Could the Eye Evolve? The answer is Yes!

I have been meaning to recommend the excellent website Expelled Exposed, which documents all the lies and misleading statements in Ben’s Stein’s creationist “documentary,” Expelled. A central claim is that professors who believe in intelligent design are being persecuted, a claim that is totally unfounded. Expelled Exposed was created by the National Center for Science Education. You can hear an excellent interview with Director Eugenie Scott on the April 9th episode of Science Talk, Scientific American’s podcast.

One of the claims that is popular with ID proponents is the idea that the eye is too complex to have been the product of evolution. Actually, as was pointed in David Bainbridge’s excellent book, Beyond the Zonules of Zinn: A Fantastic Journey Through Your Brain, nothing could be further from the truth, because there is evidence that eyes have actually evolved a surprising number of times. (For more on Bainbridge’s book listen to Episode 32 of the Brain Science Podcast.)

To learn more about the evidence for the evolution of the eye check out this new video which NCSE has posted on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOtP7HEuDYA

Nancy Yanes Hoffman reviews “When Doctors Become Patients”

When Doctors Become Patients I have mentioned Nancy Yanes Hoffman’s Writing Doctor’s Blog several times in the past. She has graciously allowed me to quote from her recent review of WHEN DOCTORS BECOME PATIENTS by Robert Klitzman.

When Harcourt bought CHANGE OF HEART: The Bypass Experience, my book interviewing 1100 veterans of coronary bypass surgery, I was elated. Flush with my success, I tried to convince them to publish my next book interviewing 100 doctors who were veterans of coronary bypass surgery.

“Nobody will be interested,” retorted the editor. But he was wrong.

Robert Klitzman’s important new book, WHEN DOCTORS BECOME PATIENTS, proved just how wrong one editor can be.

Klitzman interviewed 70 physicians, male and female, young and old—from 25 to 87, all victimized by a variety of chronic and acute diseases including lymphoma, breast cancer, skin cancer, Huntington’s disease, heart attacks, depression, bipolar distress, and an overly high incidence of HIV.

Whatever their illnesses were, disease was isolating. Even though their different illnesses mandated a variety of diagnoses, treatment, responses, and coping mechanisms, many sick doctors felt left on their doorsteps by calloused and unsympathetic colleagues. Since 34 percent of doctors in Klitzman’s study were HIV positive or suffered from frank AIDs, most opted for secrecy. But the four women physicians killed by metastatic cancer within a year after Klitzman finished his book also faced “peripheralization and discrimination.” One physician reporting that her colleagues “treated me as if I were dead.”

Even if these doctor-patients wanted to talk to their physicians, communicating with physicians was a tough ball game. Here, the doctor who is sick confronts the same barriers as the non-doctor who wants to communicate with his or her physician. (Read the rest.)

Actually the obstacles between physician-patients and their physicians are more difficult than one might imagine. In my own personal experience I have found that it is actually better when my physician forgets I am a doctor (which seems to be surprisingly easy for male docs taking care of female collegues!).

Read the rest of Hoffman’s Review Now.

Be sure to leave her a comment so that she will know you heard about her blog here.

Books and Ideas Podcast #19: Interview with Dan Ariely

Dan Ariely is a professor of behavioral economics at MIT and author of the bestseller, Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions. He was my guest for episode 19 of Books and Ideas. During the interview he explains how his came to study human behavior. He uses examples from his book to explore the question “What makes a good experiment?” He also discusses how he hope that his findings can help strengthen our society despite our human tendency to make “irrational” choices.

Listen to Episode 19 Now.

Links:

Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely

Dan Ariely

Listen to Books and Ideas Episode 19

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Podcaster Scott Sigler’s novel Infected is now on Amazon.com

infected.jpg If you love horror with lots of gore and violence, Scott Sigler’s book Infected: A Novel will be worth checking out. It has been available as a free podcast for some time, but today mark’s its hard cover debut. I am joining the podcasting community in buying my copy today (which I intend to send to a niece). The goal is to make publishers aware that podcasting fiction helps sell books because people are happy to buy the books of author’s they enjoy.

I have listed Infected in the Books and Ideas aStore on Amazon.com, which means if you buy via this link you help both Scott Sigler and me. (Of course, he makes more!) [Note: that this book is intended for mature readers.]

booksandideasstore.jpg

Go to http://scottsigler.com  or http://podiobooks.com/title/infected to learn more.

The Philosophy of Buffy the Vampire Slayer?

alan_saunders.jpg Alan Saunders of The Philosopher’s Zone

One of my favorite podcasts is an Australian Radio show called The Philosopher’s Zone, but I have to admit that I was surprised to discover that host Alan Saunders shares my passion for the work of Joss Whedon, especially Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The March 29 episode is a discussion of the philosophical aspects of the BuffyVerse with James B. South who edited Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy: Fear and Trembling in Sunnydale (2003). The episode is called “Buffy the Concept Slayer,” which is kind of a lame title, but it is still something Buffy fans will enjoy. However, it is not an episode someone new to the show will find very enlightening.

