food Microbiology 83: 115-131.

Madigan, M.T. and J.M. Martinko. 2006. Brock Biology of Microorganisms, 11^th Ed. Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.

Renault, P. 2002. Genetically modified lactic acid bacteria: applications to food or health and risk assessment. Biochimie 84: 1073-1087.

Ross, R.P., Morgan, S. and C. Hill. 2002. Preservation and fermentation: past, present, and future. International Journal of Food Microbiology 79: 3-16.

Saxelin, M., Tynkkynen, S., Mattila-Sandholm, T. and W.M. de Vos. 2005. Probiotic and functional microbes: from markets to mechanisms. Current Opinion in Biotechnology 16: 204-211.

Shurtleff, W. and A. Aoyagi. 2004. A Brief History of Fermentation, East and West.
http://www.thesoydailyclub.com/SFC/Fsoyfoods39.asp. Retrieved on: 19 June 2005.

Soomro, A.H., Masud, T. and K. Anwaar. 2002. Role of Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) in Food Preservation and Human Health – A Review. Pakistan Journal of Nutrition 1(1): 20-24.

Stanton, C., Ross, R.P., Fitzgerald, G.F. and D. Van Sinderen. 2005. Fermented functional foods based on probiotics and their biogenic metabolites. Current Opinion in Biotechnology 16: 198-203.

Steinkraus, K.H. 1995. Handbook of Indigenous Fermented Foods. Marcel Dekker, Inc. New York, NY.

How to Help the Troops

If you would like to help out the troops who have been wounded in Iraq (and elsewhere), this is a great site. Check it out (just click on the link).

Wounded Warrior Project

Science and Politics

Chris Mooney, a science and policy writer, has a new book coming out this fall which looks very promising. Hopefully, it will bring to a wider audience the misuse of science by the Bush Administration.

A Vision For the Future

This commencement speech by Barack Obama is powerful and sets out a course for America that I think is extremely positive. I sincerely hope he runs for President some day. To read it click the address below:

http://www.knox.edu/x9803.xml

People Need To Lighten Up

Via Pharyngula

Star Trek: the pledge

This falls into the don't-know-whether-to-laugh-or-cry category, but I decided to agree with this young lad's mother and laugh. Here is the story of an eight year old suspended from school over the Pledge of Allegiance, which he duly recited, although apparently his allegiance got pledged to the wrong thing--everything. Here is the complete post from Ms. Jaworski's Beauty Dish blog (via Boingboing):

I got a call from the elementary school administrative assistant this morning.

"Mrs. Jaworski?" I could hear her tapping a pencil against the desk.

"Uh yes, and it's Ms., please."

"Your son, 8, has been suspended for the day. Come here and pick him up."

She didn't give me time to answer, to ask questions, her voice disappeared as if someone cut the line. I stood in the kitchen, my bare feet aching from yesterday's marathon, and I took a deep breath. My son can be a nut at times, but he's never done the kinds of things that troubled kids do. He doesn't talk back, he doesn't pick fights, and he's never destroyed property. I couldn't picture him doing anything scholastically evil. Maybe he stripped and ran around the school naked, I thought. I grabbed my keys and headed out the door.

The principal met me in her office. She closed the door tightly behind me and invited me to sit in a stuffed orange vinyl chair.

"Mrs. Jaworski, 8 has been suspended from school for one day." She wore an arctic blue power jacket over black slacks, and I self-consciously tried to pull my hooded sweatshirt further over my pink pajamas.

"It's Ms., please. And sorry for my attire, but I ran a marathon yesterday and I'm too sore to change this morning." I tried to infect her with my smile, but she wore a tight-lipped expression as frosty as her jacket. "So, anyway. What did he do?" I picked at the hem of my sweatshirt, looked just to the right of her face. I couldn't meet her eyes. I felt nervous. I felt underdressed. I wondered where 8 was.

So she told me what he did. And as she told me, I started to laugh. I didn't laugh a little, either, but I belly-laughed and grabbed my stomach. My son stood with his class this morning, put small right hand over heart, faced the American flag, and recited his own personal pledge of allegiance:

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United Federation of Planets, and to the galaxy for which it stands, one universe, under everybody, with liberty and justice for all species."

