OKLAHOMA EVOLUTION/CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS–FEBRUARY 2023
1. Anti-science education legislation in the Oklahoma legislature
2. Pro/anti-science education legislation in other states
3. Oklahoma State University researchers predict COVID-19 surges using genomic surveillance
4. Wind and Solar Were EU’s Top Electricity Source In 2022 For First Time Ever
5. Decades-old crustaceans coaxed from lake mud give up genetic secrets revealing evolution in action
6. Antarctic ice hits record low for January
7. February videos
ANTI-SCIENCE EDUCATION LEGISLATION IN THE OKLAHOMA LEGISLATURE
Neither SB 140 nor SB 943 were heard in committee before the deadline and are both dormant for this year. Oklahoma’s Senate Bill 140 by Dahm would empower science denial in the classroom. The bill is nearly identical to the creationist bills that have been filed for the last several years. Senate Bill 943 by Jett cites “climate change ideology” as a justification to divert state funds away from the state’s public school system. More at NCSE here and here and at Sensuous Curmudgeon.
PRO/ANTI-SCIENCE EDUCATION LEGISLATION IN OTHER STATES
Utah–Utah’s House Bill 441 might, if enacted, have adverse consequences for science education in the Beehive State.Section 2 of the bill would require local education agencies in the state to develop a neutrality policy, which would, inter alia, prohibit their employees from “advocating for or promoting controversial issues; .. asserting a personal belief as fact; or … presenting facts in a biased manner.”
The bill defines “controversial issue” as “a topic that is socially unresolved, generates highly divergent and contentious opinions, or is not age appropriate.” While no specific issues are described in the bill as controversial, evolution and climate change — though not scientifically controversial — are often regarded as socially controversial.
The bill died in committee on February 28, 2023, when a deadline for bills to pass committee in their house of origin passed. More at NCSE here and here and at Sensuous Curmudgeon.
Minnesota–Minnesota’s Senate File 517 would, if enacted, require school districts in the state to “provide instruction to students in grades 9 to 12 exploring the contrast between the scientific facts on how sickness, disease, pain, suffering, and death relate to the existence of complex living organisms, and how sickness, disease, pain, suffering, and death are a consequence imposed by the Creator of complex living organisms.”
The purpose of such instruction, according to the bill, is “[t]o advance critical thinking skills in history and science,” but it is not specified in what type of classes — history, science, or health — it would be presented. The bill was introduced on January 23, 2023, by Glenn H. Gruenhagen (R-District 17), a new member of the Senate but a veteran of the House of Representatives, and referred to the Senate Education Policy Committee. More at NCSE and Sensuous Curmudgeon.
Montana–Montana’s Senate Bill 235, which would cripple science education in the state by excluding anything but “scientific fact” from curriculum and instruction, received a hearing in the Senate Education and Cultural Resources Committee on February 6, 2023.
The bill’s main sponsor, Daniel Emrich (R-District 11), a new member of the Senate, “said that he didn’t think the bill would prohibit the teaching of scientific theories, which are the basis of explaining science,” according to the Missoulian (February 6, 2023). But that was not the impression of anyone testifying for or against the bill.
The only person to testify for the bill, a law professor working in South Korea, understood it to prohibit the teaching of evolution, the Big Bang, and related topics, as NBC Montana (February 6, 2023) reported; he also described these topics as fraudulent and aimed at impeaching the veracity of the Holy Bible. Emrich did not distance himself from these views. The bill was tabled by the Senate Education and Cultural Resources Committee on a 11-0 vote on February 13, 2023. More at NCSE here and here, and at Sensuous Curmudgeon here and here, and at Why Evolution is True.
West Virginia–West Virginia’s Senate Bill 619 would, if enacted, allow “[t]eachers in public schools, including public charter schools, that include any one or more of grades Kindergarten through 12, [to] teach intelligent design as a theory of how the universe and/or humanity came to exist.”
Allowing the teaching of “intelligent design” in West Virginia’s public schools would fly in the face of authoritative statements from such bodies as the National Academy of Sciences, which describes “intelligent design” as “not supported by scientific evidence,” and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, which opposes “policies that would permit the teaching of ‘intelligent design theory'” as “a challenge to the quality of science education.” The bill passed the Senate Education Committee on February 21, 2023 and now proceeds to the Senate floor. More at NCSE here and here, Sensuous Curmudgeon here and here and here, and Friendly Atheist.
Kentucky–Kentucky’s Senate Bill 102 (PDF) might, if enacted, have adverse consequences for science education in the Bluegrass State.
