Apex Naturalism

Are we better off without religion? | Sue Blackmore | guardian.co.uk

Popular religious belief is caused by dysfunctional social conditions. This is the conclusion of the latest sociological research pdf conducted by Gregory Paul. Far from religion benefiting societies, as the “moral-creator socioeconomic hypothesis” would have it, popular religion is a psychological mechanism for coping with high levels of stress and anxiety – or so he [...]

White House Pushes Science and Math Education - NYTimes.com

By KENNETH CHANG
Published: November 22, 2009
To improve science and mathematics education for American children, the White House is recruiting Elmo and Big Bird, video game programmers and thousands of scientists.
President Obama will announce a campaign Monday to enlist companies and nonprofit groups to spend money, time and volunteer effort to encourage students, especially in middle [...]

Joey Nelson: Atheists Have No One to Thank on Thanksgiving

I read a lot of material written by religious theists — mostly Christians — about atheists and atheism. I see a lot of different myths, misconceptions, mistakes, and even outright lies. Too many to count, in fact. One characteristic which I see that is common to so many different myths and lies, though, is the [...]

The Associated Press: Atheist student groups flower on college campuses

AMES, Iowa — The sign sits propped on a wooden chair, inviting all comers: “Ask an Atheist.”
Whenever a student gets within a few feet, Anastasia Bodnar waves and smiles, trying to make a good first impression before eyes drift down to a word many Americans rank down there with “socialist.”
Bodnar is the happy face of [...]

Evolution to be compulsory subject in primary schools - Times Online

Evolution is to become a compulsory subject for study in all state primary schools. The Government announced yesterday that Darwin’s theory of how life evolved through natural selection would be a legal requirement in science teaching from September 2011, although it will be left to schools to decide how this is done.
The move, which was [...]

European Court Bans Crucifixes in Italian Public Schools - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News - FOXNews.com

STRASBOURG, France — Europe’s court of human rights ruled Tuesday the display of crucifixes in Italian public schools violates religious and education freedoms under the continent’s rights convention.
The ruling, which could force a Europe-wide review of the use of religious symbols in government-run schools, rejected arguments by Italy’s government that the crucifix was [...]

Godless Children and the Future of Atheism: Raising Godless Children - How Can Godless Parents Today Affect the Future of Atheism?

Question:
What does raising children in a godless, irreligious environment mean for the future of atheism in America?
Response:
It’s a simple fact that the godless children being raised by atheists today are likely to be at the forefront of atheism in the future. What’s not so simple is what godless parents are going to do about this [...]

Why We Talk and Chimps Don’t | Psychology Today

Why We Talk and Chimps Don’t
As much as I love science, I love science fiction more. Science tells us what is; science fiction tells us what might be. I recently read a unique and revealing science fiction story, “Immersion,” written by U-Cal-Irvine physics professor Gregory Benford. In his story, Benford invents the technophile’s brand of [...]

Bacterial computers can crack mathematical problems | Science | guardian.co.uk

Bacterial computers can crack mathematical problems | Science | guardian.co.uk

Scanning electron micrograph of E. coli bacteria. A rapidly growing colony can be programmed to act as a hugely powerful parallel computer. Photograph: Getty
Computers are evolving – literally. While the tech world argues netbooks vs notebooks, synthetic biologists are leaving traditional computers behind altogether. [...]

Christian Right Lobbies To Overturn Second Law Of Thermodynamics

Christian Right Lobbies To Overturn Second Law Of Thermodynamics | The Onion - America’s Finest News Source
TOPEKA, KS–The second law of thermodynamics, a fundamental scientific principle stating that entropy increases over time as organized forms decay into greater states of randomness, has come under fire from conservative Christian groups, who are demanding that the law [...]

Ancient termite spilled its guts in amber - Science- msnbc.com

Ancient termite spilled its guts in amber - Science- msnbc.com
One hundred million years ago a termite was wounded and its abdomen split open. The resin of a pine tree slowly enveloped its body and the contents of its gut.
In what is now the Hukawng Valley in Myanmar, the resin fossilized and was buried until it [...]