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Biology textbook hearings prompt science disputes [Texas]
Knight Ridder Newspapers ^ | 08 July 2003 | MATT FRAZIER

Posted on 07/09/2003 12:08:32 PM PDT by PatrickHenry

FORT WORTH, Texas - (KRT) -
The long-running debate over the origins of mankind continues Wednesday before the Texas State Board of Education, and the result could change the way science is taught here and across the nation.

Local and out-of-state lobbying groups will try to convince the board that the next generation of biology books should contain new scientific evidence that reportedly pokes holes in Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.

Many of those groups say that they are not pushing to place a divine creator back into science books, but to show that Darwin's theory is far from a perfect explanation of the origin of mankind.

"It has become a battle ground," said Eugenie Scott, executive director of theNational Center of Science Education, which is dedicated to defending the teaching of evolution in the classroom.

Almost 45 scientists, educators and special interest groups from across the state will testify at the state's first public hearing this year on the next generation of textbooks for the courses of biology, family and career studies and English as a Second Language.

Approved textbooks will be available for classrooms for the 2004-05 school year. And because Texas is the second largest textbook buyer in the nation, the outcome could affect education nationwide.

The Texas Freedom Network and a handful of educators held a conference call last week to warn that conservative Christians and special interest organizations will try to twist textbook content to further their own views.

"We are seeing the wave of the future of religious right's attack on basic scientific principles," said Samantha Smoot, executive director of the network, an anti-censorship group and opponent of the radical right.

Those named by the network disagree with the claim, including the Discovery Institute and its Science and Culture Center of Seattle.

"Instead of wasting time looking at motivations, we wish people would look at the facts," said John West, associate director of the center.

"Our goal nationally is to encourage schools and educators to include more about evolution, including controversies about various parts of Darwinian theory that exists between even evolutionary scientists," West said. "We are a secular think tank."

The institute also is perhaps the nation's leading proponent of intelligent design - the idea that life is too complex to have occurred without the help of an unknown, intelligent being.

It pushed this view through grants to teachers and scientists, including Michael J. Behe, professor of biological sciences at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. The Institute receives millions of dollars from philanthropists and foundations dedicated to discrediting Darwin's theory.

The center sent the state board a 55-page report that graded 11 high school biology textbooks submitted for adoption. None earned a grade above a C minus. The report also includes four arguments it says show that evolutionary theory is not as solid as presented in biology textbooks.

Discovery Institute Fellow Raymond Bohlin, who also is executive director of Probe Ministries, based in Richardson, Texas, will deliver that message in person Wednesday before the State Board of Education. Bohlin has a doctorate degree in molecular cell biology from the University of Texas at Dallas.

"If we can simply allow students to see that evolution is not an established fact, that leaves freedom for students to pursue other ideas," Bohlin said. "All I can do is continue to point these things out and hopefully get a group that hears and sees relevant data and insist on some changes."

The executive director of Texas Citizens for Science, Steven Schafersman, calls the institute's information "pseudoscience nonsense." Schafersman is an evolutionary scientist who, for more than two decades, taught biology, geology, paleontology and environmental science at a number of universities, including the University of Houston and the University of Texas of the Permian Basin.

"It sounds plausible to people who are not scientifically informed," Schafersman said. "But they are fraudulently trying to deceive board members. They might succeed, but it will be over the public protests of scientists."

The last time Texas looked at biology books, in 1997, the State Board of Education considered replacing them all with new ones that did not mention evolution. The board voted down the proposal by a slim margin.

The state requires that evolution be in textbooks. But arguments against evolution have been successful over the last decade in other states. Alabama, New Mexico and Nebraska made changes that, to varying degrees, challenge the pre-eminence of evolution in the scientific curriculum.

In 1999, the Kansas Board of Education voted to wash the concepts of evolution from the state's science curricula. A new state board has since put evolution back in. Last year, the Cobb County school board in Georgia voted to include creationism in science classes.

Texas education requirements demand that textbooks include arguments for and against evolution, said Neal Frey, an analyst working with perhaps Texas' most famous textbook reviewers, Mel and Norma Gabler.

