Friday at the University of Minnesota

Our Friday plans are getting better and better. Remember, the crappy talk by John West blaming Darwin for Hitler is at 7 on 30 November at the UM campus — come prepared to be critical. The fun part is that we’re meeting between 5:30 and 6:45 in the Campus Club, on the fourth floor of the Coffman Union. Then some really good news: Mark Borrello, UM’s expert in the history of science, is going to speak briefly after West’s drivel. West isn’t going to get away with anything, at least on Friday.

Unfortunately, he’s also being given an opportunity to lie unchecked to the public on Saturday. The Minnesota Family Council — you already know that this is an evil organization because they’ve got “family” in their title — is going to sponsor another talk.

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Looking for a tenure track job in biology?

Hey, look here: we have an ad in The Chronicle of Higher Education:

Position: Tenure-Track Position in Biology

Institution: University of Minnesota at Morris
Location: Minnesota
Date posted: 11/19/2007

Biology: The University of Minnesota, Morris seeks to fill a tenure-track position in vertebrate biology beginning August 18, 2008. Duties include: teaching undergraduate vertebrate systematics or natural history and sophomore level human physiology; curating and maintaining the discipline’s vertebrate collection; contributing to the university’s general education program; advising undergraduates; conducting research that could involve undergraduates; and sharing in service activities. Minimum qualifications: Ph.D. in zoology or a closely related field and two years experience teaching undergraduates (graduate TA experience acceptable). Send letter of application, resume, transcripts, teaching and research statements, and three letters of reference to: Biology Search Committee Chair, Division of Science and Math, University of Minnesota, Morris, Minnesota 56267-2128. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Screening begins January 7, 2008. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.

Mitt the hypocrite

On the one hand, Mitt Romney wants questions about his lunatic religion off the table; on the other, he thinks representation in government should be proportional to the popularity of their religion, which he uses as an excuse to exclude Muslims for consideration in his cabinet. I don’t think this means he’s going to allow the roughly 10%+ of the population who are atheists/agnostics to be represented, though—after all, he considers only people of faith fit to govern.

Oh, heck, it’s probably not fair to call him a hypocrite. He’s a consistent religious bigot, he’s just unwilling to admit it.

Genetic link of OCD explored (student post)

Researchers at Cambridge conducted a study that measured cognitive function and analyzed images of the brain in individuals with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to capture images of each participants’ brain, and computerized tests were given to study the ability of the individual to stop repetitive behaviors. Also included in the study were healthy family members of the individuals with OCD, and healthy, unrelated individuals used as a control. The family members were included so that the genetic link behind OCD could be explored.

The researchers discovered that individuals with OCD and their relatives did worse on the computerized tasks than the healthy control group. When the MRI photos were analyzed, individuals with OCD and their relatives were found to have distinct patterns in their brain structure, namely a decrease in grey matter in brain regions associated with the suppression of responses and habits.

It was noted that this decrease in grey matter may contribute to the characteristic compulsive and repetitive behaviors associated with OCD. However, researchers are still a long way from discovering the genes involved with OCD, and further research needs to be done to explore why some family members with the altered brain structure do not develop OCD.

Since the family members have similar brain structure, there must be something else contributing to the development of OCD. I wonder if there is something going on inside that is causing a chemical imbalance that contributes to OCD, or if environmental factors are important in the development of OCD. It would be interesting to look at identical twins and see what the pattern of OCD is in them.

Michael Medved, defender of the indefensible

I mentioned before that Michael Medved was joining the Discovery Institute, and now Amanda comments:

I love the move, because it’s so transparent. The weak claims to be an institution dedicated to scientific research fall away; Medved is no scientist, just a dedicated culture war soldier. Which of course means that the Discovery Institute is less interested in discovery than in squelching any perceived threat to the cultural dominance of white Christians of a fundamentalist stripe. Medved no doubt was hired because of his willingness to lie, deceive, conceal, and distract from any realities that clash with his and the Discovery Institute’s culture war goals.

I agree — it’s an interesting indicator of the Discovery Institute’s future direction. Science is a dead-end for them, but appealing to the worst aspects of right-wing culture is a growth industry. It also lines up well with the direction taken in the Expelled movie: no honest content, but much rabid huffing and puffing. I will be looking forward to Medved’s review of that movie, although I suspect I could write it right now. With my eyes closed. In crayon. While drunk.

Amanda also points out something appalling: Michael Medved, slavery denialist.

He’s going to fit in so well at the DI.

Pullman responds to Donohue

But of course fanatical Catholic Bill Donohue is furious about the upcoming movie, The Golden Compass, and is ranting and raving about it. Pullman offers a universally useful and sensible response.

“To regard it as this Donohue man has said — that I’m a militant atheist, and my intention is to convert people — how the hell does he know that? Why don’t we trust readers? Why don’t we trust filmgoers?” Pullman said. “Oh, it causes me to shake my head with sorrow that such nitwits could be loose in the world.”

It’s just a book and a movie, and it doesn’t compel the reader to like it — and we could say that about any of the overtly atheist books that have been published lately. Maybe Donohue should save the outrage for the day we have tax-exempt Pullman reading rooms, or when Pullman is required reading in science classes, or when politicians are elected on the basis of their attractiveness to Kingmaker Philip Pullman and his lobbying group, Fantasy for the Family.

Not notable

The NY Times has published a list of the 100 most notable books of the year. I’m feeling inadequate because, while I read a lot of books, not one of them happened to be on this particular list. I’m thinking that I’d better rush out and get one that is on the list, How to Talk About Books You Haven’t Read, by Pierre Bayard, because that looks like it might be awfully handy at this point.

Of course, I’ve got an excuse. Most of the books I’ve read are science books, and as Chad notes, not one science book made the cut. I guess science was just un-notable and uninteresting this year. Or perhaps the NYT auto-blurb generator choked and died when confronted by difficult texts that didn’t involve depressed exotic people talking, talking, talking endlessly about their powerful love.

Cyber Scholars?

Those sneaky alumni organizations — they’ve always got new angles on how to get to you. The alumni magazine for the University of Oregon has a writeup on me and a current member of the UO faculty, Mark Thoma. Apparently, we are Cyber Scholars, professors who use the blogosphere to teach the world. I think we need some new academic robes to go with that designation — preferably something in silver fabrics, and with a jetpack.

ERV makes Dembski not-backdown and not-cry

You all remember Dembski’s recent faux pas — he was caught stealing a science video from Harvard/XVIVO for use in his Intelligent Design creationism lectures. Dembski has issued one of his patented not-pologies. He now declares that all of the allegations against him are false, but he now promises to no longer use the video. You see, he really didn’t steal it. Here’s his excuse.

The video was so good that I wanted to use it in some of my public presentations, but when I tried to purchase a DVD of it (I sent several emails to relevant parties), I was informed it wasn’t ready.

Translation: He wanted to use the really good video, but the owners said “no”, so he had to use it without their permission. Yeah, that’s the ticket. That’s not stealing. That’s appropriating-without-the-owner’s-permission, a whole different thing.

For a kinder, gentler summary, see Tyler DiPietro.

Keep an eye on ERV, I’m sure she’ll have more to say later.

As expected, ERV speaks.