by Bob Park
AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY
PUBLIC TELEVISION: "UNLOCKING THE MYSTERY OF LIFE."
Tuesday, Maryland Public Television aired a high image-quality documentary that pretended to be science. The program, produced by Illustra Media, marks the 50th anniversary of the discovery by Watson and Crick, but the Nobelists won’t be pleased. The blurb in the MPT schedule sums it up: "A growing number of scientists now think that DNA and the complexity of life point to purpose and design in nature." The Discovery Institute, which distributes the documentary, is committed to replacing evolution with intelligent design and is extremely well-funded. This is Phase II, the "publicity" phase of what the Discovery Institute calls the "Wedge Project." The idea is to use "intelligent design" as a wedge to get religion into science education, and evolution out: Phase I was research, Phase III will be legal challenges and a focus on the terrible social implications of evolution. "Unlocking the Mystery of Life" was shown earlier in Michigan and Texas. It may turn up on Public Television near you.
THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY and THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
Opinions are the author's and are not necessarily shared by the American Physical Society or the University, but they should be.
Reprinted with permission.
July 1, 2003