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[ NEWS AND COMMENT

Three-Country Evolution Poll: Stark Contrast in U.S. vs. Canadian and British Beliefs Kendrick Frazier

We already know that compared with Origin of Humans most developed countries of the world, Which of these statements comes closest to your own point of view acceptance of evolution in the United regarding the origin and development of human beings on Earth? States is dismal. Jon Miller and col- leagues reported in 2006 that polls in thirty-four countries showed that only Canada United States Great Britain one—Turkey—had a lower rate of ac- Human beings evolved from less 6 1% 3 5 % 6 8 % ceptance of evolution. The United advanced life forms over millions States was, as he put it, “out on a limb of years. by ourselves” (SI, May/June 2006). God created human beings in their 2 4 % 4 7 % 16 % A new three-country poll not only present form within the past re veals data on how far behind the 10,000 years. United States is on this point—com- I’m not sure. 15 % 18 % 15 % pared to its two closest nations in the English-speaking world, Canada and Britain—but also gives fascinating re- gional details. Polls of representative samples of In Britain, two-thirds of respondents Amer icans, Canadians, and Britons (68 percent) side with evolution, while were carried out by Angus Reid Public fewer than one-in-five people (16 per- Opinion in the first nine days of July c ent) c hoo se creationism. At least 2010 and announced on July 15. The Am eri ca ns rema i n se ve n-in-ten respondents in the South contrast among nations is starkly of England (70 percent) and Scotland worded in the title of the company’s firmly on the wrong ( 7 5 p e r c ent) believe that human beings own an nouncement of the results: evolved from less advance d life forms “Amer icans are Creationists: Britons sid e of the science over m illions of years. At 58 percen t, and Canadians Side with Evolution.” London holds the smallest proportion

Americans remain firmly on the when it comes to of evolutionists. wrong side of the science when it comes In Canada, three-in-f ive respon- to evolution, which is perhaps the key e vol utio n, which is dents (61 percent) select evolution from

fundamental unifying principle of biol- the options provided, while one-in- ogy. Evolution has strong multiple lines per haps the key fun- four p eople (24 percent) choose cr e - of supporting evidence and has long ationism. Quebec (66 percent), along been accepted by life scientists, who damental unifying with British Columbia and the Atlantic value its explanatory power. principle of biology. provinces (64 percent), hold the highest The online survey asked respondents proportion of respondents who believe whether their own point of view is closest human beings evolved. At the other end

to the notion that human beings evolved of the spectrum, 39 percent of the resi- from less advanc ed life forms over mil- de nt s of M anitoba and Saskatch ewan lions of years or the idea that God created think God created human beings in human beings in their present form their present form. within the past 10,000 years.

Skeptical Inquirer | November/ December 2 010 5

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In the United States, almost half of GREA T B RITAIN re spondents (47 percent) believe that Which o f these statements comes closes t to you r own poin t o f view regarding God created human beings in their the origin an d deve lopm ent of human b e ings o n Earth ? present form within the past 10,000 years, while one-third (35 percent)

think human beings evolved from less GREAT BRITAIN ad vanced life forms over millions of years. Half of midwesterners (49 per-

cent) and southerners (51 percent) agree with creationism, while those in

the Northeast are more likely to side with evolution (43 percent). In the United States, more males than females accept that human beings evolved UNITED STATES Which of these statements comes closest to your own point of view from less advanced regarding the origin and development of human beings on Earth? life forms. REGION UNITED STATES Northeast Midwest Sou th West Gender and age breakdowns showed Human beings evolved from 3 5 % 4 3 % 3 7 % 2 7 % 3 8 % less advanced life forms over some interesting differences as well. In millions of years. the United States, more males than fe - God created human beings in 4 7 % 3 8 % 4 9 % 5 1 % 4 5 % males accept that human beings evolved their present form within the from less advanced life forms (43 per- past 1 0 ,0 0 0 years. cent vs. 28 percent). Americans aged I’m not sure. 1 8 % 1 9 % 1 3 % 2 1 % 1 6 % eighteen to thirty-four were evenly di- vided between evolution and creation (41 percent vs. 41 percent), while those age fifty-five and over were less accept- ing (32 percent saying humans evolved vs. 51 percent saying God created hu- CANADA mans in their pres ent form). Those in Which of these statements comes closest to your own point of view the intermediate age group (35–54) regarding the origin and development of human beings on Earth? showed beliefs not much different from their older counterparts (33 percent evolution, 49 percent creation). CANADA In Britain, 72 percent of males vs. 65 percent of females accept evolution; the age distribution is fairly even. In Can - ada, 69 percent of males and 54 percent of females accept evolution, and younger people are more accepting. The accompanying tables display some of the comparisons. The full poll is available online at www.visioncritical.com/2010/07/amer- icans-are-creationists-britons- and- canadians-side-with-evolution/. n

