Mary’s Monday Metazoan: Hummer and tongues » « Clarity

Hey, I’m in Minneapolis this afternoon

Just in case you’re nearby, I’ll be speaking at the Southdale Public Library in Edina at 2:00 on how religion is always wrong. Come on by!

If you can’t make that, we’ll also be going to Q Cumber’s restaurant at 4 for dinner. Everyone is welcome to join in.

Mary’s Monday Metazoan: Hummer and tongues » « Clarity

Comments

  1. blf says

    I’ll be speaking … on how religion is always wrong.

    Always? I think a certain FSM will be coming by to heave a pasta at you.

    Or is that have a pasta with you… can’t read the writing, somebody used cheese instead of ink again.

  2. makyui says

    Dinner at four? Good lord. I don’t think even the old folks down here in Florida go to dinner that early. :)

  3. Nerd of Redhead, OM says

    Dinner at four?

    Well, PZ is probably driving back to Morris after dinner.

  4. Kieranfoy says

    Are you seriously going to talk about how religion is always wrong at a PUBLIC library, or am I missing some sarcasm? ’cause talking officially about religion being wrong at a public institution seems to me to be just as wrong as doing likewise with a pro-religion stance.

  5. blf says

    4am sounds like proper dinner time to me. Most of the pubs have closed by then, so having completed the drinkinglecturing, what else is there to do?

  6. Rutee, Shrieking Harpy of Dooooom says

    Are you seriously going to talk about how religion is always wrong at a PUBLIC library, or am I missing some sarcasm? ’cause talking officially about religion being wrong at a public institution seems to me to be just as wrong as doing likewise with a pro-religion stance.

    This is sarcasm, right?

    If not,

    I’ll be speaking at the Southdale Public Library in Edina at 2:00 on how religion is always wrong.

    Is not

    I’ll be speaking for the Southdale Public Library in Edina at 2:00 on how religion is always wrong.

  7. Givesgoodemail says

    Well, shit.

    We just came in from a hot dirty day of gardening (gotta get those peppers and tomatoes in), and we’re too dirty (and busy) to go to Q Cumber’s (one of my favorite eateries).

    Next time, perhaps.

  8. erik.m.oleary says

    Very intriguing talk! I was hoping you’d be a bit more bombastic though :)

  10. lynn says

    What an enjoyable afternoon listening to PZ’s talk. It had so many threads that wove together to help me understand the creationist point of view. A bit of history related to current thoughts with the best part saved for last. A very fun talk.

    PZ began with a short explanation of the contribution of Herschel, the astronomer and telescope inventor whose discovery of planet Uranus altered the world view of his society dramatically. Yet 18th Christians made a good effort to accommodate science into their mythology, unlike today’s rigid right Christians, PZ explained.

    It seems that people in all eras have difficulty with deep space and deep time. PZ said that the idea of “millions of years” of evolution infuriates creationists. I’ve encountered deep time confusion when I explain the migration out of Africa about 50,000 to 80,000 years ago as part of the story in my art and I’m asked… “what about the dinosaurs?”

    The best part of the lecture was the last 15 minutes when PZ gave a very thorough and very clear explanation of Savante Paabo and colleagues’ data from the Neanderthal genome. (their paper recently published in “Science”. Take a look at this special feature http://www.sciencemag.org/special/neandertal/feature/index.html).

    This is very new information and may not hold up over the next months, but analysis shows that when anatomical humans that left Africa about 80,000 years ago, residing in the Fertile Crescent, exchanged genes with our distant cousins.

    They were making whoopee! So population groups like Northern Europeans (that’s PZ’s Hap Group H) and Asians are 1% to 4% Neanderthal.

    Aligning the chimp, human and Neander genomes scientists asked, what’s changed? PZ showed a short list of the genes they have so far that showed variation — most for cognitive functions. One gene may allow for expansion of the skull for a big brain and adjustment of the shoulders to keep it in place.

    I love human origins stuff and it’s only going to get more fascinating, complex and just plain thrilling over the next years.

    Which was one of PZ’s main points. Creationists describe a small, unchanging and very uninteresting world. Science is revealing such beautiful panoramas of diversity and complexity. The real thing is so incredible, isn’t it?

  13. SlantedScience says

    Original Post said: “I’ll be speaking … on how religion is always wrong.”

    Didn’t you watch your own posted video? The correct term nowadays is: “Religion is bullshit”.

    Do try to keep up, old man.

  14. Shplane says

    I like the “Always”. It shows one of my favorite things about PZ: He never wavers, he never waffles, he never tries to accommodate. He knows how fucked up this shit is, and he’s going to PUNCH IT WITH LOGIC until it stops ruining lives.

    So thanks, PZ. Maybe with people like you and Dawkins around, I might get to see a world where people can’t use Space Fairies to break down society before I die.

  15. Lilie says

    I’m so glad we finally made it to the Minnesota Atheists meeting. And how nice that you were there. What a fun talk. We all knew it was true, but it sure is nice to hear it from someone who knows the science and can back it up.

  19. Carlie says

    Nothing. It’s just unfortunately the only thing that ever comes into my head now when I see the word “bombastic”. Carry on.