I was reading the story about the amazing "Red Rain" that happened in India in 2001 that people think might be alien life. I then remembered Peter Gabriel's song, "Red Rain", that was on his album "So", which was released in 1986!

Anyway, in case it hasn't sunk in, depending on further research, we are about as close to proving the existence of life outside of the earth as we've ever been. 

I'm back from finals craziness, and traveling east. I'm back in California, with some time on my hands, which is very nice. I've got a bunch of things to blog, both here, and on my ministry blog in the next few days. I'll start with some interesting science tidbits:

Lately, I feel like I'm beginning to live in the science fiction I've been reading over my lifetime. First,  scientists have found large pockets of frozen water underneath the surface of Mars. If any of you read the excellent trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson, Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars, you'll understand that lots of frozen water on Mars is necessary for terraforming it.

First, a short preface note. For those of you that might not know, I was trained, and worked as, a biologist for almost 20 years (if you count graduate school.) I know evolutionary theory, and I know science.

E.O. Wilson says, in an introduction to a new compilation of the work of Charles Darwin:

I haven't yet blogged on the Avian Flu issue because I've been pretty unsure about it, even with my scientific training. On one hand, there definitely seems to be some evidence, and reasonable suggestions that avian flu is a possible real danger to the world. On the other hand, it's not a danger yet, and it is very hard to tell whether or not it will become one.

Here's what I know so far:

I've known for a long time that people on the religious right Have Issues. But this, I have to admit, takes the cake. Well, it's at least part of the cake.

I've not, up until this point, weighed in on the evolution vs. creation debate on this blog. Partially, because, well, everyone knows where I stand, and it would be a bit redundant and useless to carp about the people in Kansas who are out of their minds.

A report released Friday suggests that as many as a half-million people could die of a bird flu pandemic in the US. The article is a sobering read. While we're busy pouring money into the Iraq and homeland security money pit, we're letting our health care system languish, and are completely unprepared for something like this.

Thanks to AmericaBlog for this one.

This is amazing. This guy did a project that links google maps with census data. Here's what it looks like:

I imagine some of you reading this blog know me well, and know all about my previous lives. I also imagine some of you who read this blog have absolutely no idea (or not much) since I haven't talked really at all about them.