The Myth of Free Will: Revised and expanded

mythoffreewill-2nd.jpg Back in Episode 12 I reviewed the first edition of The Myth of Free Will: Revised & Expanded Edition (200 8) by Cris Evatt. I am proud to announce that I have a short chapter in the revised edition “My Brain Made Me Do It.” This essay is a reflection on the implications of the recent findings of neuroscience that indicate that a large amount of our brain’s decision-making occurs outside our conscious awareness. Even so I argue that the concept of personal responsibility should not be abandoned because our frontal lobes do have the ability to overrule many reflex decisions. I also consider the implications of neuroplasticity.

You can find this book in the Books and Ideas aStore within Amazon.com.

Books and Ideas #18: Interview with Tabitha Grace Smith from Buffy Between the Lines

tabz-small.jpgTabitha Grace Smith

Episode 18 of Books and Ideas is an interview with writer and podcaster Tabitha Grace Smith. Tabitha is the creator of Buffy Between the Lines, an award-winning podcast set in the universe of my favorite TV show: Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She is also a writer and works on several other podcasts. In her interview we talk about writing, podcasting, and why we love the work of Joss Whedon.

Included in this episode is the Valentine episode of Buffy Between the Lines, which is the episode in which I had my voice-acting “debut.”

Listen to Episode 18 Now.

Links:

Tabitha Grace Smith

Buffy Between the Lines

Jane Espenson’s blog: (Jane is one of our favorite TV writers)

goaskmalice.jpgGo Ask Malice: A Slayer’s Diary (2006) by Robert Joseph Levy

The Myth of Free Will: Revised & Expanded Edition (200 8) by Cris Evatt (I have a short chapter in this edition.)


Listen to Episode 18

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Books and Ideas #17: Mur Lafferty

mur-gin-07.jpgGinger and Mur

Episode 17 of Books and Ideas is an interview with writer Mur Lafferty. Mur’s podcasts I Should Be Writing and Geek Fu Action Grip helped inspire me to start podcasting, so I was excited to get a chance to talk with her about her new novel, Playing for Keeps. We also talk a little about the challenges of podcasting.

Listen to episode 17

pfk_icon.jpgPart 1 of the audio version of Playing for Keeps is included in this episode. It starts at 30:48. You can find the novel at http://playingforkeepsnovel.com or at http://podiobooks.com.

Mur emphasized that her “street team” has done a lot to promote Playing for Keeps. Special thanks go to Natalie Metzger and Jarod Axelrod for artwork, and to Chris Miller for the companion video podcast, which is available on youtube.

tricksofthepodcastingmasters.jpg Mur co-wrote Tricks of the Podcasting Masters with Rob Walch.

She has also had several great stories on Escape Pod. My favorite is “I look Forward to Remembering You,” which is scheduled to become a video on http://strangerthings.tv.

To find more of Mur’s work go to http://murlafferty.com.

Listen to Episode 17 of Books and Ideas

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Embracing the Evidence for Evolution is not Always Easy

This week’s Science magazine includes a profile of Canadian paleontologist Stephen Godfrey. What makes his story unusual is that he was raised as a fundamentalist Christian to believe in the creationist dogma of a 6,000 year-old earth. The article highlights why it can be very difficult to make such a transition since it also makes one an outsider. Not only may the young person lose their place in their religious community, but they may find find themselves reluctant to share their past with their new scientist colleagues who generally tend to assume that all creationists are intellectually inferior.

This article interested me on two levels. For one thing, I think it makes some points that need to be acknowledged if mainstream scientists hope to win over potential young scientists from the admittedly growing influence of the creationists. On a more personal level, it reminded me of my own personal journey when back in my early 20’s (in the late 1970’s) I left Jehovah’s Witnesses largely because I realized that they had totally misrepresented the scientific evidence about evolution. I reached this conclusion after studying the evidence myself. While I felt a sense of intellectual liberation, I also felt the pain of losing my religious community. I think it is important to realize that since humans are social by nature we have to realize that these ties are extremely powerful and can be a formidable obstacle to getting people to examine their beliefs.

EVOLUTION: Crossing the Divide by Jennifer Couzin. Science 22 February 2008: Vol. 319. no. 5866, pp. 1034 - 1036 

Hear me on the Buffy Between the Lines Valentine’s episode

bbtlvalentine.jpg

I have a small role in the special Valentine’s episode of my favorite podcast audio drama Buffy Between the Lines. This is a stand alone episode that you can enjoy even if you have never watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

This episode was written by Tabitha Grace Smith, who I interviewed for an upcoming episode of Books and Ideas, which should be up within the next few days. Several other podcasters including JC Hutchins also have guest roles in this episode.