New
Scientist: Forty-two Nobel laureates have written a letter
backing the repeal of a Louisiana law allowing creationism to
be taught in science classes, writes Andy Coghlan for
New Scientist. Under the Louisiana Science Education
Act of 2008, teachers can include their own "supplementary
materials" to widen debate on such science subjects as
evolution, cloning, and global warming. In the
letter,
the laureates, which include 17 physicists, 17 chemists, and 8
other scientists, state unequivocally their reasons the law
should be repealed:
Louisiana's students deserve to be taught proper science rather than religion presented as science. Science offers testable, and therefore falsifiable, explanations for natural phenomena. Because it requires supernatural explanations of natural phenomena, creationism does not meet these standards.A 17-year-old Baton Rouge high-school student, who spearheaded the fight to get the law repealed by rallying students, clergy, and members of the business community, posted the laureates' letter on his Facebook page Save Science in Louisiana!