6 Volume 34 Issue 6 |

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[ NEWS AND COMMENT

The Amaz!ng Meeting of 2010

“What’s a TAM?” we’re asked by the un initiated. We reply, incredulously, “You haven’t heard of TAM?” Those who self-identify as skeptics know that TAM is the acronym for The Amaz!ng Meeting, which is hosted by y h

James “The Amazing” Randi and his p a r g

organization, the Educa- o t o h P

tional Foundation ( JREF). s s e

The world’s largest conference on r P

. F

critical thinking, TAM is like a Tech - e c u r

nology, Entertainment, Design (TED) B

: o t

conference, a G8 summit, or a World o h P Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meet - D.J. Grothe interviews biologist Richard Dawkins at TAM8. ing for skeptics. Now in its eighth year, TAM has Tavris. TAM8 also concentrated on the come a long way from its humble origin history and roots of skepticism. This of merely 150 skeptics assembled in year’s meeting paid homage to seminal Fort Lauderdale, Florida, back in 2003. skeptics Paul Kurtz, Ray Hyman, Ken My first meeting, TAM3, attracted TAM is like a Frazier, and James Randi and paid last some 500 guests—this is where I met Tech nology, respects to Martin Gardner, arguably conference birth-giver Girl 6, as she the founder of the modern skeptical knitted quietly in the front row of the Entertainment, Design movement. conference hall. TAM has grown expo- Some skeptics deny there is a “skep- nentially to welcome some 1,300 atten- (TED) conference, tical movement”—due to the phrase’s dees in the United States, with ad ditional a G8 summit, religious and bureaucratic connota- events including meetings in England tions—and prefer “critical thinkers” or and Australia and cruises. or a World Economic “com munity.” During an interview with Held at the South Point Hotel in Forum (WEF) Annual comedy writer David Javerbaum, Javer- Las Vegas, July 8–11, 2010, the central baum argued against the idea that there themes of TAM8 were unification, ed- Meet ing for skeptics. is a “movement,” remarking that “trying ucation, and outreach. to organize skeptics is like herding cats.” Come Together Skeptics certainly aren’t cats or sheep to be herded, but there were 1,300 of us With D.J. Grothe at the helm as presi- there... dent, the JREF has focused on the uni- tions were represented by skeptics who Preaching to the Unconverted fication of the . appeared on various panels and work- (and the Converted) Local organizations and grassroots shops, including CSI’s Barry Karr, Ken groups are always encouraged; there is Frazier, and and Skeptic Years ago, TAM moved from a winter strength in numbers, though, and we’re magazine’s Michael Shermer, Pat Linse, date to a summer schedule to enable all unified by our ideology and common and . educators to attend during their school goals. At Grothe’s insistence, TAM8 The meeting featured its usual holidays. Randi’s organization is busy was a coming together of the world’s “celebrity skeptics,” including Myth - keeping the “education” in “JREF.” major skeptical organizations, and the busters’s Adam Savage (see my Point of In their commitment to pedagogy, event was co-sponsored by the Com- Inquiry interview, excerpted in this the JREF secured Michael Blanford as mittee for Skep tical Inquiry (CSI) and issue), mentalist Banachek, and notable director of education and established a the Skeptics Soci ety. These organiza- academics Richard Dawkins and Carol number of educational initiatives—in -