"Mrs. Jaworski. This isn't humorous. The Pledge is an extremely important and patriotic moment each morning in the classroom. I am ashamed of your son's behavior, and I hope you are, too."

I wanted to say, Hey Lady, it's a big universe. Why should we pledge allegiance to a mixed-up country? Why shouldn't my son embrace the potential of stardust? But I stood, extended my hand, apologized for my laughter, slung my purse over my shoulder, opened her door to find my son, 8, red-eyed sitting on the wooden bench bordering the World Map wall.

I'm sitting here, working on computer things, and Mr. 8 sits in the living room. He has to write the "real" pledge of allegiance fifty times before he can return to school. But first he's watching Star Trek. Damn straight.

Hey kid. I'll boldly go with you on this one.

Resistance Is Futile.......This Is You!

I fall under the White-Man-Can't-Dance category. Check out this link for a good laugh.

http://24.113.65.48/movies/dance_white_guy.wmv

Science Experts

Via Pharyngula:

I like this exasperated rant from Steven Dutch.

"I'm sick and tired of self-appointed so-called experts and their know-it-all, arrogant attitude. Why don't you people stay out of things you know nothing about? To hear you tell it, you know everything and the rest of us are stupid."

I've seen this script before. At this point I'm supposed to get all humble and apologetic and say "There, there. We didn't mean to make you feel bad. You're really a good person and a valuable human being and your opinions do count."

I'm tired of playing that game.

• We're not "self-appointed" or "so-called" experts. We are real experts. We're not "authority figures." We are real authorities.
• It's not arrogance to say what you know professionally. It is arrogance to reject expert opinion without having expertise of your own.
• If hearing the experts say you're wrong makes you feel bad or stupid, that is your problem, not ours. See a therapist and work on your self-esteem. If you think this is rough on the ego, try getting a paper or grant proposal you've worked on for months rejected, something real experts face all the time.
• We don't know everything, but we do know more on our subjects of expertise than other people, especially people with no training at all.
• Unless you have real evidence to back up your opinions, they don't count.
• If you hear something that conflicts with what you think you know, and you don't bother to check it out, you shouldn't feel stupid. You are stupid.
• If you want to take on the experts but won't spend the time, effort and money to become an expert yourself, you're not just stupid. You're lazy, too.
• If you think I'm disrespecting you, you're right. I have no respect for people who are uninformed, get angry when someone contradicts them, but are too lazy to get informed and too cowardly to face failure, criticism, and the possibility they might have to change their minds. You're not a good person. Nobody who is lazy and cowardly can be called "good."
• Where did you get the idea you're so valuable? There are six billion of us. You're not all that unique. How exactly did you get the notion that you stand so high in the cosmic scheme of things that you have the right to make real experts treat you as an equal without bothering to acquire any knowledge yourself?

David Baltimore

Dr. David Baltimore’s (DB) (b. 1938- ) career has spanned nearly four decades and rightly distinguished him as one of the preeminent biologists of his generation. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1975 at the remarkable age of 37 (1), and since then has been a leading force in molecular biology, virology, immunology (2), and science policy (3). His later work on viral oncology and immunology has led to speculation that another Nobel Prize is in his future (4). Dr. Baltimore has over 600 peer-reviewed papers to his credit, is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, recipient of the National Medal of Science (1999), and is currently President of the California Institute of Technology (5).

DB’s early scientific research focused on the molecular processes that underlay the ability of poliovirus to infect cells (5). This naturally led him to work on other RNA viruses. He was particularly interested how RNA viruses caused cancer. In 1969, DB and Howard Temin published the discovery of retroviruses and reverse transcriptase (9). They would later share the Nobel Prize (along with Renato Dulbecco for related research) for their work (7).

