News items February 2022

    • Fox News had an extended story on their website about whether the genetic and fossil record can be reconciled with the existence of a single Adam and Eve pair. Among others, CSS member Fuz Rana was quoted in the article. The story centers around two recent books by Josh Swamidimass and William Lane Craig. Swamidass presents the view that hominids evolved for millions of years, and then Adam and Eve were specially created around 6000 BC, but by interbreeding with pre-existing hominids, all existing people today are descended from Adam and Eve. Craig presents the view that Adam and Eve existed a very long time ago, at the head of all hominids, and the story of the garden of Eden is primarily metaphor. For more reading on this topic, see books my members of the CSS, namely Fuz Rana’s book Who Was Adam? and Jack Collins’ book Did Adam and Eve Really Exist? See also my short article, “Examining the options on when Adam and Eve lived.”
    • Francis Collins has come under attack by right-leaning websites in recent weeks. Not the Bee has posted several polemic articles including this and this, based on reporting by Meghan Basham. Note that these stories are polemic and the CSS does not take a position on their viewpoints, but as far as I know the facts reported about Collins, in particular that he has supported fetal research, are not disputed. Regarding the embracing of Francis Collins by evangelicals, there is no conspiracy; it is well known that evangelicals give an ear to highly successful Christians such as Collins.
    • There is increasing evidence that mutations are almost never purely random; instead organisms switch on and off mechanisms to allow random mutation only in certain parts of their genomes. In this they are doing essentially what an immune system does with antibodies: solving a problem quickly by generating all possible solutions.
    • Those of us over a certain age remember when we were constantly told of the dangers of overpopulation. Numerous scientific studies now predict the opposite: a population collapse. Simply put, a majority of people around the world now see child rearing as one of many options that must complete with other options such as career, travel, etc.

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