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More On Biologos: The Morality God-Of-The-Gaps

More On Biologos: The Morality God-Of-The-Gaps

May 14 2009 | comment(s)

Following on from the previous post, I wanted to pull out another couple of 'pointers to God' that Francis Collins and BioLogos like to present as part of their argument for belief. I like them because, far from being pointers to god, they are in fact powerful examples of the power of science and the weakness of religion as a tool to help us understand morality. They're great examples of how science is encroaching into what was once regarding as purely religious territory.

First example is this one - "Why is it wrong to torture an individual for the greater good?"

Stem Cell Transplants: Overhyped, But One Huge Benefit May Be Close

Stem Cell Transplants: Overhyped, But One Huge Benefit May Be Close

May 14 2009 | comment(s)

Although the theoretical applications for stem cell research are seemingly endless, the far-off possibilities are not as awe-inspiring as some scientists would like. Setbacks, ethical concerns and funding are all part of the hurdles that face all new scientific research, stem cell research especially. However, drastic results and benefits may be closer than previously thought.
Volcanic Chemistry And Hydrocarbons In Early Earth History

Volcanic Chemistry And Hydrocarbons In Early Earth History

May 14 2009 | comment(s)

    Last week I described how John Oro discovered that five hydrogen cyanide molecules (HCN) could react to produce adenine (H5C5N5) one of the primary components of nucleic acids. 

My Life's Work, All Mixed Up

My Life's Work, All Mixed Up

May 14 2009 | comment(s)

They did a great job describing the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, but an awful job showing a picture of it.  "They" will remain nameless, as they otherwise put together a really great exhibit of images from the Hubble Space Telescope.  But in a panel where they talk about the Ultra Deep Field, they show pictures of something completely different: two galaxy clusters named Abell 1689 and CL0024.  They are beautiful examples of gravitational lensing which enables us to almost "see" dark matter, but not they are not the UDF.
The kind of comment that makes bloggers sick.

The kind of comment that makes bloggers sick.

May 14 2009 | comment(s)

In spite of not having any where near as much physics education some people feel a need to prove they know more than I do.  These people are never physicist themselves, they have nothing to prove.  Usually they are someone with little education and/or self esteem.
For example my last blog entry "Dark Matter and Dark Energy as Undiscovered Particles of Scalar and Vector Fields.".
In which I am describing quantum field theory in curved space-time.  There are no matrices being used here yet.  I get this hostility laden response. 
Nit-Picking On The Omega_b Discovery

Nit-Picking On The Omega_b Discovery

May 14 2009 | comment(s)

A first observation of the Omega_b baryon -a quite exotic particle composed of a bottom quark and two strange quarks- has been recently published by the DZERO collaboration. Their paper claims to observe the so-far-unseen particle in 1.3 inverse femtobarns of Run II data (about a hundred trillion proton-antiproton collisions, that is).

The claim is based on the signal they find, 17.8 fitted events making a peak in the reconstructed mass distribution, a signal whose significance is computed to exceed five standard deviations: 5.4 of them, to be precise.
The Internet, in

The Internet, in "New Scientist", part 2

May 14 2009 | comment(s)

Today I’ll continue my series commenting on the New Scientist magazine series “Eight things you didn’t know about the internet”. Part 2 is “Could the net become self-aware?”, by Michael Brooks.

Mr Brooks opens with this:

The Montauk Monster

The Montauk Monster

May 14 2009 | comment(s)

I decided to go ahead and start with this one, as the rest of my research material is all on my laptop and said laptop is not hooked up to the internet while my home computer is. Plus, this article was the one that finally inspired me to write a blog, the straw that broke the camel's back, if you will, because I read and started to write about it, then realized that I was tired of doing all this research and writing that nobody was getting to read.
This morning, I got on the internet as I do most every morning to look at the current events, and what should my eyes behold but the heading "The Web is excited by 'monster' mystery." Needless to say, my interest was instantly grabbed. I clicked on the link, and the following article came up on my screen:
The ACLU, Myriad Genetics And The Future Of Biotechnology

The ACLU, Myriad Genetics And The Future Of Biotechnology

May 14 2009 | comment(s)

The American Civil Liberties Union action in filing a lawsuit yesterday against Myriad Genetics is going to lead to one of the most important legal battles in the history of biotechnology, asserts Genetic Engineering&Biotechnology News(GEN).   The ACLU charged that the patenting of two human genes linked to breast and ovarian cancer will inhibit medical research.   The organization also claims that the patents are invalid and unconstitutional, though the ACLU didn't disclose which clause of the Constitution it violates.
Share The Results Of Your Genetic Tests With Your Kids - You'll Feel Better

Share The Results Of Your Genetic Tests With Your Kids - You'll Feel Better

May 14 2009 | comment(s)

Should You Share  A Higher Genetic Risk?

If you learned that you were at high risk of cancer because you carry the hereditary BRCA1/2 gene mutation, would you tell your children? A recent study at Fox Chase Cancer Center not only considered that question, but also took it to the next level and studied the parent perceptions of the impact of such a decision on children.   BRCA1/2 are hereditary gene mutations that indicate an increased risk of developing breast cancer.
Sea Level Rise Threat From West Antarctic Ice Sheet Has Been 'Greatly Overestimated'

Sea Level Rise Threat From West Antarctic Ice Sheet Has Been 'Greatly Overestimated'

May 14 2009 | comment(s)

The potential contribution to sea level rise from a collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) have been greatly overestimated, according to a new study in Science.   These scientists estimate global sea level would rise 3.3 metres, not five or six, which were some previous estimates.

