It’s on! Students here at UMM got together and have organized their very own Midwest Science of Origins Conference, to be held in Morris on 30 March-1 April. As the big name speaker, they’ve got Neil Shubin to tell us all about Tiktaalik, and some other regional folk to talk about physics, biology, anthropology, and philosophy…and also Chris Stedmaaaaaan (you can tell right away that this isn’t a case of me dictating to them what to do — this is entirely student-organized and run). Come on out and learn!
What, you say, you can’t come all the way out to itty-bitty Morris on the edge of nowhere? Then send your money, instead. The conference is free, but they are looking for donations to cover costs.
For every hundred dollars donated, I promise to growl angrily at Stedman. See? That’s how he can contribute to freethought!
(Also on Sb)
Stedman has more to tell us about origins than Deepak Chopra? I don’t really mind what he says (probably helps some agree with science), it’s just difficult to know why he’s at an “origins” conference.
Oh well, at least he’ll give Ken Ham someone to really despise there. Ah yes, perhaps that’s the point, Ham will be whining so much about anyone who says religion and evolution can co-exist that he’ll forget to tell lies about the science itself.
Looks like a great conference with or without Stedman.
Glen Davidson
Just remember Stedman’s motto:
How much for you to make farty noises at him?
How about telling him his mother smells of elderberries?
And wouldn’t ya know, I’ll be out of town that weekend. Hopefully they record and stream the talks for later viewing.
I mind him more than Glenn I guess, but I’m also curious as to why he’s speaking there. Does he have a background in science at all?
So far the conference has representatives from biology, astrophysics, anthropology, socio-philosophers – but no chemists. And it’s called the Origin of Life, a chemical process in the first steps for sure.
There must be some geochemists or biochemists (one of each preferably) who could attend and regale the audience with descriptions of chemical synthesis reactions at hot vents some 4 billion years ago, or describe how different ocean chemistry would be in a reducing (oxygen-free) atmosphere. Self-replicating chain reactions with carbon and nitrogen compounds must have preceded RNA and DNA synthesis, and then there’s cell membranes to build. This would be a nice (free) video clip to play, for example:
Iron, sulfur, hydrogenases, great stuff about Yellowstone, which people would be familiar with.
How much do we need to donate for you to stand up with your fingers in your ears yelling “LA LA LA LA LA…” the entire time Stedman is at the podium?
Yay I am registered and very excited. This will be my first conference of this sort.
I’ll trade my 2007 Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus for whatever donation gets you to corner Stedman, and then thrash him about the head and shoulders with a shit-dipped sea bass. Pictures, if you don’t mind…