Two articles on the real-life ''CrocoDuck'' • Telegraph.co.uk and CBSNews.com • 20th Nov 2009

Five exotic crocodiles that lived alongside the dinosaurs 100 million years ago, including one sporting boar-like tusks and another with a duckbill snout, have been discovered in the Sahara.

Evolution and history compulsory • BBC • 20th Nov 2009

Primary school children in England will have to learn about evolution and British history under a shake-up of the national curriculum.

Just say no to sharia law • Peter Tatchell - guardian.co.uk • 20th Nov 2009

Let us support the courageous Muslims who, often at great personal risk, are campaigning against religious extremism. Note that there is a rally in London on Saturday.

Interview - Richard Dawkins • Gregg LaGambina - A.V. Club • 20th Nov 2009

In his most recent book, The Greatest Show On Earth: The Evidence For Evolution, Dawkins makes his case for evolutionary theory.

Bad Faith Awards 2009: the polls are open • Paul Sims - New Humanist • 20th Nov 2009

Who should win the 2009 Bad Faith Award? Vote now using the poll at the top right of this page - see shortlist below for more on the challengers.

Vote for secular nonprofit organizations on Facebook • Viktor Nagornyy - Rochester Atheism Examiner • 19th Nov 2009

Chase is giving out $5 million to various charities

Computer Based on Insights From The Brain Moves Closer to Reality • PHYSORG.com • 19th Nov 2009

IBM announced significant progress toward creating a computer system that simulates and emulates the brain's abilities for sensation, perception, action, interaction and cognition, while rivaling the brain's low power and energy consumption and compact size.

Banana Man • PZ Myers - Pharyngula & Eric Michael Johnson - Primate Diaries • 18th Nov 2009

If the wingnuts show up on your campus distributing Bananaman's version of Origin of Species, go out with as many friends as possible, and snap up as many copies as you can. Do everything possible to waste Bananabrain's money.

Hey, preacher – leave those kids alone • Ariane Sherine - guardian.co.uk • 18th Nov 2009

The final phase of the atheist bus campaign will challenge the idea that children can be labelled with their parents' religion
[UPDATE]added link to an article in politics.co.uk

Non Religious Billboard Brings Controversy To Nashville • TheNashvilleFeed & NewChannel5.com • 18th Nov 2009

A new Nashville organization classifies itself as non-religious, but the group's billboard has stirred up a religious debate

What to do about Ray Comfort's Origin give-away • PZ Myers - Pharyngula • 18th Nov 2009

Go to the NCSE's Don't Diss Darwin site

Evolution basics • Kartik Chandrashekhar - Down To Earth • 17th Nov 2009

His is not the first popular book on evolution. But there is something thrilling about the way Dawkins explains stuff.

BBC rejects call for non-religious speakers on Thought for the Day • Tara Conlan - guardian.co.uk • 17th Nov 2009

Trust rules that Radio 4 programme does not breach impartiality by not including views from atheists, secularists and humanists

Hard Evidence • Christopher Hitchens - Slate • 17th Nov 2009

Seven salient facts about Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan.

Vaccination:A Conversation Worth Having • Bill Maher - billmaher.com • 17th Nov 2009

Bill Maher responds to Open Letter from Michael Shermer.
[UPDATE]A couple of links added

Darwin's finches tracked to reveal evolution in action • Daniel Cressey - nature.com • 17th Nov 2009

[UPDATE] - good link in Wired added.
A new species of finch may have arisen in the Galapagos.

Best Blasphemy Awards Announced • Press Release - Center for Inquiry • 16th Nov 2009

...CFI is pleased to announce that Ken Peters of California is the Grand Prize winner of its Blasphemy Contest...

Denham's misplaced 'faith group' faith • AC Grayling - guardian.co.uk • 16th Nov 2009

John Denham pours scorn on secularists with his plans for an advisory body which represents less than 10% of the population

The Evolution of the God Gene • Nicholas Wade - New York Times • 16th Nov 2009

IN the Oaxaca Valley of Mexico, the archaeologists Joyce Marcus and Kent Flannery have gained a remarkable insight into the origin of religion.

When a child dies, faith is no defense • Jonathan Turley, Washington Post • 15th Nov 2009

Why do courts give believers a pass?

Faith groups to be key policy advisers • Jonathan Wynne-Jones - Telegraph.co.uk • 15th Nov 2009

Faith groups are to be given a central role in shaping government policies, a senior minister has vowed.

COMPLEXITY EXPLAINED: 9. How Did Complex Molecules Like Proteins and DNA Emerge Spontaneously? • Vinod K. Wadhawan - Nirmukta • 15th Nov 2009

How could the blind forces of Nature create large and highly information-laden molecules like DNA and proteins just by random processes?

Cell Size and Scale • Learn.Genetics University of Utah • 14th Nov 2009

The smallest objects that the unaided human eye can see are about 0.1 mm long. That means that under the right conditions, you might be able to see an ameoba proteus, a human egg, and a paramecium without using magnification

Two articles on the FOXP2 gene which is involved in speech • NY Times and the blog Not Exactly Rocket Science • 13th Nov 2009

Of the 20,000 genes in the human genome, few are more fascinating than FOXP2, a gene that underlies the faculty of human speech.

