OKLAHOMA EVOLUTION/CLIMATE NEWS–FEBRUARY 2021

1.  Anti-science education legislation in Oklahoma

2.  Anti-science/pro-science legislationi in other states

3.  Why creationism bears all the hallmarks of a conspiracy theory

4.  The oldest animal DNA ever recovered reveals mammoths’ evolution

5.  OU study highlights need for improving methane emission database

6.  A new chameleon species may be the world’s tiniest reptile

7.  February videos

ANTI-SCIENCE EDUCATION LEGISLATION IN OKLAHOMA
Neither of the anti-science education bills (SB 613 and SB 662) were heard in the Senate Education Committee before the deadline for bills to be heard in committee in the chamber they were introduced.  Therefore, the bills have died.  Thanks to all who contacted the committee chairs.  Numbers DO count.  Coverage at NCSE and Sensuous Curmudgeon.  Both mention the help of OESE in defeating the bills. 

ANTI-SCIENCE/PRO-SCIENCE LEGISLATION IN OTHER STATES
Maine–A bill in the Maine legislature would ban public school teachers from practicing “indoctrination” — and contains a provision that could adversely affect science education. House Paper 395, introduced in the Maine House of Representatives on February 22, 2021, and referred to the House Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs, would, if enacted, require the state board of education to adopt rules to prevent public school teachers in the state from engaging in what it describes as “political, ideological[,] or religious advocacy.”The rules would in particular require teachers to “provide students with materials supporting both sides of a controversial issue being addressed and to present both sides in a fair-minded, nonpartisan manner,” where “a controversial issue” is defined as “a point made in an electoral party platform at the local, state[,] or federal level.” As Ars Technica observed in discussing a spate of similar measures in 2019, “a large number of state party platforms specifically mention evolution and climate change.”  More at NCSE.
Rhode Island–House Bill 5625, introduced on February 19, 2021, and referred to the House Education Committee, would, if enacted, require the state department of education “to develop a set of key environmental, climate, and sustainability principles and concepts” and to take a variety of steps to ensure that they https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYlDKWIbGQYare reflected in Rhode Island’s public schools.
Of particular note, the bill calls for the revision of the state science standards for science and social studies where appropriate, for guidance to be given of how to incorporate climate change into math and English language arts, and for teacher professional development in science, civics, and social science to include the key principles and concepts.  More at NCSE.
New York–Senate Bill 4781 would, if enacted, require the state commissioner of education to “make recommendations to the board of regents relating to adjusting curricula for social studies, economics, geography, and government classes in New York schools to include requirements for climate change education.” Topics would include the social, cultural, and political impacts of climate change, the global effects of climate change, global efforts to address climate change, the disproportionate impact of climate change on particular communities, and climate denialism. The bill was introduced by Rachel May (D and Working Families-District 53), and referred to the Senate Committee on Education.  No fewer than six previous bills currently active in the New York state legislature also seek to support climate change education.  More at NCSE.

Minnesota–Minnesota’s House File 550 and the identical Senate File 666 would, if enacted, require school districts and charter schools in the state to provide climate justice instruction “aligned with current scientific research and integrated into existing programs, curriculum, or the general school environment.” HF 550 was introduced on February 1, 2021, and referred to the House Education Policy Committee; SF 666 was introduced on February 4, 2021, and referred to the Senate Education Finance and Policy Committee.
The bills define climate justice as “connecting climate change to social and economic justice issues” and accordingly identify as themes of climate justice instruction not only scientific principles, such as that “climate change is occurring and it is caused by human activities,” but also social and economic issues, such as climate change’s “disproportionate effects on communities already facing systemic oppression” and its “interconnected effects on inequity, systemic oppression, and injustice.”  MoreThe oldest animal DNA ever recovered reveals mammoths’ evolution at NCSE.

WHY CREATIONISM BEARS ALL THE HALLMARKS OF A CONSPIRACY THEORY

This commentary by Paul Braterman starts out:
“Many people around the world looked on aghast as they witnessed the harm done by conspiracy theories such as QAnon and the myth of the stolen US election that led to the attack on the US Capitol Building on January 6. Yet while these ideas will no doubt fade in time, there is arguably a much more enduring conspiracy theory that also pervades America in the form of young Earth creationism. And it’s one that we cannot ignore because it is dangerously opposed to science.
In the US today, up to 40% of adults agree with the young Earth creationist claim that all humans are descended from Adam and Eve within the past 10,000 years. They also believe that living creatures are the result of “special creation” rather than evolution and shared ancestry. And that Noah’s flood was worldwide and responsible for the sediments in the geologic column (layers of rock built up over millions of years), such as those exposed in the Grand Canyon.”
The article was published originally in the Conversation and also picked up by Snopes.  Coverage at Panda’s Thumb.

THE OLDEST ANIMAL DNA EVER RECOVERED REVEALS MAMMOTHS’ EVOLUTION
The oldest DNA ever recovered from an animal is adding new chapters to mammoth life history, going back more than 1 million years.
Genetic material from ancient mammoth molars found in Siberia handily beats the previous record set by 700,000-year-old DNA from a frozen, fossilized horse. Some mammoth gene snippets suggest that ancient mammoths already had the traits that allowed them to withstand cold temperatures during later ice ages. What’s more, some hairy behemoths that inhabited North America may have been a hybrid mix between the woolly mammoth and a previously unknown mammoth species, researchers report February 17 in Nature. More at Science News, phys.org, Ars Technica, Wired, Nature, and Smithsonian.

OU STUDY HIGHLIGHTS NEED FOR IMPROVING METHANE EMISSION DATABASE
A University of Oklahoma-led study published in 2020 revealed that both area and plant growth of paddy rice is significantly related to the spatial-temporal dynamics of atmospheric methane concentration in monsoon Asia, where 87% of the world’s paddy rice fields are situated. Now, the same international research team has released a follow-up discussion paper in the journal Nature Communications. In this paper, the team identifies the limits and insufficiency of the major greenhouse emission database (EDGAR) in estimating paddy rice methane emissions.
“Methane emission from paddy rice fields contribute to the rising of atmospheric methane concentration (XCH4), one of the greenhouse gases for global warming and climate change,” said Xiangming Xiao, a professor in the Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, College of Arts and Sciences. “In this paper, our team highlighted the needs and pathways to improve this dataset, which could lead to substantial improvement in understanding and modeling methane emission, atmospheric transport and chemistry over monsoon Asia and the globe.”
More at Eureka Alert.

A NEW CHAMELEON SPECIES MAY BE WORLD’S TINIEST REPTILE
Hidden beneath the leaf litter of a northern Malagasy forest lives a chameleon so slight that it could tumble off the tip of your finger. Measuring just under 30 millimeters from snout to tail, the newly described species, Brookesia nana, may be the smallest reptile on Earth, researchers report in Scientific Reports.
Just two adult specimens, a male and female, are known. The female measures 28.9 millimeters, considerably larger than the 21.6-millimeter-long male. The size difference may have driven the male’s genitalia to be quite large — nearly 20 percent of its body length — to be a better fit to his mate, herpetologist Frank Glaw of the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology in Munich and colleagues suggest.  More at Science News, KFOR, National Geographic, and BBC.

FEBRUARY VIDEOS
Earthrise by Amanda Gordon
What happens in the Arctic doesn’t really matter, right?
Darwin Blows Up Some Sugar
Darwin Gets Peed On by a Tree