Dog Breeds = Different Species?

I stumbled across this humorous article dealing with the idea that different breeds of dogs should be classified as different species. It's an excellent example of how humorous writing can make interesting scientific concepts feel much more accessible to the reader.

American science education could use more articles like this.

This Is Why Science Is Fun

We all know bacon has a lot of fat in it and that fat has a lot of energy. Would you believe that burning bacon has enough energy in it to melt steel? I also really appreciated the vegetarian options they provided.

I honestly believe that kids these days need more wacky fun science like this to get them more interested in physics, chemistry, or other sciences. I still want to teach physics in school some day.

Bionic Bullet Dodging Armor?

Straight out of science fiction, IBM filed a patent on body armor that will use electrical impulses to make a person get out of the way of bullets. It's a pretty crazy idea, but wow. It's hard for us to really understand how slow bullets are since they are typically used at fairly short range. The example of a 2.5 km shot taking 4 seconds to reach its target definitely shows that this could be possible if the armor could detect a tiny projectile at a long enough range.

Lack Of Science Education In The U.S.

I had no idea science education in the United States was this bad. I was lucky enough to have a very good science education. The quality varies greatly, apparently:

Dr. Miller's data reveal some yawning gaps in basic knowledge. American adults in general do not understand what molecules are (other than that they are really small). Fewer than a third can identify DNA as a key to heredity. Only about 10 percent know what radiation is. One adult American in five thinks the Sun revolves around the Earth, an idea science had abandoned by the 17th century.

Intelligent Design As Science

Apparently Ben Stein has a movie coming out discussing the persecution of intelligent design by scientists. There really shouldn't be such a huge fuss over intelligent design.

1. Should intelligent design be taught in basic science classrooms? No. The theory of evolution is the theory that is generally accepted by the scientific community. There is no more room for intelligent design in classrooms than the theory I just made up about how people are on earth because we were painted into existence in a giant piece of canvas by a crazy artist in another dimension.

2. Should scientists be permitted to write papers that consider intelligent design? Sure. They better have good scientific evidence supporting their theories. There was a time when evolution was the minority opinion and was greeted with hostility as well. Scientific progress comes from people coming up with new ideas and testing them.

3. Is evolution "just a theory?" Yes. However, theories studied through the scientific process carry a lot more weight when they have a huge body of evidence backing it from the work of countless scientists working to find the truth. Evolution has a lot of scientific research supporting it. Intelligent design is also "just a theory." However, the very nature of this theory is nearly impossible to support scientifically, so it will likely not be a seriously considered scientific theory in the foreseeable future.

4. Why is everyone so upset? A lot of the bad taste in people's mouths about this issue come from the notion that some religious people may be using intelligent design as a way to sneak religion into science classrooms. Religion should not be a part of public school education since our country grants religious freedom. Religious people need to clear their heads and accept this.

5. Is there room for religion to peacefully coexist with science? Sure. It is pretty much impossible for science to ever answer all our questions because every question that is answered inevitably leads to more questions. Furthermore, religion gives people answers to questions beyond science, like morality.