"I'd like to share a revelation that I've had during my time here," Agent Smith tells Morpheus in The Matrix. "It came to me when I tried to classify your species and I realized that you're not actually mammals. ... You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus." It's a memorable speech, but it turns out not to … [Read more...] about Science Corner — Let There Be Peace Between Man and Virus
evolution
Book Review: Louis Agassiz: A Life in Science
Louis Agassiz: A Life in Science by Edward Lurie My rating: 4 of 5 stars Louis Agassiz might well be considered the foremost naturalist of the first half of the nineteenth century. He brought a rigor to the scientific enterprise in America that inspired everyone from cabinet members to farmers. And he also reflects the human dilemma of being caught late in life in a paradigm shift as the work of Charles Darwin won over a younger generation of zoologists, some who had studied with Agassiz. This is an … [Read more...] about Book Review: Louis Agassiz: A Life in Science
I laughed. Why? Is that ok?
After taking Can You Pass an 8th Grade Science Test?, I listened to today's Academic Minute with Dr. Peter McGraw, associate professor of marketing and psychology at the University of Colorado's Leeds School of Business: A Science of Humor. AND yes, I immediately asked myself why I found the "science test" humorous :) Was it a violation of a norm when I had "a playful state of mind, cues that a situation is okay, a reason why the situation is acceptable, feeling that a situation is far away, or a low commitment to … [Read more...] about I laughed. Why? Is that ok?
Summary and Reflection on the Christianity and Science Series
Introduction Are Christianity and science at war? This was a major concern for me when I came to faith in Christ 22 years ago in the middle of my career as a biology professor at Iowa State University. Although it did not prevent me from coming to faith in Christ, it continued to trouble me and caused doubts about my faith in the early years after my conversion to Christianity. I wondered whether modern science is really compatible with belief in God and whether it is possible to reconcile the Bible's account of … [Read more...] about Summary and Reflection on the Christianity and Science Series
Nature as a Christian Apologetic: Intelligent Design Revisited
Introduction This is the second of a two-part series addressing the question of whether nature can be used as a Christian apologetic. Natural theology is a discipline that systematically explores the proposed link between God and nature. The traditional approach to natural theology seeks to prove God's existence from what is observed in nature without reference to the Bible or other religious texts. The problem with this approach is that nature is ambiguous with respect to the question of God's existence. In my … [Read more...] about Nature as a Christian Apologetic: Intelligent Design Revisited