Is Volcanic Lightning the Answer to Life's Origin?

 

New Scientist has an interesting article today about Volcanic Lightning, and some new information from the Miller-Urey experiment. Fascinating stuff.

Update: Looks like Pharyngula has picked this one up also.

Flat Earth Debate

I injected myself into an on-line discussion recently, and decided I'd post the pertinent parts of that discussion here, mainly for posterity, but also for hilarity.

The discussion centered around the question of whether the Bible's authors thought the Earth was flat or not. The outstanding statement on the table was the following:

My Opponent: "the Bible actually states the Earth is round not flat"

So, I responded with the following:

Me: "Round doesn't mean not flat, whereas sphere or ball does. The Ancient Hebrews had a word for sphere, which is equivalent to our word for ball. They didn't use that word to describe the Earth though, choosing instead to use the Hebrew word for round. This usage by itself suggests they were referring to a flat Earth. But in addition to that, there are also biblical references to events taking place at the center of the Earth, which can only mean a flat Earth, since a spherical object has no center on its surface. So, unless you're willing to accept that these events took place literlly in the middle of our spherical Earth, you'll have to concede that the authors were referring to a flat Earth."

This comment should have technically ended the discussion, unless my opponent could show that I was wrong, that ancient Hebrew actually used the same word for round and sphere or something like that, but he had a different, more nonsensical angle:

My Opponent: "something round CANNOT be flat too"

Wow. The word CANNOT really jumps out doesn't it? Obviously his way of puffing out his chest with confidence. Clearly he felt he was making a point that should be pretty obvious, but, as you'll soon see, he couldn't have been farther from the mark. In fact, his response reminded me of another debate.

Some years ago, I heard of a now infamous debate, where a creationist tried to argue that evolution couldn't be true, because if it were, it would violate the second law of thermodynamics. This is of course false, but that's not what makes the story interesting. The creationist in that debate made this argument:

One of the most basic laws in the universe is the Second Law of Thermodynamics. This states that as time goes by, entropy in an environment will increase. Evolution argues differently against a law that is accepted EVERYWHERE BY EVERYONE. Evolution says that we started out simple, and over time became more complex. That just isn't possible: UNLESS there is a giant outside source of energy supplying the Earth with huge amounts of energy. If there were such a source, scientists would certainly know about it.

The money quote of course is the reference by the creationist to a "a giant outside source of energy supplying the Earth with huge amounts of energy". I can only imagine how foolish he must have felt when it was explained to him that this giant energy source exists, and has a very familiar name.

It's called the SUN!! [tremendous howls of laughter ensue]

Anyway, I got to have my "it's called the Sun" moment when I responded this way:

Me: "Ever heard of pizza?"

I thought it was a pretty funny response, and figured that after such a humiliating defeat, he'd concede the point and we could go on with our lives. But no, this guy wasn't giving up, he'd lost the battle, but he was still wanting to win the war. His confidence was fading though, he no longer seemed as confident about his initial claim:

My Opponent: "The Bible meant the center of the known world, they didn't know about the rest of the world yet."

So, in a matter of minutes, his argument goes from a confident "they knew what shape the Earth was!", to a timid "umm, they had no idea."

Well, Okee Dokee.

So, I responded with the following, which turned out to be the debate killer. There was no further response:

Me: "Don't you find it odd that people who were supposedly guided by the divine inspiration of an all knowing super entity, were restricted in their knowledge to the same things we would expect of people who weren't guided by the divine inspiration of an all knowing super entity? Hmmm."

I hope that one didn't make him cry.

The Genius of Charles Darwin Part 3

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The Genius of Charles Darwin Part 2

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Interesting take on String Theory

The Genius of Charles Darwin Part 1

Richard Dawkins narrates an incredible series about evolution.

Edward Humes Discusses Monkey Girl

Edward Humes, author of Monkey Girl, talks about the 2005 Kitzmiller vs Dover trial. This segment is the first of an eight part series.

Charles Darwin Biography Part 5

Charles Darwin Biography Part 4

Charles Darwin Biography Part 3

Charles Darwin Biography Part 2

Charles Darwin Biography Part 1

Responsibility of Scientists to Speak Out

James Powell, Kenneth Miller, David Deamer and Kevin Padian talk about the need for scientists to speak out against the enemies of science.

Position of Science in the US in 2006

David Deamer, Eugenie Scott, Barbara Forrest and Kevin Padian discuss the current assault on science by politicians and irrational fundamentalists.

The Effect of Abuse of Science on Democracy

Eugenie Scott and Barbara Forrest talk about the creationist movement's continued abuse of scientific information.

Just Less than 50% of Americans Believe in Creationism

Eugenie Scott and Kenneth Miller discuss the chasm between what scientific knowledge tells us, and what people actually believe.

Origins of Cellular Life

David Deamer describes his research looking for life's origins.

