For 35 years, he wrote Scientific American’s Mathematical Games column, educating and entertaining minds.… Read the rest
Welcome to our archive of news stories relevant to the project of fighting fashionable nonsense. The stories are drawn from the electronic pages of the world’s media. On this page, you’ll find links to those stories that have been featured on Butterflies and Wheels during the current year. At the bottom of the page, you’ll find links to separate archives of stories from previous years.
We’re always pleased to hear about news stories that you think should be featured on Butterflies and Wheels. Just send an email here, if you want to point one out to us.
A note about links
Inevitably links go out of date. We suggest, therefore, that you make hard-copies of the stories that particularly interest you.
Helios Homeopathic Childbirth Kit 
May 23rd, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A set of homeopathic remedies to support you during pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding, just £29.95.… Read the rest
Ben Goldacre on evidence-based social policy
May 23rd, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Politicians can divine which policy works best by using their special magic politician beam.… Read the rest
Julian Baggini interviews Ben Goldacre
May 23rd, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Goldacre has an MA in philosophy from King’s College London, squeezed into the middle of his six-year medical training.… Read the rest
Jason Rosenhouse reviews Elaine Howard Ecklund
May 22nd, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Her data show that 23% of scientists are traditionally religious; her Templeton-funded book says nearly 50% are.… Read the rest
Larry Niven on Harvey Mansfield and manly courage
May 22nd, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
And the Templeton Foundation, virtue ethics, In Character, and other risible subjects.… Read the rest
Nigeria: Yerima questioned about marriage to child
May 22nd, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The senator said the Nigerian Child Rights Act of 2003 “must have been enacted in error.”… Read the rest
Joanthan Sacks refutes atheism in a few words
May 22nd, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Theists have more children. … Read the rest
Rude but amusing interview with Hitchens
May 22nd, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
He once wrote that women aren’t funny, yet he’s convulsed by infantile word jokes.… Read the rest
There are no new ethical problems here
May 22nd, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Humanity has been ‘playing God’ with animals and plants since the invention of agriculture.… Read the rest
Anonymity for defendants in rape cases proposed
May 21st, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Ban on identifying defendants was lifted in 1988; police claimed it was preventing women from reporting rapes.… Read the rest
Union blames privatization for mine deaths
May 21st, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Mine accidents have risen drastically since change to Mining Law in 2004, with “flexible working conditions” and an inability to unionize.… Read the rest
Turkish mining town in mourning ponders its ‘fate’
May 21st, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Erdoğan says fatal mine explosions are ‘fate’; unions and sane people say they are caused.… Read the rest
Lincolnshire: psychic joins search for missing cat
May 21st, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Owner has paid £1,000 to Animal Search UK which has hired a psychic in Bangalore to give helpful advice.… Read the rest
Carl Zimmer: some background on synthetic genome
May 21st, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
You could say this is still a nature hybrid, because its DNA is based on the sequence of an existing species of bacteria.… Read the rest
Andrew Brown spies another plot by militant atheism
May 21st, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
“Another triumph of the only major scientific programme driven from the beginning by explicit atheism.”… Read the rest
It’s alive
May 21st, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
“The only DNA in the cells is the designed synthetic DNA sequence…”… Read the rest
Jerry Coyne asks: did scientists play god?
May 21st, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Life is just complex chemicals—nothing more, nothing less. Venter and his team have gone a long way toward showing this.… Read the rest
Mohammed cartoonist regrets any offense caused
May 21st, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
“She has attended a local Muslim group meeting in an effort to learn more.”… Read the rest
EU criticizes Pakistan’s blasphemy laws
May 21st, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Notes the laws are often used to justify censorship, criminalisation, persecution and the murder of members of political, racial and religious minorities.… Read the rest
