NCSE Evolution and Climate Education Update for 2013/04/19
Submitted by Peter Burns on Fri, 2013-04-19 14:44.
National Center for Science Education
(by NCSE Deputy Director Glenn Branch)
Dear Friends of NCSE, A preview of Brian Switek's My Beloved Brontosaurus. Louisiana's governor is explicit about the connection between the Louisiana Science Education Act and creationism. And a new issue of Evolution: Education and Outreach -- in a new open access format.
A PREVIEW OF MY BELOVED BRONTOSAURUS NCSE is pleased to offer a free preview of Brian Switek's My Beloved Brontosaurus: On the Road with Old Bones, New Science, and Our Favorite Dinosaurs(Scientific American / Farrar Straus and Giroux, 2013). The preview consists of chapter 7, "Birds with Feathers," in which Switek discusses the once-seemingly-intractable question of the color of dinosaurs: "The key to the whole puzzle is a simple, beautiful fact that has irrevocably changed the way that we look at dinosaur lives. It is simply this: birds are dinosaurs." Reviewing My Beloved Brontosaurus for Nature, Xu Xing writes, "[Switek] offer[s] a compelling mixture of reliable information, personal experiences and thoughts, anecdotes about paleontological research and even science philosophy, delivered in a breezy and engaging style ... [he] paints a comprehensive picture of how our understanding of dinosaur evolution gradually advances ... Switek has succeeded in covering a wide range of interesting topics in dinosaur palaeontology with infectious enthusiasm." For the preview of My Beloved Brontosaurus (PDF), visit: http://ncse.com/book-excerpt For information about the book from its publisher, visit: http://books.scientificamerican.com/fsg/books/my-beloved-brontosaurus/ JINDAL CONNECTS THE DOTS Interviewed by NBC News (April 12, 2013), Louisiana's governor Bobby Jindal (R) explicitly stated that the so-called Louisiana Science Education Act permits the teaching of creationism, including "intelligent design." Jindal was asked (at around 9:00), "Should creationism be taught in schools?" He did not answer the question directly, although he implied that it would be up to private schools to decide whether to teach creationism, so the interviewer asked, "So you don't think so, you don't think that creationism should be taught in public schools?" Responding, Jindal said in part, "We have what's called the Science Education Act that says that if a teacher wants to supplement those materials, if the school board is okay with that, if the state school board is okay with that, they can supplement those materials. ... Let's teach them -- I've got no problem if a school board, a local school board, says we want to teach our kids about creationism, that people, some people, have these beliefs as well, let's teach them about 'intelligent design'." "What are we scared of?" he asked. A response was provided in advance by Kenneth R. Miller, writing in Slate in 2012. A professor of biology at Brown University, where Jindal earned his undergraduate degree in biology, Miller commented, "Presenting an idea that has no scientific support as if it were the equal of a thoroughly tested scientific theory is academic dishonesty of the rankest sort. Indeed, this is why Jindal'vfs own genetics professor at Brown University, National Academy member Arthur Landy, advised him to veto the LSEA, advice Jindal ignored." Jindal's unprompted connection of the LSEA with creationism is not the first piece of evidence, of course; back in 2008, a sponsor of the bill told the Hammond Daily Star (April 6, 2008) that the bill was aimed at promoting the discussion of "scientific data related to creationism." Moreover, as NCSE previously reported, Louisiana antievolutionists have also reportedly invoked the law to support proposals to teach creationism in at least two parishes -- Livingston and Tangipahoa -- to attack the treatment of evolution in biology textbooks proposed for adoption by the state. The LSEA is currently the target of Senate Bill 26, which would repeal the section of the Louisiana state law that implements it. Introduced by Karen Carter Peterson (D-District 5), who sponsored the identical SB 70 in 2011 and SB 374 in 2012, SB 26 enjoys the support of a host of scientific and educational organizations, including the National Association of Biology Teachers, the Louisiana Association of Biology Educators, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Institute for Biological Sciences. For the interview with Jindal, visit: http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nbc-news/51522589#51522589 For Miller's article in Slate, visit: http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2012/07/bobby_jindal_possible_vice_presidential_pick_but_has_a_creationism_problem_.single.html For the article in the Hammond Daily Star, visit: http://www.hammondstar.com/articles/2008/04/06/top_stories/9327.txt For Louisiana's Senate Bill 26 as introduced (PDF), visit: http://www.legis.la.gov/legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=828787&n=SB26%20Original And for NCSE's previous coverage of events in Louisiana, visit: http://ncse.com/news/louisiana EXCITING NEWS FROM EVOLUTION: EDUCATION AND OUTREACH Evolution: Education and Outreach -- the journal promoting the accurate understanding and comprehensive teaching of evolutionary theory for a wide audience -- is now open access! As its editors Gregory Eldredge and Niles Eldredge explain, "From now on, we will be fully Open Access on our website ... . In addition, the first five previously published volumes -- a total of 20 issues, most of them dedicated to particular topics (e.g. 'Co-evolution,' 'Biogeography,' 'Evolution and Medicine,' 'Museums and Evolution,? 'Human Evolution'), organized and written by experts in their fields -- will be freely available, too, for the very first time on SpringerLink." NCSE plans to continue its regular contribution to the journal in its new open access format, starting with "Geeking out with Darwin," Glenn Branch's review of Eugene Byrne and Simon Gurr's Darwin: A Graphic Biography. The book, writes Branch, presents "a compelling and engaging introduction to Darwin?s life and work, at a high level of historical and scientific accuracy, in the space of a scant hundred pages which, moreover, teem with attractive and amusing illustrations. ... If thousands of copies of the book were to make their way to the classrooms and libraries of public schools in the United States, it would be good news for teachers and students alike." For Eldredge and Eldredge's explanation of the open access format, visit: http://www.evolution-outreach.com/content/6/1/1 For Branch's review of Darwin: A Graphic Biography, visit: http://www.evolution-outreach.com/content/6/1/14 For Evolution: Education and Outreach's new website, visit: http://www.evolution-outreach.com And for the first five volumes of Evolution: Education and Outreach, visit: http://link.springer.com/journal/12052 Thanks for reading. And don't forget to visit NCSE's website -- http://ncse.com -- where you can always find the latest news on evolution and climate education and threats to them. -- Sincerely, Glenn Branch Deputy Director National Center for Science Education, Inc. 420 40th Street, Suite 2 Oakland, CA 94609-2509 510-601-7203 x305 fax: 510-601-7204 800-290-6006 branch@ncse.com http://ncse.com Read Reports of the NCSE on-line: http://reports.ncse.com Subscribe to NCSE's free weekly e-newsletter: http://groups.google.com/group/ncse-news NCSE is on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter: http://www.facebook.com/evolution.ncse http://www.youtube.com/NatCen4ScienceEd http://twitter.com/ncse NCSE's work is supported by its members. Join today! http://ncse.com/join
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