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This is a compilation of the basics of evolution and a broad brush of the sources of evidence for evolution. Prompted by requests from friends and family to procure evidence for evolution, this is the summary of some of the most controversial subtopics of the evidence for evolution. It is meant to be a springboard for those who know little about evolution or have been told that evolution is just a belief like creationism. EVOLUTION BASICS In biology, evolution is the change in the inherited traits of a population of organisms through successive generations. Evolution does not explain how life first began, nor is it a science of cosmology, dealing with what occurred before the beginning of the known universe. Evolution is the science of how different organisms have developed and diversified since life first appeared on earth. ... continue reading

This is a compilation of the basics of evolution and a broad brush of the sources of evidence for evolution.  Prompted by requests from friends and family to procure evidence for evolution, this is the summary of some of the most controversial subtopics of the evidence for evolution.  It is meant to be a springboard for those who know little about evolution or have been told that evolution is just a belief like creationism.

EVOLUTION BASICS
In biology, evolution is the change in the inherited traits of a population of organisms through successive generations.  Evolution does not explain how life first began, nor is it a science of cosmology, dealing with what occurred before the beginning of the known universe.  Evolution is the science of how different organisms have developed and diversified since life first appeared on earth. When a population splits into smaller groups, these groups evolve independently and develop into new species.  The fossil record evidence for evolution not only recorded these changes, but it is astonishing how many fossils we have been able to find when considering how circumstantial the process of fossilization is.   The earth has been radio isotope dated to be about 4.5 billion years old.  Humans appear in the fossil record at 2 million years ago.  All that space in between has been filled with the beginnings of life evolving over billions of years.

TREE OF LIFE
The “tree of life” which scientists have constructed to show the relation between all living things, must be understood to be a tree, not a ladder.  When

Charles Darwin's Tree of Life brainstorming sketch.

one species evolves from another over millions of years, the “parent species” from which the second animal evolved from may still be living and breeding amongst their population.  Sometimes the second species that evolved from the parent species dies out before the parent species and sometimes the parent species dies out before the second.  Some animals, like humans, apes and monkeys, share a common ancestor from which other species in each of our family trees branched off from.  This common ancestor has since gone extinct while the branches of species evolving from this common ancestor have changed and continued branching over about 3.5 million years.  Humans in our general anatomical form appear about 2 million years ago.

DNA
Even without the fossil record, it is possible to create a “tree of life” based solely on the DNA of every living organism.  DNA is the “code” by which each organism is built.  Small changes in that code are what drives evolution.  We have been able to find out that the genetic difference between our cousin apes and ourselves is only a 1-2% difference.  Genetically, we are slightly more distant from monkeys, about 4% difference.  Since mapping the first genome in 2001, scientists have been able to map over 1000 genomes, mostly in those of bacteria and small animals like fruit flies (they have only 13 Chromosomes, making it less time consuming to decode).  In the course of these studies, it has been found that there are certain types of yeast that are genetically more distant from one another than humans are from apes.  Interestingly, Humans also share 80% of their DNA in common with sea sponges.  Every living thing on the plant is our cousin.  Some are more distant cousins and some are more closely related like primates.

When considering how life got started on earth 3 billion years ago, biologists theorized that RNA might have been the determining jump start.  Made from basic elements found on earth, RNA still exists in living organisms today shuttling around information packets.  In 2009, Sutherland experimented with the basic elements that comprise RNA and in a lab was able to “create” RNA strands.  Read more here.

EVOLUTION IN ACTION
“Soft” creationism suggests that a creator made each living thing in a sequence that correlates to when they were found in the fossil record and generally refuses to relate any one species to another.  This view does not explain how species have evolved over the short period of time that humans have been breeding livestock, dogs, plants and yeast.  Humans have successfully accomplished artificial evolution through breeding.  All modern variations of the Dog, for example can be genetically traced back to wolves.  Intense domestication of the dog has occurred over the last 150 years, resulting in over 150 types of purebred dogs.  The dog, Canis familiaris, are all descended from the wolf, Canis lupus.  By mimicking nature, humans select traits and breed desired traits to get the desired result (a smaller size, a fluffier coat, a pug nose, etc).  By breeding plants with choice traits, we have been able to “create” fruits with no seeds like bananas and watermelon.  We have also been able to create seeds that are resistant to toxicants so we can spray these toxins on the crop and kill everything BUT the genetically modified plant.  GMO crops are so drastically modified that they have been able to get patents for them.