Retroviruses are RNA animal viruses that replicate through a DNA intermediate (7). They were the first viruses shown to cause cancer, and include the well known virus HIV, as well as avian leucosis, murine leukemia, chimpanzee foamy virus, as well as many others. The genome of a mature virus contains only three genes that encode proteins. Gag (group-specific antigen) codes for core and structural proteins. Pol (polymerase) codes for reverse transcriptase, protease, and integrase. Env (envelope) codes for the retroviral coat (7). A shared feature of all retroviruses is a lipid coating that surrounds their capsid. It should be noted that the reverse transcription that copies the RNA back into DNA is not unique to retroviruses. Hepatitis B and cauliflower mosaic virus (in plants) also utilize reverse transcriptase.

There are seven steps in retrovirus replication:

1) Entrance

2) Uncoating of the virion

3) Reverse transcription

4) Integration

5) Transcription

6) Assembly and encapsidation

7) Budding (7)

By elucidating the role of reverse transcription, Baltimore not only made major advances in scientists ability to understand (and combat) retroviruses, but added a new addendum to the Central Dogma of molecular biology. First articulated by Francis Crick (no slouch himself) in 1958, the statement is as follows: DNA makes RNA makes protein (8). A common misconception is that the discovery of reverse transcriptase invalidates the Central Dogma. However, the idea is that once information reaches the protein state it cannot go in reverse (i.e. back to RNA or DNA). In this sense the Central Dogma remains, but it is true that through reverse transcriptase, retroviruses can go from RNA to DNA, back to RNA, and then on to a protein. Or, in some cases, can go from RNA to protein (7).

In addition to his contributions to understanding retroviruses, DB developed the Baltimore Classification Scheme for viruses, based on the relationship of the viral genome to its mRNA (7). It is listed as follows:

Class I – double-stranded DNA genome

Class II – single-stranded DNA genome

Class III – double-stranded RNA genome

Class IV – single-stranded RNA genome of plus sense

Class V – single-stranded RNA genome of minus sense

Class VI – single-stranded RNA genome of plus sense that replicates with a DNA intermediate

Class VII – double-stranded DNA genome that replicates with a RNA intermediate

The above classification is very effective and covers most viral possibilities, however, there are exceptions. An example is the ambiviruses, which contain a single-stranded RNA genome, half of which is plus, the other half minus (7).

In 1974, DB was one of a group of scientists who published a letter urging caution with regards to recombinant DNA (10). In the letter, they recommended that scientists defer from creating microorganisms with novel genes, and also from inserting cancer causing genes from viruses into bacterial cells. They called on the U.S. government to set up rules of conduct for this type of research and attempted to organize scientists to discuss the issue. This latter suggestion eventually resulted in the Asilomar Conference, where the participants recommended a one year moratorium on genetic engineering (11).

Although DB’s career as a biologist is quite distinguished, it is not free of controversy. A colleague and co-author of a paper that had been published in the journal Cell was accused of scientific misconduct. Although Dr. Baltimore was never implicated, his handling of the matter was seen by many as arrogant to the extreme, and eventually cost him the position of President of Rockefeller University (12). Baltimore had been unwilling to retract the paper; he was content to let the scientific community determine if there were any flaws to be criticized. DB firmly believed that the self-correcting nature of science would determine the truth of the matter.

Many scientists disagreed, in particular, Paul Doty of Harvard University. He and DB exchanged several tense letters in the journal Nature of the ethics of science (12). A rumor circulated that several Harvard professors, including James Watson, were attempting to convince the Noble Committee to strip DB of his prize. Watson firmly denied this (13), and it is probably untrue. After two university investigations, two NIH investigations, and Congressional hearings, it was determined there had been no wrong doing, but the taint of the affair persisted for many years.

Dr. David Baltimore is still an active scientist, a vigorous proponent of improved federal science policy, AIDS vaccine research, and head of a major university.

References

1. Vella, F. 2002. Ahead of the Curve: David Baltimore’s Life in Science. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education 30(5): 336-337.

2. Klausner, R.D., Fauci, A.S., et al. 2003. The Need for a Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise. Science 300: 2036-2039.

3. Baltimore, D. 2004. Science and the Bush Administration. Science 305:1873.

4. Roizman, B. 2002. Ahead of the Curve: David Baltimore’s Life in Science. Perspectives in Biology and Medicine 45(2): 294-296.

