Morning news dump

Sun-Sentinel: Consideration of evolution bill is questioned.

State Sen. Nan Rich, D-Weston, said the Board of Education was updating standards that produced students with science scores “among the lowest in the nation.”

The state has invested hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to lure biotechnology companies to Florida.

“Then we turn around and say we’re back to [the 1800s.],” Rich said. “It has nothing to do with the money, the budget. It is just an issue that we should not waste any time on.”

News-Press: Evolution-bill fight reaches Statehouse

Tampa Tribune: Astrophysicist DeGrasse Speaking In St. Petersburg

TAMPA – Neil deGrasse Tyson may be the world’s sexiest astrophysicist, but he cares more about the state of science literacy than his much-touted good looks.

“There are adversaries, cultural adversaries, to the progress of science,” Tyson said by telephone this week. “History has demonstrated that whenever they get the upper hand, progress stalls or reverses.”

Tyson will talk tonight about his passion — the universe — but he’s happy to tackle any subject the audience wants to discuss, including the evolution-creationism debate.

“My concern is not whether people in the world are religious or whether they maintain a faith-based system of thought,” he said. “What matters is whether they take that philosophy into the science classroom. If you want to bring non-science into the science classroom you will compromise what the next generation thinks science is.”

About Brandon Haught

Communications Director for Florida Citizens for Science.
This entry was posted in "Academic Freedom" bills '08. Bookmark the permalink.