Change at last

Scientific American cites a Wired report on Barack Obama's impressive list of Nobel Prize winning science advisors. One is Harol Varmus. Varmus won the Nobel in 1989 for his discovery of retroviral oncogenes in cells, the idea that all cells have the potential to turn into cancer. Now president of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Varmus formerly directed the National Institutes of Health.

Varmus told a Scientific American podcast two years ago that "the tendency of the current administration [is] to undermine science in a variety of ways that range from the fiscal to the regulatory and the political."

Theistic Evolution

This week, the Catholic church re-affirmed its support of Darwin's theory of evolution. The Anglican church also recently expressed support for evolution, even offering a belated apology for the church's treatment of Darwin.

The Vatican has voiced its acceptance of evolution as the means that God used to create life on earth. As noted in the Reuters story:

The Catholic Church teaches "theistic evolution," a stand that accepts evolution as a scientific theory and sees no reason why God could not have used a natural evolutionary process in the forming of the human species.

I Am A Scientist

This is from a fine Dandy Warhols song, as well part of my personal philosophy. I think we all need to be scientists, whatever our calling. We don't need to hang around labs in white coats, but we do need to be inquisitive, methodical and impartial in dealing with the issues in the world. I am a firm believer in the scientific method and I am disheartened to see it so often maligned and ignored. To me, science is the perfect compliment to spirituality - not its opposite.

I am angered when scientific findings are manipulated, distorted or impugned to satisfy someone's political agenda or personal goal.

I am saddened to see scientific funding slashed; labeled as wasteful, trivial, or foolish. The fields of space research, particle physics, genetics, and such have yielded untold benefits - along with a deeper understanding of our world and our selves.

I am disappointed by those who would degrade our already shaky science education programs by introducing pseudo-science and casting doubt on well founded, scientific principles. Those who attempt to disparage evolution as just a "theory" have no understanding that a scientific theory is our best representation of our world, surviving rigorous testing and constant refinement.

And I am excited by the scientific exploration that is currently going on in the world. From space exploration through robotic landers and sophisticated telescopes that measure signals from the beginnings of the universe, to particle accelerators that are uncovering the mysteries of the smallest building blocks, a beautiful, awe inspiring world is opening up to us.

I have always been a science geek. If I had it all to do over again, I would pursue a career in physics. But I will have to settle for reading physics books for fun, and promoting science in any way I can. More to come.