Outback Jack Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 I just found out about a fun little exchange between Andy Schlefly, who apparently runs 'Conservapedia', and scientist Richard Lenski. A short summary can be found at this site but here's the basics. 1) Lenski has been breeding E Coli bacteria for the last 20 years looking for mutations. 2) A few months ago he published a paper describing how his E Coli have evolved to live off of an entirely different type of food source. Arguably 'proving' evolution, natural selection, and a few other obscure scientific ideas. 3) Schlefly apparently wants access to all his research and notes, but Lenski tells "No, you worthless little shit. But get get some respectable facilities and you can have the friggin' bacteria themselves" (paraphrased!) Its a pretty humorous exchange in it's own right but there's more to it. Here is Conservapedia's account of the exchage. The funny part is apparently what they edited. RationalWiki has the FULL exchange which apparently corrects a few edits made by the xtian. Have fun witnessing the bitchslapping and attempt to lie for jesus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mahjong Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 LOL You weren't kidding. Richard Lenski, a member of The National Academy of Science, must be very busy, yet he took the time for a lengthy, intelligent and humorous response to the nutjob, Andrew Schlafly. It's not a long boring read, it's worth the time and will bring a smile to your face, if not an outright guffaw!!! Here is one of several jabs: It is my impression that you seem to think we have only paper and electronic records of having seen some unusual E. coli. If we made serious errors or misrepresentations, you would surely like to find them in those records. If we did not, then – as some of your acolytes have suggested – you might assert that our records are themselves untrustworthy because, well, because you said so, I guess. But perhaps because you did not bother even to read our paper, or perhaps because you aren’t very bright, you seem not to understand that we have the actual, living bacteria that exhibit the properties reported in our paper, including both the ancestral strain used to start this long-term experiment and its evolved citrate-using descendants. In other words, it’s not that we claim to have glimpsed “a unicorn in the garden” – we have a whole population of them living in my lab! [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unicorn_in_the_Garden] And lest you accuse me further of fraud, I do not literally mean that we have unicorns in the lab. Rather, I am making a literary allusion. [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allusion] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hereticzero Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator florduh Posted September 14, 2008 Super Moderator Share Posted September 14, 2008 Definitely worth reading. Two opposing thumbs up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outback Jack Posted September 14, 2008 Author Share Posted September 14, 2008 It's not a long boring read, it's worth the time and will bring a smile to your face, if not an outright guffaw!!! Thanks for bringing that up. I meant to mention that it took a few minutes to read the whole thing but forgot to in my haste to post. Definitely worth reading. Two opposing thumbs up! HA! I love that line! Thanks for the responses guys. I've been spending too many posts on politics here lately. I felt the need to contribute to the real reason we're all here. I'm glad you liked it. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caretaker Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 Hahahahahahahahahaahahahhaah Best. Pwnag3. Evah! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff H Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 But perhaps because you did not bother even to read our paper, or perhaps because you aren’t very bright, you seem not to understand that we have the actual, living bacteria that exhibit the properties reported in our paper, including both the ancestral strain used to start this long-term experiment and its evolved citrate-using descendants. In other words, it’s not that we claim to have glimpsed “a unicorn in the garden” – we have a whole population of them living in my lab! Wait, what? They grew E. coli into full-blown unicorns?! Amazing! Darwin be praised! And lest you accuse me further of fraud, I do not literally mean that we have unicorns in the lab. Rather, I am making a literary allusion. Oh. Dammit. Got my hopes up and everything... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karhoof Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That was not a smack-down. That was getting beat about the face and head with a very thick copy of "The Origin of Species"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brought None Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 Andy Schlefly has been bacterially cock-slaped by science! THANK YOU Richard Lenski for this truely awsome moment in history that will remain in my memory banks till the day I die! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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