Examples of “fast paced” evolution without human gain can be found in science labs.  The E. coli long-term evolution experiment is an ongoing study in experimental evolution led by Richard Lenski that has been tracking genetic changes in 12 initially nearly identical populations of asexual Escherichia coli bacteria since February 24, 1988. The populations reached the milestone of 50,000 generations on February 14, 2010. 1 Over their 50,000 generations, the E. Coli bacteria evolved to be able to “digest” citrate, a compound that they were previously unable to digest for energy.  Through natural selection, the bacteria that were able to cope with digesting even a little of the citrate were the only ones to pass on their genes, and with each generation, the trait that was able to digest citrate became more and more prominent, resulting in a population that was entirely happy digesting citrate.  (Read more here)

When you go to the doctor and he prescribes you some antibiotics for a bacterial infection, what does he always say?  FINISH THE WHOLE BOTTLE OF PILLS!  Why?  Because bacteria evolve to resist the antibiotics we throw at them.  By taking the entire dose, you decrease the chance that a few “tougher” bacteria will survive your onslaught of drugs and go on to infect someone else.  If that does happen and someone else gets your antibiotic resistant strain, the antibiotics will be less effective on these “super bugs”.  Necrotizing fasciitis is one of many new “super bacteria” that have evolved to be resistant to antibiotics.  Read more.

EMBRYOLOGY
Evolution predicts that species with common ancestors should exhibit those same traits during embryological development.  When we look at the embryological development of whales and dolphins, the embryos have arm and leg buds, with the same length and positioning of tetra-pod embryos like humans.  These legs later disappear.  In fact, the first weeks of human embryonic development, the fetus is indistinguishable from the fetus of a shark, dog, whale, and even salamander.  Animals that don’t have tails, have tails in embryo form that later disappear, like humans.  Human embryos carry a trait from our fish ancestry in the form of gills.  These gills develop later into the lower jaw and the ear slit.  (To learn more see Recapitulation Theory)

UNINTELLIGENT DESIGN: EYES
It is suggested by intelligent design advocates that complex organisms or organs could only have been “designed” by a creator because they are so perfect or so complex.  The human eye is a favorite example creationists use to suppose intelligent design.  They state that the eye could not have been functional in any evolutionary state prior to it’s current form.  They also claim the human eye is so complex and beautiful in “design” that it reflects the thoughtfulness of a creator.

To this first notion that the eye could not have been functional in any evolutionary state:  Watch this short video by David Attenborough, then come back…

The eye, in all it’s evolutionary stages is found in animals alive today.  Each stage of the eye that is found in animals today logically and pragmatically leads to “advanced” eyes that humans, primates, dogs, cats etc all share.  In fact, the human eye has more flaws than some other creatures…

To the second notion that the human eye is so complex and beautiful that it reflects the care of its “designer”:  There are two major items wrong with this assumption.  1) The human eye is less capable than the eyes of many animals. For example, Bees can see in ultraviolet as well as color.  They, and most flying insects can see more frames per second than humans, allowing them to seem to “predict” when we are going to swat at them.

Birds possess both binocular vision – when both eyes focus on a single object and monocular vision – focusing on an object through only one eye.  All birds have eyelids, but they’ve gone us one better. In addition to movable upper and lower lids, birds also have a third eyelid know as the nictitating membrane or nictitan. This is a semi-transparent membrane (although in owls alone it is opaque) that can be swept closed across the eye from the direction of the beak to the ear very quickly at the bird’s will. The nictitating membrane is used to protect the eye as well as clean and lubricate it by brushing moisture secreted from the lachrymal gland across it with each blink. Just prior to striking their prey, raptors close their nictitans for protection against the possible lashing out of the captured animal.  We humans have 200,000 visual cells per square millimeter in our fovea. Not bad until you consider that the small, unassuming English sparrow has 400,000 per square millimeter and the European Buzzard, the visual cell grand champ, has one million per square millimeter giving it a visual acuity of at least eight times that of a human.2 Peregrine Falcons have some of the best eyes in the animal kingdom.  These amazing birds have evolved an eye beyond the human eye that has a denser lens center, allowing them to see through a sort of telescopic vision at the center of their eye.  They have also solved a huge flaw in the human eye that has the veins covering the cornea.  In humans, these veins cause a blind spot in the center of our vision, but in falcons, their ocular veins have moved out of the way of this critical spot.   They have evolved these super eyes for diving and seeing prey at high air space.

Mantis Shrimp can see in 16 different color wavelengths, whereas human vision is skewed toward red and green.  Vision can also vary in the maximum rate at which retinal cells can fire in response to light (the “flicker fusion point,” at which a blinking light no longer seems to blink). Most people can’t detect more than about sixty blinks (frames) a second. A fluorescent light, for instance, actually blinks on and off sixty times a second, but most people perceive the light as continuous. For dogs, though, the maximum detectable frame rate is closer to eighty blinks a second, and so a dog may actually see the flickering.  Seeing with more frames per second is what allows animals and insects to react faster to visual stimulus.  Although color-blind, the cuttlefish has two of the most highly developed eyes in the animal kingdom.  It can see well in low light and can also detect polarized light, enhancing its perception of contrast.  While we humans reshape our lenses in order to focus on specific objects, the cuttlefish moves its lenses by reshaping its entire eye.  Also, the cuttlefish’s eyes are very large in proportion to its body and may increase image magnification upon the retina, while the distinct “W” shaped pupil helps control the intensity of light entering the eye.
2) The human eye has optical imperfections. Human eyes are imperfect because evolution is a slow process of change, not an instant “creation” of an organ.  A thoughtful designer would have made such a necessary organ in humans with more care than we find in human eyes.  In the human

