Evolution vs. Creationism

Given that I'm a biologist, you can imagine where I come down on the debate about teaching anything other than evolution in science classes. However, I figure there are plenty of folks out there who may not know the amazing amount of data we have supporting the theory of evolution by natural selection (and keep in mind here folks that scientists use the word "theory" differently than lay people, theory= long standing idea with LOTS of data backing it up; theories are not just educated guesses -those would be what we call hypotheses). Recently the National Academy of Science released a free publication summarizing some of the most interesting data and how our understanding of evolution has led to dramatic developments in fields such as medicine and law enforcement. I've put a link to the booklet over on the right side of this page. It is currently free to anyone who wants to download it.

For those who want the movie version you should check out NOVA's special on the court case in Dover over teaching intelligent design. The film is in two parts and is called Judgment Day. If you watch this, keep in mind the fact that the Dover school board really screwed up when they mandated that i.d. be taught by including language of a religious nature in their documents on the subject. As a result, the Discovery Institute (the organization fighting to have i.d. taught in science classes) basically abandoned any attempt at defending the school board. Instead they are waiting for a school board that is smart enough to keep religion out of their documents for their big court battle on the issue.

Catch up time

So we had a lovely holiday. We had three weeks off between semesters which really didn't amount to three weeks of vacation. I spent the first week off in training and the last week prepping for a new course I'm doing this semester but the holiday was still nice.

We spent five days in D.C. with my family but before we left santa had to make a visit. M got me this for Christmas.



Isn't it beautiful? It's much more beautiful in light of the fact that my Mario Batali dutch oven has a big crack in its interior enamel after less than a year of use. It's a shame since I'm always a big fan of less expensive alternatives.

Of the few photos we took during our trip, this one must be my favorite.


My mom. Santa was VERY good to her this year.