Gregor Mendel is the Augustinian Monk and Scientist who developed the model of genetics that held sway all the way through the Darwinian Synthesis (when, essentially, it was introduced and integrated) and right up until recently, when it has weakened considerably compared to other conceptions of genetics based on observations not possible in his time. “Mendelian Genetics” still “works” more or less, it just applies to fewer cases in its original simple form. Mendel’s main contribution was probably to demonstrate that inheritance involves both parents in roughly equal ways ant that the unit of inheritance is bot particulate and immutable between generations, so that even if a trait is invisible in an individual, the genetic material was not necessarily absent and could contribute to future generations. That (assuming “immutable” is not perfect) is all still pretty much both true and important.

Scienceblogs Abbie Smith (ERV) will be the guest on this weeks Skeptically Speaking:

Skeptically Speaking #122 HIV and AIDS

This week, we’re joined by graduate student and Scienceblogs writer Abbie Smith, to learn about the latest research on the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. How does HIV cause AIDS? What are the latest treatments? How close are we to a cure? What strategies are most effective at stopping the spread of infection ? And what are the arguments that denialists make for alternate causes of the disease? Tune in and find out!

We record live with Abbie Smith on Sunday, July 24 at 6 pm MT. The podcast will be available to download at 9 pm MT on Friday, July 29.

Details here

Marc Hauser, whom I’ve discussed before a few times, has resigned from his position at Harvard. This was somewhat unexpected.
Continue reading Marc Hauser has resigned →

I’ve only got random stuff for you now, but it is all good stuff. Well, not really all good, but it is most definitively all stuff.

First, we have Chris Mooney interviewing Rebecca Watson in a Point of Inquiry Podcast. Give it a listen.

I’m happy to be one of the men who supports Rebecca. Those of you who are mad at me for that please continue to comment here, because Imma write a book about WTF is going on in your heads. Along the lines of a Stephen King novel, I think.

On a more mundane and immediate note, we just received word of a four year old girl drowned in Clearwater Park. Nobody I know or anything but it reminds me, now that this is summer in the Northern Hemisphere, to remind you to be safe about water! Did you know that the typical drowning person drowns silently? Did you know that the fast majority of kinds who drown do so in sight of adults who are supposedly supervising them, but who never saw it happen? Obviously someone is doing something wrong. Don’t do that.

UPDATE: A 6-year-old Duluth boy was found unresponsive in a Cloquet swimming pond and later died at a hospital. … Cloquet City Administrator Brian Fritsinger says there were four life guards on duty at the time.

We also have an interesting phenomenon going on in the Twin Cities. The Twin Cities (but mainly Minneapolis?) and Minnesota is on the top of the list for all sorts of good things: Bike use, theater attendance, adopting people, volunteerism, and bad-ass hot dish. But we are also on the top of the list for NOT HAVING ANY REAL PUBLIC TRANSIT. We have an OK bus system, but until recently not a singe inch of rail transit! Not one!

But that was partly (and I emphasize partly) over the last few years with the opening of two rail systems: The Hiawatha Line (from downtown Minneapolis to the Airport and the Mall of America) and the North Star Line (from my house and points north to Downtown Minneapolis).

And that’s nice, but one always worries about new transit projects. All it takes is one study showing that it was underutilized or something for all the anti-good bunny-crushing yahoo to come down on public transit and stuff.

And something did happen here just now, but not that. What happened was a bad thing but with a good message. A train (carrying mainly corn) was going over a bridge over Rice Creek (a former segment of the late Pleistocene Mississippi River) and the bridge, under heavy stress from some mondo rainstorms we’ve been having, collapsed.

That was the track the North Star rail (mine) runs on. So, when Amanda went to work yesterday via car, she got stuck in the worst traffic jam she’d ever seen, and this is with the State Workers off the highway. And it has been discussed in the news. Apparently, enough people were using the North Star Light Rail Line to matter! Yay public transit! I just hope they fix that bridge soon.

And, I am thankful that it did not collapse under the commuter train…..

They may need a crane to fix that bridge. Oh, and speaking of cranes, Why Not Allow Crane Hunting? Indeed.

OK, next item: I have this question for you: What’s the diffrence between “what you said was racist” and “what you said could have been interepated as possilby sounding racist to someone who doesn’t know you in all due respect.” In my experience either one gets you “I’M NOT RACIST YOU A-HOE!!!11!!” And they are structurally the same thing. They are not “You are a racist swine, a-hole!!!11!!”

Jason Thibeault has been slogging it out with some commenters elsewhere on this very blog about the meaning of “Ad hominem” and was thus inspired to write a blog post about this in which he provides this video which I hereby rob:

Continue reading Several items for your careful consideration … →

I want you to watch this from beginning to end. Report back.
Continue reading Communicating Atheism →

So, I push you.

Then, you push me.

Then, I push you.

Then, you push me.

Then, I push you.

Then, you push me.

And I go “Hey, no pushing! Unfair!!!!”
Continue reading Pulling in to STFU Station →

This from Julie at 10,000 Birds:

Kentucky’s Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources unanimously passed its sandhill crane hunting proposal. All eight hunters on the commission think it’s a good idea to shoot cranes in Kentucky. The proposal now goes to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for final approval or denial. The public comment period on the Kentucky sandhill crane hunting proposal ends AUGUST 1 2011.

Read the details here, including information on what you need to do to help stop this. Take action and spread the word. Julie’s post has the address for submitting written comments.

(She also outlines why the sandhill cranes should not be hunted, but you already knew that, right?)

Why are you sitting there reading this? CLICK HERE and get to work on this.

Seriously. Go. GO.

People on Google+ are discussing what to do with their circles. Here, I’m not going to explain what circles are; I wish merely to record for the moment what I’m doing with them on my account for others to consider and criticize. If you don’t know what circles are, join Google+ and find out, and don’t forget to put me in one of your circles! (Put me in a good one!)
Continue reading Which Googleois Do I Put In What Google+ Circles? →

Hat Time Class M

How much does politics affect teaching evolution? How is the “fairness” argument exploited to undermine evolution education? Genie Scott explores these and other antievolution strategies in a recent speech before the Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Where: Scottsdale, AZ. When: 4/17/2011

Continue reading Creationism, Evolution, Education–and Politics →

A big todo was made a while back about the possibility of life based on arsenic. In science fiction we often see worlds created in which life is based on one strange thing or another. But years ago, Darwin found a place were life was based on the Booby. And the Noddy. Let’s not forget the Noddy.

Click here to read about the booby and the noddy based ecosystem.