Revelation 4:11
See my profile for info
Posted on 08/15/2005 7:01:06 PM PDT by gobucks
Project begins amid arguing over teaching evolution. Harvard University is launching a broad initiative to discover how life began, joining an ambitious scientific assault on age-old questions that are central to the debate over the theory of evolution.
The Harvard project, which is likely to start with about $1 million annually from the university, will bring together scientists from fields as disparate as astronomy and biology, to understand how life emerged from the chemical soup of early Earth, and how this might have happened on distant planets.
Known as the "Origins of Life in the Universe Initiative," the project is still in its early stages, and fundraising has not begun, the scientists said.
But the university has promised the researchers several years of seed money and has asked the team to make much grander plans, including new faculty and a collection of multimillion-dollar facilities.
The initiative begins amid increasing controversy over the teaching of evolution, prompted by proponents of "intelligent design," who argue that even the most modest cell is too complex, too finely tuned, to have come about without unseen intelligence.
President Bush recently said intelligent design should be discussed in schools, along with evolution. Like intelligent design, the Harvard project begins with awe at the nature of life, and with an admission that, almost 150 years after Charles Darwin outlined his theory of evolution in the Origin of Species, scientists cannot explain how the process began.
Now, encouraged by a confluence of scientific advances — such as the discovery of water on Mars and an increased understanding of the chemistry of early Earth — the Harvard scientists hope to help change that.
"We start with a mutual acknowledgment of the profound complexity of living systems," said David R. Liu, a professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Harvard. But "my expectation is that we will be able to reduce this to a very simple series of logical events that could have taken place with no divine intervention."
The theory of evolution has been both fascinating and religiously charged since its very beginnings, because it speaks directly to the place of people in the natural order. In another era, the idea that humans are the close cousins of apes was seen as preposterous.
Today's research of origins focuses on questions that seem as strange as the study of "ape men" once did: How can life arise from nonlife? How easy is it for this to happen? And does the universe teem with life, or is Earth a solitary island?
At Harvard, the origins of life initiative is part of a dramatic rethinking of how to conduct scientific research.
Many of science's most interesting questions are emerging in the boundaries between traditional disciplines such as physics, chemistry, and biology, yet universities are largely organized by those disciplines. Harvard's president, Lawrence Summers, is a proponent of the view that universities must develop new structures to encourage interdisciplinary science. And new science laboratories based on this are at the center of the plans for a sprawling new campus.
The Harvard origins initiative is on a short list of projects being considered for this campus, along with the widely discussed Harvard Stem Cell Institute, which aspires to bring together biologists, chemists, doctors, and others.
Well Duh! - finally, a MSM reporter points out the obvious, plus the bonus of pointing out the lack of 'ambition' for these questions before now - Bravo Zulu Gareth!!!
."...the Harvard project begins with awe at the nature of life, and with an admission that, almost 150 years after Charles Darwin outlined his theory of evolution in the Origin of Species, scientists cannot explain how the process began."
Rush picked this up during the third hour of his show today. I couldn't believe this article made his attention, but during work, I couldn't check to verify he was Freeping to get it. (He even mentioned Freepers today regarding Club Gitmo). But seeing it wasn't posted, here it is...
Now, the REAL million dollar question: what took Harvard so long to get to this point? And if the Discovery Inst. hadn't been doing the work it has been doing, does anyone seriously believe that Harvard would spend money on this? Not a chance. This announcement by Harvard is nothing less than a giant white flag raised above a key fortress of 'intelligent people'. And it is a FLAT OUT VICTORY for the folks who have been promoting ID.
ping
They can find out how life began after they figure out how fundraising begins.
You can get a good Bible for $50.00 and pocket the $999,950.
LOL ... I wanted to post the observation myself, but refrained.
Limbaugh ping
LOL - great idea!
more proof how much libs care about finding alternative sources of fuel/energy.....
I've typed and retyped several responses, but I've decided to wait until I calm down.
ahem..
I've been there my friend. I post about a fourth of what I type and trash the rest. Probably a good thing.
Oh, come on - we're not afraid.
Well, it did make the Rush show today, (and clearly, I don't know how to use the search function (typed in Harvard, and noted the first article in the list was older that august .. guess the search doesn't sort by date/time ...)
My expectation is that Mr. Liu's expectations will not change no matter how utterly they fail in finding such "very simple series of logical events". The power of faith will prefail.
It appears that the EIB Institute lacks a credible Science Department. Nobody said Rush was perfect.
>>"my expectation is that we will be able to reduce this to a
>>very simple series of logical events that could have taken
>>place with no divine intervention."
>How's that for science? The project hasn't begun and a
>"scientist" associated with the project has already
>developed a premise based on non-science.
That's because in the good old days, when scientists revered the Bible as the Word of God, they found *cures* for diseases, and not just ways to hide their symptoms or help you live with them.
Revelation 4:11
See my profile for info
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