5. California Institute of Technology. 2002. Dr. David Baltimore. http://president.caltech.edu/bio.html. Retrieved on: 8 June 2005.

6. Culliton, B. 2003. Book Reviews. Bull. Hist. Med. 77: 474-475.

7. Madigan, M.T. and J.M. Martinko. 2006. Brock Biology of Microorganisms, 11^th Ed. Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River,NJ.

8. Crick, F. 1958. Central Dogma of Molecular Biology. Nature 227: 561- 563.

9. Baltimore, D. 1970. Viral RNA-dependent DNA polymerase. Nature 226: 1209-1211.

10. Berg, P., et. al. 1974. Potential biohazards of recombinant DNA. Science 185: 303.

11. Wade, N. 1975. Genetics: Conference Sets Strict Rules to Replace Moratorium. Science 187: 931.

12. Hall, S.S. 1991. David Baltimore’s Final Days. Science 254: 1576-1579.

13. Watson, J.D. 2001. No campaign to strip Baltimore of his Nobel. Nature 411: 131-132.

Downing Street Memo

Congress thought it was worth investigating, and attempting to impeach, President Clinton over his sexual habits, and yet we have heard not a peep (including from the media) about the British intelligence memo that says Blair and Bush were discussing Iraqi invasion plans a year before it happened. This despite Bush's repeated claims it was not being planned. The Brits (Blair, Straw, Brown) have admitted to the veracity of the document. Why isn't this being scrutinized? Bush lied not only to the American people but Congress as well. Certainly worse than a little Oval Office fun, don't you think?

p.s. Doesn't something seem wrong when a former sitting president (Clinton) is doing more to raise America's profile worldwide than the current sitting president. His efforts on behalf of tsunami victims, AIDS education and elimination, raising economic awareness of third world countries, discussion with European leaders about the constitution, etc... are all more than the current administration has done. But then again, I guess it is a full time job ignoring the scientific consensus on climate change and evolution, misleading the public on stem cells, wracking up the debt, mismanaging the war on terror, and trying to convert every man, woman, and child to Christianity.

p.s.s. Been a long day. I'm taking it out on the politicians.

More Estate Tax

I mentioned an editorial a couple of months ago about the misconceptions and outright falsities being used by those who would like to get rid of the estate tax. Another article has been written, over at Fact Check, that addresses the same issue and sheds some light on the truth of the matter. It is definitely worth the read.

To read the article, click here.

Geography and Skin Color

Professor Jared Diamond, of UCLA, has written a review in the journal Nature regarding human skin color. The usual explanation for why humans have different skin color had to do with geography. Those populations living closer to the equator had darker skin to protect them against sunlight. This view has many exceptions, however, and was therefore incomplete. More recent studies have shed light on the subject (no pun intended).

A couple of scientists, Jablonski and Chaplin, identified new criteria to gauge what skin color should be based on geography. Instead of using latitude, they examined ultraviolet radiation (UVR) on the earth's surface. While it is true that UVR is less at higher latitudes, there are exceptions to this. High altitudes tend to have more UVR even at high latitudes, and UVR decreases with increased water vapor due to clouds, rain, or humidity. So, simply looking at latitude is not enough.

What Jablonski and Chaplin found was a series of trade-offs to UVR exposure. UVR is harmful in that it breaks down many compounds in the body (through photolysis). Of particular importance is vitamin B folate. A positive consequence of UVR is the synthesis of vitamin D, which everyone requires. So, skin color evolved to balance these two physiological properties.

Again, there are exceptions, but they are understood and make sense in light of this balance. The Inuit have dark skin despite living in high latitudes. This was due to the fact they consumed marine mammals, rich in vitamin D, and therefore selection had no need to push them in the direction of lighter skin. Modern Inuit now suffer severe vitamin D deficiencies since their subsistence strategies have changed (i.e. supermarkets for food). Similar examples are provided, where human migration of some populations has not given them time to evolve skin colors appropriate to their location. But there are examples that cannot be explained just by the vitamin trade-offs, such as the Tasmanian aborigine's. Here, the authors link to sexual selection. Skin provides a visual cue to someone's age, health, and ancestry, not to mention a place for decoration. This might override the selective pressure to evolve skin tones better adapted to the location, especially if diet provides the necessary compensation.

