Baba Brinkman - Religion Evolves

Baba Brinkman, a Canadian hip-hop performer with an intellectual bent, sexy beats and sumptuous lyrics, tackles where religion comes from, what purpose it serves and how it evolves. NYT: "like attending the best Ted Talk ever." See him at the Soho Playhouse in NY, or get his album (pay what you want) here.

Why Do We Die?

PZ Myers Science Blogs
We are all Roy Batty. All of our moments will be lost, like tears in rain…but weren’t they extraordinary moments?

Love Letters to Richard Dawkins

Evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins reads "fan mail" he has received from some of his not-so-great admirers. Parental Discretion Advised.

The Avian Tree of Life

This animation illustrates the  major branches of the avian tree of life revealed by the mapping of the complete genomes of 48 bird species -- one of the most ambitious evolutionary investigations yet.

A Flock of Genomes Tells the Tale of Bird Evolution

Geoffrey Mohan Los Angeles Times
Which bird is closest to the saltwater crocodiles, American alligators and the slender-nosed Indian gharial? Either the chicken or the ostrich, depending on how you look at it. If a genome is a shelf of books, then the chicken has been a better librarian, but the ostrich has been a more faithful translator.

The Selfless Gene

Olivia Judson The Atlantic
It’s easy to see how evolution can account for the dark streaks in human nature—the violence, treachery, and cruelty. But how does it produce kindness, generosity, and heroism?

When Did Insects Evolve?

Gwen Pearson Wired
Our Planet of the Arthropods is dominated by insects, and when and how insects took over the earth is a question that’s puzzled naturalists for centuries. In an incredible international effort, 100 scientists combined their molecular, computational biology, statistics, paleontology, and taxonomic expertise to uncover some surprising conclusions about when major groups of insects evolved.

Pope Francis Declares Evolution and Big Bang Theory Are Right

Adam Withnall The Independent
Pope Francis broke with Catholic tradition Monday by declaring that the theories of evolution and the Big Bang are real, and remarking that God is not “a magician with a magic wand.” “When we read about Creation in Genesis, we run the risk of imagining God was a magician, with a magic wand able to do everything. But that is not so,” the pope said at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, during a plenary meeting dedicated to evolving concepts of nature.
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