Yes, it's the end of the year, which requires, of course, a Top 10 list!
Here's ours:
-rl
December 31, 2009, 12:00 PDT
Top Ten Evolution/Creationism Stories Of The Year
Darwin celebrated; evolution still under attack
Evolution fared well in 2009. The world celebrated the 200th anniversary
of Darwin's birth and the 150th of the publication of his On the Origin
of Species. Thousands of events, conferences, speeches, parties,
magazine stories, blog postings, and other commemorations were held in
his honor. Darwin even got the Hollywood treatment, with the premiere of
"Creation," a moving (yet accurate) film portrayal of Darwin's married
life, starring Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly.
One creationist's wobbly campaign to distribute free copies of a
"special" edition of the Origin on college campuses was successfully
counteracted by the NCSE and by local science groups, educators,
students, and journalists across the U.S. and Canada. (The "special"
part was a laughably misleading 54-page introduction by creationist Ray
Comfort, who claimed, among other things, that Darwin was responsible
for Hitler.)
On the legislative front, antievolution "academic freedom" bills were
proposed and shot down in half a dozen states.
But it wasn't all good news. The Louisiana Science Education Act, which
opens the door to creationism in the science classroom, was signed into
law in late 2008--and in 2009, the state board of education adopted
policies implementing the law that propped the door open. In March, the
Texas Board of Education riddled the Biology and Earth and Space state
science standards with loopholes that make it even easier for
creationists to attack science textbooks. And the public's understanding
and acceptance of evolution continues to be discouraging. Local,
national, and even international polls show that many people--often the
majority of people surveyed--believe in creationism or believe that
evolution is not well supported by evidence.
Our top ten evolution/creationism stories for 2009:
1. 200th Anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth
It was the Year of Darwin, the biggest evolution birthday bash since
1909. There were dozens of Darwin/evolution conferences around the
globe, festivals, museum exhibitions, special magazine issues devoted to
Darwin and evolution (such as Scientific American's "The Evolution of
Evolution"), studies and special reports (such as Pew's "The Conflict
Between Religion and Evolution"), a clutch of documentaries (including
PBS's "Becoming Man" series, "What Darwin Didn't Know"), movies
(notably, "Creation" and "Darwin's Darkest Hour"), revivals of "Inherit
the Wind", scores of books about Darwin, and more. A good time was had
by all.
"Evolution in Scientific American"
http://ncse.com/news/2008/12/evolution-scientific-american-003309
"The Conflict Between Religion and Evolution"
http://pewforum.org/docs/?DocID=395
"Creation"
http://creationthemovie.com/
Darwin 200
http://www.darwin200.org
NOVA: Evolution
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/beta/evolution/
"The Darwin bicentennial in the news"
http://ncse.com/news/2009/02/darwin-bicentennial-news-004302
2. 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species
After a year of celebrating Darwin, his seminal work was almost
overlooked. But fans rallied, holding parties, public readings, and
conferences (thank you, Reading Odyssey). Publishers responded with
brand-new editions of the book (notably Charles Darwin's On the Origin
of Species: A Graphic Adaptation, The Annotated Origin: A Facsimile of
the First Edition of On the Origin of Species,
and On the Origin of Species: The Illustrated Edition), while one
creationist (see below) published his own version of the Origin, with
comic results.
"The Origin sesquicentennial approaches"
http://ncse.com/news/2009/11/origin-sesquicentennial-approaches-005154
"NCSE members celebrating Origin Day"
http://ncse.com/news/2009/12/ncse-members-celebrating-origin-day-005201
3. Ray Comfort is Bananas!
Evangelist and banana fan Ray Comfort decided to celebrate Darwin's
birthday in his own unique way: by handing out free copies of a
"special" edition of On the Origin of Species. Comfort's 54-page
introduction abounded in bizarre claims, linking Hitler to Darwin (!)
and contending that there are no transitional fossils. NCSE, scientists,
educators, students, journalists, and others quickly responded on the
ground and online to the Comfort campaign. NCSE debated Comfort on the
U.S. News & World Report web site, provided assistance to local science
and student groups, and launched a dedicated web
site--www.dontdissdarwin.com--packed with science backgrounders,
handouts, posters, our special "NCSE Safety Bookmark," and a
tongue-in-cheek instructional video on how to read the Comfort edition.
Don't Diss Darwin
http://www.dontdissdarwin.com
4. Texas Board Caves to Creationists
After months of debate, the Texas Board of Education voted in March on
state science standards--and the results weren't pretty. The board
amended the Biology and Earth and Space Sciences standards with
loopholes and language that make it easy for creationists to attack
science textbooks. "The final vote was a triumph of ideology and
politics over science," said Dr. Eugenie C. Scott, NCSE executive
director. The only upside: two months later, Board chair Don McLeroy was
not reconfirmed by the Texas state senate.