Skeptical Inquirer | November/ December 2010 7 SI New Nov Dec pages_SI new design masters 9/24/10 2:27 PM Page 8

cluding workshops that provide re - tion. We need to “preach” not only to we spoke about skeptics’ duty of care sources for teachers and other educators the unconverted but also to the choir; toward believers, and we encouraged and grants to encourage the creation of even the choir can forget the songs. skeptics to be diplomatic when repre- critical-thinking courses at secondary Do unto Others senting skepticism. Becoming a skeptic and tertiary levels. means becoming an activist—a face and TAM8 offered more workshops than TAM8 acknowledged the importance voice for skepticism. ever before, focusing on grassroots skep- of outreach and grassroots activism, but Phil Plait also tackled these themes. ticism and education. “Skepticism in the it also recognized the need to improve In what has become known as the Classroom” featured Daniel Loxton, the public image of skepticism. The “Don’t Be a Dick” speech, Plait voiced Matt Lowry, and Michael Blanford, who message was that we can increase our his concerns over the public perception presented materials and practical tips to effectiveness and increase our numbers of skeptics as antisocial, egotistical, and increase science literacy, science appreci- by simply being . . . nicer. abrasive. He reports that the growing ation, critical thinking, and skepticism— We all know the stereotypes of skep- popularity of Skepticism 2.0 has also not only in schools but in society. We tics. There is the boring, bearded, be- seen a rise in rudeness online. Plait’s don’t need to be teachers to teach, and of spectacled old man. There is the cynical plea was that we should avoid undue at- course skepticism begins at home. and cantankerous curmudgeon. There tacks and insults because we’re most In my “Skepticism 101” workshop is the self-righteous, smug, superior persuasive when we are respectful and with Jeff Wagg, we highlighted the im- know-it-all. Rather than worrying rational. portance of not only teaching critical about gender or age, we should worry Of course, there’s a time to be con- thinking but continuing to learn it our- about ap proaches and attitudes. frontational, but there’s also a time to be selves. Skepticism is an ongoing educa- In the “Skepticism 101” workshop, considerate. Such animosity is often di- rected toward believers, but the conflict MonsterTalk Podcast Celebrates also occurs among skeptics, manifesting Anniversary with Parsec Nomination in feuds and factions that appear online. Now is an exciting and necessary time to be a skeptic; we should ignore inter- MonsterTalk, a free audio podcast that critically examines the science behind monsters such nal bickering and schoolyard squabbles as , Nessie, and werewolves, recently celebrated its frst anniversary with a Parsec award nomination (for Best Fact Behind the Fiction podcast) and over 10,000 downloads per so we can just get on with the job. episode. Hosted by Blake Smith, SKEPTICAL INQUIRER Managing Editor , and What Happens in Vegas . . . CSI columnist Karen Stollznow, MonsterTalk goes beyond typical, superfcial media-friendly sound bites. Its long-form interviews allow experts (who are often working scientists) to pro- TAM8 was a long weekend of rousing vide depth and context to their subjects. It is also one of the few skeptical podcasts that pres- talks, workshops, panels, stimulating ents original research by the show’s co-hosts. The topics are diverse, and past show topics speakers, socializing, and networking. have included Mothman, dinosaurs, genetic engineering, hybrids, H.P. Lovecraft, the ivory- Hopefully, what happened in Vegas billed woodpecker, vampires, Bigfoot “dermal ridges,” insects, ghosts, and the chupacabra. won’t stay in Vegas. MonsterTalk can also be heard via subscription on iTunes; Skeptics are still “coming down” for more information visit www.skeptic.com/podcasts/monstertalk/. after what is known as the “TAM high” and eagerly awaiting next year’s event. Let’s maintain the motivation and stay in spired. Barring unwanted acquisi- tions, such as gambling debts or sur- prise spouses, don’t let what happened in Vegas stay there. Take home the new friendships you forged, the knowledge you gained, the ideas, and the inspira- tion. But don’t keep these to yourself; share them with your family, friends, and community. This is what skepticism is all about. n

See photos from Randi's Amazing Meeting in Las Vegas at: www.csicop.org/SIExtras MonsterTalk podcast co-hosts Blake Smith, Benjamin Radford, and Karen Stollznow SI New Nov Dec pages_SI new design masters 9/29/10 12:18 PM Page 9

[ NEWS AND COMMENT

Study: If Asked, God May Mosquito Zappers Improve Vision and Hearing Get Zapped Benjamin Radford Terence Hines

