NCSE's Crisp Rebuttal to Latest Creationism Stunt

As promised, a campaign spearheaded by creationist Ray Compfort and promoted by actor Kirk Cameron has executed its planned stunt to mark the anniversary of the publication of Darwin's Origin of Species. That stunt consists of giving away many thousands of copies of Darwin's book, modified with a special "introduction" written by Ray Comfort. That purported introduction however is little more than a 50-page rehash of tired creationist arguments that ultimately degenerates into an outright sermon on submission to Biblical authority.

The NCSE has launched a comprehensive and well constructed site that responds to this latest bit of creationist theatrics. The site has both text and video resources, and has responses varying in length from single page fliers to a thorough "blow by blow" analysis. There's also a list of the schools that have been targeted by the creationists.

PBS NOVA "Becoming Human" to Air Nov 3, 10, & 17

Starting in November, PBS's NOVA will air a three-part special "Becoming Human". According to PBS:
Nothing is more fascinating to us than, well, us. Where did we come from? What makes us human? An explosion of recent discoveries sheds light on these questions, and NOVA's comprehensive, three-part special, "Becoming Human," examines what the latest scientific research reveals about our hominid relatives—putting together the pieces of our human past and transforming our understanding of our earliest ancestors.
Featuring interviews with world-renowned scientists, each hour unfolds with a CSI-like forensic investigation into the life and death of a specific hominid ancestor.

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Creationist stunt features tired old arguments

Creationists practice recycling to a degree that surpasses even the most ardent environmentalists. We aren't talking about aluminum cans or newsprint, we are talking about ideas. It is very rare that creationists say anything these days that hasn't been repeated ad nauseum for many decades. Such is the case again with the "Origins into Schools" project described at "Living Waters" creationist site. Their basic idea is to take advantage of the fact that the text of Darwin's Origin of Species is in the public domain, so they plan to print a special edition of the book with a special "introduction". That "introduction" is nothing more than a 50-page creationist rant filled with old arguments that have been refuted countless times. They will then distribute this "modified" book at 100 top universities starting November, 19th, two days before the 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin's book.

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Three quality sources for Ardipithecus ramidus information

Unless you have been stranded on a desert isle, you have likely seen or heard something about the recent announcements concerning Ardipithecus ramidus, the 4.4 million year old hominid fossil. Mainstream media reports vary in quality, some competent, others not so much. The usual distortions, "missing link" hype, and reports "balanced" with creationist views are sure to proliferate. We would like to direct your attention to three quality sources:

Brian Switek's Laelaps blog. Switek focuses on several aspects of the story, including the careful and long (15 years!) research behind this announcement and its grounding in peer-reviewed journal articles. This is contrasted with the rushed, and hyped Hollywood-style introductio of "Ida". Switek also gives a readable introduction to the alternative interpretations to hominid/human evolution and how "Ardi" affects this ongoing debate.

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"Evolution of Evolution" at the Smithsonian

The Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History has opened a new exhibit -- Since Darwin: The Evolution of Evolution. This is an exhibit that focuses on the tranformational impact that Darwin's discoveries have had on all of biology, and how today's scientists continue to build on that foundation in an exciting on-going process of discovery. This is a temporary exhibit, but fortunately it will run through July 18, 2010.