And “sometimes” is “mostly.”
About once a week, I check on Uncommon Descent, mostly because I am interested in learning about the ways that pseudoscientists react to things, and how they use logic. Or not. Read More…

Creationists love to debate scientists about evolution. If the evidence was on the side of the scientists supporting evolution, (you know, almost all of us) you would think they would get tired of it, right? Wrong. They’re looking for exposure, are prepared to use empty rhetoric, and can’t wait to debate any scientist that comes their way. Especially Dr. Donald Duh, a Professor Emeritus at Whatever State University.

Yes, as Nick Matzke reveals at the Panda’s Thumb, The Intelligent Design Creationists are so eager to debate anyone that they have set up a series of debates, with their Gish-Galloping selves on one side, and a fake who-cares-get-an-old-guy-that-looks-like-darwin-behind-a-podium professor. You know, Dr. Duh. At Whatever S.U.

It reminded me of an old Calvin and Hobbes comic, which I believe is particularly apt for this situation. It’s right at the bottom, so clich through and read all about the theatrics of debating evolution. Read More…

Welcome to the fourth edition of Mendel’s Garden. It is a belated edition, and I apologize to those waiting to read about the latest for this new blog carnival, which should hopefully become the place to go for the latest and greatest in blogging about genetics. Something happened last week, and all of my time was sucked away like nectar forage for a honeybee. In fact, it had to do with honeybees, local politics, science, human disease, and now the local paper! I’ll fill everyone in on those details later this week.

I have hosted the Tangled Bank before, with over 40 submissions, the real challenge was how to sift through all the excellent posts and figure out how to organize them without making it look like the reference section of a scientific research paper. Mendel’s Garden seems to be in its infancy, as there have only been six submissions. So rather than scour the net for anything related to genetics to include, I thought I would fill this edition of the Garden with a tour through a real garden. The EC Garden at UC Davis, where I keep my bees, grow plants, and stir up a little controversy. Genetic controversy.

Read More…

I’m going to be talking about this piece of news (among many) on my show tonight, and I thought it would be useful for everyone to be able to download and listen to it at home. Particularly because no news source seems to be providing comprehensive links to the music itself. Read More…

A few weeks ago, the science blogging world was dealt a heavy blow - with the canning of DaveScot at Uncommon Descent, and the blog’s re-birth as The weblog of William Dembski, Denyse O’Leary, and Friends. A heavy blow because, well, DaveScot was so funny. For over half a year, this buffoon managed IDist William Dembski’s blog, which I talked about before on the debut of my own blog. DaveScot yelled at commenters, both Darwinian and not, and continued the bang-up job of censoring dissent that William Dembski started over a year ago.

But with DaveScot given the boot out of there, it seemed that the comic relief that was Uncommon Descent would be gone. We were wrong. In addition to inviting Denyse O’Leary to blog at the site, Dembski appears to have invited the unlikeliest of people to help moderate the site. His research assistant. Read More…