Anatomy of the Human Eye

eye, nerve cells and blood vessels lie in front the of retina where they interfere with the eye’s ability to see images.  The optic nerve itself also connects to the brain through a whole in the back of the retina, causing a blind spot in human vision.  By placing the nerves and blood vessels in the way of light entering the eye, a suggested designer greatly decreased the ability of the eye.  Also, the blind spot is an unnecessary flaw in the “design” of an eye.  Humans have been able to design better versions of what the eye could be, had it been a thoughtful process.  What we find instead, is that the eye evolved through every stage visible in animals today.  It is these evolutionary stages that lead to the current anatomy of the human eye.  Please take a moment to watch this video by PBS on the evolution of the human eye and the problems with it’s “design”:

RESOURCES
Evolution is such an immense topic, with many facets and disciplines, it is difficult to condense everything you need to know down into an email.  I’ve tried to brush over the major areas of study.  It is like trying to give you a crash course in chemistry though, and I can’t do the science justice in a few emails. I’ll give you many forms and ways to discover more about the facts of evolution on your own time.

The Basics on the Theory of Evolution:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vss1VKN2rf8

A visual museum of fossils:  http://www.fossilmuseum.net/

Talk Origins Website:  http://www.talkorigins.org/

Primate Evolution Tree:  http://www.handprint.com/LS/ANC/evol.html#chart

Fossils associated with the Primate Evolution tree:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_human_evolution_fossils

Videos can be the most helpful because you get to view fossils and visual aids.
PBS has a “portal” of videos related to evolution:  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/

Dawkins on the evolution of the eye:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5e2c6uliTw&feature=related

Paleoanthropology Links http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/homs/links.html

Berkley University has a hub for articles explaining evolution.  You can browse all four topics:  http://evolution.berkeley.edu/

The most recent book I have read on Evolution is call “The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution” by Dawkins.  Dawkins is a biologist who lays out the evidence for evolution in detail, going through all the varying types of evidence so far uncovered.  It is the best “lay man’s” explanation in book form I have yet come across.

This is a 25 minute interview where Dawkins answers questions about his book:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUFOlyt7ErE

This is HUGE.  This gives scientists the capability to make ANY protien.  Some of the possibilties include: Making organs from scratch that fit a person’s individual DNA with the “bad” parts replaced with “good” code; creating a new biofuel that is genetically designed to be as efficient and clean as possible…

From the BBC:

Scientists in the US have succeeded in developing the first synthetic living cell.

The researchers constructed a bacterium’s “genetic software” and transplanted it into a host cell.

The resulting microbe then looked and behaved like the species “dictated” by the synthetic DNA.

The advance, published in Science, has been hailed as a scientific landmark, but critics say there are dangers posed by synthetic organisms.

The researchers hope eventually to design bacterial cells that will produce medicines and fuels and even absorb greenhouse gases.

The team was led by Dr Craig Venter of the J Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) in Maryland and California.

He and his colleagues had previously made a synthetic bacterial genome, and transplanted the genome of one bacterium into another.

Now, the scientists have put both methods together, to create what they call a “synthetic cell”, although only its genome is truly synthetic.

Dr Venter likened the advance to making new software for the cell.

The researchers copied an existing bacterial genome. They sequenced its genetic code and then used “synthesis machines” to chemically construct a copy.

Dr Venter told BBC News: “We’ve now been able to take our synthetic chromosome and transplant it into a recipient cell – a different organism.

“As soon as this new software goes into the cell, the cell reads [it] and converts into the species specified in that genetic code.”

The new bacteria replicated over a billion times, producing copies that contained and were controlled by the constructed, synthetic DNA.

“This is the first time any synthetic DNA has been in complete control of a cell,” said Dr Venter.

Continue reading…

Bonobo monkeys are similar to Chimps.  The major difference is their social behavior.  Chimp communities are run by males, prone to fighting, group battles and infanticide.  Bonobo communities are run by the females.  They spend a large part of their day grooming each other, having sex with multiple partners and playing in groups.  Bonobos show a great deal of compassion for each other and even for other animals. Their motto could

Bonobos having sex missionary style, a favorite sex position of the Bonobos

easily be “make love, not war”.  Because the females have sex with all the males in the group, non of the males will kill the baby bonobos because there is no way of knowing whose baby is whose.

Recent studies have concluded that Bonobos also share like humans.  Socially, the Bonobo monkey is the closest cousin to humans.  Bonobos are strikingly human like.  Learn more about Bonobos on Nova’s documentary video “Ape Genius”

When a women is pregnant, the makeup she wears, the deoderant she uses and the lotions she uses may effect her baby’s behavior later down the road.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that high levels of phthalates found in a women’s blood during pregnancy directly correlate with behavioral issues in their child at ages 4-9 years.

