National Center for Science Education

How Similar Are Human and Chimp Genomes, Really? Quantifying Genetic Difference Isn’t Straightforward | Free Inquiry The Trump administration seems determined to gut the scientific research establishment in the United States. Despite the fact that vaccines have likely save ...

"Luskin has no idea what he is talking about, but it's worth shedding some ink to debunk this particular challenge, because he claims to be quoting directly from an article published in a top research journal." secularhumanism.org/2025/07/how-... #factcheck #sciencesky

Slide featuring evolutionary biologist Jonathan Losos. On the left is a photo of Losos mid-lecture, gesturing with both hands, wearing a black shirt with tigers and plants. To the right, bold black text reads “Jonathan Losos” above a gold line, with smaller text underneath: “Natural Selection and Design.” Logos for Vanderbilt Evolutionary Studies and the National Center for Science Education appear at the bottom. In the bottom right corner is a photo of a vibrantly colored chameleon. The image is cleanly designed with overlapping green and blue square elements in the top left background for visual depth.

We've finally got the 2nd full video online from our Scopes "Monkey" Trial Centennial Symposium! Check out @jblosos.bsky.social's talk here: https://loom.ly/7BjLYe4 #Evolution #Scopes100 @ncse.bsky.social

Graphic for webinar reads: The Trial of the Century: Scopes at 100. Presented by Eugenie C. Scott. August 13. 7 PM ET/4PM PT. Imagery: Headshot of Eugenie Scott. Background is an old photo from the Scopes Trial intended to be decorative.

We have a free Scopes webinar coming up with our former Executive Director, Eugenie Scott! Please join us on August 13 at 7:00 PM ET/4 PM PT for her talk titled 'The Trial of the Century': Scopes at 100. Register to receive a link for access -
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi... #ScopesTrial

NCSE's Branch reviews a new book on evolution education and the law | National Center for Science Education

NCSE's Deputy Director Glenn Branch reviews The Hundred Years' Trial: Law, Evolution, and the Long Shadow of Scopes v. Tennessee, by Alexander Gouzoules and Harold Gouzoules - ncse.ngo/ncses-branch... #Scopes #BookSky

Whitehouse Slams EPA Repeal of Endangerment Finding, Vehicle Emissions Standards The bedrock scientific determination underpins EPA’s greenhouse gas regulations. Repealing it while gutting emissions standards for vehicles sets the stage to roll back regulations on power pla...

"Administrator Zeldin’s corrupt giveaway doesn’t change the science, but by wishing away the problem, this Administration leaves EPA without the tools to forge a solution." www.epw.senate.gov/public/index... #ClimateSky

How you can use a ‘truth sandwich’ to fight climate misinformation » Yale Climate Connections Yale Climate Connections is a nonpartisan, multimedia service providing daily broadcast radio programming and original web-based reporting, commentary, and analysis on the issue of climate change.

Philip Newell of the Climate Action Against Disinformation coalition (@caadcoalition.bsky.social) describes using a "truth sandwich" as a strategy to fight climate misinformation. yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/07/how-... #ClimateSky #StopMisinformation

Reading the Bones High-stakes adventure meets cutting-edge science in this true account of the groundbreaking discovery of Homo naledi, which shocked the world of evolutionary...

Thrilled to announce that my FIRST book "Reading The Bones - Homo naledi & the Mysteries of Human Evolution" (Co Authored with Marc Aronson) is now available for preorder! A dream come true! us.macmillan.com/books/978037...

Thanks to @fsgbooks.bsky.social & @mackidsbooks.bsky.social

Scopes forever: The long reach of a famous trial - Americans United The teaching of evolution remains contentious in some parts of the country, and various anti-evolution proposals continue to surface in state legislatures.

“Now more than ever, eternal vigilance on the part of the friends of evolution education is in order.” www.au.org/the-latest/a... #Scopes #EduSky

Graphic flyer for the podcast episode. The text reads: Safeguarding Sound Science: Climate Change Edition. Bonus Episode. Today's Forecast: Climate Change, Trusted Sources, and a Sprinkling of Local Relevance. John Cook, Samantha Harrington. Imagery: Headshots of John Cook and Samantha Harrington

We have a bonus episode of Safeguarding Sound Science: Climate Edition! Featuring creator of Cranky Uncle, John Cook, and Samantha Harrington of Yale Climate Connections. Available now on our website and wherever you get your podcasts. ncse.ngo/season-one-s... #scicomm #podsky

Trump’s climate research cuts are unpopular, even with Republican voters » Yale Climate Connections Recent polling shows that nearly 80% of registered U.S. voters want government agencies to keep researching and sharing global warming data. The administration is dismantling both.

