Life Without a Net
evolution
Evolution’s Harsh Truth, and the Atheist’s Moral Imperative
Unlike many of the children who grow up today learning about the “conflict” between Creationism vs. Evolution, I grew up in a comfortable bubble where the two never saw eye to eye, but never drew swords. In church, I was taught that humans were special, and in school, I was taught that all life … Continue reading
Conspicuous Consumption
It’s very easy for some of us to jump on the anti-consumerism bandwagon. We look at soccer moms driving their 1.7 kids 2.4 miles to school in their Ford Excessives, and we smugly note that there is not so much as a deep pothole to test their off-road capability. We rail against the excesses of … Continue reading
Are Evolution and Intelligent Design Compatible?
Many “agnostics” suggest that elements of Intelligent Design are compatible with Evolution. Why isn’t it possible that there’s both a god who created life AND evolution via natural selection? This question represents a misunderstanding of evolution. Evolution is dependent on *non-intelligent* selection. That’s literally the whole point. All the predictions made by evolutionary theory rely … Continue reading
Macro-Evolution in Action
It’s a shame the author of this picture didn’t check his grammar. I’m always annoyed by the misuse of “its” and “it’s.” Nevertheless, this is a great illustration of the principles of micro- and macro-evolution. As you can see, there is no clear dividing line between any of the colors. So it is with life. … Continue reading
Creationism in Schools: What Century is This?
Yes, you are one of those hick hillbillies believing all that religious stuff, and you’re teaching your students to be ignorant racists, and that’s the reality of the situation. How does a person who doesn’t understand basic biology become a biology teacher? Let’s be clear about this: Evolution is the foundation upon which all theoretical and … Continue reading
Ultra-Darwinism: Same Old Argument
For the third time in a week, I’ve heard the term “ultra-darwinist.” I did some searching for what might be causing the uproar. Here’s the best article I’ve found. Let me be very clear: I have not read the book mentioned in this article, so anything I say today is subject to future revision should … Continue reading
Competition’s Good For You. If You’re a Sperm.
One of the linchpin arguments against the predominant monogamy/mild polygamy model of human evolution involves sperm competition. Physiologically, humans appear to be “designed” for rather intense sperm competition. While we don’t have the degree of specialization seen in some invertebrates (such as Drosophila), it’s hard to deny that both human sperm and the female reproductive … Continue reading
Questions and Answers
In 1519, Hernando Cortez dropped anchor just off the coast of what is now Mexico. His men brought a native back to the ship. Cortez asked the name of the exotic land, and the native responded, “Ma c’ubah than.” The accent was unfamiliar, and the Spaniard heard it as “Yucatan.” Today, maps the world over … Continue reading
The Real Crocoduck and Design
This is Tiktaalik. It was discovered by Neil Shubin and several of his colleagues, who had been looking for it for over a decade. In many ways, Tiktaalik is the scientific equivalent of the Crocoduck. It really is a transition between two modern forms of life — fish and amphibians. The details of Tiktaalik‘s “transitional nature” are very interesting, … Continue reading
Evolution Predicts Gaps in the Fossil Record
Today, I want to address a very common claim by Creation Scientists (sic!). It is said that the geologic column is incomplete, and that there are huge gaps where there ought to be gradual change. What these poor scientific illiterates do not understand is that according to the theory of natural selection, we should not expect … Continue reading
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