Plait’s book, his first, is an exercise in clear thinking fused with good science, necessities surely foreign to the moon landing deniers.
Articles By: Daniel Bastian
REVIEW: The God Delusion
In the 2006 The God Delusion, Dawkins assumes a two-pronged approach. His thesis is that a supernatural God almost certainly does not exist and that society would be better off without the religions these gods and goddesses have inspired.
REVIEW: God Behaving Badly
The Old Testament God has a bad reputation. What are we to make of a book which depicts God as an ally to slavery, genocide, misogyny and prodigious violence? I explore a theologian’s answer to these questions in the 2011 book God Behaving Badly.
Google Goes Vertical in Street View Update
Google scales the steepest climbs on earth with its latest major update to Street View. Everest, Kilimanjaro and other peaks of the Seven Summits are now available in full panoramic detail.
REVIEW: A Planet of Viruses
I get to know viruses with Carl Zimmer’s A Planet of Viruses. This unimaginably tiny underworld is responsible for most of the world’s genetic diversity and continues to play a pivotal role in the evolution of life and the planet as a whole.
To Catch a Micro-Predator
Tensions are running high as researchers race to find a vaccine for a quickly mutating bird virus. If H5N1 successfully jumps the species barrier, we could have another HIV-level pandemic on our hands.
A Congressman Proposes National Darwin Day
An official resolution to commemorate the birth date of Charles Darwin has been proffered by Democratic Congressman Rush Holt (D-NJ) in concert with the American Humanists Association.
The Hobbit in Fast Forward: An Exercise in Innovation
The cinema space is abuzz over The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, but not just over Bilbo Baggins and his ensuing adventures against the legions of Sauron. Orcs are slain and goblins lanced, yet discussion of the film has largely vectored around Peter Jackson’s unorthodox frame rate choice.
The Achilles Heel of Climate Denialism
Regardless of how entrenched one’s views are within the denialist ecosystem, reality can only be eschewed for so long. With each passing year, more and more data is stacked in favor of global warming and its rock-solid connection to greenhouse gas emissions.
REVIEW: Guns, Germs, and Steel
What do Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama and Francisco Pizarro have in common? In Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, Jared Diamond, author of The Third Chimpanzee, seeks to answer why history unfolded so differently among the various continents.
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