It is scientific studies such as these that demonstrate how ridiculous racism is, and the arguments for lesser or inferior races. Hopefully, as Diamond points out, more researchers will tackle the issue of skin color so that we might better understand our origins and distribution. Diamond, J. 2005. Geography and skin colour. Nature 435: 283-284.

Cell Phone/Battery Disposal

Ever wondered what to do with old cell phones or used batteries? Go visit www.call2recycle.org to find out how to dispose of them safely.

Would We Be Better Off With A Chimp As President

President Bush, while on a trip to promote Social Security reform, joked with a student about his grades. "Well, you don't need A's to qualify to be president." This drew a huge laugh from the crowd. Isn't it great that we have a president who seems to relish his mediocrity; and even better, the crowd applauds him for it.

Black Hole Son

Most people don't realize how many cool missions NASA has underway, or are yet to be launched. The most well recognized are the Mars Rovers and they have provided some amazing science. NASA also has their Discovery Program, meant to explore the sun, planets, asteroids, and comets of our solar system. One of the probes, Genesis, which collected solar particles from the Sun, crashed in the Utah desert when a component was installed upside down (the perfect example of Murphy's Law!). Other notable instruments are the Hubble Telescope, The Chandra Observatory, SOHO, Spitzer Space Telescope, and the planned James Webb Telescope.

In November of 2004, NASA launched the Swift Observatory whose express purpose is to study Gamma Ray Bursts' (GRB). Gamma ray's are the most energetic form of the electromagnetic spectrum (> 1 million eV). They are produced by nuclear transitions, which leads us to the different types.

UVOT "first light" picture (Credit: NASA/GFSC)

Gamma ray bursts are classisfied by their duration. Long bursts last more than two seconds and are thought to occur through stellar explosions in distant galaxies. Shorter bursts, less than two seconds and often times only milliseconds, were thought to be caused by merger's between a black hole and a neutron star, or perhaps a collision between two neutron stars. Enter Swift.

Swift has three main instruments that are able to quickly lock onto gamma ray bursts to identify their source. The Burst Alert Telescope detects initial sources of energy and determines the stellar coordinates. An X-ray telescope then scans the appropriate region of space for the afterglow and provides spectral analysis. Lastly, the Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope can provide follow-up images and analysis. Where does all of this lead us?

On May 9th, Swift detected a short burst, lasting only 50 milliseconds. This means that astronomers have detected, for the first time, the formation (or birth) of a black hole. There is still speculation as to what caused the burst; again, black hole/black hole merger, neutron star/neutron star collision, or neutron star/black hole merger. More data will hopefully illuminate the question marks. The energy source itself is located approximately 2.7 billion light years away and is full of old stars, which supports the hypothesis involving neutron stars and black holes.

Further observations are going to be done with the Hubble Telescope and the Keck Telescopes, located in Hawaii. All in all, an exiciting time to be an astronomer.


Illustration: CXC/M.Weiss

Open Letter to Kansas School Board

This is pretty funny, from Panda's Thumb:

An Open Letter to Kansas School Board

Posted by Reed A. Cartwright on May 23, 2005 09:10 PM

Bobby Henderson, a concerned citizen, has written an open letter to the Kansas school board about the attempts to put “intelligent design” creationism into the science curriculium. In the letter, he advocates for his view of creation to be included as well:

Let us remember that there are multiple theories of Intelligent Design. I and many others around the world are of the strong belief that the universe was created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster. It was He who created all that we see and all that we feel. We feel strongly that the overwhelming scientific evidence pointing towards evolutionary processes is nothing but a coincidence, put in place by Him.

I’m sure you now realize how important it is that your students are taught this alternate theory. It is absolutely imperative that they realize that observable evidence is at the discretion of a Flying Spaghetti Monster. Furthermore, it is disrespectful to teach our beliefs without wearing His chosen outfit, which of course is full pirate regalia. I cannot stress the importance of this, and unfortunately cannot describe in detail why this must be done as I fear this letter is already becoming to long. The concise explanation is that He becomes angry if we don’t.

