CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) -- Harvard University is joining the long-running debate over the theory of evolution by launching a research project to study how life began.
The team of researchers will receive $1 million in funding annually from Harvard over the next few years. The project begins with an admission that some mysteries about life's origins cannot be explained.
"My expectation is that we will be able to reduce this to a very simple series of logical events that could have taken place with no divine intervention," said David R. Liu, a professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Harvard.
The "Origins of Life in the Universe Initiative" is still in its early stages, scientists told the Boston Sunday Globe. Harvard has told the research team to make plans for adding faculty members and a collection of multimillion-dollar facilities.
Evolution is a fundamental scientific theory that species evolved over millions of years. It has been standard in most public school science texts for decades but recently re-emerged in the spotlight as communities and some states debated whether school children should also be taught about creationism or intelligent design.
The theory of intelligent design says life on earth is too complex to have developed through evolution, implying that a higher power must have had a hand in creation.
Harvard has not been seen as a leader in origins of life research, but the university's vast resources could change that perception.
One more big name directly researching the "questions" brought up by the ID proponents.
I would still like to try out my new "what if we concede that we don't know where the first bacterium came from; would you concede that the process of evolution from that point is clearly shown in the fossil record and described by Darwin's theory, which never even claimed to know where the first bacterium came from" idea against a live creationist, but this research is still very cool.
"It's not evil for God to do it. Or for someone to do it at God's command."- Jonathan Boyd on baby-killing
"you guys are fascinated with the use of those "rules of logic" to the extent that you don't really want to discussus anything."- GC
"I do not believe Russian Roulette is a stupid act" - Embracer of Darkness
"Viagra commercials appear to save lives" - tharkûn on US health care.
Even harvard research isn't going to convince hard core WOI fundies. I'd like to think that for the average person who isn't going to think too much about it that this research could just possibly help the cause of reason. Or at least make the biggest ID arguments fall somewhat flatter.