Section 5 of the bill defines “controversial subject matter” as “an issue that is a point made in the electoral platform of a political party as defined in and is contested by the electoral platform of another political party at the local, state, or federal level.” As Ars Technica (January 29, 2019) observed with regard to similar definitions offered in similar legislation, “a large number of state party platforms specifically mention evolution and climate change” — often disagreeing on the status of these scientific principles.
Declaring that “[t]he common school environment is not an appropriate place to engage in teacher-led or teacher-promoted social or political advocacy with respect to controversial subject matter,” the bill would prohibit teachers from “advocat[ing] in a partisan manner for a specific side” and protect teachers and students from compulsion to “advocate for or against anything in opposition to his or her sincerely held beliefs and convictions, including … [a]ny position on controversial subject matter.” More at NCSE and Sensuous Curmudgeon.
Hawaii–Hawaii’s House Bill 1052 and the identical Senate Bill 1350 would, if enacted, establish a climate impact special fund in the state treasury. Money from the fund would be used for activities “to address the impact, mitigation, and adaptation of climate change, including but not limited to … climate change education and outreach.”
Money for the fund would have a variety of sources, including a 5-cent-per-barrel share of a $1.05-per-barrel state tax on petroleum products (excluding aviation fuel) and “the sum of $100,000,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2023-2034” from the state’s general revenues. More at NCSE.
Oregon–Oregon’s Senate Bill 854 (PDF) would, if enacted, require local school districts to establish, and periodically update, a climate change instructional program for K-12 students. The state department of education would be required to approve each district’s program and also to develop a model plan to provide guidance for districts in developing such programs.
Programs would be required to address thirteen specific areas, including increasing “understanding about the scientific causes of and the ways to prepare for and reduce the effects of climate change” and facilitating “discussion about the economic and political factors contributing to climate change.” More at NCSE.
OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS PREDICT COVID-19 SURGES USING GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE
Using genomic surveillance, Oklahoma State University researchers have developed a new method of predicting infectious disease surges, including COVID-19.
Preparation time is crucial for prevention and something medical professionals lacked at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. That spurred Dr. Pratul Agarwal, assistant vice president of research and professor of physiological sciences in the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine, and his colleagues, to explore ways to predict waves of increased infections, or so-called surges, ahead of time by analyzing data collected through genome sequencing, which is the process of deciphering the genetic material found in the virus.
Agarwal’s team recently published its findings in the prestigious eLife, a peer-reviewed, scientific journal for biomedical and life sciences. Original paper in eLife.
WIND AND SOLAR WERE EU’S TOP ELECTRICITY SOURCE IN 2022 FOR FIRST TIME EVER
Wind and solar supplied more of the EU’s electricity than any other power source for the first time ever in 2022, new analysis finds. They together provided a record one-fifth of the EU’s electricity in 2022 — a larger share than gas or nuclear, according to a report by the climate thinktank Ember. Record additions of new wind and solar in 2022 helped Europe survive a ‘triple crisis’ created by restrictions on Russian gas supplies, a dip in hydro caused by drought and unexpected nuclear outages, the analysis says. More at slashdot and Carbon Brief. Original report at Ember.
DECADES-OLD CRUSTACEANS COAXED FROM LAKE MUD GIVE UP GENETIC SECRETS REVEALING EVOLUTION IN ACTION
Human actions are changing the environment at an unprecedented rate. Plant and animal populations must try to keep up with these human-accelerated changes, often by trying to rapidly evolve tolerance to changing conditions.
University of Oklahoma researchers Lawrence Weider, professor of biology, and Matthew Wersebe, a biology doctoral candidate, have demonstrated rapid evolution in action by sequencing the genomes of a population of Daphnia pulicaria, an aquatic crustacean, from a polluted lake.
The research, which was conducted as part of Wersebe’s doctoral dissertation, was recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Wersebe and Weider revived decades-old Daphnia resting eggs from lake sediments, a method known as resurrection ecology, which has been refined in Weider’s lab over the past several decades. They then sequenced the entire genomes of 54 different Daphnia individuals from different points-in-time, allowing them to study the genetics and evolution of the population. More at phys.org, Mirage, and Newswise. Original paper at PNAS.
ANTARCTIC ICE HITS RECORD LOW FOR JANUARY
The Antarctic Ocean area covered by ice was the lowest on record for January, exposing Earth to even more planet-warming heat.
Last month was also the third warmest January on record in Europe, with temperatures on New Year’s Day reaching all-time highs on some parts of the continent, according to European Union’s Copernicus climate monitor (C3S).
Melting sea ice has no discernible impact on sea levels because the ice is already in ocean water.
But it is problematic because it helps accelerate global warming. More at phys.org. Original report at C3S.
FEBRUARY VIDEOS
Climate Now by Copernicus – January 2023
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