Among the holidays widely observed in the United States, Christmas strikes me as the one most concerned with curiosity. Several Christmas songs are posed as questions: "What Child is This?" and "Do You See What I See?" and "Mary, Did You Know?" OK, that last one has a real 'more of a comment than a question' energy, but still. There are the magi on a quest of discovery. There is the mystery and anticipation of a wrapped gift. And so I thought the science of curiosity would be an apt topic for this Advent season. … [Read more...] about Science Corner: The Case of a Curious Christmas
Advent
Science Corner: The Dance of Life and Advent Pt 4
Reading and writing about The Dance of Life and developemental biology reminded me of the time I was asked to write about a supposed flash of light occurring at the moment of conception. Articles like this one made the rounds on social media, getting everyone excited about a literal spark of life. Or at least I guess that's what they were excited about; I didn't really get it because I knew the light came from reagents scientists added to detect zinc and not the egg itself. I appreciated the opportunity to add clarity … [Read more...] about Science Corner: The Dance of Life and Advent Pt 4
2020 Advent Resources: Week 4, Advent Project from Biola
Each week this Advent season, we're sharing a different resource readers may find helpful. This week we highlight Biola University's 2020 Advent Project, an Advent calendar of devotional reflections with art and music chosen from historical and contemporary sources: http://ccca.biola.edu/advent/2020/ Many Advent calendars end at Christmas, but this one goes all the way through the Twelve Days of Christmas to the Feast of Epiphany on January 6. We pray that it encourages you throughout the rest of Advent and the … [Read more...] about 2020 Advent Resources: Week 4, Advent Project from Biola
Science Corner: The Dance of Life and Advent Pt 3
Advent is a season of waiting. We remember the specific anticipation of Mary & Joseph for their son and the more abstract anticipation for justice and restoration, represented by Simeon and Anna. While Jesus would inaugurate a new era of redemption, we share in the longing of Simeon and Anna as we recognize that justice is still not equally distributed and creation is not fully restored. While expressing that longing in different terms, Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz and Roger Highfield discuss outstanding needs for justice … [Read more...] about Science Corner: The Dance of Life and Advent Pt 3
Science Corner: The Dance of Life and Advent Pt 2
As we discussed last week, The Dance of Life by Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz and Roger Highfield is a story of developmental biology research. It is also a story of motherhood, including the specific joys and anxieties of prenatal motherhood. Meanwhile, my church has chosen Luke 1-2 for its Advent texts, and Luke's Gospel pays more attention to the prenatal experience of Mary and her cousin Elizabeth than the other accounts. I don't want to over-theologize Zernicka-Goetz and Highfield's book and I don't think it is any sort … [Read more...] about Science Corner: The Dance of Life and Advent Pt 2