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Welcome!
The National Center for Science Education (NCSE) defends the teaching of evolution in public schools. We are a nationally-recognized clearinghouse for information and advice to keep evolution in the science classroom and "scientific creationism" out. NCSE is the only national organization to specialize in this issue. We provide:
  • Reviews of current anti-evolution activity in the United States and around the world
  • Background to the fundamentally creationist and anti-evolution movement known as "Intelligent Design"
  • Detailed information on the Creation/Evolution controversy from 1859 to the present
  • Resources for parents, teachers, school boards, and the general public
Contact NCSE if you need advice, information, or help in defending the teaching of evolution. We also work to increase public understanding of evolution and of the nature of scientific knowledge.
Evolution/Creationism News
(From the past 60 days. See News Room for older items).

Antievolutionists asked to review draft standards in Texas Texas 
South Central

Three antievolutionists have been appointed to a six-member committee to review the draft set of Texas state science standards, and defenders of the integrity of science education in the Lone Star state are livid. "The committee was chosen by 12 of the 15 members of the board of education, with each panel member receiving the support of two boar ...

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Story in the Dallas Morning News

October 16, 2008
NCSE's Scott receives award from the Field Museum NCSE News 

On October 10, 2008, NCSE's executive director Eugenie C. Scott was presented with the Field Museum's Award of Merit at a ceremony at the museum, where she gave a talk, attended a gala dinner, and received a $7500 honorarium for NCSE. The award is presented by the Field Museum's Founders' Council each year to "a leading scientist ...

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October 14, 2008
Moore wins Evolution Education Award National 

Randy Moore is the winner of the 2008 Evolution Education Award from the National Association of Biology Teachers, according to a press release issued on October 14, 2008, by the American Institute of Biological Sciences. The award, sponsored by AIBS and the Biologic ...

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Press release from AIBS

October 14, 2008
Editorial support for science standards in Texas Texas 
South Central

Texas's newspapers are beginning to express their editorial support of the draft set of science standards, released by the Texas Education Agency on September 22, 2008, and applauded for their treatment of evolution by the Texas Free ...

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Editorial in the Austin American-Statesman

October 6, 2008
Appeal of Understanding Evolution lawsuit dismissed California 
Southwest

After her lawsuit challenging the Understanding Evolution website on constitutional grounds was dismissed for lack of standing on March 13, 2006, Jeanne Caldwell appealed the decision to the United States Court of Appeal for the Ninth Circuit. In a ruling dated October 3, 2008, the appeals court rejected her appeal, affirming the lower court' ...

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Ruling from the Ninth Circuit (PDF)

October 6, 2008
Texas scientists support teaching evolution Texas 
South Central

A new coalition of Texas scientists voiced its opposition to attempts to dilute the treatment of evolution in Texas's state science standards, which are presently undergoing revision. At a news conference in Austin on September 30, 2008, representatives of the 21st Century Science Coalition chall ...

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Story in the Austin American-Statesman

October 1, 2008
IPS statement on the age of the earth and universe National 

The International Planetarium Society recently issued a statement on the ancient age of the earth and universe, noting that "Many independent lines of scientific evidence show that the Earth and Universe are billions of years old. Current measurements yield an age of about 4. ...

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IPS statement on the age of the earth and universe

September 26, 2008
Draft science standards in Texas Texas 
South Central

The Texas Education Agency released proposed drafts of the state's science education standards on September 22, 2008. Not surprisingly in light of the ongoing controversies over teaching evolution in Texas, reporters focused on the place of evolution in the draft standards, with ...

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Story in the Austin American-Statesman

September 24, 2008
Rabbis in support of teaching evolution National 

The Clergy Letter Project's "Open Letter Concerning Religion and Science From American Rabbis" was the topic of a story in the Chicago Tribune (September 19, 2008), beginning, "For Rabbi Gary Gerson of the Oak Park Temple B'nai Ab ...

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Story in the Chicago Tribune

September 23, 2008
Apologies to Darwin? United Kingdom 
Charles Darwin, aged 51
Charles Darwin, aged 51

Anticipating the bicentennial of Darwin's birth and the sesquicentennial of the publication of On the Origin of Species, the Church of England unveiled a new section of its website entitled "On the origin of Darwin," discussing Darwin's relationship to the church, the development ...