Phthalates are non-organic chemicals used in lotions, makeup products, soaps, nail polish, perfumes and shampoos.  “Phthalates are part of a group of chemicals known as endocrine disruptors, that interfere with the body’s endocrine, or hormone system.”1 Phthalates is also known as BPA when used in plastics.

Children whose mothers tested with a high level of Phthalates in their blood during pregnancy consistently reported behavioral issues in their 4-9 year olds associated with Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Conduct Disorder and ADHD.

To avoid phthalates in personal care products, buy only all natural products and read the ingredients.  If you can’t pronounce an ingredient or have never heard of it, look it up on the EWG website before buying.  Most Phthalates in personal products are called one of the following:

BzBP (benzylbutyl phthalate)

DBP (di-n-butyl phthalate) and DEP (diethyl phthalate)

“fragrance” is another ingredient to avoid.  If a chemical blend is a trade secret, manufactures are not legally required to disclose the contents on the lable.  They simply denote this as “fragrance”, which likely contains parabens or phthalates.

The best paraben free products to replace your most common personal care products are:

Deoderant: Crystal Salt

Toothpaste: PerioBrite

Shampoo and Conditioner: [amazon ASIN="B001JAH2V0"]Hugo Naturals[/amazon]

Lipgloss, cosmetics: [amazon ASIN="B000WRZSCQ"]Honeybee gardens[/amazon]

Lotion: [amazon ASIN="B0012NZ9LY"]Hugo Naturals[/amazon]

Hand and Body soap:[amazon ASIN="B001ET77YI"]Dr. Bronners[/amazon] or find home made soaps from your local farmer’s market.

Nail polish: just don’t use it!  Nail polish is basically paint that you absorb through your skin.

Learn more: The Do-Nothing Method to Healthier Skin ::   BPA powder on your receipts?!

References:

1. Science Daily

Antarctica’s mountain ranges have been digitally scanned! If the ice were to melt away, they would look very similar to the Cascade Range in the USA, home of Mnt. Rainer.

See all the photos here.

Recent studies have linked high levels of PBDEs in women’s blood to a difficult time getting pregnant.  PBDEs are a type of flame retardant found in fabrics, furniture and mattresses.  They are most prevalent in foams.

PBDEs, or polybrominated diphenyl ethers, are a class of organobromine compounds that became commonplace after the 1970s when new fire safety standards were implemented in the United States. The flame retardants are used in foam furniture, electronics, fabrics, carpets, plastics and other common items in the home. - Science Daily

It is not clear how PBDEs interfer with fertility, but reserach has suggested they effect hormone levels.  Household dust from foam, couches, curtains, sheets, and mattresses is the main culprit for human absorbtion of PBDEs.  Tempurpedic beds do not contain PBDEs

Read more: Non-stick pans wreak havok on your Thyroid

Recent studies link a chemical called perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) to human thyroid hormonal imbalances and diseases.  PFOA is found in the coatings of non-stick cookware, stain resistant carpeting, upholstery and clothing.  The most common way PFOA makes its way into the human body is by eating foods cooked in non-stick cookware or foods that touched non-stick coatings on fast food wrappers and styrofoam packaging.

Science Daily reports:

The researchers found that the individuals with the highest 25% of PFOA concentrations (above 5.7ng/ml) were more than twice as likely to report current thyroid disease than individuals with the lowest 50% of PFOA concentrations (below 4.0ng/ml). The most specific analysis included 163 women and 46 men who reported having current thyroid disease and who were taking thyroid medication at the time the blood samples were taken.

What is the moral of the story?  Organic, all natural carpet, or just cut out the hairy stuff altogether.  Get natural, organic furniture, not stuff made out of synthetics and PFOA.  But more importantly, replace all non-stick cookware with stainless steel, woods and metals without the teflon coatings.  Your thyroid will be much happier and more easily regulate your metabolism and mood without a bonbardment of PFOA.

Perhaps the most comprehensive layman’s book on the science of Evolution, The Greatest Show on Earth inspires a deeper understanding of life on planet Earth.

Richard Dawkins is well known for his best selling book The God Delusion where he makes a compelling case against superstitions and religion.  However, in his latest book, Dawkins makes a point to set aside supernatural disagreements and focus on the point of evolution.  He does so in earnest because of the outspoken creationists who mislead young minds into believing the earth is only 10,000 years old and that people rode Dinosaurs.

The Greatest Show on Earth is written in a way that chronologically flows well and makes a point to explain the various ways in which evidence is verified.  Dawkins goes into great length to explain to the average person how carbon dating and zirconium dating function and the strengths and weaknesses of each dating method.  He covers the many experiments and observations being done today to watch evolution take place in bacteria, dog breeds, fish and much more.  Dawkins includes detailed information on fossils and lineage that connect all living things together on the tree of life.

