by Richard Dawkins Donald Trump was surely right when he said, in 2012, “The electoral college is a disaster for a democracy . . . A total sham and a travesty”. And he confirmed his sensible view on November 13th, 2016 (after winning the election by the Electoral College system, but losing the popular vote) …

Richard Dawkins 24 Oct 2017   I had tweeted an invitation to attend lectures in various parts of Britain by Saba Douglas-Hamilton, who grew up among wild African elephants while her father, Iain Douglas-Hamilton was conducting his pioneering studies of their ecology and behaviour, and he and his wife Oria were fighting the poachers. Saba’s …

By Hemant Mehta If it involves the Trump administration and a crisis, you know there’s probably grifting involved. Enter Paula White, Trump’s “spiritual adviser” and the head of the White House’s “Faith and Opportunity Initiative” program. During a roughly 30-minute Facebook prayer session this afternoon, White talked about how the Bible can help us through the coronavirus quarantine… before making …

By Ferris Jabr It probably began with an accident thousands of years ago. According to one legend, rain washed the fat and ash from frequent animal sacrifices into a nearby river, where they formed a lather with a remarkable ability to clean skin and clothes. Perhaps the inspiration had a vegetal origin in the frothy …

By Ryan P. Burge, Eastern Illinois University It’s a rare day when I don’t do some type of statistical analysis with survey data related to religion and/or politics. When I am presented with a question about what the public feels or how they behave in these areas, I immediately know which datasets would yield the …

By Jane Lytvynenko An outbreak of the novel coronavirus around the globe has spawned countless online rumors and hoaxes, promising false cures and causing panic amid uncertainty. BuzzFeed News is keeping a running list of debunked hoaxes. For a previous list of debunks from when the outbreak started, go here. Before passing on any online rumor, …

By Linda Nordling Late on Sunday evening, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, in a televised address to the nation, declared that COVID-19, the respiratory disease spreading globally, had become a “national disaster.” The declaration allows his government to access special funding and instigate harsh regulations to combat the viral outbreak. “Never before in the history …

By Peter Montgomery Religious-right leaders and media outlets have been sending mixed messages about the coronavirus pandemic. For some, it is a sign of God’s judgment or evidence that we are living in the End Times. And for others, it is something that has been blown out of proportion by media and politicians who will do anything to bring …