Posts Tagged ‘evolution’

Climate change is affecting the sex lives of insects

Thursday, July 25th, 2024

Climate change is already affecting our lives in so many ways, but spare a thought for our creepy crawly friends, and the effect that hotter temperatures are having on their sex lives. A study published in the journal Ecology and Evolution has suggested that increasing temperatures are causing insects to change their colouring to avoid Read more

Teilhard de Chardin Centre adds to ‘French Silicon Valley’ research facilities

Thursday, May 18th, 2023
faith and science

Faith and science research will have a place to collaborate when the new Teilhard de Chardin Centre facility opens in Paris next month. Located in a suburb known as the “French Silicon Valley”, the Jesuit-run high-tech Centre will open on 2 June. It will be “a place of dialogue between sciences, philosophy and spirituality,” says Read more

Winston Peters compares himself to famous fundamentalist politician

Thursday, September 27th, 2018
fundamentalist

Last Tuesday, well known New Zealand politician Winston Peters compared himself to American politician William Jennings Bryan. Bryan was a fundamentalist Christian. He was opposed to the teaching of Darwinist evolutionary theory, and in 1924 drafted legislation to prevent its teaching in Florida schools as well as in other states. On Wednesday, NewstalkZB reported that Peters had compared Read more

Creationists not dumb nor stupid; evolution just a theory

Monday, August 6th, 2018
evolution

“How can you be studying biology, you’re a priest; you don’t believe in evolution.” So began the conversation with Rob. I was a ‘newly minted’ studying at Victoria University, Wellington, in a clerical suit and a roman collar. I was standing next to him, scalpel in hand. We were about to dissect our first dogfish. I Read more

Charter school politics behind creationism teaching claim

Thursday, August 2nd, 2018
charter schools

A former student of Mount Hobson Middle School, a partnership (charter) school, claims that his science teacher Rachel O’Connor favoured creationism as an explanation for how the world began. Rachel O’Connor is the sister of National Party leader Simon Bridges and wife of National MP Simon O’Connor. This news item appeared on Newsroom two days after the opposition Read more

Richard Dawkins to come to Wellington again

Tuesday, February 9th, 2016

Evolutionary biologist and provocative atheist Richard Dawkins will be appearing during Writers’ Week during the 2016 New Zealand festival. Dawkins, who is now 74, previously appeared at the New Zealand Festival in 2010. In an article in the New Zealand Listener, Diana Wichtel described him as “a scientist, a writer, a performer, a public intellectual, an Read more

The radiance of love redeeming the world’s darkness

Friday, November 21st, 2014

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks gave a inspirational address on Monday at the Humanum conference at the Vatican on the complementarity of man and woman. It ranges over the whole history of marriage and concludes with a brilliant image: marriage turns “the prose of biology into the poetry of the human spirit”. I want this morning to Read more

Pope says evolution, Big Bang, fit with Catholic teaching

Friday, October 31st, 2014

Pope Francis has said that both the Big Bang theory, about the start of the universe, and the theory of evolution do not conflict with Catholic teaching. Speaking to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences on Monday, Pope Francis said scientific explanations for the world did not exclude the role of God in creation. “The beginning Read more

Evolution to be taught in Israel’s middle schools

Tuesday, June 17th, 2014

Israel’s Education Ministry has announced that evolution will be taught in its middle school curriculum. Up to now, only the biblical account of the origins of humanity had been taught at this level, to grade eight and nine students. Darwin’s theory was only taught to high school students studying biology. An education sector spokeswoman said Read more

Catholic scientist who defends evolution to be honoured

Tuesday, April 8th, 2014

A Catholic scientist known for his public defence of evolution is to receive a prestigious honour from a top American university. Professor Kenneth Miller, a biologist at Brown University, is to receive the University of Notre Dame’s Laetare Medal. A previous recipient was President John F. Kennedy. “Like many other scientists who hold the Catholic Read more