Subject: Re: Aclu of pa question

From: David Harris <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2005 03:18:49 +0000

Hello Sara!

I've been an ACLU member for the past 43 years, my known ancestors were 
Pennsylvania Dutch farmers about 40 miles north of Harrisburg, and I was 
born in  Philadelphia.  So I'm delighted to help you.

I would suggest the National Center for Science Education (NCSE) in 
Berkeley, CA.  That Center, lead by Dr. Eugenie Scott 
(http://www.ncseweb.org/ourstaff.asp), is focussed on defending 
evolution as a truly important part of scientific literacy in our 
schools.  I have heard their staff members give thoughtful summaries of 
the current state of understanding of how Homo sapiens developed and 
survived alongside other primates that walked on 2 legs.  Alan Gishlick 
particularly impressed me with a talk 2 years ago.

Here's a hint for your image search: the idea of a single line of 
ancestors from a single kind of ape directly to humans was recognized as 
too simple by Charles Darwin.  The real relationships are more like a 
tree, with divergences and dead branches and some lively sprouts.  And 
there is plenty of discussion trying to figure out where the Neandertals 
and those 3 foot tall people on the Asian island (just recently 
discoved) fit in the tree near the humans.  So the appropriate graphic 
is more like this one from the Smithsonian Institute:
  <http://www.mnh.si.edu/anthro/humanorigins/ha/a_tree.html>.
But we all know that there is an appeal to the simple linear pictures, 
however misleading they are.  I tried a Google Images search for "man 
ape evolution" and found some linear sequences, often funny ones.

I hope you'll keep us informed about your progress with the Web site. 
And best wishes for your case against the Dover school board.  Our 
nation's future depends on our students learning what is and what is not 
science.

   - David Harris, Database Architect and Outreach Officer
     Darwin Day Celebration, at DarwinDay.org

Sara Mullen wrote:
> Hi! I'm with the ACLU of PA. We're about to start trial in our case
> against the Dover School District for teaching "intelligent design"
> alongside evolution in science class. I'm trying to put together a
> website page on this. I'm looking for some interesting graphics. Do you
> happen to know where I can find a copy of the ape-to-man evolution
> drawing? Or any other graphics that might be interesting?
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> Sara Mullen
> Associate Director
> ACLU of Pennsylvania
> PO Box 40008
> Philadelphia, PA  19106
> 215-592-1513 x122
> 215-592-1343 fax
> [email-masked]

---

From: "Sara Mullen" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 26 Sep 2005 13:30:18 -0400

Thanks so much for your nice email! I finally found an image I liked.
You can see it on our home page www.aclupa.org.

We also just started a blog to report daily on how the trial's going.
Check it out sometime!  http://aclupa.blogspot.com/

Thanks again for your help!

Sara

Sara Mullen
Associate Director
ACLU of Pennsylvania
PO Box 40008
Philadelphia, PA  19106
215-592-1513 x122
215-592-1343 fax
[email-masked]

-----Original Message-----
From: David Harris [mailto:[email-masked]] 
Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2005 11:19 PM
To: Sara Mullen
Cc: [email-masked]
Subject: Re: Aclu of pa question

Hello Sara!

Sara Mullen wrote:
> website page on this. I'm looking for some interesting graphics. Do 
> you happen to know where I can find a copy of the ape-to-man evolution