The Trump administration's method of tackling the climate crisis has been to shutter research programs and scrub away data and access to information. This response is in stark contrast to what the majority of voters desire, including republicans. yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/07/trum...

‘People can change their minds’: the evolutionary biologi... Ella Al-Shamahi is the erudite presenter of a breathtaking new series about our 300,000-year history. But her own evolution story isn’t short of drama ei...

Many followers of NCSE have a similar story, so perhaps some of you can relate to Ella Al-Shamahi, a former devout Muslim who is now a paleoanthropologist. In this article, she reflects on coming to terms with her understanding of evolution, and the struggle of leaving her religious community.

The "Panda trial" remembered by Brian Alters | National Center for Science Education

2025 marks the 20th anniversary of Kitzmiller v. Dover. Former president of NCSE's board of directors Brian Alters was recently interviewed about the trial in the Montreal French-language newspaper Le Devoir. ncse.ngo/panda-trial-...

SCIENCE UNDER SIEGE | Kirkus Reviews Pursuing science and truth in the age of disinformation.

Science Under Siege, the forthcoming book by Michael E. Mann (@michaelemann.bsky.social) and Peter J. Hotez (@peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social), offers "[a] necessary and propulsive argument that offers optimism in the face of one of the world's most destructive forces." #Nonfiction #BookSky

Climate.gov on the chopping block? | National Center for Science Education

Climate.gov has served as an indispensable source of information about climate science for educators and the public at large. Its future is uncertain after the Trump administration fired the content team while keeping the web developers. ncse.ngo/climategov-c... #ScienceMatters #ScienceNews #EduSky

A stylized image split vertically. On the left, a blue background features a large DNA double helix. On the right, a sepia-toned background shows the silhouette of a monkey holding a judge's gavel, facing left. Behind the monkey is a faint sketch of Darwin’s original tree of life diagram. The image evokes themes of evolution, science, and legal debate.

We are honored to receive the Friend of Darwin award from @ncse.bsky.social. Thank you! Here's the link to the video of the award presentation. #Evolution #Scopes100 https://loom.ly/apdZuuo

Science and Democracy Under Siege Documenting Six Months of the Trump Administration’s Destructive Actions

We are six months into the second Trump administration and the scale and severity of its assault on our nation's science and democracy has been unrelenting.

Today, @ucs.org releases a detailed assessment of the damage so far and where we go from here: www.ucs.org/resources/sc... #ProtectScience

1 in 4 Americans reject evolution, a century after the Scopes monkey trial spotlighted the clash between science and religion One hundred years after the Scopes trial, the culture war over evolution and creationism remains intense.

One hundred years after Scopes, the evolution vs. creationism culture wars continue to rage on, with fundamentalism shifting toward a newer strand known as Young Earth creationism. theconversation.com/1-in-4-ameri... #ScopesTrial

The Real Monkey Business: What the 1925 Scopes Trial was actually all about Episode 2576: Brenda Wineapple on God, Democracy and the Trial that Continues to Rivet a Nation

Brenda Wineapple discusses the Scopes trial with Keen on America. keenon.substack.com/p/the-real-m... #ScopesSunday

Did Baby Talk Give Rise to Language?

"The way that human adults talk to young children is unique among primates, a new study found. That might be one secret to our species' grasp of language," writes Carl Zimmer. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/25/s... #evosky #prattle

YouTube video by Center for Inquiry Psychological Inoculation Against Misinformation | Sander van der Linden

Sander van Linden discusses "Psychological Inoculation Against Misinformation" with Skeptical Inquirer Presents. youtu.be/-hQ9t8vEML4?...

A group of 24 smiling people, mostly dressed in business casual attire, pose in front of a digitally added fossil fish background. The text above them reads, “Scopes ‘Monkey’ Trial Centennial Symposium.” The Evolutionary Studies Initiative logo is in the lower left corner, and the National Center for Science Education logo is in the lower right.

A man wearing a light blue button-down shirt and dark pants stands at a podium on the right side of the image, speaking in front of a projected slide that reads “Force of Nature: Applications of Natural Selection to Other Fields” by Owen D. Jones of Vanderbilt University. A blue caption at the bottom reads, “Gianni Castiglione introduces Owen Jones’ talk to start Day 2.”