This book is also available on iTunes in audio formate from Audible.com. Dawkins narrates the audio book, which is a great way to glean the most accurate inflection from the author himself.

So why should we care about 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate ?  For starters it is found in some hair products and denture/dental products.

It is in so many products despite it’s ability to cause cancer in lab rats and toxicity of the human digestive, respiratory and circulatory systems.

8-Hydroxyquinoline sulfate is a metal chelating agent extracted from coal tar. It has been used in a wide variety of products, from “bag balm” for cows to cosmetics and drugs, for its ability to inhibit the growth of imidazolidinylurea microbes. 1

8-Hydroxyquinoline sulfate

The compound was previously used a preservative in cheese until it was deemed “harmful if swallowed” by the FDA, which has since banned it from all foods. 2 At some point in it’s history it was used as a pesticide, but is not considered obsolete. 3

A 2001 document on the effects of 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate on livestock prepared for the USDA by the Organic Materials Review Institute states that “Although it is not generally reported as a carcinogen or teratogen, a test of the food additive formerly used as cheese preservative (8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate) found tumors in the bladder, brain, and uteri of rats and mice when administered intervaginally.” 4

According to the EWG, 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate is considered a moderate health hazard with the ability to cause cancer, toxicity of the stomach, digestive tract, respiratory tract and cardiovascular system even in low exposure.  It’s use in cosmetic products is either prohibited or strictly limited in most major countries.  Finally, there have been no studies on the long term effects when left on the skin and absolutely no studies done on how much is absorbed into the bloodstream 5

Sources:

1. ACS Chemistry

2. FDA

3. http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Docs/ref_regulatoryINT.html#WHOObsolete

4. SkinDeep and OMRI NOSB Tap Materials Database

5. EWG

Every time I go to a new gym, I become familiar with the resident “orangies” who are perpetually tan, most of them bordering on the orange spectrum.  For weight trainers like myself there is something to be said for being buff AND tan.  Spray on tans are by far the most common alternative to frying your skin in the cancer coffin on a regular basis.  I’ve tried the spray tan booth a few times myself and was hard pressed to avoid breathing in the spray.  Holding your breath for 15 seconds while being doused with dye.  I inevitably inhaled the stuff.

Researchers at UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have conducted studies on nano particles found in paint, vitamins, tanning sprays, spray-on suncreens, cosmetics, toothpastes, etc.  Their focus especially was on titanium dioxide nanoparticles.  Results suggested that continual exposure whereby the nanoparticles were allowed to enter the body (through digestion or inhalation) caused cancer in mice.  They also suggested that the nanoparticles are not able to penetrate the skin, but upon entering the body, they are able to move around freely causing oxidative stress and cell death.

“It could be that a certain portion of spontaneous cancers are due to this exposure,” Schiestl said. “And some people could be more sensitive to nanoparticles exposure than others. “I believe the toxicity of these nanoparticles has not been studied enough.”

The studies warrant further research on the effects of nanoparticles on the body.  Until then, think twice when stepping into that tanning booth, spraying on the sunscreen or powdering your face.  You may be flirting with lung cancer.

Find out more at Science Daily.

Recent studies have suggested that not enough folate in the diet may lead to carcinogenesis (process whereby normal cells are turned into cancerous cells) and too much folic acid may increase the growth of already present cancerous cells.  These findings augment the all to familiar adage: “Too much of a good thing is a bad thing”.  It should come as no surprise that a healthy balance of anything, including folic acid is the best way to enhance the body’s functions.  An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but 100 apples will certainly make you sick.

“Experimental evidence suggests that folate deficiency may promote initial stages of carcinogenesis, whereas high doses of folic acid may enhance growth of cancer cells. Since 1998, many countries, including the United States, have implemented mandatory folic acid fortification of flour and grain products to reduce the risk of neural-tube birth defects,” the authors write. “Recently, concerns have emerged about the safety of folic acid, in particular with respect to cancer risk.” From Science Daily

Taking this further, it should be noted that the best way to ingest folic acid is not through supplements or “enriched” cereals.  Folic acid is best taken in it’s natural form through foods that contain it naturally such as asparagus, okra, oranges, spinach, grapefruit, and nuts.

I would love to hear this homeopath, Dr. Charlene Werner try to explain physics to a physics professor. It literally sounds like she is making this stuff up as she goes! How does one justify using Einstein’s E=mc2 by “crossing out mass”? Oh, and her best example of how magic pellets work is a “patient” with a “squeaky knee” and “sugar cravings” being “cured” in 4 weeks. Really?

So if your brain doesn’t hurt from all that incorrect blabbering, listen to an actual physicist on the topics Dr. Charlene Werner just touched on.