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Associated Press story via the International Herald-Tribune

September 22, 2008
Canadian geologists add their voice for evolution Canada 

The Canadian Federation of Earth Sciences recently issued a statement on creationism, beginning, "Canadian media report growing public pressure to introduce Creationism and its equivalent Intelligent Design (ID) in school curricula, hinting that Creationism/ID is a 'theory', thu ...

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Statement from the Canadian Federation of Earth Sciences

September 19, 2008
Royal Society furor over creationism United Kingdom 

The director of education for the Royal Society of London, Michael Reiss, resigned from his position on September 16, 2008, in the wake of a controversy occasioned by his recent remarks on creationism. According to a September 16, 2008, press release from the Royal Society, "Some of Professo ...

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"Science lessons should tackle creationism and intelligent design"

September 18, 2008
Alliance for Science evolution essay contest National 

The Alliance for Science -- a non-profit organization which seeks "to heighten public understanding and support for science and to preserve the distinctions between science and religion in the public sphere" -- is holding its third annual essay contest. The theme is "In Darwin's Footsteps," and students are encouraged "to identify and write ...

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Alliance for Science essay contest

September 12, 2008
Update from Canada Canada 

Writing in the September 2008 issue of the United Church Observer, Drew Halfnight discusses the public understanding of evolution in Canada. With the evolution wars constantly raging to the south, "Canadians see themselves as spectators to someone else's battle," ...

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"Where's Darwin?" in the United Church Observer

September 8, 2008
Project Steve: n = 900 NCSE News 

With the addition of Steven K. Nordeen on September 5, 2008, NCSE's Project Steve attained its 900th signatory. A tongue-in-cheek parody of a long-standing creationist tradition of amassing lists of "scientists who doubt evolution" or "scientists who dissent from Darwinism," Project Steve mocks such lists by restricting its signatories to sc ...

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Project Steve: Now with 900 Steves

September 5, 2008
Paleontologists decry Louisiana's antievolution law Louisiana 

In a September 4, 2008, press release, the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology urged Louisiana citizens and legislators to repeal the recently enacted "Science Education Act" in their state, writi ...

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Press release from SVP

September 5, 2008
Creationist initiatives denounced in ASBMB Today National 

Two articles in the August 2008 issue of ASBMB Today react to recent creationist initiatives. ASBMB's president, Gregory A. Petsko of Brandeis University, pulls no punches in his column, beginning, "They're at it again. Armed with another new idea from the Discov ...

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ASBMB Today

September 5, 2008
 National Center for Science Education · 420 40th Street Suite 2
Oakland, CA 94609-2509 · Phone: (510) 601-7203 · Fax: (510) 601-7204 ncseoffice@ncseweb.org             Disclaimer

Background on Expelled

Learn more about the anti-evolution movie Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, featuring Ben Stein.

Expelled Exposed
See the canyon with Scott and Gish!

The 2009 raft trip will be July 3 - July 10. Call 1-800-290-6006 to reserve a spot!

Trip Information
NCSE on Facebook

Connect with other NCSE members and discuss the latest developments on evolution and creationism on the popular social networking site!

NCSE on Facebook
Help the NCSE archives!

Help the NCSE archives keep up-to-date by purchasing books for NCSE through our wish list at Amazon.com.

NCSE wish list
Not in Our Classrooms

"If you’re concerned about scientific literacy, read this book. The authors of Not in Our Classrooms are authorities on the various battles fought over the teaching of evolution -- biology’s fundamental discovery." -- Bill Nye the Science Guy



Information about Not in Our Classrooms
Evolution Education and the Law

Information on Kitzmiller v Dover, Hurst v Newman and other cases.

Link Here
Multimedia resources at NCSE

A growing collection of multimedia resources.

Multimedia resources at NCSE
Pandas Resources

Reviews and analysis of the "intelligent design" textbook Of Pandas and People

Pandas Resources
Project Steve

A parody of creationist lists of "scientists who dissent from Darwinism."

How many Steves do we have?
Understanding Evolution

A website about evolution, from the U.C. Museum of Paleontology and NCSE. New and improved!



Understanding Evolution
Now in Paperback!

by
Eugenie C. Scott
purchase here



NCSE News

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Online
ICONS OF EVOLUTION?

In Icons of Evolution, Jonathan Wells claimed that biology textbooks present a systematic pattern of misinformation about the evidence for evolution. NCSE scholar Alan Gishlick critically dissects this claim. He shows that Icons is an icon of poor scholarship.
PDF format


Gishlick on Wells
National Academy Press Coolest Science Site
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