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Engineers Improve Human Technology by Turning to Biology
Intelligent design does not necessarily mean optimal design. Yet the realm of human technology is a realm of intelligently designed objects, many of which strive to optimize energetic efficiency. It is therefore intriguing that designers of human technology would find solutions to technological needs from the biosphere–a realm which neo-Darwinian scientists tell us is the result of blind, random processes. I recently discussed how biologists are turning to natural flagellar biochemical pathways to help improve biomedical technology. A new article in Business Week confirms that this is a common trend in industry, observing that engineers are increasingly turning to nature for guidance and inspiration in producing human technology: Spot the common theme: a bullet train with a distinctly bird-like nose; Read More ›
The World According to Ben Stein
Minnesota Public Radio just posted online an hourlong program featuring actor, comedian, speechwriter, economist and historian Ben Stein. It’s a delightfully funny interview. Stein is at his best when allowed to tell funny stories that are always quite insightful. One of the best such anecdotes is about his recent stint on VH1’s America’s Most Smartest Model and his opinion that there’s an education crisis today and it’s not the fault of teachers, but rather the fault of students themselves (about 10 minutes in). It’s a wide ranging discussion, including Q&A at the end, and only briefly touches on Stein’s involvement in Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (about 46:00 minutes in). If an hour seems overly long, it isn’t You’ll quickly get Read More ›
The Irrelevance of Darwinian Evolution to Antibiotic Resistance
According to a February 26, 2008 report in ScienceDaily, a team of French scientists has unraveled the structure of a protein that allows bacteria to gain resistance to multiple antibiotics. Frédéric Dardel and his colleagues crystallized two forms of the antibiotic-modifying enzyme acetyltransferase and showed that it has a flexible active site that can evolve to enable bacteria to break down various antibiotics and render them useless. The research may aid in the design of new antibiotics to deal with this form of resistance, which is becoming a serious medical problem. This is very good news! Unfortunately, Darwinists will probably claim — as they have done many times in the past — that their theory was indispensable to the achievement. Read More ›
Revisioning Darwin’s Theory as above Questioning
In science, theories are tested and debated almost constantly. As silly as it may sound, there are scientists who are still researching gravity. This isn’t as absurd as you might think. While no one doubts that mass attracts mass and apples fall down, not up, scientists are still debating the nature of the underlying physical laws and fundamental particles that cause gravitational attraction. There are always scientists curious about one aspect or another of any theory under scrutiny, and so they challenge it. There’s nothing wrong with that; in fact, it is the very nature of science to challenge things. Except when it comes to neo-Darwinism. Then scientists are supposed to shut up, not ask questions, not challenge anything. That Read More ›
Re-examining the Darwin-Hitler Link
Editor’s Note: This special post comes to us courtesy of CSC Fellow Dr. Richard Weikart, author of From Darwin to Hitler: Evolutionary Ethics, Eugenics, and Racism in Germany. In the heated struggle over the teaching of evolution in the state of Florida, some have suggested that Darwinism is dangerous. They claim it has produced odious ideologies, most prominently, Nazism. Michael Ruse has castigated those trying to connect Darwinism and Nazism in his op-ed piece for the Tallahassee Democrat, “Darwin and Hitler: A Not-Very-Intelligent Link” (February 6). Ruse, a philosopher by profession, claims that the anti-evolutionists are “not very good historians.” However, he commits some serious historical gaffes himself, undermining his claim to be setting the record straight.