woodchurch science

state schools could teach the theory of intelligent design in science lessons, the church of england’s new head of education has suggested. the rev jan ainsworth, who is responsible for more than 4,600 schools, said intelligent design - which argues that living species are too complex to have evolved through natural selection and must therefore be the product of a guiding “designer” such as God - could form part of discussions in science lessons.

keith wood, executive director of the national secular society, said:

“intelligent design is nothing to do with science and therefore nothing to do with the history of science. We challenge the church of england to keep religion out of science lessons and unless it does so its educational reputation will be tarnished with the stigma of fundamentalism.”

stephen cox, executive secretary of the royal society, said:

“the theory of evolution is supported by the weight of scientific evidence. the theory of intelligent design is not. the royal society supports questioning and debate in science lessons, as long as it is not designed to undermine young people’s confidence in the value of scientific evidence.”

so, what do you think? let us know by clicking on the comments link.

visit the rio tinto website. what is most noticeable about their home page? what is the main story? visit their products page. they mine for many transition metals with many applications at various locations.

now visit the friends of the earth site. the friends of the earth are an environmental pressure group who are involved in various campaigns. their corporates page states that they are concerned about big business. why is this?

now revisit the rio tinto site. rio tinto refute the claims of environmentalists. their approach page says they are a ‘responsible’ company.

who do you trust? who can you trust? rio tinto or the friends of the earth?

any thoughts please?

let us know how you got on by leaving a comment. we’d love to know…

watch this video from the royal society, of a lecture given by prof. steve jones, in which he attempts to explain why the belief in a creator is ‘wrong’ and that the only valid explanation for the richness and complexity of life can be evolution.

it is estimated that between 100-150 million animals are used in laboratory experiments around the world annually. however, records show that more than two animals are killed as surplus to requirements for every animal used, and this is rising with gm experiments. that means another 240 million animals. then there are animals killed in dissections or killed for their tissues or organs for which there are not even estimates for the number used.

established by the national anti-vivisection society (navs), world lab animal day falls on april 24th every year, is recognised by the united nations, and is marked by anti-vivisectionists all over the globe.

what do you think about animal experimentation? give us your views by leaving a comment.

make sure you are aware of both sides of the argument, visit pro-test, an organisation strongly in favour of animal testing.

i guess that this particular topic isn’t going to go away. any comments or questions? post replies at the comment link.

if we continue to burn fossil fuels at current rates, levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will reach 550 ppm (parts per million) - double the pre-industrial levels - by around 2050. the intergovernmental panel on climate change said this would increase global temperatures by between 1.4 and 5.8°C by 2100, and that sea levels would rise by between 0.09 and 0.88 metres. this will lead to…
the melting of the greenland ice sheet, which holds about 2.6 million cubic kilometres of fresh water (around 6% of the world’s supply). with a 3°C rise in temp it will begin releasing all that water into the north atlantic ocean. according to scientists, sea levels around the world would rise at 5mm a year (compared with 1-2mm a year at the moment).

here’s an interactive guide to the issues

should we be concerned? do you live near the coast? can anything be done? by countries? governments? us? individuals?

creationist theories about how the world was made are to be debated in gcse science lessons in mainstream secondary schools in england. the subject has been included in a new syllabus for biology produced by the ocr exam board, due out in september. critics say the matter should only be discussed in r.e. because there is a danger of elevating religious theories to the status of scientific ones. what do you think? join the debate here

it’s time to get the new year rolling with the first in a series of hot science topics. this first one is really big news currently in the united states. should evolution or creation (or both?) be taught in schools as part of the science curriculum. we want your views on this, so please give us your opinions, make your voice heard, if you haven’t made up your mind yet listen to the arguments then get involved.

here’s a question to whet your appetite: how did all the animals get on noah’s ark? look at some of the arguments at answersingenesis.org