1. Who wants to kill the elderly?

Comment #153630 by occam's machete on April 1, 2008 at 5:28 pm

When moderate drinkers expect the rest of us to have a sip now and then, or to have part of our taxes devoted to financing institutions to spread moderate drinking even further, or to sit by while our leaders extol the virtues of moderate drinkers and never pass a law without consulting at least one prominent moderate drinker representative... THEN you'll have an analogy.

2. The coming religious peace

Comment #131928 by occam's machete on February 23, 2008 at 4:04 pm

Perhaps because of its small size, the article does not mention my native Uruguay, probably the most secular nation in Latin America (certainly more so than Argentina, which is officially Catholic). Not surprisingly, Uruguay has traditionally scored high in social indicators. The current president has a tendency to flirt with the religious conservatives, but we have elected agnostic/atheist leaders before, and arguably our most significant president of the 20th century was fervently anti-clerical.

3. What is Evo-devo?

Comment #127926 by occam's machete on February 15, 2008 at 6:16 pm

Prof. Dawkins has pointed out that one of the intensely appealing characteristics of the theory of evolution is that its core can be summarized in a sentence. Brevity has its merits.
That said, the video is disappointing, but gets a scientific point across: genes that turn on/off other genes are important in developmental biology and evolution.

4. Biologist fired for beliefs, suit says

Comment #96001 by occam's machete on December 9, 2007 at 4:50 pm

<<1) How did Abraham get a master's degree in biology if he doesn't believe in evolution?>>

As it turns out, biology is a pretty broad term... You could know next to nothing about evolution and yet get a master's degree (or a phd) in physical biochemistry, or plant physiology, or any other specialized field which does not deal with evolution on a daily basis (yes, I know that evolution is at the core, but so is quantum theory at the core of all chemistry and yet one can do organic synthesis without ever writing down a wave function).

5. Biologist fired for beliefs, suit says

Comment #95926 by occam's machete on December 9, 2007 at 1:33 pm

I'm a biochemist who came to the US to do my graduate research in a microbiology lab. When I discovered that two (2!!) of my fellow lab mates reject evolution, I was shocked! The principal investigator knows about this and she doesn't care (since it doesn't directly impact on the work we do). I'm very discouraged about the whole thing, I've tried to argue with them but they take it as a religious matter so it's outside the boundaries of polite conversation.

6. Man-sized sea scorpion claw found

Comment #89715 by occam's machete on November 21, 2007 at 3:12 pm

I hope the news reaches the Federal Correction Institution in Edgefield so Hovind can incorporate this into his tale of giant animals in the past due to increased oxygen and his fabulous ice canopy.