The Gablers, of Longview, have been reviewing Texas textbooks for almost four decades. They describe themselves as conservative Christians. Some of their priorities include making sure textbooks include scientific flaws in arguments for evolution.

"None of the texts truly conform to the state's requirements that the strengths and weaknesses of scientific theories be presented to students," Frey said.

The Texas textbook proclamation of 2001, which is part of the standard for the state's curriculum, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, requires that biology textbooks instruct students so they may "analyze, review and critique scientific explanations, including hypotheses and theories, as to their strengths and weakness using scientific evidence and information."

The state board is empowered to reject books only for factual errors or for not meeting the state's curriculum requirements. If speakers convince the state board that their evidence is scientifically sound, members may see little choice but to demand its presence in schoolbooks.

Proposed books already have been reviewed and approved by Texas Tech University. After a public hearing Wednesday and another Sept. 10, the state board is scheduled to adopt the new textbooks in November.

Satisfying the state board is only half the battle for textbook publishers. Individual school districts choose which books to use and are reimbursed by the state unless they buy texts rejected by the state board.

Districts can opt not to use books with passages they find objectionable. So when speakers at the public hearings criticize what they perceived as flaws in various books - such as failing to portray the United States or Christianity in a positive light - many publishers listen.

New books will be distributed next summer.

State Board member Terri Leo said the Discovery Institute works with esteemed scientists and that their evidence should be heard.

"You cannot teach students how to think if you don't present both sides of a scientific issue," Leo said. "Wouldn't you think that the body that has the responsibility of what's in the classroom would look at all scientific arguments?"

State board member Bob Craig said he had heard of the Intelligent Design theory.

"I'm going in with an open mind about everybody's presentation," Craig said. "I need to hear their presentation before I make any decisions or comments.

State board member Mary Helen Berlanga said she wanted to hear from local scientists.

"If we are going to discuss scientific information in the textbooks, the discussion will have to remain scientific," Berlanga said. "I'd like to hear from some of our scientists in the field on the subject."


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: crevolist
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To: ALS
You're quite welcome! In making points in my two articles, I also quote a lot of sources who are pro-evolution.
1,501 posted on 07/11/2003 9:30:59 PM PDT by Alamo-Girl
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To: <1/1,000,000th%
"There's a sucker born every minute."
David Hannum
1,502 posted on 07/11/2003 9:31:38 PM PDT by ALS (http://designeduniverse.com Featuring original works by FR's finest . contact me to add yours!)
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To: Alamo-Girl
"You're quite welcome! In making points in my two articles, I also quote a lot of sources who are pro-evolution."

Makes sense to those with any.

Thanks!
1,503 posted on 07/11/2003 9:33:31 PM PDT by ALS (http://designeduniverse.com Featuring original works by FR's finest . contact me to add yours!)
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To: js1138
You certainly weren't being mean to me, js1138! However, I'm sure ALS would have appreciated the article name or link.
1,504 posted on 07/11/2003 9:34:17 PM PDT by Alamo-Girl
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To: ALS
Thanks AG. Took me a moment to locate the OUTSIDE link. js1138 purposely excluded the context.

I said it was a link. The link was posted here on FR by one of your friends. He posted the link directly to me as something that discredited evolution. It is interesting that no one seems to have actually read the article or understood its content or importance.

Does this mean the link on your site is going bye-bye?

1,505 posted on 07/11/2003 9:35:33 PM PDT by js1138
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To: ALS
It's your link. And Gore3000, one of your site authors posted the link on this thread. Did you put the link in order that it not be followed?
1,506 posted on 07/11/2003 9:36:21 PM PDT by Doctor Stochastic (Vegetabilisch = chaotisch is der Charakter der Modernen. - Friedrich Schlegel)
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To: ALS
Thank you for your post!

Makes sense to those with any.

Indeed, I find it saves time and frustration to use sources which are acceptable to the adverse party. Otherwise, the thread can get derailed into personal attacks on the messenger. LOL!

1,507 posted on 07/11/2003 9:37:55 PM PDT by Alamo-Girl
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To: js1138; All
I'm sure everyone here would have appreciated the article, link or context. In choosing not to, you attempted to deceive your own as well.

