Some scientists cast doubt on Darwin

February 20th, 2006

More than 500 scientists have signed a statement publicly expressing skepticism about the theory of Darwinian evolution.

The statement reads: "We are skeptical of claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. Careful examination of the evidence for Darwinian theory should be encouraged."

The list of 514 signatories includes 154 biologists, 76 chemists and 63 physicists.

The list was published by the Discovery Institute, a conservative think tank that, among other things, promotes intelligent design and represents evolution as a "theory in crisis."

Intelligent design posits life is too complex to have been created by evolution and an intelligent designer must have been responsible. Most of its proponents are affiliated with the Discovery Institute.

David Berlinski, a signer of the statement and a mathematician and philosopher with the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture, said: "Darwin's theory of evolution is the great white elephant of contemporary thought. It is large, almost completely useless and the object of superstitious awe."

Copyright 2006 by United Press International


print this article email this article download pdf blog this article bookmark this article     Digg this Stumble it share on Facebook share on Reddit add to delicious save to Yahoo! bookmarks
2.1/5 after 179 votes


February 20th, 2006 all stories
Other Sciences /

Comments: 0
Rank: 2.1/5 after 179 votes

  • Stumble this up

  • Digg this

  • Share it:
  • share on Facebook
  • share on MySpace
  • share on Slashdot
  • rss-newsfeed
  • share on Google
  • share on Reddit
  • add to delicious
  • save to Yahoo! bookmarks
  • share on Windows Live
  • Add to Mixx!
Rating: 2.1/5 after 179 votes

  • Related Stories

  • Galapagos volcano erupts, could threaten wildlife
    created Apr 12, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0
  • What is wrong with intelligent design?
    created Feb 22, 2007 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0
  • Some scientists oppose Darwin's theory
    created Jun 22, 2006 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0
  • Creationism flap stirred in Britain
    created Apr 24, 2006 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0
  • Evolution delays Fla. science curriculum
    created Jan 25, 2006 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Tags


  • Transform a ball into a rock -- or make it invisible -- using transformation optics
    Transform a ball into a rock -- or make it invisible -- using transformation optics
    Physics / General Physics
    created 5 hours ago | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 0
  • Could a quantum motor do work?
    Physics / General Physics
    created Jul 07, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (12) | comments 0
  • Physicists Demonstrate Quantum Memory with Matter Qubits
    Physicists Demonstrate Quantum Memory with Matter Qubits
    Physics / General Physics
    created Jul 03, 2009 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (20) | comments 1
  • 'Holey' Nanosheets for Wastewater Dye Removal
    Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
    created Jul 01, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 1
  • Jellyfish Robot Swims Like its Biological Counterpart
    Jellyfish Robot Swims Like its Biological Counterpart
    Electronics / Robotics
    created Jun 26, 2009 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (9) | comments 1
  • Other News

    A woman works on an exhibit at a mammoth show

    Steppe change: Mammoths roamed southern Spain

    Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

    created 28 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

    Remains of woolly mammoths have been found in southern Spain, proving that the chilly grip of the last Ice Age extended farther south than thought, palaeontologists said on Thursday.


    Experts call for local and regional control of sites for radioactive waste

    Other Sciences / Other

    created 1hour ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

    The withdrawal of Nevada's Yucca Mountain as a potential nuclear waste repository has reopened the debate over how and where to dispose of spent nuclear fuel and high-level nuclear waste.


    Study: Restoring lost privileges an overlooked key to discipline

    Other Sciences / Social Sciences

    created 4 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

    Managers who dole out discipline by taking away privileges - without considering the implications of restoring them - are missing a key in their bid to improve performance and behavior, a new University of Illinois study ...


    Scientific achievements less prominent than a decade ago

    Other Sciences / Other

    created 3 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 1

    A new report by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press finds that overwhelming majorities of Americans believe that science has had a positive effect on society and that science has made life easier for most people. ...


    What On Earth Is Driving the Melodramatic, Histrionic Michael Jackson Coverage?

    Other Sciences / Social Sciences

    created Jul 07, 2009 | popularity 3.9 / 5 (8) | comments 8

    The 24-7, wall-to-wall press coverage of the life, death, music, clothing, vitiligo, sex life, "dearest friends" and plastic surgeries of musician Michael Jackson raises the question, "What the heck is going on?"