MoGo TITAN And Huygens Set A GO World Record

MoGo TITAN And Huygens Set A GO World Record

May 14 2009 | comment(s)

After the victory of IBM's Deep Blue against Garry Kasparov, the game of Go has replaced chess as a test bed for research in artificial intelligence (AI).

Go is one of the last board games where humans are still able to easily win against AI. Although there has been quite some research in the Go domain for 40 years, the progress in Computer Go has been slow.

However, researchers have discovered new performing algorithms and computers are catching up really fast. Since 2006, when a new algorithm called Monte-Carlo Tree Search was proposed, the level of Go programs has improved drastically. The application 'MoGo TITAN', developed by INRIA France and Maastricht University, runs on the Dutch national supercomputer Huygens, which is one of the PRACE prototypes.
Solution For Allergies: Cigarettes?

Solution For Allergies: Cigarettes?

May 14 2009 | comment(s)

Smoking is bad for you, but it can also help with allergies, according to a new study which says that cigarette smoke can prevent allergies by decreasing the reaction of immune cells to allergens.

Smoking can cause lung cancer, pulmonary disease, and can even affect how the body fights infections but along with many harmful effects, smoking cigarettes has a surprising benefit: cigarettes can protect smokers from certain types of allergies.  The new study says that cigarette smoke decreases the allergic response by inhibiting the activity of mast cells, the major players in the immune system's response to allergens.
Your Cold Nose - Why Humans Can't Catch Bird Flu

Your Cold Nose - Why Humans Can't Catch Bird Flu

May 14 2009 | comment(s)

Avian influenza viruses do not thrive in humans because the temperature inside a person's nose is too low, according to research published today in PLoS Pathogens. The authors of the study, from Imperial College London and the University of North Carolina, say this may be one of the reasons why bird flu viruses do not cause pandemics in humans easily.

There are 16 subtypes of avian influenza and some can mutate into forms that can infect humans, by swapping proteins on their surface with proteins from human influenza viruses.
Can You Inherit Happiness? Endorphins And The Biochemistry Of Inheritance

Can You Inherit Happiness? Endorphins And The Biochemistry Of Inheritance

May 14 2009 | comment(s)

As if you need another reason for parental guilt, a new article in Bioscience Hypotheses speculates that our feelings could impact our reproduction and affect our children.

Dr Alberto Halabe Bucay of Research Center Halabe and Darwich, Mexico, suggests that a wide range of chemicals that our brain generates when we are in different moods could affect 'germ cells' (eggs and sperm), the cells that ultimately produce the next generation. Such natural chemicals could affect the way that specific genes are expressed in the germ cells, and hence how a child develops.
Herschel And Planck: Next Stop - The Origins Of The Universe

Herschel And Planck: Next Stop - The Origins Of The Universe

May 14 2009 | comment(s)

The dual launch of the far-infrared space telescope Herschel and cosmic background mapper Planck on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana is the beginning of two of the most ambitious missions ever attempted to unveil the secrets of the darkest, coldest and oldest parts of the Universe.
 
Herschel has the largest mirror ever launched into space and will examine a little known part of the electromagnetic spectrum to learn more about the birth of stars and galaxies as well as dust clouds and planet-forming discs around stars - and will look for water, a key component of life similar to ours. 
Wistful Monkeys Do Woulda Coulda Shoulda Too

Wistful Monkeys Do Woulda Coulda Shoulda Too

May 14 2009 | comment(s)

Monkeys playing a game similar to "Let's Make A Deal" have revealed that their brains register missed opportunities and learn from their mistakes. 

The researchers watched individual neurons in a region of the brain called the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) that monitors the consequences of actions and mediates resulting changes in behavior. The monkeys were making choices that resulted in different amounts of juice as a reward. 

Their task was like the TV show "Let's Make a Deal" with the experimenters offering monkeys choices from an array of hidden rewards. During each trial, the monkeys chose from one of eight identical white squares arranged in a circle. A color beneath the white square was revealed and the monkey received the corresponding reward. 
The Borg Builders

The Borg Builders

May 14 2009 | comment(s)

The Borg Builders


Human language evolved to serve human purposes.  For most people, that purpose is to just get on with life, to be happy, to work, to play, to provide for tomorrow and to leave this world a better and a safer place for our children.   Intellectual freedom promotes those purposes.  In time of danger it may be necessary for people to put group before self, but there is always a danger in the group - the madness of crowds.  If the group functions so as to oppress its own members, then it becomes self-destructive.  Human societies thrive as collections of individuals, not as collective minds.  We are not The Borg.

BioLogos, god-of-the-gaps and misunderstanding science

BioLogos, god-of-the-gaps and misunderstanding science

May 13 2009 | comment(s)

Francis Collins' new Templeton-sponsored website, BioLogos, has been getting a bit of news coverage recently. For those not familiar with the story: Collins is the Director of the Human Genome Project, and BioLogos is his attempt to persuade Christians that they don't need to be frightened of science.

I guess the guy should be applauded for trying to reign in the wackier elements of Christianity, and most of it is pretty innocuous, straightforward stuff. But there's some real intellectual howlers in there. Basically, the guy doesn't understand what science is.
Lewontin on Darwin Celebration

Lewontin on Darwin Celebration

May 13 2009 | comment(s)



Richard Lewontin has a piece well worth reading in the New York Review of Books:


There are, however, occasions on which there are orgies of idolatrous celebrations of the lives of famous men, when the Suetonian ideal of history as biography overwhelms us. For Darwinians, 2009 is such a year.


He wanders around a bit, looking at the history of evolutionary ideas and why 19th century industrial capitalism might have contributed to the Origin success as a runaway best-seller.