Creation and the Theory of Evolution

The Boardman Lecture, in cooperation with the Center For Theology and The Natural Sciences and The John Templeton Foundation, funded a conference on Creation and Theory of Evolution. The conference explored religion and science by offering two different approaches to the question of human origins. Geneticist Francisco Ayala explains the present state of our understanding of evolution and argues that such human phenomena as morality and religion are by-products of the evolutionary process that cannot be explained by natural selection. His lecture appears as The Evolutionary Transcendence of Humankind. Dr. Pannenberg stressed that the God of religious faith must be the Creator of the same nature that is studied by scientists. He explores aspects of the Genesis creation story that are compatible with the theory of evolution. His lecture is Human Life: Creation Versus Evolution

Erratic overdispersion of three molecular clocks: GPDH, SOD, and XDH

The neutrality theory predicts that the rate of neutral molecular evolution is constant over time, and thus that there is a molecular clock for timing evolutionary events. It has been observed that the variance of the rate of evolution is generally larger than expected according to the neutrality theory, which has raised the question of how reliable the molecular clock is or, indeed, whether there is a molecular clock at all. We have carried out an extensive investigation of three proteins, glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH). We have observed that (i) the three proteins evolve erratically through time and across lineages and (ii) the erratic patterns of acceleration and deceleration differ from locus to locus, so that one locus may evolve faster in one than another lineage, whereas the opposite may be the case for another locus. The observations are inconsistent with the predictions made by various subsidiary hypotheses proposed to account for the overdispersion of the molecular clock.F.R.-T. has received support from the Spanish Council for Scientific Research (Contrato Temporal de Investigación) and Grant AGL2000- 1073 from the Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología to A. Ballester. Research was supported by National Institutes of Health Grant GM42397 (to F.J.A.).Peer Reviewe

Francisco José Ayala, especialista en evolució i en filosofia de la biologia

Dins del XI Congrés Internacional d'Ontologia, Francisco José Ayala (Universitat de Califòrnia, Irvine) va oferir una xerrada sobre la biologia i la cultura humanes a la Facultat de Filosofia i Lletres el 6 d'octubre. Ayala ha desenvolupat tota la seva carrera acadèmica als Estats Units, tot esdevenint un dels científics més prestigiosos de l'actualitat.Dentro del XI Congreso Internacional de Ontología, Francisco José Ayala (Universidad de California, Irvine) ofreció una charla sobre la biología y la cultura humanas en la Facultad de Filosofía y Letras el 6 de octubre. Ayala ha desarrollado su carrera académica en Estados Unidos, convirtiéndose en uno de los científicos más prestigiosos de hoy en día.As part of the 11th International Conference on Ontology, Francisco José Ayala (University of California, Irvine) gave a talk on human biology and culture at the Faculty of Philosophy and Arts on 6 October. Ayala has carried out his entire academic career in the United States and is now one of the most prestigious scientists in the world

El impacto de la crisis en los hogares con menores: pobreza y exclusión social en la infancia

Hi ha un debat no resolt a l’entorn del significatdel terme pobresa. Les diferents línies d’investigació apunten cada cop més a entendre aquest fenomen com a quelcom més que la carència material d’ingressos. La controvèrsia terminològica es deu, sobre manera, al procés de transformació en els objectius d’investigació i també al procés de canvi que es produeix a la mateixa societat. L’article analitza els fenòmens de pobresa i exclusió social tot centrant-se en les llars amb menors i en l’impacte de la crisi que s’hi detecta.There is an ongoing debate on the meaning of the term poverty. There are several lines of research that point more strongly towards understanding the phenomenon as something more than a material lack of income. The controversy over the terminology is largely due to a change in research objectives, in addition to a changing society. The article analyses the phenomena of poverty and social exclusion by focusing on homes with children and the impact of the crisis on these.Existe un debate no resuelto en torno al significado del término pobreza. Las diferentes líneas de investigación apuntan cada vez más a entender dicho fenómeno como algo más que la carencia material de ingresos. La controversia terminológica se debe, en gran medida, al proceso de transformación en los objetivos de investigación y también al proceso de cambio que se está dando en la propia sociedad. El artículo analiza los fenómenos de pobreza y exclusión social centrándose en los hogares con menores y en el impacto de la crisis en los mismos

