An excellent article by Prof. Kenneth Kemp (who was at the recent conference on evolution sponsored by Society of Catholic Scientists), critically reviews a recent intelligent design book by a misguided Dominican priest. But interestingly, Kemp highlights the self-inflicted problem genomics poses to Catholic theology when it comes to original sin, as it is understood… Continue reading Clinging to St. Augustine
My article on artificial intelligence, ‘Minds Without Brains?’ is in the April issue of Commonweal. Online here. This was a fascinating piece to write, especially given the chance to speak with so many people in the field.
I just finished David Whitehouse’s Space 2069. It’s a sobering read for those of us who remember the Apollo moon landings and the contraction of NASA’s more ambitious programs after that. The bulk of the book is devoted to current plans to return to the Moon and to explore Mars. The last third of the… Continue reading The Final Frontier… or The Undiscovered Country?
Fascinating article in the New York Times about the role that metabolism plays over the course of a lifetime. “The study “addresses a really significant gap in our understanding of basic human physiology,” says Richard Bribiescas, a professor of anthropology at Yale University. “It’s really important not only for basic science but because metabolism —… Continue reading Metabolism is the Key
Rosalie Gilbert’s new book from Mango Press, The Very Secret Sex Lives of Medieval Women, is informative for readers new to the more private side of the Middle Ages. Given how terrible conditions were for most women (and men) at the time, compared to the present day, it would have been easy for the author… Continue reading Medieval Women: Their Sex Lives and Medieval Sex in General
