Evolution Major Vanishes From Approved Federal List

[gatorboy]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/24/washington/24evo.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&ref=washington&pagewanted=print&oref=login

Evolutionary biology has vanished from the list of acceptable fields of study for recipients of a federal education grant for low-income college students.

The omission is inadvertent, said Katherine McLane, a spokeswoman for the Department of Education, which administers the grants. “There is no explanation for it being left off the list,” Ms. McLane said. “It has always been an eligible major.”

Another spokeswoman, Samara Yudof, said evolutionary biology would be restored to the list, but as of last night it was still missing.

If a major is not on the list, students in that major cannot get grants unless they declare another major, said Barmak Nassirian, associate executive director of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. Mr. Nassirian said students seeking the grants went first to their college registrar, who determined whether they were full-time students majoring in an eligible field.

[Ian David]

1. What did Evolutionary Biology ever give us?

Absolutely nothing!

Okay, except maybe modern agriculture.

Other than modern agriculture, what has Evolutionary Biology ever given us?

Nothing!

Okay, selective breeding of dogs, cats and cattle.

Other than modern agriculture, selective breeding of dogs, cats and cattle, what has Evolutionary Biology ever given us?

Nothing!

Oh, wait... antibiotics.

Other than modern agriculture, selective breeding of dogs, cats and cattle, and antibiotics, what has Evolutionary Biology ever given us?

Nothing! Nada! Zero!

Alright, immunizations against viruses like Polio.

Anyway... other than modern agriculture, selective breeding of dogs, cats and cattle, antibiotics, and immunizations against viruses like Polio, what has Evolutionary Biology ever given us?

NOTHING!

Snakes on a plane, man. Snakes on a plane.

[hughee99]

3. I don't have any problems with evolutionary science...

but are you suggesting that were it not for the study of evolution we wouldn't have antibiotics, immunizations or selective breeding (all of which have been around for thousands of years)? I'm not sure what aspects of "modern agriculture" you're referring to, but I assume your talking about GM, so you're probably right about this.

To be clear, I'm fully support evolutionary biology, I just don't see how it is responsible for most of these things.

[Hugin]

4. It's responsible for a complete understanding of those things...

Without it you end up with a guy like the Soviet Agriculture Minister who
thought if you stuffed someone in a snow bank long enough they'd eventually
'evolve' to live in cold environments.

Oh, and also, that whole "Let's cut the noses off of dogs to breed short-nosed
dogs" movement.

:eyes:

[hughee99]

5. I agree about the knowledge it provides us

but it seems to me like the post was suggesting that they wouldn't even exist. Maybe I'm misunderstanding the whole thing, but it seem to me like (for example) the post is suggesting that without an understanding of thermodynamics, there would be no such thing as fire.

Again, maybe I'm misunderstaning, but that's how I read it.

[Ian David]

8. Without Evolutionary Biology we would have none of those things.

Like the other guy said, we'd be cutting the noses off dogs.

[Hugin]

11. 'Scientific Method' is the expression I'm groping for here...

Yup, I'm pretty sure that's the ticket.

;)

[hughee99]

13. But we had those things before the study of

evolutionary biology, or at least before it was formalized and taught in school. Yes, our knowledge has certainly made us more adept at them, but it's not as if they didn't exist before.

[Quantess]

6. You could say the same about a lot of majors.

Majoring in evolutionary biology is no more a waste of time than majoring in philosophy, Shakespeare, or art history.

You could go so far as to say that college is a waste of time, and that taxpayers shouldn't support it at all.

[Ian David]

7. I was being ironic. n/t

[Quantess]

10. Oh.

:dunce: That's a relief.

[Raffi Ella]

2. ...

coincidence?

NOT.

[Nikki Stone 1]

9. That is really bizarre

The keystroke of some low level flunkee with Christofacist tendencies? Or a way of defunding a major under the radar?

[OregonDem]

12. Who needs evolutionary biology when you have Inteligunt Dezine?

Didn't you know that Falwell's Liberty University is on the cutting edge of science with research into Creationism. We don't need grants for evolutionary design since you can learn biology simply by studying the primitive mythology found in the Buy Bull.