Truth be told js, I was actually beginning to imagine you had been attempting some semblence of intellectual honesty of late.

shame
1,508 posted on 07/11/2003 9:38:14 PM PDT by ALS (http://designeduniverse.com Featuring original works by FR's finest . contact me to add yours!)
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To: Doctor Stochastic
pay attention doc

look at the context of the link

If you are looking to trip us up, you'll fall flat on your wittow face.
1,509 posted on 07/11/2003 9:39:07 PM PDT by ALS (http://designeduniverse.com Featuring original works by FR's finest . contact me to add yours!)
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To: js1138; gore3000
Doubtful, but the articles are not edited by me. You would have to take up your anal hall monitor sham with the author.
1,510 posted on 07/11/2003 9:40:03 PM PDT by ALS (http://designeduniverse.com Featuring original works by FR's finest . contact me to add yours!)
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To: HalfFull; Virginia-American; <1/1,000,000th%
And for more telltale evidence of shared ancestry between and humans, from a different mutational event on a different chromosome, try this:

Sorry. Actually that second web page is about the same chromosome fusion (in the #2 chromosome) discussed in greater detail in the first link. Click on "inversions" in this second link for the additional example (from chromosome #5).

1,511 posted on 07/11/2003 9:41:56 PM PDT by Stultis
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To: Alamo-Girl
I'm sure ALS would have appreciated the article name or link.

I found the article on designeduniverse withoout any help.

Let me tell you how. Several hundred posts ago, gore3000 posted a link directly to the article. I happened to read the article. I noticed the article featured the platypus and remembered that designeduniverse also featured the platypus. I went to designeduniverse and started clicking on the links. It wasn't hard to find at all, because the link mentioned Duke University.

Now,I found the link within five minutes, even though I wasn't certain it would be there. I just used a few (very few) detective skills and a hunch.

The most important part of my hunch was that gore hadn't read the article and didn't realize it was written by mainstream biologists.

1,512 posted on 07/11/2003 9:42:30 PM PDT by js1138
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To: Doctor Stochastic
;^)
1,513 posted on 07/11/2003 9:43:47 PM PDT by js1138
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To: Doctor Stochastic; ALS
quoted in "O" Oprah Winfrey's mag and repeated on the Rosie O'Donell show, June 1999
1,514 posted on 07/11/2003 9:45:04 PM PDT by JesseShurun (The Hazzardous Duke)
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To: gore3000; All
Screenshot of links shown on the page:(top link is at issue)

the link goes to here: http://dukemednews.duke.edu/news/article.php?id=2130 It is NOT on the DesignedUniverse website as js1138 attempted to incite err claim. The context is clear, and anyone is free to read the author's article to further understand the context of the link: http://www.designeduniverse.com/articles/Amazing_Creatures/Amazing_Creatures.htm

1,515 posted on 07/11/2003 9:46:15 PM PDT by ALS (http://designeduniverse.com Featuring original works by FR's finest . contact me to add yours!)
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To: js1138; gore3000
Thank you for your post and your explanation! I'm pinging Gore3000 in case he'd like to address your concerns.
1,516 posted on 07/11/2003 9:46:59 PM PDT by Alamo-Girl
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To: js1138
"The most important part of my hunch was that gore hadn't read the article and didn't realize it was written by mainstream biologists."

Absurd. His point was not advocation of the entire Duke article, but that the "mainstream biologists" admitted the kangaroo and Platypus are not related.


tsk tsk
1,517 posted on 07/11/2003 9:48:33 PM PDT by ALS (http://designeduniverse.com Featuring original works by FR's finest . contact me to add yours!)
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To: Alamo-Girl
By the way, the site really does look good and as soon as you clean out all that pro-Darwin stuff, it'll be a prime source of ID links.

;^)
1,518 posted on 07/11/2003 9:49:38 PM PDT by js1138
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To: ALS
His point was not advocation of the entire Duke article...

That goes without saying.

1,519 posted on 07/11/2003 9:50:56 PM PDT by js1138
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To: JesseShurun
LIVE on FR!

Darwoodian makes a monkey out of himself!

dog biting man would be bigger news


1,520 posted on 07/11/2003 9:52:26 PM PDT by ALS (http://designeduniverse.com Featuring original works by FR's finest . contact me to add yours!)
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