We’re having a new Tangled Bank on Wednesday at The Neural Gourmet — so send me links fast!
Pharyngula
Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal
We’re having a new Tangled Bank on Wednesday at The Neural Gourmet — so send me links fast!
http://kelosophy.blogspot.com/2008/10/theres-monkey-sitting-at-typewriter.html
The difference between the “lawful accidents” of evolution, and the rationality-defying sort that IDists like:
http://behefails.wordpress.com/2008/10/20/evolution-of-adaptive-immunity-v-complexity-evolves-isnt-copied/
Glen D
Damn, wrong link. This is the right one.
Glen D
http://forthesakeofscience.wordpress.com/2008/10/25/why-natural-selection-is-not-random/
“I have no idea why someone would take a term like natural selection and say it is random”, said Miller when reached for an interview.
Miller sees natural selection as one of the essential paths to complex life forms. Such a mechanism gives species the ability to filter out what doesn’t work and leave what does. Professor Miller echoes this notion, saying “[n]atural selection is a distinctly non-random process that acts as a sieve through which genetic changes are filtered.” Just as a sieve filled with various rocks will not end up filtering out its contents randomly, natural selection does not filter organisms randomly.
Hello, a friend just linked me this picture: http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/07/31/atheism_good_enough.gif and I thought it was funny-but also inaccurate. Einstein was never an atheist- he simply did not believe in a Jewish/christian idea of a personal God, also, Abe Lincoln was never confirmed an atheist, however he showed leanings towards Deism. Benjamin Franklin was also a deist. There are differences between agnosticism, atheism, and deism. I just thought I would point it out, as it would still be funny-if everyone on it were an atheist.
What’s this talk of Tangled Bank when you haven’t even plugged Carnival of the Elitist Bastards yet? Is it because John out-elitist bastarded you? ;-)
Aristotle and SCIENCE!
Some blogging on Aristotle’s thoughts on memory and recollection, put in both a historical perspective and with what is still relevant today.
You know you like it!
Or, if you want something a little more modern:
It’s not the size that counts, it’s how you use it. Not as dirty as it sounds. It’s on how fat distribution determines risk for disease.
Freedom from selection lets genes get creative
Something that is fun: Portal Typography