PZ is a biology professor gives his take on Design verses Chance at the AAI convention in LA, 2009.  “Complexity, complexity complexity… therefore design”

Besides the obvious side effects of taking oral contraceptives, women who are on the pill may want to reconsider how it may interfere with their love life. In the October 2009 Issue of Trends in Ecology and Evolution, Dr. Virpi Lumma presented evidence for hormone interruption caused by the pill. Women who are on the pill do not cycle normally through ovulation. During ovulation a women’s hormones make her more likely to choose a mate who exhibits more masculine traits and to also choose a mate who is genetically less like herself through the body’s response to pheromones of the opposite sex.

Dr. Lumma’s studies suggest that women on the pill do not cycle through this natural ovulation time which leads them to select mates that are more genetically similar to themselves, which can lead to genetic diseases or disorders in offspring.  Read the full article.

This news comes hot on the heals of recent studies that have shown extremely high levels of estrogen byproduct in water systems (and drinking water). The elevated levels of estrogen come from the urine of women taking the pill as the body expels excess hormone. Because the hormone does not break down or get caught by water filtration systems, it gets returned to drinking water and into ecosystems that harm fish and other wildlife.

We’ve all heard it before.  The classic argument from a theist’s perspective on why a god must have created our universe.  I can’t tell you how many times religious people have said to me: “well, can you think of one example where something comes from nothing in the universe?”

They are correct in noting that “something cannot be created from nothing” within our known universe, as far as we have been able to demonstrate through

Hubble Deep Field: hundreds of galaxies

Hubble Deep Field: thousands of galaxies

scientific inquiry.  However, when considering the big bang and the origins of our known universe, we cannot apply the laws of physics WITHIN the known universe to that which act OUTSIDE the known universe.  Before the start of our universe, it is plausible that other laws of “physics” governed and dictated how our universe singularity began and where the energy and material originated from.

There is also a notable phenomenon observed in quantum mechanics.  Particles composed of quarks such as protons, neutrons, positrons, etc have been observed popping into existence from nowhere and leaving again just as fast.  Such particles “appear” in a vacuum where no other matter or energy exists.  At the quantum level, even empty space is not truly empty but is seething with activity;  particles are constantly popping in and out of existence everywhere.  In pair creation, a particle and its antimatter partner seem to “appear”  (see Bosons).  This is cutting edge quantum mechanics research.  The Large Hadron Collider in Switzlerand was built and is just recently up and running in the search for the Higgs-Boson particle.

We cannot apply the laws of this universe to that which acted outside of the universe.  The laws that hold true within the bubble of our universe may not govern outside the bounds of this universe.  It is plausible that there are endless numbers of other universes “floating” about and our universe is just one of them.  Within each of these multi-verses different laws and properties may govern the interactions within.  This “Multiverse theory” is the leading theory in the scientific cosmology community, though it remains untested and still a speculation.  (Though this speculation is based on other observations and evidence of how our universe operates).  It is probable that the “laws” that act outside our bubble universe commonly call into existence something from nothing.  We cannot say with certainty so  it is irresponsible to jump to a conclusion without the ability to test or prove it to be false or true.  This applies to the multi-verse theory and the theory of a god or gods.

Watch this 10 min video where Dr. Michio Kaku, a leading cosmologist explains the multiverse theory:

As announced this weekend: Here is a transcript of Hawking’s explanation of why he is stepping down as the Lucasian Professor at Cambridge.

“The first thing I should say, is that I’m not retiring. Under Cambridge University regulations, I will no longer be the Lucasian Professor, but I will have a new post as a Director of Research at Cambridge.

I will carry on with my scientific work, and my efforts to explain it to other people. I’m currently working on the quantum creation of the universe, and the rapid inflation in size that followed.

Despite having been unfortunate enough to get motor neurone disease at the age of 21, I have had a full and satisfying life. I have three wonderful children, and have been able to add to our understanding of the universe.

It has been a glorious time to be alive, and doing research in theoretical physics. Our picture of the universe, has changed a great deal in the last 40 years, and I’m happy if I have made a small contribution.

I want to share my excitement and enthusiasm. There’s nothing like the Eureka moment, of discovering something that no-one knew before. I won’t compare it to sex, but it lasts longer.”

Experts say “yes”.  Eating healthy and including foods that aid the body in maintaining healthy cell structure and blood flow can change your otherwise “predisposed” genetic code.

This is a must buy for science geeks.  The lyrics are controversial and clever. One of the songs called “Science is Real” has a free video preview that really digs at the issue of myth verses proven theory. I’m buying mine off itunes as soon as it becomes available.

