Back in 2006, stem cell research was a big campaign issue in the 2006 Wisconsin governor’s race. Now, a new study from researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison looks at what motivated residents of the state to get involved in political activities around the issue, like signing a petition or joining a demonstration. It turns out that media exposure, political ideology, and the potential positive outcomes of the research—economic benefits and scientific progress—were bigger motivators than religiosity was. As graduate student Kajsa Dalrymple, who worked on the study, explains:

What is really interesting is that religion and religious perspectives didn’t motivate people to participate directly on the stem cell issue. People were more interested in the social and economic aspects of the stem cell issue.

A sign in St. Petersburg, Florida, where the mayoral race pits Kathleen Ford, who accepts evolution, against Bill Foster, a young Earth creationist who believes dinosaurs and humans lived at the same time. (Field Notes, September 16, 2009)

In a conference call with faith leaders earlier this week, President Barack Obama used religious allusions to respond to some of the “ludicrous ideas” and attacks on his plan for health-care reform:

These are all fabrications that have been put out there in order to discourage people from meeting what I consider to be a core ethical and moral obligation: that is that we look out for one another, that I am my brother’s keeper, I am my sister’s keeper. In the wealthiest nation on earth right now, we are neglecting to live up to that call.

It’s official, the Senate has unanimously confirmed Dr. Francis Collins as the next director of the National Institutes of Health. As a result, he has resigned as president of The BioLogos Foundation.