A study released in August 2010 claimed son who takes a placebo that they be- We’ve all seen them: those ads for de - to have found evidence that, if specifi- lieve is a pain reliever might experience vices that repel mosquitoes by emitting cally requested, God might heal those less pain. a high-frequency sound that—it is with impaired hearing and vision. Furthermore, the study did not con- claimed—prevents little biters from ac- Candy Gunther Brown, an associate trol for the pre-existing beliefs of the tually biting. Now a malaria scientist in professor in the Department of Religious patients. According to the study, “sub- the Nether lands has been taking action Studies at Indiana University–Bloom- jects were recruited at Charismatic against those claims. As reported in Sci- ington, led the study of “proximal inter- Protestant meetings . . . widely reputed ence (“Mosquito Buzzer Won’t Fly,” March 5, 2010), Bart Knols, who runs cessory prayer.” The study, published in among Pentecostals globally as ‘special- the website MalariaW orld.org, saw an the Sep tember issue of the Southern ists’ in praying for those with hearing Medical Journal and titled “Study of the ad for the MozStop device in KLM and vision impairments.” That is, all Thera peutic Effects of Proximal Inter- Royal Dutch Airlines’s in-flight maga- the subjects in the study not only firmly cessory Prayer (STEPP) on Auditory zine. He complained to the airline and believed in the power of prayer, but they and Visual Impairments in Rural Mo - the ads were removed. Since the report believed such prayer was especially zambique,” measured improvements in in Science, British Air ways and Finnair vision and hearing in a rural area of the helpful in treating eye and ear prob- have also removed such ads. Knols was southern African country. lems. The subjects could have easily especially concerned that people going The team used an audiometer and vi- been influenced by what scientists call to places where malaria is endemic sion charts to evaluate fourteen patients “demand characteristics”: patients tel ling would buy the product and believe, in- who reported impaired hearing and the re searchers (and those who prayed) correctly, that they were being protected. eleven who reported impaired vision, what the patients think the researchers Knols’s website provides a link to a 2007 both before and after members of a local want to hear. It would be interesting (and paper, “Electronic Mos quito Re pel lents church prayed for their healing. Subjects important) to know whether or not mal- for Preventing Mosquito Bites and reported a small but statistically signifi- adies in atheists, agnostics, and others Malaria Infection” (by A.A. Enayati, J. cant improvement in hearing and vision who lack a pre-existing belief in the Hem ingway, and P. Garner), that was following the prayers. power of prayer would be improved. published as a Cochrane Re view. This At first glance the study is interesting, It is worth noting that better-de- review found that the devices “have no but upon closer examination serious lim- signed studies have found prayer is inef- effect on preventing mosquito bites.” itations become apparent. First, the sam- fective. In 2006, researchers at six major Thus, it is highly irresponsible to adver- ple size is tiny; with only twenty-four medical centers, including Harvard and tise them with any implication that they participants the results are very difficult the Mayo Clinic, completed the largest prevent malaria. to generalize to a larger population. Sec- prayer study to date—“Study of the Knols’s successful efforts to remove fraudulent ads show that it is possible for ond, the measures studied by Brown and Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory skeptics to make a difference, one little her colleagues were inherently subjective Prayer ‘STEP’ in Cardiac Bypass Pa- bit at a time. This maxim has proved true and were not objectively measured. In- tients,” published in the American Heart deed, the authors admit that “auditory in my own experience as well. A few Journal. Research for this study, led by and visual impairments are . . . not unaf- years ago, I had very good results in hav- Dr. Herbert Benson, was conducted over fected by psychosomatic factors.” ing ads pulled from a number of local almost a decade. Two thousand cardiac A double-blind study (that is, one in radio stations—for the “See Clearly” surgery patients were randomly as- which neither the researchers nor the method of eyesight improvement. The patients know who gets the treatment signed to different prayer groups. See Clearly method claimed that eye- and who is in the control group) would Prayer was found to have no beneficial glasses actually make vision worse. have been far more reliable. It would effect on recovery time, death rate, or As the saying goes: think globally; n help control for the well-known placebo any other factor. act locally. effect; it is not only possible but likely Brown and her colleagues addressed Terence Hines is professor of psychology that those who receive personal, special neither the mechanism by which the at Pace University and author of Pseudo - attention from prayer groups and re- prayer was supposedly effective (how science and the Paranormal (Prometheus searchers might genuinely believe that exactly the prayer helped) nor why a Books). He may be reached via e-mail at they can see or hear better, at least tem- benevolent god would help only those porarily—much in the way that a per- whom he is specifically asked to assist. n [email protected].

