...and it makes a great snack
Posted on 08/14/2005 8:06:45 AM PDT by CarlEOlsoniii
Harvard University is launching a broad initiative to discover how life began, joining an ambitious scientific assault on age-old questions that are central to the debate over the theory of evolution.
The Harvard project, which is likely to start with about $1 million annually from the university, will bring together scientists from fields as disparate as astronomy and biology, to understand how life emerged from the chemical soup of early Earth, and how this might have happened on distant planets.
Known as the ''Origins of Life in the Universe Initiative," the project is still in its early stages, and fund-raising has not begun, the scientists said.
But the university has promised the researchers several years of seed money, and has asked the team to make much grander plans, including new faculty and a collection of multimillion-dollar facilities.
The initiative begins amid increasing controversy over the teaching of evolution, prompted by proponents of ''intelligent design," who argue that even the most modest cell is too complex, too finely tuned, to have come about without unseen intelligence.
President Bush recently said intelligent design should be discussed in schools, along with evolution. Like intelligent design, the Harvard project begins with awe at the nature of life, and with an admission that, almost 150 years after Charles Darwin outlined his theory of evolution in the Origin of Species, scientists cannot explain how the process began.
Now, encouraged by a confluence of scientific advances -- such as the discovery of water on Mars and an increased understanding of the chemistry of early Earth -- the Harvard scientists hope to help change that.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
INTREP - I sense a rising panic amongst the Disciples of DarwinInteresting. They decide to spend some money to direct more research in yet another frontier of science (in an area which every mainstream biologist freely acknowledges is a frontier), and you interpret this as a sign of panic somehow.
And if they had announced they were NOT going to spend any money funding origins of life research instead, you'd be interpreting it how?
Origin of life research has been going on for a very long time. Unfortunately, the Disciples of Darwin refuse to look at ALL of the evidence, and only look at the evidence that coincides with their natualistic worldview. I find this new move quite curious.
wondering why the name calling starts these threads.. pinging myself to watch it play out
LOL. Must be the signature of the space alien designers carved into our DNA.
Because it's as certain as a scientific theory can be. I think from your question that you might not understand the meaning of the word "theory." Hint: it doesn't mean shaky, unproven or a guess of any kind
Completely unrelated to evolution.
Put down your evo-talking-points and READ the article - Harvard is going to research the "origin of life" - something evolution cannot address. For life to have an origin, matter must have an origin unless you want to take the evolutionist position on origin and simply say "Jeepers, we don't know how life or matter originated but we are certain it was not intelligent design"
How would you class Quantum mechanics?
Durn right! Who needs this atom electron collapsing cat in a box junk. Give me apples any day.
No no no no no. Don't go there. Evolution has nothing to say about the origins of life. The origins of life have nothing to do with evolution. Neither does the question of how matter can organize itself without an intelligent agent. Just let evolution stay in the classroom and be taught as science. Please please please please please!!!
At least not until I find out what kind of a year I'm going to have.
And that is why the philosophy of evolution does not even qualify as a scientific theory. I sense the Orwellian usurpation of the word "theory" may be slipping off the face of evolutionism. Not to worry. Harvard will do its best to hold the mask in place.
Actually jennyp, it was the Boston Globe's interpretation:
The initiative begins amid increasing controversy over the teaching of evolution, prompted by proponents of ''intelligent design,"...
That's Harvard science for you. I hope the school has other areas of study in which they are competent. The school has a good name.
they must see the tide shifting from textbooks that have evolution only. they're getting a head start on the curricula to come. must be some money in it somewhere.
I remember when Mercedes and BMW had good names. Then they found a way to sell to anyone who could get a loan. Lloyd's of London, too, used to have a good name. AT&T. etc.
Always follow the money, my friend!
it was the Boston Globe's interpretation:
age-old questions that are central to the debate over the theory of evolution.
I hope you are not trying to imply "life emerged from the chemical soup of early Earth" is "as certain as a scientific theory can be" - if so, that is total poppycock. This thread is a about the origin of life, not Darwinist Evolution which BEGINS at a point in which life already exists and the mechanism to genetically pass on extremely complicated information has already been created.
Interesting screen name. Darwin got his idea fro natural selection for the economics of the invisible hand. It convinced him that just as unplanned economies produce the best results, natural selection produces the most robust biological designs.
...and it makes a great snack
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