Gaps in the Fossil Record and Complexity

Francisco Ayala explains how gaps in the fossil record are not refutations to evolutionary theory, nor is credulity in the face of complexity.

Freedom of Religion

Barbara Forrest talks about the distorted views of science by the Intelligent Design movement.

Scientific Explanations and God

Francisco Ayala, James Hoffman and Kenneth Miller explain why natural explanations are not anti-God.

Creationists and the Age of the Earth

James Powell discusses the misguided belief shared by many creationists that the earth is very young.

Fundamentalism & Biblical Literalism

Eugenie Scott and Francisco Ayala discuss the lack of acceptance of evidence by Biblical literalists.

Science teachers Challenged by Creationist Students

Barbara Forrest talks about tactics used by creationists which include training students to challenge science teachers.

Creationism's Negative Effect on Education

Kenneth Miller, Kevin Padian and Eugenie Scott explain why creationism has a negative effect on education.

Pragmatic Value of Evolution Today

David Deamer and Francisco Ayala explain the value of understanding evolution to fight off infectuous disease.

Evolution is Essential to Education

David Deamer, Eugenie Scott, and Francisco Ayala explain why evolution is an integral part of education.

History of Evolution vs Creationism

Eugenie Scott and Barbara Forrest explain some of the history behind the neverending assault on evolution by creationists.

Purpose and Goals of Creationism

Barbara Forrest explains the end result sought by many creationists.

Epistemology: The Study of Gaining Knowledge

Barbara Forrest and James Powell talk about the methods employed by scientists to "know" what they know.

The Machine

Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Eugenie Scott, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, PZ Myers and Charles Darwin busting a move against Creationism in a satirical video that pokes fun at the ridiculous characterization of scientists by the producers of the movie expelled.

The Process of Science

Kenneth Miller, Eugenie Scott, James Hoffman and James Powell explain the processes used by scientists to help us better understand the natural world.

Experts vs. Scientists and Peer Review

Kevin Padian talks about the scientific process of peer review and how Intelligent Design proponents avoid it.

Is Hearing Both Sides Fair?

Kenneth Miller, Eugenie Scott and James Powell explain why the appeal to fairness from Intelligent Design proponents lacks merit.

Teach the Controversy: Evidence Against Evolution?

Kenneth Miller, Eugenie Scott, and David Deamer explain how the phrase "teach the controversy" is merely a misrepresentation of fact when used by creationists to refer to evolutionary theory.

No Controversy: Evolution's Acceptance in Science

Kenneth Miller explains the lack of "controversy" with respect to scientist's acceptance of evolution.

Is Evolution Just a Theory?

Eugenie Scott, James Powell, and Kevin Padian explain what scientists mean when they use the term "theory".

Evolution vs Creationism

The first in a series of videos that address the Evolution Creationism controversy.

Transitional Fossils in 18 Minutes

Part I



Part II

[Hat tip Panda's Thumb]

The Giant Tortoise's Tale

The Salamander's Tale

This video discusses a phenomenon known as Ring Species, which provides strong evidence for evolution.

The Lava Lizard's Tale

Defining Science

In the January edition of Evolution: Education and Outreach is an article called What's So Special About Science? It was written by Ian Tattersall and does an absolutely fabulous job defining science.

Here are some excerpts from the article:

All any honest scientist is really trying to do is to approximate the truth, in the realization that ultimate truth is unknowable through scientific means and that the knowledge he or she generates is invariably susceptible to modification.

...the core of the scientific endeavor amounts simply to the corporate effort to describe nature and its workings as accurately as possible.

What matters is that science as a whole is a self-correcting mechanism in which both new and old notions are constantly under scrutiny.

For this system of provisional knowledge to work, it is necessary that, to the extent possible, scientific hypotheses be proposed in such a way that they are at least potentially falsifiable-provable to be wrong.

Essentially, to understand science, there are two very important concepts:

1) Falsifiability

Science cannot prove, only disprove. When a hypothesis contradicts observations, then it's disproven; if it agrees with the observations made thus far, it's not disproven. Science doesn't search for truth, because we can never be certain that future observations won't disprove what we currently believe to be true. And even if we thought we could search for truth, how would we verify it? We couldn't compare it to the truth, since we don't have the truth, therefore TRUTH falls outside the bounds of science.

Hypotheses that include the workings of sufficiently ineffable deities are useless to science, since they cannot be falsified. You are only doing science when you can answer the question "If I were wrong, how would I know?". When you can't answer that question, you aren't doing science.

2) Occam's Razor: the principle of parsimony

When there are multiple hypotheses that explain our observations equally (meaning our hypotheses have not been disproven) then scientists will choose the simplest one (meaning the one that requires the fewest additional assumptions).

Finding Tiktaalik

Neil Shubin, author of Your Inner Fish, describes how he and his team found Tiktaalik, a transitional fossil that bridges the gap between fish and tetrapods.

