Is This the State of Scientific Literacy in the US?

I certainly hope not, but I'm afraid it's frighteningly close.

For the record, I remember being amazed by rainbows around the water sprinkler 60 years ago, when I was a child. They were as lovely and awe-inspiring then as they are now. And entirely natural, as this one is.

New JREF President - Phil Plait

The James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) anounces that Dr. Philip Plait – renowned astronomer, author, and skeptic – will be taking on the role of President of the JREF effective immediately.

If you are not familiar with either Dr. Plait or JREF, this would be a good time to make their acquaintance. Phil is the "Bad Astronomer" who set up a website originally to debunk "bad astronomy." Probably his most memorable debunking was of the claims that the moon landings were all an elaborate hoax. He demonstrated that every argument of the moon landing hoax theorists was wrong. As more reasonable people knew all along, of course.

James Randi, known professionally as "The Amazing Randi," is a magician, an author, and a skeptic who has specialized in recent years in investigating and debunking claims of the paranormal. His foundation offers a prize -- now set at a million dollars -- for anyone who can demonstrate paranormal abilities under controlled experimental conditions.

Randi said, “Phil is a skeptic, a scientist, and a colleague, and his ideas and vigor will take the JREF very far indeed. We’re pleased and proud to have him take the reins.” He added, “I will now be dedicating much of my time to completing my next two books, Wrong!, and A Magician in the Laboratory.”

Congratulations, Phil.

Primates 'face extinction crisis'

The Critically Endangered grey-shanked douc langur is one of the primates in peril.

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"A global review of the world's primates says 48% of species face extinction, an outlook described as 'depressing' by conservationists.

"The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species says the main threat is habitat loss, primarily through the burning and clearing of tropical forests.

"More than 70% of primates in Asia are now listed as Endangered, it adds"

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According to Wikipedia, "A primate is any member of the biological order Primates, the group that contains all the species commonly related to the lemurs, monkeys, and apes, with the last category including humans."

These are our cousins, our closest evolutionary relatives. Are we going to let them die out?

Evolution vs. Creationism: Listen to the Scientists

Evolution: Is it only a theory? Some people claim it's not even science at all. What do the scientists themselves say? What is a scientific theory anyway? What does the word "theory" mean to a scientist? It may not be what you think.

People keep telling me there's a controversy among scientists about whether evolution is real or not. Is this true? Do scientists really spend their time arguing about whether evolution happens or not? Is creationism just as likely as evolution?

Find out from the scientists themselves what they say about these questions and more.


Now point your browser over here and find 23 more videos by these and other scientists. (Maybe more by the time you read this.)