"Science setback for Texas schools"
http://ncse.com/news/2009/03/science-setback-texas-schools-004708
"Creationist board chair out in Texas"
http://ncse.com/news/2009/05/creationist-board-chair-out-texas-004817
Texas coverage
http://ncse.com/news/texas
5. Louisiana Faces "Academic Freedom"
In 2008, the Louisiana Science Education Act was signed into law, which
opened the door to teaching creationism in public school science
classes. Since then, the state board of education has ignored the
recommendations of its own science education professionals, turning
instead to the Louisiana Family Forum for guidance. Under the board's
guidelines, supplementary classroom materials can't be rejected just
because they include creationism. And challenging the materials triggers
a convoluted hearing process that the Louisiana Coalition for Science
calls "seriously flawed."
"A mixed result in Louisiana"
http://ncseweb.org/news/2009/01/mixed-result-louisiana-003733
"More bad news from Louisiana"
http://ncse.com/news/2009/09/more-bad-news-from-louisiana-005081
Louisiana coverage
http://ncse.com/news/louisiana
6. Antievolution bills go down in flames
Although Louisiana passed an antievolution academic freedom act in
2008, antievolution bills introduced elsewhere in 2009 quickly died in
committee. One Florida bill would have required a "thorough presentation
and critical analysis of the scientific theory of evolution." A
Mississippi bill would have mandated warning stickers on biology
textbooks. A Texas bill would have exempted creationist institutions,
such as the Institute for Creation Research's graduate school, from
meeting Texas's regulations governing degree-granting institutions. All
told, bills were introduced in eight states. None survived.
Chronology of "Academic Freedom" Bills
http://ncse.com/creationism/general/chronology-academic-freedom-bills
"Academic Freedom" Bills by State & Year
http://ncse.com/creationism/general/academic-freedom-bills-by-state-year
7. How is evolution treated in your state's science standards?
The NCSE decided to find out. Education Project Director Dr. Louise Mead
and Project Director Anton Mates pored over standards in all 50 states
to evaluate their treatment of evolution and related scientific topics.
There was a lot of good news and some not-so-good news (5 states flunked).
"Evolving standards"
http://ncse.com/news/2009/08/evolving-standards-004990
8. The Evolution of Evolution (and Creationism)
Just weeks before Darwin's birthday, Scientific American published its
January 2009 issue dedicated to Darwin and evolution. One of the key
articles: "The Latest Face of Creationism", by the NCSE's Eugenie C.
Scott and Glenn Branch. Say the authors: "Telling students that
evolution is a theory in crisis is--to be blunt--a lie." The online
version of the piece attracted hundreds of heated comments on both sides
of the issue.
At the same time, Dr. Scott's revised Evolution vs. Creationism: An
Introduction, Second Edition was released. The definitive guide to the
relevant scientific, religious, educational, and legal issues, the
revamped book adds 70 pages, including new chapters on testing
intelligent design in the courts and evolution and creationism in the
media and public opinion.
"Evolution in Scientific American"
http://ncse.com/news/2008/12/evolution-scientific-american-003309
Evolution vs. Creationism: An Introduction
http://ncse.com/evc
9. A KiloSteve and Beyond!
Is evolution in crisis? Do reputable scientists disown it? No way,
Chuck. Proof positive? The continued growth of Project Steve, the
booming list of scientists named Steve (or Stephen, Steven, Stephanie,
Stefan, Etienne, Esteban...) who support evolution and reject
creationism. The initial list of 220 signatories included two Nobel
prize winners and eight members of the National Academy of Sciences. In
2009, the NCSE Steveometer hit the kiloSteve mark with Steve #1000. (Who
just happened to be Dr. Steve Darwin of Tulane University in Louisiana.)
The Project Steve list continues to grow. For the latest count and more,
see our FAQ page.
"Project Steve: n > 1000"
http://ncse.com/news/2009/02/project-steve-n-1000-004625
Project Steve FAQ
http://ncse.com/taking-action/project-steve-faq
10. The envelope, please
A bit of horn tooting. Among all the ups and downs in the
creationism/evolution controversy during the year, one bright spot (at
least for us) was the recognition received by Dr. Eugenie C. Scott,
NCSE's executive director for the last 25 years. Some of the more
notable 2009 awards include: the Fellows Medal (California Academy of
Sciences), the Stephen Jay Gould Prize (Society for the Study of
Evolution), Scientific American 10 Honor Roll (which she shares with
Barack Obama and Bill Gates), and a seat on Scientific American's
revamped and expanded Board of Advisers.
Fellows Medal
http://ncse.com/news/2009/10/eugenie-c-scott-honored-by-california-academy-sciences-005101
Gould Prize
http://ncse.com/evolution/eugenie-scott-wins-stephen-jay-gould-prize
Scientific American 10
http://ncse.com/news/2009/05/eugenie-c-scott-among-scientific-american-10-004783
Scientific American board
http://ncse.com/evolution/genie-grants-sciams-wishes
CONTACT: Robert Luhn, Director of Communications, NCSE, 510-601-7203,
luhn@ncse.com
Web site:
www.ncse.com
The National Center for Science Education (NCSE) is a not-for-profit,
membership organization that defends and promotes the teaching of
evolution in the public schools. The NCSE provides information and
resources to schools, parents, and concerned citizens working to keep
evolution in public school science education. We educate the press and
public about the scientific, educational, and legal aspects of the
creation and evolution controversy, and supply needed information and
advice to defend good science education at local, state, and national
levels. Our 4000 members are scientists, teachers, clergy, and citizens
with diverse religious affiliations.