Skeptical Inquirer | November/ December 2010 9 SI New Nov Dec pages_SI new design masters 9/24/10 2:27 PM Page 10

Ghost Hunter Killed while ghost hunting at a historic Univer- He was a strong defender of good Seeking ‘Ghost Train’ sity of Toronto building. The woman, science and had thought deeply about along with a man with whom she was on the responsibilities of scientists: both to Benjamin Radford a first date, had entered the building at perform good science and to work with around 2AM and was searching for ghosts policymakers, media, and members of In the wake of popular “reality” TV when she fell three floors to her death the public to explain their findings. Un- shows like Ghost Hunters and Para - from the roof. like many scientists, Schneider was normal State, police across the country The tragic irony is that there is no sci- comfortable and effective when working have seen a recent upsurge in people entific proof that ghosts exist (and if they at the turbulent crossroads of science being ar rested, injured, and even killed do, they certainly have never injured or and public affairs. He gave frequent while looking for ghosts. killed anyone), yet the pursuit of ghosts congressional testimony, made regular n Christopher Kaiser was killed on can be a very dangerous activity. media ap pearances, and was a fine August 28, 2010, while ghost hunting writer and communicator. His book with a group of friends. The group of a about his experiences in the Climate dozen amateur ghost hunters had gath- The Loss of Wars, Science as a Con tact Sport, is re- ered on a bridge over Third Creek near Climate Scientist viewed in this issue. Statesville, North Carolina, hoping to Schneider’s short invited piece “Cli - see the ghost of a train that crashed Stephen H. Schneider mate Change: Skeptics vs. Deniers” ap- there 119 years earlier, killing thirty Kendrick Frazier peared in our May/June 2009 issue. It people. The ghost-hunting group be- is still very pertinent. Earlier this year lieved a local legend that the train’s Those who work at the intersection of Schneider was nominated to become a ghost would materialize on the an- science and the public, especially those fellow of the Committee for Skeptical niversary of the accident. The ghost in the world of climate science, have Inquiry and in dicated he would accept train did not appear, but a real one did: been mourning the death of Stephen if elected. a Norfolk Southern came around a H. Schneider. Paul Ehrlich, Schneider’s Stanford bend heading toward them. Kaiser was the sole fatality. Kaiser’s death is the most recent ex- ample of the dangers of looking for ghosts. But also in August 2010, in Meriden, Connect icut, three ghost hunters were seriously injured while fleeing from police after trespassing in an old building reputed to be haunted. When police arrived at the building, which is private property well marked with “no trespassing” signs, the men scrambled to avoid arrest—running off a cliff in the darkness. In August 2006, an Ohio girl was shot while exploring a supposedly haun- ted house near a cemetery. In their hunt Stephen H. Schneider for ghosts, Rachel Barezinsky and her Schneider, one of the world’s most Uni versity friend and colleague, offered friends had trespassed onto the prop- respected and outspoken climate scien- a moving personal tribute in the August erty of Allen Davis, who fired a rifle at tists, died of an apparent heart attack 13 issue of Science. Other testimonials by friends and colleagues worldwide the teens—who he mistook for vandals. on July 19 while traveling to London. n Barezinsky was critically wounded with He was sixty-five years old. can be found on the web. gunshots to the head and shoulder; she Schneider was a member of the Na- survived but remains disabled with tional Academy of Sciences, a Mac - Short tributes to Stephen H. Schneider by short-term memory loss and limited Arthur Fellow, and a co-recipient of the Kendrick Frazier and Thomas Casten are available on the CSI website at use of her arms and legs. 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his work csicop.org/specialarticles. In September 2009, a twenty-nine- with the Intergovernmental Panel on year-old Canadian woman was killed Climate Change.

10 Volume 34 Issue 6 | Skeptical Inquirer