¿Clonar humanos? Límites de la eugenesia

Mankind has not only evolved; but continues to do so. Where is human evolution going? Biological evolution is directed by natural selection, which brings about genetic changes that often appear purposeful because they are dictated by the requirements of the environment. The end result may, nevertheless, be extinction. Genetics, molecular biology and biomedicine have opened up the means to rapidly and effectively manipulate the genetic makeup of humankind. Gene therapy can be somatic or germ-line, which can correct a genetic defect, not only in the organs or tissues impacted, but also avoid transmission of the genetic impairment to the descendants. No interventions of germ-line therapy are currently being considered by scientists, physicians, or pharmaceutical companies. Human cloning may also refer to therapeutic cloning, particularly the cloning of embryonic cells to obtain organs for transplantation or for treating injured nerve cells, or for other health purposes. Some proposals have suggested the cloning of human individuals of great intellectual or artistic achievement or of great virtue. Such utopian proposals, however, are grossly misguided. It is not possible to clone a human individual, even if its genome is cloned. Identical genomes yield, in different familiar, social and cultural environments, individuals who may be quite different. Moreover, ethical, social, and religious values come into play when seeking to decide whether a person might be allowed to be cloned or not.La humanidad no solo ha evolucionado, sino que continúa evolucionando. ¿Hacia dónde va la evolución humana? La evolución biológica está dirigida por la selección natural, que no es un proceso benevolente que guíe a las especies hacia un éxito seguro. El resultado final puede ser la extinción. Los avances en genética, biología molecular y biomedicina han hecho posible manipular, rápida y efectivamente, la constitución genética de la humanidad. La terapia genética puede ser somática (corregir un defecto genético en los órganos o tejidos afectados), o germinal (evitando su transmisión a los descendientes). No hay intervenciones de terapia germinal que estén siendo consideradas actualmente por científicos, médicos o compañías farmacéuticas. La clonación de humanos puede también referirse a clonación terapéutica o de individuos. Se han avanzado propuestas sugiriendo clonar individuos de gran capacidad intelectual o artística, o de virtud eminente. Tales propuestas utópicas son sumamente desafortunadas. No es posible clonar un individuo humano, aun si se clona su genoma. De genomas idénticos, desarrollados en contextos diferentes, familiares, sociales y culturales, pueden resultar individuos totalmente diferentes. Además, entran en juego consideraciones éticas, sociales y religiosas cuando se examina si una persona puede o debe ser clonada

Descriptive profile of hip range of motion in elite tennis players

Objective: To describe the range of motion (ROM) profile (flexion, extension, abduction, internal and external rotation) of the hip in elite tennis players; and (b) to analyse if there are sex-related differences in the hip ROM. Design: Cohort study. Setting: Controlled laboratory environment. Participants: 81 male and 28 female tennis players completed this study. Main outcome measures: Descriptive measures of passive hip flexion, extension and abduction, and internal and external active and passive hip rotation ROM were taken. Magnitude-based inferences on differences between sex (males vs. females) and hip (dominant vs. non-dominant) were made by standardising differences. Results: No clinically meaningful bilateral and sex-related differences in any of the hip ROM measures. In addition, it was found that both males and females had restricted mobility measures on hip flexion (25 ] and passive [35 ]) Conclusions: Asymmetric hip joint ROM measures found during clinical examination and screening may indicate abnormalities and the need of rehabilitation (e.g., flexibility training). In addition, clinicians should include specific exercises (e.g., stretching) in their conditioning, prevention and rehabilitation programmes aiming to avoid restricted mobility of hip flexion (males ¼ 74 ; females ¼ 78 ), extension (males ¼ 1.5; females ¼ 0.4), abduction (males ¼ 35 ; females ¼ 34 ) and internal rotation (males ¼ 30 ; females ¼ 35) that might be generated as a consequence of playing tennis

Dos revoluciones: Copérnico y Darwin

Análisis de la importancia de la obra de Copénico y darwin en la evolución de la ciencia, entendiendo su aportación como una revolución en la misma. Estas dos revoluciones podrían verse conjuntamente como una única revolución científica, con dos etapas, la copernicana y la darwinian