Genome 10K Project Will Let Scientists See Evolution at the Genetic Level
A group of eminent biologists have proposed that the Genome 10K project to decode 10,000 genomes—from frogs, fish and snakes, to birds, whales and monkeys—would enable scientists to tell the 600-million-year story of how vertebrates evolved from a single marine organism with the first prototype backbone into the plethora of lifeforms in the land, sea, and air. (Steve Connor, The Independent)

Doubt and Faith
Almost all strict, academic scientists (myself included) would agree that if tomorrow an experiment were devised that provided clear, repeatable evidence supporting divine intervention, our paradigm would need to be overhauled dramatically. What if tomorrow fervent, fundamentalist Christians, for example, were provided evidence that the earth is 4.5 billion years old, or that hominids evolved from an earlier ape-like ancestor, or that … wait … (Cara Santa Maria, The Huffington Post)

Diversity—and Debate Over Tactics—in the Nonreligious Community
Even as the visibility of the nonreligious has risen dramatically in the past several years, what’s also becoming more visible is the debate within the community about whether aggressive tactics and hard-line anti-religion stances are the most effective. (MCT News Service)

Q&A
Joel Osteen
Pastor Joel Osteen made it big in the boom times, wooing millions with the message that, as he says, “God wants you to have a big life,”—or, as his critics put it, God wants you to be rich. When the financial crisis hit, some analysts blamed preachers of the so-called Prosperity Gospel for helping bring it on. (Laura Fitzpatrick, TIME)

MOVIES
Act of God
In the wispy documentary Act of God, survivors of lightning strikes find metaphysical meaning in meteorological phenomena. The writer Paul Auster begs to differ. (Jeannette Catsoulis, The New York Times)