Prof. Steve Steve is convinced.

Episode III

I went and saw Star Wars last night and I'm feeling a little conflicted. As a long time fan of all things Star Wars (especially the books) I really want to love this movie. And there are things to love about it. The acting and dialogue are much better, the visuals are again stunning. Every scene with Yoda is fantastic. The Wookies, although short in duration, were fun to see, especially Chewbacca. I feel Lucas repaired many of the deficiencies from the first two movies.

I do have some hang-ups, however. If I hadn't read all of the books leading up to the movie, including the Episode III novelization, I probably would have been really dissapointed. The movie jumps around too much, the characters actions and behaviors (e.g. Dooku, Windu, Yoda, and even Anakin) doesn''t seem to make sense, or are implausible. There have been complaints that Anakin's turn to the Dark Side happens so fast, and it's true. The book leads up to the moment very well; you can see the conflicts raging inside Anakin and the way he is pulled from all sides. You only get a brief glimpse of this in the movie. The death of Dooku just happens; the book has much more to offer during this scene. The final battle with General Grievous seemed underwhelming. A guy who can wield four lightsabres should have been given more time to show them off. These are just a few of the downsides I found. So my advice is, read the book to get some background and you'll enjoy the experience that much more.

Frist As A Fraud

From Brad DeLong:

Why Did They Choose Bill Frist, Anyway?

The pool of Republican talent is amazingly thin, isn't it?

: "This morning on the floor of the Senate, Sen. Chuck Schumer asked Majority Leader Bill Frist a simple question:

SEN. SCHUMER: Isn't it correct that on March 8, 2000, my colleague [Sen. Frist] voted to uphold the filibuster of Judge Richard Paez?

Here was Frist's response:

The president, the um, in response, uh, the Paez nomination - we'll come back and discuss this further.... Actually I'd like to, and it really brings to what I believe - a point - and it really brings to, oddly, a point, what is the issue. The issue is we have leadership-led partisan filibusters that have, um, obstructed, not one nominee, but two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, in a routine way.

So, Frist is arguing that one filibuster is OK. His problem is that several Bush nominees have been filibustered. This position completely undercuts Frist's argument that judicial filibusters are unconstitutional. (Which is, in turn, the justification for the nuclear option.) If judicial filibusters are unconstitutional there is no freebee. But Frist digs his hole even deeper:

The issue is not cloture votes per se, it's the partisan, leadership-led use of cloture votes to kill - to defeat - to assassinate these nominees. That's the difference. Cloture has been used in the past on this floor to postpone, to get more info, to ask further questions. When Frist voted to filibuster Paez's nomination it had been pending for four years. It's hard to believe he couldn't get all the info he needed or ask all the questions he had during that time. Make no mistake about it: Bill Frist was trying to kill the Paez nomination. A press release issued the following day by former Sen. Bob Smith, who organized the filibuster effort, read "Smith Leads Effort to Block Activist Judges."...

My Star Wars Persona

Take the quiz by clicking on da man!

FDR VS. GWB

Here is a nice little article comparing President Roosevelt and President Bush.

http://clevelandparkmensclub.blogspot.com/2005/05/gwb-memorial-writings-on-wall.html

Album Cover

The God Of Music Is Back!

Robert Plant has a new album:

Robert Plant and the Strange Sensation - Mighty Rearranger

Computers For Science Unite!

For the last several years now I've been running SETI@home on my computer. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the program, it refers to the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, a program run by the University of California at Berkeley. SETI folks realized that they had far more data (in the form of radio signals coming from stars) to analyze than computers to do it. Rather than just giving up and attributing all the info to ID (pardon me, I couldn't resist) they developed a program that allows home computers to download a small chunk of info, analyze if for artificial signals (which would indicate extraterrestrial intelligence), and send it back to SETI. The nice thing about the program is that you don't have to do anything except the initial download; the program downloads new info packages and sends them back to SETI for you. SETI is now running on roughly 500,000 home computers, the equivalent of around 100 trillion flops.

