The New York Times: "It's flat wrong"-H.
Allen Orr, professor of biology, dismissing the latest attempt to supplant Darwinian
evolution as the widely accepted mechanism behind the variety and complexity
of life on Earth.
Proponents of the "intelligent design theory" argue that some sort
of guiding force-divine or not-has shaped the outcome of every living thing
from worms to humans. "The fact that that system is irreducibly complex
doesn't mean you can't get there by Darwinian evolution," Orr told the
Times.
The London Independent: "We're not sure of all
the environmental consequences, but with both the impact and with the volcanic
activity, we do know that Earth was not a happy place"-Robert Poreda,
associate professor of earth and environmental sciences, discussing a study
he co-authored that suggests an asteroid or comet estimated at four to eight
miles wide slammed into Earth 250 million years ago.
The seismic and volcanic aftermath could have triggered the massive extinction
of species believed to have occurred at roughly the same time, the authors concluded.
"The poor little critters didn't have a chance," Poreda was quoted
in The New York Times in a story on the same study. "The synergistic
effects would have been devastating to life."
Most scientists believe that a similar blast wiped out dinosaurs 65 million
years ago.
USA Today: "Medical research encompasses everything
from trying to investigate whether listening to classical music can decrease
nausea associated with chemotherapy all the way up to gene therapy itself"-Cynthia
McGuire Dunn '81, '85M (MD), director of the Clinical Research Institute at
the Medical Center, explaining some of the issues involved in medical studies.
Time: "I think children are more anxious. Clinicians,
pediatricians, psychologists-we're all seeing more of it"-Thomas McInerny,
professor of pediatrics, commenting on a study published last winter by the
American Psychological Association's Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
that indicates children ages 9 to 17 show a higher level of anxiety compared
to children 50 years ago.
Science News: "I suspect that there are quite
a few gene variants that confer a susceptibility to autism"-Patricia
Rodier, professor of obstetrics and gynecology, discussing her recent work on
the possible genetic sources of the childhood developmental disorder. Rodier's
study indicates that a variant of a gene known to contribute to brain development
may be the culprit.
Chronicle of Higher Education: "The lecture
model is like a gas station. You fill students up and send them on their way.
That's not how to learn organic chemistry"-Jack Kampmeier, professor
of chemistry, describing how a student-to-student teaching program pioneered
at Rochester and a consortium of other national universities benefits students.
Since launching the peer-led workshop program through a grant from the National
Science Foundation in the mid-1990s, Kampmeier has seen the percentage of students
in his organic chemistry class who received a C- or better rise from 67 percent
to about 79 percent. At times, the figure is as high as 82 percent.
Maintained by University Public Relations
Please send your comments and suggestions to:
Rochester Review.
[an error occurred while processing this directive]