from the desk of Bob Siederer
Hello again Science Fans!
Did you know that today is the anniversary of the first publication of "On The Origin of Species" by Charles Darwin? It was published in 1859. Still controversial in some circles today, it presented the theory of evolution. Today it is often misused by those who don't understand how the word theory applies to scientific research.
I have a lot of articles to point you towards, but first let's look at my picks for this week:
- Nerd Nite East Bay - 11/25/2019 07:00 PM in Oakland
- Science Saturday: Magnificent Monarchs - 11/30/2019 at 10:00 AM at the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History
Yes, it is a light week due to the Tha
from the desk of Herb Masters
Hello Science Fans,
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the need for museums (I would include schools in this as well) to stand up to bad, fake, false, or pseudo-science as well as support, promote, and teach real science. I did get some responses to what I mentioned. I received one in particular that really hit home. It was from the son of Tom and Marlene Dickerman, both docents at the California Academy of Sciences that I was privileged to work with. I think it is a better statement than any I have made. So here it is…
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I had discussed with both my parents, for quite some time, how the CAS (California Academy of Sciences) needs a permanent exhibit explaining how discern provable fact from conjecture, fable, and (for fans of the musical The Book of Mormon) metaphor. With mom on the evolution cart, and dad discussing climate change, each saw their share of debate on topics which are widely considered indisputable.
There is a resistance to scientific acceptance which is worryingly strong in the US compared to other parts of the world, but is hardly new. Great researchers have been jailed, tortured, and killed over concepts we accept as obvious today. Worse, many today begin biased against science, viewing it as the anti