Like we said, lots of new content on the way. Little by little we'll let it out - here's a bit from the Scopes "Monkey" Trial Centennial Symposium. Group shot courtesy of Matt Ferry, #Evolution #Scopes100 @ncse.bsky.social

NCSE's Branch in The Tennessean's coverage of the Scopes centennial | National Center for Science Education

NCSE's Deputy Director Glenn Branch was quoted in The Tennessee in an article reflecting on the Scopes trial and why it still matters a century later. ncse.ngo/ncses-branch... #ScopesTrial

Zombifying fungi have been infecting insects for 99 million years Two bits of amber discovered in a lab basement hold ancient evidence of a fungi famous for controlling the minds of its victims.

Ants have been zombified by fungi almost since the dawn of their ant ancestors. 😱 Scientists have discovered 99-million-year-old pieces of amber containing Ophiocordyceps. www.sciencenews.org/article/zomb... #FossilFriday

Graphical flyer. The text reads: The Scopes "Monkey" Trial: Past, Present, and Future. NCSE's Scopes Centennial Webinar Series. Presenters: Eugenie C. Scott, August 13; Ted Davis, August 20; Adam Laats, August 27. Images: Headshots of each presenter. Background is an old photo from the Scopes Trial and is intended to be decorative.

Text reads: "The Trial of the Century": Scopes at 100. Presented by Eugenie C. Scott, August 13, 7 PM ET/4 PM PT. Image: Headshot of Eugenie C. Scott. Background is an old photo from the Scopes Trial and is intended to be decorative.

Text reads: Bryan's Religious Opponents: Protestant Modernists and Science. Presented by Ted Davis, August 20, 7 PM ET/4 PM PT. Image: Headshot of Ted Davis. Background is an old photo from the Scopes Trial and is intended to be decorative.

Text reads: The Scopes Trial: The Start of America's Hundred-Year Culture War. Presented by Adam Laats, August 27, 7 PM ET/4 PM PT. Image: Headshot of Adam Laats. Text reads: Bryan's Religious Opponents: Protestant Modernists and Science. Presented by Ted Davis, August 20, 7 PM ET/4 PM PT. Background is an old photo from the Scopes Trial and is intended to be decorative.

2025 marks the centennial of the Scopes Trial. Join NCSE in commemorating the event with a free webinar series open to the public, "The Scopes 'Monkey' Trial: Past, Present, and Future."

Register for each on our website to receive a Zoom link: ncse.ngo/scopes-cente...
#ScopesTrial

Climate misinformation turning crisis into catastrophe – major report False claims obstructing climate action, say researchers, amid calls for climate lies to be criminalised

Tackling climate misinformation is critical in our fight for climate action. www.theguardian.com/environment/... #ClimateCrisis #ClimateSky #StopMisinformation

NCSE in NPR's coverage of the Scopes centennial | National Center for Science Education

Several experts associated with NCSE were consulted for NPR's coverage of the Scopes trial. ncse.ngo/ncse-nprs-co...

The biology class you WISHED You Could Have Taken YouTube video by Bay Area Skeptics

ICYMI: Nick Matzke discusses "'The Biology Class You Wished You Could Have Taken': Kitzmiller v. Dover 20 Years Later" with Bay Area Skeptics (@bayareaskeptics.bsky.social).
www.youtube.com/live/b7UKOqC...

100 years after the Scopes trial, science is still under attack In 1925, John Scopes was indicted for teaching evolution. Science News looks at the forces that led to the trial and how expertise was the big loser.

Randy Moore, a recipient of NCSE's Friend of Darwin award, discusses the Scopes trial with Science News. www.sciencenews.org/article/scop... #ScopesSunday

We finally got to see the hardcopies of ‘Nature Selecting’ the #evolution book I wrote for kids (around 6th grade level and up) and illustrated by my 14 year-old daughter Anjali

Free pdf here www.lsu.edu/mns/news-and...

We plan to send hard copies to local schools and teachers for free.

Ancient poop yields world’s oldest butterfly fossils Tiny wing scales suggest the proboscis evolved 100 million years before flowers

"This particular coprolite was dated to 236 million years ago and contains ornate, microscopic scales of the kind found on the wings of lepidopterans, the group of insects that contains butterflies and moths." www.science.org/content/arti... #FossilFriday