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November 12 Evolution Is Just A TheoryBut it's the central unifying theory underlying our knowledge of the living world.
Not all Florida School Bosses are former biology teachers. But all Florida School Bosses, especially middle and high school bosses, need to back up science teachers who are doing their job when teaching biology.
Florida's new standards... so far... remove any doubt about the role of evolutionary theory in the biological sciences. But as this article points out, there are still folks out there wanting to confuse science with religion.
I was struck this week by an illustration of the fact that evolution is not a debatable topic among scientists. The CDC Director was testifying before a congressional committee about MRSA and schools. In her responses to questions, she used a few scientific terms and phrases... and of course, she assumed the congressmen and other educated American citizens knew something about... evolution.
Some examples:
"... because they've had all of this evolutionary pressure..."
"... perhaps they're a little bit fitter..." (referring to community MRSA bugs)
"... it's a process of survival of the fittest..."
"... so those bacteria don't have to go through the process of evolution..."
"... because it gives them a selection advantage..."
Audiovisual learners, and those with a need for a clear summary of the state of all things MRSA, should watch her testimony. There was another hearing panel, which included a school superintendent, but it was not as informative (especially after the first couple of presenters). This c-span link to the hearing may not work for long. If the linked page doesn't show the hearing, look farther back among the page views to Nov. 7 and the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Governmental Reform, and MRSA panel number one.
Note: She could have been a lot stronger in her advice about schools and MRSA... she said it wasn't necessary in her opinion to close schools for disinfecting when a student came down with a MRSA infection... but she wouldn't go ahead and say that schools should not be closed. TrackbacksWeblogs that reference this entry
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