Since SETI (and the first distributed computing project, the Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search) a whole host of other distributed projects have sprung up (you can find most of them at http://distributedcomputing.info/projects/html).

One major group is associated with the Berkeley Open Source Infrastructure for Network Computing (BOINC). They now host SETI as well as several other projects that I'll describe below.

Climateprediction.net - Like the title suggests, this program creates climate models to help predict climage change in the future. A paper was recently published in the journal Nature describing some of their early results.

Einstein@Home - This program searches for pulsars in the attempt discover gravity waves. It uses data from the LIGO and GEO gravitation wave detectors.

LHC@home - Help particle physicists at CERN determine through simulations whether particles traveling through the Large Hadron Collider will have stable orbits.

Predictor@home - The ultimate goal of this program is to predict protein structures from protein sequences.

Two other programs will be added to the BOINC network soon, PlanetQuest and Orbit@home.

Some other interesting programs:.

evolution@home - Its purpose? To help uncover the genetic causes for species extinction.

Folding@home - Help determine how proteins self-assemble.

fightAIDS@home - This program seeks to design new drugs in the battle against AIDS.

BOLERO - An attempt to create a new antibiotic based on an antifungoid peptide.

CHRONOS - Analyzes the relationships between the chromosomes of the human genome.

There are many more programs out there, but these are the ones I found to be the most interesting. So, no matter your taste, you too can aid science. All it takes is a few clicks of the mouse and you can say you're doing your part. And you get some pretty nifty looking screen savers as well!

And Congress Wonders Why Our Opinions Of Politicians Are Low

From a Washington Times article (via my brother, a lieutenant in the Navy, who is familiar and extremely annoyed by this).

Congress recently passed an 82 billion supplemental bill to fight the war on terror. Here are some things that were added:

1. 20 million for a road project in Mississippi

2. 5 million for the Fort Peck Fish Hatchery in Montana

3. 2 million to upgrade the chemisty labs at Drew University in New Jersey

4. 1 million for Woody Island and historic structures in Philadelphia

This is but a sample of the pork. And we still have troops without the proper gear. Go figure.

Side note: Both the Army and Marines have missed their recruitment quotas for the third or fourth consecutive month. This is unheard of for the Marines.

The Wisdom of Garfield

The feisty feline has some sage advice concerning eating:

1. Never eat anything that's on fire (this goes along with: If it's wet, don't breathe it).

2. Never leave your food dish under a bird cage.

3. Only play with your food if you've eaten your toys.

4. Only snack between meals.

5. Chew your food at least once.

Books, Movies, Music

Here are some of the things I've watched, listened to, and read recently, in case you need any ideas.

Movies

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy- Fun, irreverent, great actors. If you need some brain candy, this will do.

Kindgom of Heaven- I liked this movie. It provided some interesting thoughts on religion and history to ponder. I don't know how historically accurate it is (probably not very much) but if you enjoy historical epics, this is it. Other reviewers have complained that there isn't a clear side to root for in this movie, and that somehow makes it bad. Personally, I think that is a lazy criticism; the point of the movie is in the motives and deeds of the characters. Each side can have heroes; neither side may be more right or wrong than the other.

Music

Blue Orchid- The White Stripes (single)
Black Betty - Lynyrd Skynyrd (original version)
Black Betty - Dukes of Hazzard Soundtrack (new album)
Jack Johnson - his whole new album
Beck - E Pro (single)

Books

Star Wars: Episode III by Matthew Stover - If you just can't wait. Personally, I think I'll enjoy the movie more after reading this.

Resurrection by Paul Kemp - Another fantasy. Great writer of a good series. Dark and evil!

Ancestor's Tale by Richard Dawkins - Dawkins starts with humanity and traces back the common ancestors of all living things to our bacterial beginnings. Very interesting and well told.

The European Dream by Jeremy Rifkin - A look at the American Dream, past and present, contrasted with the emerging European Dream. Excellent.

Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis - Looks at the early Republic through five or six crucial events in history. I learned a lot about Adams, Jefferson, Washington, Hamilton, and Madison reading this. There is quite a bit concerning these men I did not know, and you probably don't either! This book is especially important these days when we have Republicans trying to tell us what the Founding Fathers were like (it's not what they tell you) and what our country was founded on (which they seem to ignore).

It Was Going to Happen

A pastor in a church in North Carolina kicked out all the members of the congregation who did not vote for President Bush in the last election. Who's next?

Republican Antics

From Brad DeLong:

Republican Pond Scum

John Stuart Mill was wrong. The conservative party is not the stupid party. The conservative party is the bizarro mind-numbingly extreme stupid party.

Ezra Klein informs us of the Carpetbagger's report on House Judiciary Committee Chair James Sensenbrenner:

Ezra Klein: Doesn't this sound more like... Saturday Night Live... than an actual strategy tried out on the floor of Congress?

About a week ago, the House Judiciary Committee was prepared to approve the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act. Dem committee members offered some fairly reasonable amendments to shield some parties from criminal responsibility...For example, one amendment, offered by Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), sought to exempt "cab drivers, bus drivers and others in the business transportation profession from the criminal provisions in the bill." So, if an underage woman takes a bus to another state to have an abortion, the bus driver, who probably wouldn't have any knowledge of the abortion, couldn't be charged with a federal crime. Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) not only helped kill the amendment, he decided to rephrase it for the official record:

'Mr. Scott offered an amendment that would have exempted sexual predators from prosecution if they are taxicab drivers, bus drivers, or others in the business of professional transport.'

Sensenbrenner did this multiple times. Every Dem attempt to amend the legislation was manipulated to make it appear Dems were trying to protect sexual predators. Whether one supports the bill or not, this was pathetic.

Yesterday, Sensennbrenner backed down and removed the 'sexual predator' language from the record. Fact is, however, it stil happened, and the floor of Congress, is, officially, one poorly-conceived skit.... Welcome to Congress.

How To Spend Your Money

I heard on NPR this morning about a gentleman who bought at auction a VW Bug that belonged to Pope Benedict XVI. He payed $250,000. I assume he bought it because he is a devout Catholic. If that is the case, wouldn't it have been a better use of his money to help, ya know, the poor? It seems to me that his decision to spend an enormous sum of money on a relatively useless souvenir could have been better spent elsewhere. I really don't understand the mindset in a decision like this.

Furthering Education

Beth and I finished Phase I of our Professional Certification program tonight. All new teachers have to go through this three year process to meet state standards. I'm still not convinced it's anything but a hoop to jump at this point. I could better use my time directly in my classroom. Hopefully, it will be more focused when it starts up again in the fall. Only two more years to go!

On another note, I start up my master's program in a month. I've had the last couple of months off, which has been nice. I'll be taking microbiology this summer, with a focus on the evolution and ecology of these interesting beasties. I'll also get to study more thoroughly the Archaea, which I've had limited exposure to thus far. If all goes according to plan, I'll have my master's by next summer. Then I'll be able to relax for a little while before deciding what to do next!

Evolution on Trial?

If you haven't heard, a riduculous, staged trial is going to take place in Kansas to evaluate the validity of evolution. The ring leaders (it will be a circus, after all) are all pushing to get Intelligent Design in the science curriculum of high school biology classes. As far as I know, scientists are boycotting the evern, rightfully so. Evolution, as fact and theory, does not need to be defended as the science is overwhelming on its behalf. ID proponents don't particulary care and in many cases don't even understand the science itself. Especially the school board members, who take their cues from places like the Discovery Institute. Some of the board members say that there are serious problems with evolution (they can't say what though) and that there is scientific evidence for ID that should be evaluated by students. Again, they cannot cite what the evidence is (Hint: it's because there isn't any). If you peruse the web in search of info, you might find a common DI pamphlet called '10 Questions Students Should Ask Their Biology Teacher.' Again, it's crap, and PZ Myers has a nice succinct reply to it here. If you happen to live in a school district that starts to have a debate about whether or not to teach ID, here is a good place to get info, the National Center for Science Education.