'Intelligent design' trial in fourth week
An intelligent design activist has told a Harrisburg, Pa., federal court the concept is scientific and not a religious option for the theory of evolution.
Intelligent design theory says life is so complex it must have been devised by a supreme being. But Michael Behe, a biochemistry professor who champions intelligent design in his best-selling book "Darwin's Black Box," says the theory is not religious, since it can be explained by "physical, observable and empirical facts of nature."
Critics claim intelligent design is only Bible-based creationism under a different name.
Judge John Jones III is hearing evidence in the case that might determine for the first time whether intelligent design can be mentioned in a public school science class, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported Tuesday.
The Dover, Pa., school board is being sued by parents of 11 students because it requires high school biology teachers to tell students Darwin's theory has unexplained "gaps" and they should consider the possibility of intelligent design.
Although denying intelligent design is a religious tenet, Behe testified he believes God is the "intelligent designer" who created life, the Inquirer reported.
Behe's views have been criticized by several mainstream scientific organizations.
Copyright 2005 by United Press International
-
From lemons to lemonade: Reaction uses carbon dioxide to make carbon-based semiconductor,
33 comments
-
Thioridazine kills cancer stem cells in human while avoiding toxic side-effects of conventional cancer treatments,
3 comments
-
SpaceX private rocket blasts off for space station (Update),
42 comments
-
Landmark calculation clears the way to answering how matter is formed,
55 comments
-
Research team claims to have found evidence Lake Cheko is impact crater for Tunguska Event,
18 comments
More news stories
Change in developmental timing was crucial in the evolutionary shift from dinosaurs to birds: study
At first glance, it's hard to see how a common house sparrow and a Tyrannosaurus Rex might have anything in common. After all, one is a bird that weighs less than an ounce, and the other is a dinosaur that ...
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
11 hours ago |
5 / 5 (8) |
0
|
Social welfare cuts ultimately come with heavy price, researchers say
(Phys.org) -- Slashing government funding for Medicaid, food stamps and other programs that serve the poor – while politically popular with some lawmakers and many conservatives – may do more harm ...
Other Sciences / Social Sciences
May 24, 2012 |
4.1 / 5 (23) |
156
Ancient Bethlehem seal unearthed in Jerusalem
Israeli archaeologists have discovered a 2,700-year-old seal that bears the inscription "Bethlehem," the Israel Antiquities Authority announced Wednesday, in what experts believe to be the oldest artifact ...
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
May 23, 2012 |
3.3 / 5 (15) |
24
Dollars and sense: Why are some people morally against tax?
As the U.S. presidential election campaigns heat up, the economic debate is dominated by bailouts, austerity and, inevitably, taxation. Now a new study published in Symbolic Interaction asks why tax is such an important issue ...
Other Sciences / Social Sciences
May 23, 2012 |
2.3 / 5 (3) |
20
Oldest Jewish archaeological evidence on the Iberian Peninsula
German archaeologists of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena found one of the oldest archaeological evidence so far of Jewish Culture on the Iberian Peninsula at an excavation site in the south of Portugal, ...
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
May 25, 2012 |
4.2 / 5 (6) |
12
Stunning image of smallest possible five-ringed structure
Scientists have created and imaged the smallest possible five-ringed structure – about 100,000 times thinner than a human hair – and you'll probably recognise its shape.
'Unzipped' carbon nanotubes could help energize fuel cells, batteries
Multi-walled carbon nanotubes riddled with defects and impurities on the outside could replace some of the expensive platinum catalysts used in fuel cells and metal-air batteries, according to scientists at ...
Computer model used to pinpoint prime materials for efficient carbon capture
When power plants begin capturing their carbon emissions to reduce greenhouse gases – and to most in the electric power industry, it's a question of when, not if – it will be an expensive undertaking.
T cells 'hunt' parasites like animal predators seek prey, study shows
By pairing an intimate knowledge of immune-system function with a deep understanding of statistical physics, a cross-disciplinary team at the University of Pennsylvania has arrived at a surprising finding: T cells use a movement ...
Yale study concludes public apathy over climate change unrelated to science literacy
Are members of the public divided about climate change because they don't understand the science behind it? If Americans knew more basic science and were more proficient in technical reasoning, would public consensus match ...
Land and sea species differ in climate change response: study
(Phys.org) -- Marine and terrestrial species will likely differ in their responses to climate warming, new research by Simon Fraser University and Australia’s University of Tasmania has found.