Recent studies have linked HMF to DNA damage in humans and it also might be the answer to why bees are dying at an alarming rate. HMF is a chemical that is created in High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) when it is heated above 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Most products on American grocer shelves contain HFCS that has been heated during processing. HMF has been shown to cause DNA damage in humans and to kill bees. Many high volume producing bee farms feed their bees HFCS that can reach high temps in summer sun, releasing HMF. Natural beekeepers or bees that produce honey from pollination do not exhibit signs of HMF poisoning. High Fructose Corn Syrup is easy to avoid if you eat a healthy diet. Avoid the shelves in your grocer and stick to the perimeter of the store where all the refrigerated and fresh items can be found. Fruits, veggies, meats, grains. If it can "keep" on the shelf for over a week, it probably has preservatives and HFCS in it. Evolutionary, we are not designed to handle high volumes of sugar, chemicals or canned foods. Our ancestors would have eaten small amounts every 2-3 hours as they foraged and collected food. The human body is best served by eating small portions every 2-3 hours. The food ingested should be natural and not chemically altered or preserved.

Recent studies have linked HMF to DNA damage in humans and it also might be the answer to why bees are dying at an alarming rate. HMF is a chemical that is created in High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) when it is heated above 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Most products on American grocer shelves contain HFCS that has been heated during processing. HMF has been shown to cause DNA damage in humans and to kill bees. Many high volume producing bee farms feed their bees HFCS that can reach high temps in summer sun, releasing HMF. Natural beekeepers or bees that produce honey from pollination do not exhibit signs of HMF poisoning.

High Fructose Corn Syrup is easy to avoid if you eat a healthy diet. Avoid the shelves in your grocer and stick to the perimeter of the store where all the refrigerated and fresh items can be found. Fruits, veggies, meats, grains. If it can “keep” on the shelf for over a week, it probably has preservatives and HFCS in it. Evolutionary, we are not designed to handle high volumes of sugar, chemicals or canned foods. Our ancestors would have eaten small amounts every 2-3 hours as they foraged and collected food. The human body is best served by eating small portions every 2-3 hours. The food ingested should be natural and not chemically altered or preserved.

This hour long lecture discusses “intolerance” in a ironic and funny way. Oklahoma provides a great example :) Dawkins discusses how the human mind is obsessed with “purpose” for humans only. The banana clip is so sick! Ha! Then he shows how Ray comfort thinks the genetically modified modern banana was made for humans to “hold”. This is silly when we see what a natural banana looks like (with seeds).

A short 2 minute video showing the small differences between the genome sequence of chimps and humans.  Richard Dawkins explains with an excellent visual aid.

From the BBC news:

Europe’s Planck observatory has reached its operating temperature, making it the coldest object in space.

The observatory’s detectors have been chilled to a staggering minus 273.05C – just a tenth of a degree above what scientists term “absolute zero.”

Launched in May, Planck will survey the “oldest light” in the Universe.

Its detectors, or bolometers, should see detail in this radiation that offers new insights into the age, contents and evolution of the cosmos.  read more

Quote taken from this article

Imagine if you could look at something once and remember it forever. You would never have to ask for directions again. Now a group of scientists has isolated a protein that mega-boosts your ability to remember what you see.

A group of Spanish researchers reported today in Science that they may have stumbled upon a substance that could become the ultimate memory-enhancer.  learn more

This fish was discovered recently and has yet to be identified.  How special do you think human teeth are now?  Good enough for fish evidently.

19 March 2009. World famous philosopher and humanist Daniel Dennett speaks at Conway Hall, providing “A Darwinian Perspective on Religions: Past, Present and Future”

We just moved in Arizona in October 2008 after living the majority of our young lives in the great state of Minnesota.  To say the lease, I did NOT miss the Minnesota winter.  Being able to step outside in December in a skirt and flip flops never got old.  Being able to go camping on a whim in February couldn’t have been nicer.

The local new reported this week that June has procured record  lows, sporting an unusual 14 days straight of below 100 degree weather.  My friends from Minnesota would baulk at 100 degree weather, but that is simply because the 100 degree weather  they know is generally accompanied by muggy humidity which sends the heat index much higher and makes for a very uncomfortable inabability to self cool when outdoors.  In Arizona, when the thermometer reads 100, it feels more like 85-90, especially in the shade because of the dry atmosphere.  The human body’s cooling system is definitely better equipped to handle dry heat and very ill equipped to handle freezing temperatures.

Evening view from our back porch in Phoenix, AZ

Evening view from our back porch in Phoenix, AZ

So the “nice” June weather here has allowed more afternoon activities and perfect evenings.  What the weather man in AZ doesn’t know is that wherever I go, great weather follows :)   And in the wake of my departure from Minnesota, that state had one of the harshest winters in a long while.  Just sayin…

Quantum, A guide for the Perplexed by Jim Al-Khalili caught my eye at the bookstore because of the glossy pictures and example diagrams.  Being a visual learner, I suspected that the best way to introduce myself to the weird world of quantum mechanics was through visual aid.  This really did prove to be a great choice for my visual learning needs. 

The author assumes of his reader a certain level of mathematical background and heightened interest in quantum mechanics.  Each chapter requires your full attention and often some rereading to grasp difficult concepts.  However, given the task of explaining quantum mechanics to the average person, Jim does a fantastic job explaining complex mathematical and conceptual oddities.  I also enjoyed how he detailed  some history of quantum mechanics and the ‘who’s who’ of the quantum theories.  Jim Al-Khalili is the chair of the University of Surrey’s Nuclear and Particle Physics Division located in the UK.

