The Darwinism Delusion

Carl Safina by all accounts seems like a logical and rational scientist. Why the hell is he confronting the straw man argument promoted by ID'ers that "Darwinism" must die in a NY Times article? Does Safina only get his info from Ben Stein?

I'll go further, Darwinism doesn't exist. I think the theory of evolution is supported by massive amounts of empirical evidence and elegantly explains the development of life. Charles Darwin is the grandfather of evolutionary theory, which still operates under many of his principle ideas.

There is no such thing as Darwinian evolution. There is only evolutionary theory.

I do not worship Charles Darwin. I do not think that Richard Dawkins is the high priest. I am a fan of their work because I like science. I am curious about the world, and how it operates. I think whales are supa wicked awesome.

I love Neil Gaimans work, and I have devoured each of his novels like a delicious tart. I would be reduced to a stuttering mess if I came into contact with the real Neil Gaiman. I am not a Gaimanist.

Carl Safina's article is a further example of the yellow journalism that gave us New Scientist's Darwin Was Wrong cover. Where is this weirdness coming from? More>>

Michael Shermer Vs. The Bible Code

The Bible code is so incredibly stupid. I'm still waiting for the Lord of the Rings code. Frodo want's me to kill! More>>

Richard Dawkins Sits Down With PZ Myers

Yet another excellent discussion from one of Professor Dawkins documentary series Voices of Science. PZ is truly a freethinker and an insufferable smart ass, both admirable traits in my book. More>>

The List: 10 Amazing Transitional Fossils

Transitional fossils are the bane of Evolution deniers existence. Traditionally they just ignore them, usually by plugging there ears and loudly singing the Flintstones theme song.

Let's kick of Darwin Day's eve eve eve with a myriad of our favorite gap fillers.



10. Ambulocetus


It's name means walking whale, and that is a pretty good description of what it actually was. Ambulocetus (Eocene Epoch 50 Million Years ago) was able to hunt on land and shared many adaptations with whales.


9. Homo ergaster


Homo ergaster was a human ancestor who lived around 2 million years ago. The nearly complete Turkana boy is a possible example of this tool using early human.


8. Thrinaxodon


Thrinaxodon was a fur covered mammal like reptile dating approximately 250 years ago. Likely warm blooded, but laid eggs to birth it's young Thrinaxodon was an early move to mammalian forms.


7. Basilosaurus


Another whale ancestor Basilosaurus possessed tiny hind limbs that speak of it's origins on dry land.


6. Hyracotherium


The forerunner to both Horses and Rhinos, Hyracotherium was a small fox sized forager.


5. Australopithecus afarensis


While the jury is still out as to whether Australopithecus is a direct human ancestor or not, the discovery of "Lucy" has shown a definite step to bipedal motion.


4. Tiktaalik


Tiktaalik is a fishapod. A fish who possessed lungs as well as gills and wrist jointed fins. Literally a fish out of water taking it's first journey on land.


3. Dimetrodon


Frequently misrepresented as a dinosaur, Dimetrodon was a progenitor to mammalia. Dimetrodon is more your relative than of modern reptiles.


2. Archaeopteryx


Archaeopteryx, much like Tktaalik, is direct irrefutable evidence that transitional forms existed. While it may not be a direct ancestor to modern birds, although I think the evidence strongly points in that direction, it still proves transitional forms.


1. Homo erectus


The discovery of "Java Man" allowed us to look into our own origins and rethink the so called primitve lives of our ancestors. The sophistication of the tools discovered with Homo erectus fossils further indicate our species skill at adaptation.
More>>

Andrew Wakefield Faked Data in Autism Study

Wow what a surprise, that evil bastard faked his anti vaccination claptrap. I can't wait until he is sent to prison and systematically beaten with soap in a sock.

Here's a short excerpt from the Timesonline.com:

Confidential medical documents and interviews with witnesses have established that Andrew Wakefield manipulated patients’ data, which triggered fears that the MMR triple vaccine to protect against measles, mumps and rubella was linked to the condition.

The research was published in February 1998 in an article in The Lancet medical journal. It claimed that the families of eight out of 12 children attending a routine clinic at the hospital had blamed MMR for their autism, and said that problems came on within days of the jab. The team also claimed to have discovered a new inflammatory bowel disease underlying the children’s conditions.

However, our investigation, confirmed by evidence presented to the General Medical Council (GMC), reveals that: In most of the 12 cases, the children’s ailments as described in The Lancet were different from their hospital and GP records. Although the research paper claimed that problems came on within days of the jab, in only one case did medical records suggest this was true, and in many of the cases medical concerns had been raised before the children were vaccinated. Hospital pathologists, looking for inflammatory bowel disease, reported in the majority of cases that the gut was normal. This was then reviewed and the Lancet paper showed them as abnormal.


I'm sure true believers like Jenny McCarthy will claim Big Medicine is persecuting this stain on humanity. More>>

I Still Need Help! Won't You Think About the Children?

I need help.

Specifically, I need your help.

I would like to spend much more time on this blog, but real life has a way of limiting my output. So, I'm looking for some Heathen contributors to flesh out the ISOC. This would increase the content of the site and add some more voices to this godless skeptical community.

I want you to email me stating why you would be a boon to ISOH, with possibly a sample article or at least an idea for one.

Throw in your hat by dropping me a line at:

round.eyed.dog@societyofheathens.com More>>

The Faith Cake

Qualia Soup is my favorite Youtuber. His ability to crystallize ideas into concise and entertaining videos is peerless. More>>