Science had a pretty good week last week.

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And gee none of this required any prayer whatsoever.

Just another, probably hopeless, attempt to explain evolution to the ignorant.

Like I said this will probably not change too many minds, especially those who don't WANT to have their minds changed, but I always feel that every little bit helps.

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The promise of Heaven pales in comparison to the reality of what science reveals to be the true promise of our afterlife. Update.

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One of my major complaints about religion is that it interferes with the search for the TRUE beauty of our existence.  You don't have to imagine a magical explanation for the world around you, because the real explanation IS magic.

When I was in college I had this great biology professor, who always looked like he had just awakened after sleeping his his suit and rushed over to teach the class. His short grayish hair was always sticking up all over his head and his corduroy suit was wrinkled from top to bottom.

But he was a damn fine teacher, and he really enjoyed talking about science.

He also encouraged both questions and debate.  And when we got to the topic of evolution there was plenty of both.

In the middle of a Q&A a young girl stood up and asked the professor "Why scientists refuse to acknowledge the presence of God in their data?

He stopped, looked up at her about three rows away (The class had stadium seating), and simply replied, "Because we have not yet found any such data."

The girl looked irritated and followed up with "Then maybe they are trying NOT to see God in the data."

The professor walked closer to the first row and said the following:

"My dear girl, I don't believe you truly understand scientists."

"Every Astronomer who strains his eyes to study the heavens is searching for God."

"Every Microbiologist who suffers neck cramps after hours of staring at tiny samples through a microscope is looking for God."

"We search for God as we study ancient civilizations, the ocean depths, the fossils beneath our feet. Scientists search for the evidence of God every hour, of every day."

"And if we were to find it? Well that would, without a doubt, be the single greatest discovery in the history of scientific research."

"Scientists from all over the world would immediately drop whatever they were researching in order to study this new data. They would examine the evidence, test the hypothesis, and through this new prism reevaluate what they believed they knew about the universe, the world, and our place within them both."


"Not trying to see God? My dear, nothing could be further from the truth."

Yeah, what he said.

(P.S. "A Short History of Nearly Everything" can be ordered by clicking here.)

Update: I misplaced this video earlier when I was writing this post, but I just thought I would share Neil deGrasse Tyson discussing how progress is eroded by religions. It definitely provides food for thought.