Philosophy of Evolution: Scholarship

New Science

Home
Author
Abstract
Dissertation
Philosophy
Science
Links

We hope to use this page to keep you updated on the latest news in science and events with scientific importance.

Science Information

This area will be used for information from the latest scientific journals.  Evolution is a popular subject in science.
 
Key West, Florida. ---  Francis Collins, a physician geneticist who led the Human Genome Project for the National Institutes of Health and is noted for his discoveries of disease genes, has created the BioLogos Foundation and last month launched a Web site, BioLogos.org, to advance an alternative to extreme views that tend to dominate the debate on evolution.  Collins is an evangelical Christian who wants to help fundamentalists both in science and in religion to see that both can co-exist.  Collins asserted to a room full of journalists here that someone can believe in both God and science.  In fact, Collins notes that science does more to prove the existence of God, than not.  While Collins does not endorse "creation science" or "intelligent design," he merely insists that belief in God does not preclude the acceptance of evolution.  (Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2009)

Recent Events

In this column, recent events will be treated.  Some events are discoveries whose import is not yet finalized.  Some events are congresses and lectures that have just taken place.  Some books are expected to be published but not yet available.  Some events are reported in the popular press.
 
Time Magazine convened a board of technologists in May 2002 to discuss how evolutionary biology is influencing the way we build computers, write software and organize companies.  The members of the board were Melanie Mitchell of the Santa Fe Institute, Paul Horn of IBM, Sandeep Malhotra of Ardesta, Chris Meyer of Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, and Ray Kurzweil, and independent inventor, futurist, and entrepreneur.  Kurzweil noted, "Technology is just a continuation of the evolutionary process."  Eric Roston, "The New Face of Technology," Time Magazine (June 2002): Bonus Section.
 
Alex & Me, by Irene M. Pepperberg, 2008.  The author of this book hoped to replicate chimp language studies with birds.  She chose an African grey parrot, named Alex, as her subject in 1977.  Although Alex's brain was the size of a walnut, he won fame for his ability to know and say colors and numbers, in a way comparable to a five year old human.  Pepperberg's tale is a facinating tale of animal "intelligence" and also bonding between humans and amimals.  Alex died in 2007 at age 31.  Review by Caroline Leavitt, People Magazine, 10 November 2008.
 
Santa Ana, California. ---  A federal judge ruled that a public high school history teacher violated the First Amendment when he called creationism "superstitious nonsense" during a lecture.  U.S. District Judge James Selina ruled Friday in a lawsuit student Chad Farman filed in 2007, alleging that teacher James Corbett made repeated comments in class that were hostile to Christian beliefs.  The lawsuit cited more than twenty statements made by Corbett during one day of class, which Farman recorded. (Chicago Sun Times, 5 May 2009)
 
New York  ---  A 47 million year old fossil, now at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, may fill in some gaps in primate evolution.  The fossil is the best preserved primate fossil ever found, 95% complete, even showing what the creature ate.  About the size of a small cat, the creature had 4 legs and a tail.  It was discovered in 1983 in the Messel Shale Pit in Germany, about 25 miles southeast of Frankfurt.  The fossil remained in a private collection, out of reach of scientists, until recently.  (Chicago Tribune, 20 May 2009; Chicago Sun Times, 20 May 2009)

Author: John Edward Mulvihill, S.T.D., D.Min., Ph.D.
Copyright 2008 by The Genealogist, 3236 Lincoln, Franklin Park, IL 60131 U.S.A.