And here (totally unrelated), from yesterday's funnies: http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/archive/2011/07/10 The Doonesbury cartoon, although funny, perpetuates the myth that Neo-Darwinism is settled science and that the opposition believes a fairy tale. Most of the new laws passed in several states allow the biology teachers or students to present other competing ideas to Neo-Darwinism. In Washington State a biology teacher was fired for bringing up problems with Neo-Darwinism although he taught the theory in detail. Recent advances in information theory, a product to some extent of quantum mechanics, have called into question many of the cherished ideas of Neo-Darwinism. One of the main tenets of information theory is that in a closed system the amount of information cannot increase. David Berlinski, a celebrated mathematician and an agnostic, wrote a seminal article called "The Deniable Darwin" in Commentary Magazine that was later developed into a book by the same name. Stephen C. Meyer has written a recent controversial book, "Signature in the Cell - DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design" that raises many additional problems with Neo-Darwinism. Jun-Yuan Chen, Research Professor Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, said recently: "In China we can criticize Darwin but not the government. In America you can criticize the government, but not Darwin." I think we need to have a free and open exchange of ideas in high school biology as well as all other classes. Thomas S. Kuhn in "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions", notes how difficult it is for scientists to give up cherished paradigms. Clear Skies, Don -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Patrick Wiggins Sent: Monday, July 11, 2011 2:47 AM To: utah astronomy utah astronomy listserve Subject: [Utah-astronomy] SPOC for 1 Neptune orbit? Also, from the funnies Tomorrow (Tuesday) finds Neptune 1 Neptunian year since it's discovery and located almost exactly where it was when discovered in 1846. Weather permitting I plan on going to SPOC about midnight tonight and using the refractor to spot Neptune and then to find the exact spot where it was on the night it was discovered. Anyone care to join me? Grins, patrick _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php