January 11, 2018

How to Deceive with Statistics: Distortions Due to Diminutive Denominators

We all learned in elementary school that "you can't divide by zero." But what happens when you divide by a number very close to zero, a small fraction? The quotient shoots way up to a very large value. Pick any number....

December 20, 2016

Idolatry in Science

One of the enduring controversies over the years has been the purported conflict between science and religion. An alternate view is that religion and science are complimentary paths to knowledge, not opponents at all. Long ago, St. Augustine sai...

November 28, 2016

The Peer Review Problem

Recent news reports have observed that a lot of published scientific papers are worthless and not true, with initial claims turning out to be false. This is particularly worrisome where newly invented medicines are concerned. The problem also affects...

September 29, 2016

How Opiates Devastated the Heartland

Dreamland:  The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic by Sam Quinones ISBN 978-1-62040-250-4  (Bloomsbury Press:  2015) 350 pages plus index Many of us are puzzled, confused and stunned by the rapid expansion of addi...

March 27, 2016

Science, Religion and the Big Bang Theory

Whenever a major new scientific theory comes along, there is a tendency to mix it together with religion, and the outcome is often both unexpected and unfavorable. When the distinction between science and religion is clearly understood, such problems...

December 25, 2015

Yes Virginia...

  The Bible says “God so loved the world that He sent His only-begotten Son …” But my astronomer friends say that with the universe as old and as vast as it is, there is no way God could care about our dinky little pla...

December 6, 2015

Why Is the Pope Mad at Me?

Recently, Pope Francis once again stressed the urgency of the “COP-21” climate conference in Paris, saying it would be “catastrophic” not to achieve a treaty (akin to the 1997 Kyoto treaty) to limit emissions of carbon dioxide...

October 14, 2015

Explaining the Latest Nobel Prize in Physics

The 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded last week to the two leaders of research groups that experimentally solved a puzzle about neutrinos, which has important implications for our understanding of the basic laws of physics. The experimental ...

December 15, 2013

Faith within Science

For quite some time, science has been presented to the public in a distorted way.  Reports of statements by scientists are often stated as absolutely certain truths, never mentioning any doubts or questions.  Seldom do reporters inquire abo...

April 22, 2013

Earth Day Lesson: Environment is not Climate

Earth Day is here again, but few people seem interested any more in global warming. It's plausible to inquire whether people realize we've got a duty to protect the environment. Actually, "protecting the environment" is not necessarily the same topic...

March 26, 2013

What Science Really Says about Religion

In the March 25 issue of The Weekly Standard, the lead article entitled "The Heretic" deals with philosopher Thomas Nagel, who has abandoned his long-held perspective on philosophy and religion. This has caused consternation and alarm among contempor...