Daily Archives: February 3, 2009

Amazing Fossil Finding: Proto Whales Gave Birth on Land, not at sea

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ResearchBlogging.orgAn article released moments ago in PLoS ONE, by Gingerich et al., describes one of the more interesting fossil discoveries ever.

To cut right to the conclusion: We now have reason to believe that the proto-whale Maiacetus inuus, a true transitional form, gave birth on land, not in the water.
i-7d87370c01541dbb562e8d029cca82ed-transitional_form_proto_whale_reconstruction.jpg
Artist’s conception of male Maiacetus inuus with opaque skeleton overlay. Credit: John Klausmeyer and Bonnie Miljour, University of Michigan Museums of Natural History

Continue reading Amazing Fossil Finding: Proto Whales Gave Birth on Land, not at sea →

I have unsubscribed from Human Events

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Human Events is a right wing email newsletter and magazine/publishing thingie that regularly spews out the puss produced by such notable festering sores on the asscrack of humanity known as Anne Coulter and Pat Buchanan, with frequent contributions by Chuck Norris and others. I used to subscribe in order to keep an eye on them.

But now that they have been rendered utterly irrelevant (and will soon be joining David Duke in the new party to replace the Republican Party, which in turn was totally ruined by being led by a black guy), I’ve stopped paying attention.

That is all.

Insisting that “races are real” is a self fulfilling and overt racist act. So stop it now, please.

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ResearchBlogging.orgWell, the above statement, while true, is just a tiny bit beyond the peer reviewed paper I’m reporting to you today, but this paper supports the assertion and the results presented in the paper should not be a surprise to anyone.

Here’s the basic idea:
Continue reading Insisting that “races are real” is a self fulfilling and overt racist act. So stop it now, please. →

Don’t pray for me Great Britain

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… or Argentina or Nurse Ratchet.

In our allegedly multicultural society, there is one religious group which is apparently not to be afforded equal respect, let alone treated for what it embodies – the foundational creed of this nation. That group is Britain’s Christians.

Somerset community nurse and committed Christian Caroline Petrie has been suspended and faces being sacked and even struck off for offering to say a prayer for an elderly patient. Although startled, the patient – herself a Christian – did not make a complaint and was in no way offended.

…. and so on and so forth. So the assumption here is that Pushy Christians are OK?

Here’s what I really want to know: What is the difference between being “sacked” and being “Struck Off”???

This story is here, and there is a poll you may want to have a look at on the same site.

Hat Tip: Pharyngula.

Stay Tuned ….

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Two or three items of interest that are scheduled and that you may want to know about.

In order:

1) This evening, at 8:00 Eastern Time (US), the embargo lifts on an amazing new find. Tune in to your favorite science blog to read all about it. It is very cool if you are into science.

2) Friday, at an as yet undisclosed time, will be the unveiling of a new Internetial (pronounced: Internet-shul) project that many of you may find interesting. Watch for announcements here and on Almost Diamonds and TUIBG.

3) Friday evening, as I’ve indicated before, I’ll do a live radio interview with Q. Transmissions, in Edmonton, Canada, about Darwin and stuff. Details.

4) Sunday Morning, I’ll be on Atheist Talk Radio with Lynne Fellmann and others (The exact line up fluctuates) to discuss Charles Darwin and stuff.

5) Darwin’s Birthday is Feb 12, and this will be the opening of a museum exhibit at the Bell in Minneapolis. PZ Myers, myself, and others (fluctuating) will perform at the opening. And I do mean perform. Be there or be square. Details:


LIFE: A Journey Through Time
North American Premiere /Darwin Day Opening Event
Thursday, February 12, 2009, 7 to 9 p.m.
Bell Museum Auditorium
$10/ free to museum members and University students

Celebrate the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birthday with a special preview of LIFE: A Journey Through Time. The event will feature top University biologists using Lanting’s photographs as a springboard to deliver a rapid-fire presentations relating their research on evolution to the images. From the big bang to the human genome, hear the newest theories on how life evolved and enjoy the North American premiere of one the world’s most celebrated photography exhibits. Think speed-dating – Darwin-style!