Short answer: No. But to read the click-bait headlines circulating on the internet in the last couple of days, you'd think so. All you need to do is read NASA's own announcement -- just the first paragraph: NASA’s Curiosity rover has found new evidence preserved in...
Science & Theology
DNA, Canaanites, and the Biblically-Illiterate Media
By now I've probably received a heads up on the story about Canaanite DNA disproving the biblical conquest narrative a dozen times. Here's my own heads-up: If you see some "news" about the Bible in mass media, you can presume it's click-bait archaeoporn that will...
Interview with Annie Jacobsen on DARPA
I was fortunate to spend some time with Derek and Sharon Gilbert last week in Missouri. One of the things we talked about briefly was Annie Jacobsen's work. I highly recommend her books Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base and Operation...
Of Sophistry and Antagonism Toward Fine-Tuning
I found this recent post entitled, "Is This the Dumbest Ever 'Refutation' of the Fine-Tuning Argument Ever?" worth the read (and a bit funny). It's about some very poor thinking on the part of British philosopher Anthony Grayling with respect to his disdain of the...
Pluto Fly-By Conspiracies: More Pseudo-Science
The fly-by photographs taken of Pluto as part of NASA's New Horizons mission to gather data on Pluto have been all the rage on the internet. Naturally, not everything has gone as expected; there have been technical glitches. Equally as normative, voices on the...
Plot Elements from The Portent In the News Since It Was Published
On the cover of The Portent (as was the case with The Facade before it) tells readers that the content elements of the storyline are all real. Some folks might think that's just marketing. It isn't. Since the release of The Portent this past August, several content...
Hypnotic Regression: A Critique
I'm still getting caught up on some items I want to make sure readers know about after my recent "finish The Portent draft or die" session of the last two weeks. A couple days ago I directed readers to Jack Brewer's UFO Trail about true conspiracy theories. I have one...
On the Pointless Demand for Alien-Human DNA Testing
Readers of this blog and those who have listened to various interviews I have done this year know that I think the request by Zecharia Sitchin to have Sumerian Queen Puabi 's remains genetically tested to prove her alien heritage is silly. One of the primary problems...
Does the Bible Teach Science? How the Bible’s Own Context Answers the Question
Here's the latest "infographic" video from Shaun. I think this audience will appreciate it a lot and find it useful for helping others to think through this issue. I've written (and commented in podcast episodes) that the Bible was not intended (by God) to teach...
Science Now Able to Remotely Hack the Brain
Yes, you read that correctly. Good thing I don't need to make things up for my novels. Stuff like this makes freaking readers out a whole lot easier. Thanks, scientists!
Sub-Plot from The Portent in the News: Secret Meeting Held at Harvard about Creating a Synthetic Human Genome
This happened at least a half dozen times with The Facade -- something in the book becomes news after the fact. Here we go again with The Portent: From the Christian Science Monitor: Why did Harvard Scientists Hold a 'Secret' Synthetic Genome Meeting? This is why you...
DNA CRISPR Critters: We Shall Be as Gods
Have you read my novel, The Portent? If so, the subject matter of the link below will sound familiar: Gene Drives – Will Conqueror Biomolecular Bots Dictate a New Book of Life? One of the sub-plots to The Portent is the use of genetic alteration and synthetic biology...
Scientists (Again) Saying Junk DNA Isn’t Junk
One of the claims of ancient astronaut theorists is that the "non-coding" DNA in the human genome is alien -- allegedly proving the intervention of extraterrestrials in human evolution in the ancient past. It's a wonderful non sequitur: "Some of this DNA doesn't...
Are UFOlogists Scientists?
That's the question Antonio Paris asked on the Aerial Phenomenon blog. Have a look - a nice graphic illustrating the difference between science and pseudoscience. Editor's note: added the image:
How Scientists Could Be Fooled Into Thinking They’ve Found Extraterrestrial Life
That's the title of an interesting and appropriately cautionary essay by George Dvorsky. He also wrote a piece entitled "14 Intriguing Ways We Could Detect Signs Of An Alien Civilization." Here's another article on how scientists could also draw the wrong conclusion:...