Secrets of the City

The Daily covers yesterday’s debate between blogger/atheist/UMN-Morris biology professor PZ Myers and Jerry Bergman, a professor at Northwest State College in Ohio, on the topic of whether or not Intelligent Design should be taught in schools.

I’m going to go out on a limb and assuming there are not a lot of creationists populating MNSpeak. So my question is *not* is it the right answer, or should be it taught in schools, but rather, should a serious professor of biology participate in such an event at all? It seems to be the result of this is the phrase “evolution debate” ending up in headlines, which is exactly what you don’t want. How should a paper like the Daily cover such an event?

Just because you are madly cleaning the house, grocery shopping, imagining Thanksgiving disasters in the kitchen, or otherwise going into a seasonal catatonic state, doesn’t mean you have to wade in wintery befuddlement.  Take time to join the Big Bang Book club as it addresses the popular science book, Alex and Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence – and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process, by Irene Pepperberg.  Moderated by David Enyeart of Magers and Quinn, this casual discussion is always fun and informative.  The Center for Science, Technology and Public Policy offers insights, as do readers (and non-readers).  It’s a great way to rev up the ol’ gray matter and get yourself to the non-fiction area of your favorite bookstore or library.  Food and beverages available for sale in Grumpy’s back room, as is the book.

Tuesday, November 24, 7 p.m.;  Big Bank Book Club; Grumpy’s Downtown, 1111Washington Av. S., Mpls;

Presented by Magers and Quinn with support from the Center for Science, Technology, and Public Policy, Grumpy’s, and Secrets of the City/MNSpeak.

This weekend saw the death of Norman Borlaug, University of Minnesota Alum, father of the Green Revolution, and a man who may have saved a billion people from starving to death.

[A press release via Jezebel.com]: University of Minnesota Medical School researcher Iris Borowsky, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues found that one in seven adolescents believe that it is highly likely that they will die before age 35, and this belief predicted that the adolescents’ would engage in risky behaviors … Those who engaged in risky behaviors such as illicit drug use, suicide attempts, fighting, or unsafe sexual activity in the first year were more likely in subsequent years to believe they would die at a young age. Vice versa, those who predicted that they’d die young during the first interview were more likely in later years to begin engaging in these same risky behaviors and have poor health outcomes.

An amazing title for an amazing story: U researchers hope brains of more than 600 nuns hold info about Alzheimer’s.

One of the most watched videos on YouTube this weekend was The Science of Watchmen, featuring U of M professor Jim Kakalio, whose shtick is discussing the science of superheroes, and, as a result, was actually tapped by the Watchmen filmmakers to consult on the film.