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Published online 9 January 2008 | Nature 451, 121 (2008) | doi:10.1038/451121e

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National Academies updates book on evolution

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  • There is an internet research survey that has recently been launched to start to ascertain basic psychologies of why evolutionary scientists and creationists believe what they do and oppose other believes. I suggest the survey be widely circulated for strong participation from all relevant groups. The survey can be found at: http://www.newcastle.edu.au/school/hss/disciplines/survey.html

    • 10 Jan, 2008
    • Posted by: David Wilson
  • The evolution theory in genes by research may involve future next generation cloned Human inteligent Robots,we must be proud of our scientists,astro physicists,physicists,chemists ,mathematicians and especially Nobel lauretes and inventors for they struggle to find out the truth in quantum mechanics with the aid of NMR spectroscopy ,evolution will be made through femo lased stem cell injections.Hats off to nobel laureate Hon.Ahmed Zewail,Center for bio physical Research ,Caltech ,and so many folw up people of human genome research people USA.uk and other European Germans and French and Russian people .Thank you Nature for giving me an opportunity NANDAKUMARAN alias cheiro on behalf of Oxford/Cambridge astro laser physics

    • 10 Jan, 2008
    • Posted by: Sankaravelayudhan Nandakumar
  • The acceptance ulra sound generated on quantum squeezing and evolution for renormalisation need not be neglected as so many nobel laureates have observed this.This parallel with the contribution from Western philosophy will give a boost to our line of thought can be channelised along new line of quantum revolutions and jump over dynamics based on sanskrit mantra alphabets to evaluate 16/8 Thruva Athruva spinor electron momentum of genetic replication a science disppeared long back for the benifit of mankind.THANK YOU NATURE for giving me the opportunity to express myself. NANDAKUMRAN alias S.Nandakumar on behalf of Oxford/Cambridge femto lasr physics dn,uk

    • 10 Jan, 2008
    • Posted by: Sankaravelayudhan Nandakumar
  • Fundamentalist's attacks on evolution are a rejection of science as a whole (as noted in 'Science, Evolution, and Creationism'). It appears more Americans believe in abduction by alien proctologists than believe in evolution. Despite 150 years of proof fantasy trumps reality for many. Even here in New Zealand we've got a noisy minority of anti-evolutionists who get media support (one of our main newspapers was a mouthpiece for the fundamentalist Maxim Institute until a plagiarism scandal). The anti-science lobby is strong and vocal and should be refuted wherever possible. If the National Academy of Sciences provided 'Science, Evolution, and Creationism' free, both on the Net and in 'dead tree format', it would ensure that it is as effective as possible in combating superstition.

    • 10 Jan, 2008
    • Posted by: T F J Taylor
  • Science Must Be Rescued From Its Guilds! Science is not what it used to be. With the exponential growth of electronics-assisted/based literature, of communications and entertainment, and of technology-based industries, the number of people involved in various ways in 'technology' has been increasing exponentially. However, simultaneously the conceptual and real-life divide that distinguished the progeny technology from its parent science has been undergoing accelerated shredding by the guilds of technicians trained for and employed by the ever growing technologies. Per my idea of 'scientism': "a method or doctrine characteristic of scientists, and the proposition that scientific methods of studying and practicing natural sciences should be used in all areas of investigation and conduct", the biggest offender - THE underminer-subverter of humanity's scientism, the evangelist of religious rejection of evolution, is the strictly politically-correct 'spiritual' AAAS, carefull not to be accused of ethics subversion. And IMO the stand and activities of the AAAS lead directly to banalizing of science, to its 'popularization', for fitting it within the required general public framework of esteemed rating as in the entertainment and in various public-relations industries. For the sake of humanity science must be revitalized. Science Must Be Rescued From Its Guilds! Dov Henis

    • 10 Jan, 2008
    • Posted by: Dov Henis
  • Some people who are commenting on this blog may be doing so without having had the opportunity to read our book, "Science, Evolution, and Creationism." This conversation might be enhanced and clarified by reading the book online or downloading it in pdf for free at http://www.nap.edu/sec.

    • 10 Jan, 2008
    • Posted by: Barbara Kline Pope
  • After having read the launched “Science, Evolution and Creationism” by the National Academy of Sciences (http://www.nap.edu), let me quote a bunch of its statements about the impossibility of a ‘non-evolution anything’. “Because of this immense body of evidence, scientists treat the occurrence of evolution as one of the most securely established of scientific facts. Biologists also are confident in their understanding of how evolution occurs.” “The atomic structure of matter, the genetic basis of heredity, the circulation of blood, gravitation and planetary motion, and the process of biological evolution by natural selection are just a few examples of a very large number of scientific explanations that have been overwhelmingly substantiated.” “Scientists are actually disputing some aspect of how evolution occurs, not whether evolution occurred.” “Evolution has been and continues to be one of the most productive theories known to modern science.” “There is no scientific controversy about the basic facts of evolution.” “Scientific knowledge itself is the result of the critical thinking applied by generations of scientists to questions about the natural world. Scientific knowledge must be subjected to continued reexamination and skepticism for human knowledge to continue to advance.” (This latter statement, doesn’t it contradicts the previous ones?) I just was wondering how the authors dare to compare the science behind evolution to the one behind the atomic structure of matter and the circulation of blood. What evidence did they observe to assure the occurrence of species macroevolution as securely as development of bacterial antibiotics resistance and viral (composed of a piece of DNA or RNA) mutation. (Staying some extra minutes in the sun, I guess a virus can “transform” into another one) Did evolution ask (and obviously did it answer) how from a single unicellular ancestor emerged worms, reptiles, hedgehogs, elephants, apes and me!!?? If it did not, aren’t these confirming strong statements a kind of intentional scientific misleading that abrogate any further scientific research?

    • 30 Jan, 2008
    • Posted by: n/a