Sir

As a scientist I was surprised, and as a Polish scientist I felt ashamed, to read Maciej Giertych's view published in Nature (Nature 444, 265; 2006). I would like to assure you that biologists in Poland do follow current scientific findings and would strongly disagree with several statements made in that letter.

There is no accepted scientific evidence for his most ridiculous claims: exclusively harmful mutations, reduction of genetic information or the coexistence of dinosaurs and humans. The only statements I would agree with are that scientists have to search for explanations of what they see in the world around them, and that they should be critical about both new and well established findings.

Polish politicians' recent denial of the theory of evolution is very dangerous, not only because it goes against the scientific paradigm, but also because it weakens society's trust in scientists and in research. Our protests have gained support even from Polish academics with religious connections, such as Catholic lecturers in the philosophy of nature. The publication of unsubstantiated claims and incorrect statements in renowned scientific journals gives undeserved support to the creationist movement.