This week's Fossil Friday was a bit of a shocker to me. Looking at the enormous jaw and terrifying teeth, I thought for sure this was some sort of gnarly reptile that would tear you limb from limb, given half a chance. But no! Upon further investigation, this is the jaw of a mammal…
If you watched the State of the Union address the other night, you may have cheered along with environmentalists and scientists when President Obama proclaimed that climate change is an undeniable fact. I wasn't cheering though—I was indignant. Climate change is real? Thanks, Mr. President. …
In part 1 of “The Two Woodrows,” I began with Woodrow Wilson’s comment, “of course, like every other man of intelligence and education, I do believe in organic evolution. It surprises me that at this late date such questions should be raised.” Wilson wasn’t himself particularly interested in…
I grew up on the music of Pete Seeger. Indeed, given that my parents named me after Woody Guthrie, a familiarity with Pete Seeger’s work was probably inevitable. His death this week, at a vigorous 94, was hardly a surprise, but is still a shock and a tragic loss. Seeger was, by his own admission…
Rush Holt House Resolution 467 (PDF), introduced in the United States House of Representatives on January 29, 2014, would, if passed, express the House's support of designating February 12, 2014, as Darwin Day, and its recognition of "Charles Darwin as a worthy symbol on…
House Bill 207, prefiled in the Virginia House of Delegates on December 27, 2013, and referred to the House Committee on Education and thence to the subcommittee on elementary and secondary education, enjoys the dubious honor of being the first antiscience bill in the 2014 legislative season.…
Ann Reid In the last few weeks, we at NCSE have enjoyed getting to know our new executive director, Ann Reid. It’s been a big change, and bigger changes are surely going to follow, as Genie Scott ends her 27 years of leadership here and Ann begins setting a new direction. Those changes will not…
Lobbying for something we want or think we need starts at infancy. Want milk? Babies have a built-in mechanism for letting their needs be known as only a crying infant can. Over the years the landscape shifts, the needs become more complex, and the asks become more sophisticated. (Or not. Temper…
Photo by Paul Selden Last week on Fossil Friday, I wove you a web of mystery...two spiders (a lady and a gentleman), only recently correctly identified. Who were these spindly spiders? Where were they from? In what time period did they live? There were many answers, but not a…