This is a book that will remain on my bookshelf as reference and to reread again in the future.  You can purchase it on Amazon for about $12 as of the date of this post.

If you are the proud owner of  a dog (or even a cat), you would be the first to agree that some animals seem to empathize with human emotions and certainly with each other.  We hear of cross empathy between dogs and cats taking care of stray litters, of dogs able to sense when their owner is sad.  Intuitively we know that animals are capable of strong emotions.

Recent studies on animal behavior shows just that, but with a slight twist.   Supposedly animals  follow a moral code that enables their packs or groups to better function.  It is a simple tool of evolution, one that humans have also picked up on.  Agreeing to not take your neighbor’s  stuff and not kill your neighbor is a benefit to all when attempting to survive.  An article by Telegraph interviewed Professor Marc Bekoff, an ecologist at University of Colorado, Boulder.  Professor Bekoff suggests that morals are built into the social patterns of high animal brains.

He claims that these rules help to control fighting within the group and encourage co-operative behaviour.

Recent neurology work has also revealed that distantly related mammals such as whales and dolphins have the same structures in their brains that are thought to be responsible for empathy in humans.

Other findings have also suggested that some animals may even be capable of showing empathy with the suffering of other species.

Elephants, rodents, monkies, bats, dolphins, wolves: all animals that survive in packs or groups and rely on a moral code of conduct to keep the group functioning at its best.  Humans are simply one step above this basic moral system in that we are able to analyze this moral conduct in ourselves and in other animals.  We are also able to break such moral codes with our big brains  by justifying killing with “holy war” or taking another people’s land in the name of a god we worship.  In this way we have de-evolved from the system still used today by animals such as dolphins and wolves.

To conclude, here is a picture of a mother bird blocking the water in a drain pipe with her own body to protect her nest and chicks.

Enjoy this program by Hawking!

Over at the Daily Galaxy, they’ve got a fun post on new research done with learning robots. Evidently humans are not the only sentient beings who develop “good” and “evil” instincts. So do robots…

This show used to be on when I was a kid, but I never realized how very scientific it really was! Animaniacs sing about the universe:

Here is another longer Nova series you can watch on your computer:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/elegant/program.html

You can watch this mini series on your computer (just don’t let the boss catch you :)

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/origins/program-3114.html

The Antennae Galaxies/NGC 4038-4039
These two spiral galaxies began to collide about 300 million years ago. They are some of the youngest and nearest colliding galaxies, giving astronomers one of their best opportunities to study the phenomenon. It may be a preview of what will happen when our galaxy runs into the Andromeda galaxy in a few billion years.

Taken from Wired.com

In New York City, we might expect the smiley-faced tweenbot to be stabbed, stomped, mugged, or covered in graffiti, but every single one of the journeys was completed without a hitch. Pedestrians would stop and help the little guy when he was trapped against a curb or headed into traffic, and point him in the right direction.

read more…

WATCH:

If you took today’s technologies back 500, 300 or even 100 years ago, to people of the past you would appear to be wielding some sort of magical, supernatural power. Such is the danger with today’s humans when they are not properly educated in the ways and workings of nature and science. Third world countries abound in our ‘the future is now’ world and even in countries where knowledge and science is accessible, there are people who have not been given the opportunity to understand the “awe” in science that can easily mislead people towards worship.

The latest read was by Neil deGrasse Tyson: The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America’s Favorite Planet

Neil deGrasse Tyson is the hallmark face of today’s front running scientists. Having the brains to converse with Einstein and the social charm to convey complex science concepts to the common person, Tyson is the perfect author for a book such as this. The Pluto files delves into the history of the now demoted orb “Pluto” so affectionately known prior as the smallest planet, but now understood to be the largest orb in the Kuiper belt. It is an anecdotal book, amusing at best that depicts Tyson’s headache of having to deal with the hate mail after the process of defining a planet shoved Pluto out of the Planet club. It was a fun little read that offered insight into the scientific process and how most scientists are not as concerned with what category something is in, but rather its properties and how it interacts with its surroundings.

A Short History of Nearly Everything is now at the top of my highly recommended books. Packed with witty commentary of the history of just about everything scientific, Bryson’s book appeals to the lay reader who’s curiosity stretched beyond the here and now. I enjoyed how Bryson included all the science necessary to explain and orient a subject, but did so in very human terms, often inserting humor to lighten the mood.

I choose to listen to the audio recording instead of reading the book. I’m glad I took that route because it is a long read, but the audio version was excellent and a pleasure to listen to. It was a wonderful accompaniment to morning walks or long scenic drives.

My favorite quote from the book (which also summarizes the underlying premise of the book):

“…humans are the universes most supreme achievement and it’s worst nightmare at the same time”