Part 1

Part 2

[Hat tip: Panda's Thumb]

Break the Science Barrier - Part 3 (2/2)

Break the Science Barrier - Part 3 (1/2)

Break the Science Barrier - Part 2 (2/2)

Why are there Leap Days?

Phil Plait from Bad Astronomy gives a detailed explanation for leap days. Bring along a calculator, there's lots of math in the explanation.

[Hat tip: Pharyngula]

Break the Science Barrier - Part 2 (1/2)

Break the Science Barrier - Part 1 (2/2)

Break the Science Barrier - Part 1 (1/2)

Your Inner Fish

 Neil Shubin, famous for his role in the discovery of Tiktaalik, has written a fascinating book called Your Inner Fish. In the book, Shubin discusses evidence for our common ancestry with fish, and uses this evidence to explain among other things, hernias, hiccups and snoring.

[Hat tip: The Pandas Thumb]

Bionic Eye

From a University of Washington news release, Dr. Babak Parviz, from the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Washington in Seattle is developing a contact lense that could serve as a future bionic eye.

 

[Hat tip Quirks and Quarks]

Evolution Primer #7

Why Is Evolution Controversial Anyway?

Evolution Primer #6

Why Does Evolution Matter Now?

Evolution Primer #5

Did Humans Evolve?

Evolution Primer #4

How Does Evolution Really Work?

Evolution Primer #3

How Do We Know Evolution Happens?

Evolution Primer #2

Who Was Charles Darwin?

Texas Academy Statement Against Teaching Creationism or Intelligent Design in Science Classes

The Texas Academy of Science issued this statement defining their position against the inclusion of creationism or intelligent design in science classrooms. Here's an excerpt:

"It is the postition of the Texas Academy of Science that because neither creationism nor intelligent design are based on information obtained using scientific methodologies, and because neither has withstood the test of scientific peer review, they are not scientific concepts. It is critically important to recognize that neither of these concepts is falsifiable. Having failed the scientific verification process, both must be excluded from scientific curricula at the primary, secondary and higher education levels. This is not just the position of the Texas Academy of Science, it is the consensus of the U. S. Supreme Court, Judge John E. Jones in Kitzmiller vs. Dover (2004) and 11,000 plus Christian clergy signers of the Clergy Letter Project. Other scientific organizations throughout the United States have formulated position statements calling for the exclusion of creationism and intelligent design from science curricula, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; the National Research Council; the National Center for Science Education; the National Science Teachers Association; the National Association of Biology Teachers; the Geological Society of America; and the American Geological Institute. It is the overwhelming consensus of the scientific community that creationism and intelligent design are faith-based concepts that have no scientific merit."

[Hat tip to Greg Laden]

Scathing Editorial

Editor Marshall Helmberger wrote a scathing editorial in the Timberjay about common creationist tactics. It's an informative read, one that should be read by school board members across this country. Here's a small sample:

"Creationist advocates clearly had a sympathetic judge in the Dover case. They had their day in court, but their arguments were so patently flawed that the judge’s 139-page finding of fact was ultimately scathing. He even recommended some of the pro-creationism school board members be investigated for perjury."

[Hat tip to Greg Laden]

Evolution Primer #1

Isn't Evolution Just a Theory?

Charles Darwin Legacy 5

Charles Darwin Legacy 4

Charles Darwin Legacy 3

Debate or Massacre?

PZ Myers of Pharyngula agreed to debate Geoffrey Simmons, a senior Fellow from the Discovery Institute, and the outcome was rather predictable. Here's a link to the audio, and here's a link to what PZ had to say afterwords.

I think the debate can be summed up best with these words from PZ:

"This is a man who thinks the fact that he isn't drooling and feces aren't dribbling down his leg is a miracle from god. After reading his book, I kind of agree."

What a hoot!

Charles Darwin Legacy 2

Charles Darwin Legacy 1

In honor of Charles Darwin month, here's part 1 of Charles Darwin Legacy.

Beware of Dogma

The Freedom From Religion Foundation put up this billboard in Madison, Wisconsin to counter the unending deluge of pro Dogma billboards that line America's roads.

What a welcome addition.

Basic Concepts in Science

Evolving Thoughts over at Science Blogs has a link list for basic concepts in Science. It's an extensive list that includes Astronomy, Geology, Chemistry, Bilology and many others.

I wish I had six months of free time just to take it all in.

Success in South Carolina

With the help of Biologist and Author Kenneth Miller, defenders of science and reason scored a victory in South Carolina. Here's a link to some videos of Dr Miller and others defending the use of a textbook containing (gasp!) Evolution.

Notice in the first video that some of the board members actually voted against Dr Miller being given an additional 60 seconds to make his case. Pathetic!

For additional enjoyment, here is a link to the criticisms Dr Miller is referring to, as well as his responses. The critics never stood a chance :)