27 JUL 2018 by ideonexus

 Our Modern Worldview and Morality is Shaped by Science

To begin with, the findings of science imply that the belief systems of all the world’s traditional religions and cultures—their theories of the genesis of the world, life, humans, and societies—are factually mistaken. We know, but our ancestors did not, that humans belong to a single species of African primate that developed agriculture, government, and writing late in its history. We know that our species is a tiny twig of a genealogical tree that embraces all living things and that e...
Folksonomies: science humanism morality
Folksonomies: science humanism morality
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24 JAN 2015 by ideonexus

 Preachers and Prophets

Since I have had to pay college tuition for five daughters, I have chosen to play the role of preacher. I preach to all who will listen the gospel of manifest destiny. The destiny which I am preaching is not the expansion of a single nation or of a single species, but the spreading out of life in all its multifarious {134} forms from its confinement on the surface of our small planet to the freedom of a boundless universe. This unimaginably great and diverse universe, in which we occupy one...
Folksonomies: colonization expansion
Folksonomies: colonization expansion
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20 JAN 2014 by ideonexus

 IDIC - Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations

IDIC basically states that we should delight in the differences amongst people, not hate people because they are different. It seems that the human race has found a large number of ways to hate (different sex, color, religion, nationality, political party, social class, etc) and has emphasized hate over co-operation, caring, and compassion. The result has been a world torn by big and small wars, religious and philosophical differences, and alienation of one person from another. This has take...
Folksonomies: diversity tolerance
Folksonomies: diversity tolerance
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A good overview of the Vulcan philosophy from Star Trek.

10 DEC 2013 by ideonexus

 Why Science and Religion are Irreconcilable

To begin with, the findings of science entail that the belief systems of all the world’s traditional religions and cultures—their theories of the origins of life, humans, and societies—are factually mistaken. We know, but our ancestors did not, that humans belong to a single species of African primate that developed agriculture, government, and writing late in its history. We know that our species is a tiny twig of a genealogical tree that embraces all living things and that emerged fro...
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Steven Pinker's critique of why "non-overlapping magesteria" doesn't work.

14 APR 2012 by ideonexus

 Humans Are Shmoo's to Bacteria

Remember the shmoo? The shmoo w^as invented by Al Capp in the comic strip "Li'l Abner": a wobbly, tenpin-with legs sort of creature with the misfortune (or good fortune) of being almost totally consumable. Broiled shmoo tasted like steak; fried, like chicken. Shmoos gave eggs, butter, and Grade A milk. The shmoo's skin was a versatile fabric, the eyes made perfect buttons, and even the whiskers served as toothpicks. Most important, shmoos reproduced in prodigious numbers and delivered themsel...
Folksonomies: bacteria microbial life
Folksonomies: bacteria microbial life
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Just trying to figure out a way to devour us.

21 SEP 2011 by ideonexus

 Barriers that Keep Different Species from Interbreeding

What keeps members of two related species from mating with each other? There are many different reproductive barriers. Species might not interbreed simply because their mating or flowering seasons don’t overlap. Some corals, for example, reproduce only one night a year, spewing out masses of eggs and sperm into the sea over a several-hour period. Closely related species living in the same area remain distinct because their peak spawning periods are several hours apart, preventing eggs of on...
Folksonomies: biology species breeding
Folksonomies: biology species breeding
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Different pheremones, blooming times, geographical isolation can keep members of two different species from breeding.

20 SEP 2011 by ideonexus

 Dogs are Evolved from Wolves Through Artificial Selection

Take the domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris), a single species that comes in all shapes, sizes, colors, and temperaments. Every single one, purebred or mutt, descends from a single ancestral species—most likely the Eurasian gray wolf—that humans began to select about 10,000 years ago. The American Kennel Club recognizes 150 different breeds, and you’ve seen many of them: the tiny, nervous Chihuahua, perhaps bred as a food animal by the Toltec of Mexico; the robust Saint Bernard, thick...
Folksonomies: evolution breeding dogs
Folksonomies: evolution breeding dogs
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Breeders are able to sculpt dogs into whatever they desire. Experimental proof of evolution.

17 MAY 2011 by ideonexus

 Seeing the Species for the Ecosystem

The authors comment that from this perspective, it could be stated that multiccellular beings are also ecosystems. That is, we are formed by different types of cells that cooperate and compete for resources; we are colonized by diverse types of bacteria (in the intestines, in the skin, etc.) whose activity is linked to other processes in our organism: we are invaded by viruses, which can be harmful or can take part in processes that regulate our DNA. "These beings are constantly being changed...
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It is helpful to think of species in the context of the ecosystem in which they live, as they are an part of it, indistinguishable from it in very important ways. Any single species' ecosystem includes all of the other species within it.