Ben Bova: Human Intelligence vs. wisdom -- Alex S.

Ben Bova is one of the most preeminently science fiction writers alive right now. He's definitely one of my favorite sci fi authors. These days, though, he's writing more and more books about social problems that the human race faces. For example, one of the books that I recently read was his The High Road, which talks about how in order for the human race to survive, it MUST diversity through the colonization of other planets in outer space. Stuff like that is really interesting.

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2007/jul/21/ben_bova_intelligence_places_us_atop_all_primates_/

In this opinion article, Ben Bova sort of talks about humans and chimps and our relative dominance when it comes to intelligence, however, our intelligence has also produced a lot of social problems on the planet. And then he talks about if we have the 'wisdom' that it takes to solve these problems. In any case, it's a really short and sweet article. I think you guys will enjoy reading it.

Islamic creationists and walking efficiently - Lauren

I found two new articles this morning.
New York Times article about Islamic creationist:
Islamic Creationist and a Book Sent Round the World
This creationist does not try to claim that the earth is too young for evolution, rather, he claims that fossil evidence shows that old species are the same as modern ones, and therefore no evolution happened. He wrote a book explaining his creationist ideas. According to the article: "At 11 x 17 inches and 12 pounds, with a bright red cover and almost 800 glossy pages, most of them lavishly illustrated, “Atlas of Creation” is probably the largest and most beautiful creationist challenge yet to Darwin’s theory."

The author has mailed out many copies of the books to evolutionary biologists and French high schools and universities. He sent a copy to all the professors in Columbia University's medical school. What surprises people about the book is not the content but the fact that he must have spent millions of dollars on this enterprise, and he is giving the books away.

The second article was from the BBC:
Energy use 'drove human walking'

In a study, adult humans and adult chimps walked on treadmills, and the humans were more efficient walkers than chimps (with chimps on two legs or on four legs). Efficiency of walking is a possible reason for humans evolving to walk on two legs.

Bacteria evolution and AIDS - Lauren

This article, OSU discovery may unlock AIDS cure, was published in my local newspaper (Corvallis Gazette-Times) on Friday. Researchers at Oregon State University (in Corvallis) have studied Mycobacterium avium, a common bacteria found in water and food. Most people are not affected by this bacteria, but people with compromised immune systems (e.g. AIDS patients) can be infected by it. When they are, it often kills them.

What makes this article relevant to us is that M. avium in its original state is incapable of infecting other cells. Over time, M. avium has evolved by acquiring DNA from other sources. This additional DNA codes for proteins that M. avium can release into potential host cells. As a result, the bacterium is incorporated into the host cell, rather than being phagocytosed (ingested) by it.

Potentially, blocking the proteins that allow the bacterium to be ingested may prevent infection of AIDS patients, and prolong the lives of AIDS patients who otherwise might be killed by M. avium.

Carnivorous Plants...Yay!

Special exhibit at the Conservatory of Flowers...





Some friends and I went to the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park yesterday, and right now they have a special exhibit on carnivorous plants. Darwin would be so proud. If you've never been and you're in the area, you should definitely go. The place is amazing. They have a highland tropics room (one of only four or five in the US), that has GORGEOUS orchids (fourth pic). And after you visit the Conservatory, I recommend a ride on the carousel...it's the best part of the park :).

Hope everyone's having a more stress-free summer than I,
(honors theses are not for the faint of heart...),
Kate

Religious Democrats - Lauren

My parents just got their copy of Time today, and the cover article, Leveling the Praying Field is about how the Democratic frontrunners for president (Clinton, Obama, Edwards) all have embraced discussing their religious faith, and how this is one election in which Democrats may mobilize religion more effectively than Republicans.

While that probably is what needs to be done to win, I find it sad that religion is so important to many people in our nation that a candidate cannot hope to win the presidency unless he/she is a Christian.

Science writing (Julie)

Small, Yes, but Mighty: The Molecule Called Water

by Natalie Angier

NY Times, July 10, 2007

This article is just tangential related to evolution (see the first few lines of the article). But what struck me about it is how the author's writing style highlights an idea presented in A Flock of Dodos. The film suggested that scientists tend to be weaker communicators and basically less personable than creationists. This article in the NY Times is about water, H2O. However, the writing is done in such a way to be more like a story and less scientific. For example:

With their hydrogen bonds, water molecules become sticky, cohering as a liquid into droplets and rivulets and following each other around like a jiggling conga line.

A jiggling conga line? Definitely not the scientific way of describing hydrogen bonds. However, this description and others in Angier's article are fun to read and more interesting than a chemistry textbook's description. I can see the arguments for and against toning down science to be more accessible to the layperson. But perhaps the creationists garner more support because their ideas are easier to grasp and their spokespeople are more approachable?

Another article of Angier's that I read a couple of months ago is:

Sleek, Fast and Focused: The Cells That Make Dad Dad

Sea Anemone Genome nearly as complex as human genome - Alex S.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-20070709-12352600-bc-us-seaanemone.xml

An article that's been floating around for a while now...Here is my [very anthropocentric] way of looking at things:

basically this claim is really stupid. just because a creature has just as many genes as humans do, how does that intrinsically make them as complicated? How do these people define complexity in any case? if they define it purely in numbers of genes an organisms possess, then that's a really stupid way of looking at things because we gain nothing from that. and some plants often have more genes than a lot of animals and we might contend that the behaviors of animals are far more dynamic, exciting, and allows for more variety than those of plants.

what is the particular benefit of being complex, anyway? all of these articles that are making this claim about sea anemone's go in with the implicit assumption that complexity is a good thing, but i think of it as a rube goldberg machine... if the biological processes in sea anemones are just as complicated as they are in humans and they STILL are incapable of building cities or developing modern technology (all they do is eat and excrete and just chill, etc etc, right? we can replicate that with a fish), then i see no real benefit to added complexity. occam's razor, etc etc.

anyway hope everyone is doing well.