The Eureka breakfast: Lord Rees on the values and value of science • Mark Henderson - TimesOnline • 12th Nov 2009

...the first in a series of science breakfasts organised by The Times to celebrate the launch of Eureka, our new magazine devoted to science, life and the planet...

CFI Releases Statement from Ibn Warraq in Response to Fort Hood Tragedy • Ibn Warraq - Center for Inquiry • 12th Nov 2009

In response to the recent tragic events at Fort Hood, Texas, the Center for Inquiry has released a statement from Ibn Warraq, Islamic scholar and leading figure in Quranic criticism.

Website Survey • Admin • 11th Nov 2009

Please take a moment to fill in a short website survey.

Complete Genomics Gets Gene Sequencing Under $5,000 • Rob Waters - Bloomberg.com • 11th Nov 2009

That’s about one-tenth as cheap as the $48,000 effort reported in August by Helicos Biosciences Corp. of Cambridge, Massachusetts. The first human genome map was completed by researchers in 2001 at an estimated cost of more than $100 million...

Darwinopterus v Dawkins • Jonathan Sarfati - Creation Ministries International • 11th Nov 2009

Pterosaur ‘missing link’ poses problems for a Dawkins’ evolutionary story in The Greatest Show on Earth

Can We Talk About Religion, Please? • Randy Cohen - New York Times • 10th Nov 2009

My political beliefs, my ideas about social justice, are as deeply held as my critics’ religious beliefs, but I don’t ask them to treat me with reverence, only civility.

British biologist Dawkins puts on evolutionary 'Show' • Dave Verbonitz - TulsaWorld • 10th Nov 2009

...putting aside attacks on religion to produce instead a thorough explanation of how humans and other life forms are linked through evolution.

It's too bad Dawkins has alienated some people • Steve Goble - MansfieldNewsJournal.com • 10th Nov 2009

...the science he presents in "Greatest Show" is breathtaking.

I prefer to reason rather than believe. That's why I'm an atheist! • Billboard UAAR (Italy)- along the lines of the Atheist Bus Ads • 10th Nov 2009

The ways of the Lord, they say, are infinite, but will nevertheless not be able to hide ALL of the billboards that the UAAR of Pisa has posted around the city

Apostasy is a crime punishable by death in Islamic countries • PZ Myers - Pharyngula • 10th Nov 2009

Iran is about to execute three men for the crime of atheism…well, specifically, apostasy, rejecting the Islamic faith.

Imagine No Religion • Edgar Dahl - from 50 Voices of Disbelief • 9th Nov 2009

This article is an excerpt from 50 Voices of Disbelief: Why We Are Atheists (Wiley-Blackwell, 2009), edited by Udo Schuklenk and IEET Fellow Russell Blackford.

Heaps of evolution evidence • John Horgan - The Philadelphia Inquirer • 9th Nov 2009

Biologist Richard Dawkins presents the basics to assist those "prepared to argue the case."

Scientists win place for evolution in primary schools • Polly Curtis - guardian.co.uk • 9th Nov 2009

The government is ready to put evolution on the primary curriculum for the first time after years of lobbying by senior scientists.
[UPDATE] Another article on the guardian.co.uk

In Turkey, fertile ground for creationism • Marc Kaufman - Washington Post • 8th Nov 2009

U.S. critics of evolution help translate their ideas for a society already torn between Islam and secularism

Stand up, stand up, against Jesus • Russell Blackford and Udo Schuklenk - guardian.co.uk • 6th Nov 2009

Civility has its uses, but we should not be afraid of satire and mockery as weapons against religious power

Atheist group takes message to Lakeland via billboard • Neil Johnson - The Tampa Tribune • 6th Nov 2009

The billboard went up Sunday on eastbound Memorial Boulevard near Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue.

Scientists decode genome of domestic horse • cbcnews - cbc.com • 6th Nov 2009

An old grey mare named Twilight has provided an international team of researchers with the entire genetic code of a domestic horse.

Since the dawn of time • Dan Jones - New Stateman • 5th Nov 2009

Two hundred years after Darwin’s birth, scientists still can’t agree on whether evolution and religion can happily coexist

Sermon for All Saints' Day, Cologne Cathedral, 1st November 2009 • Archbishop Joachim, Cardinal Meisner - translation by Paula Kirby • 5th Nov 2009

The Archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Joachim Meisner, has stirred up controversy in the German media with his All Saints’ Day sermon, in which he compared the ideas of Richard Dawkins to those of the Nazis.

Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks: Europe is dying from secularism • Ruth Gledhill - TimesOnline • 5th Nov 2009

Lord Sacks said that Europe was the world?s most secular region and the only one experiencing population decline

The new crybaby theists • Michael Brull - the age.com.au • 5th Nov 2009

Having lost the power of the gun in the West, apologists of religion have a new weapon: being offended.

Prayer Cult Nation: Faith Healing Scams & Healthcare Reform • Sikivu Hutchinson - blackfemlens • 5th Nov 2009

In a nation in which millions go bankrupt and/or die from not having health care insurance the decision to include prayer healing into the insidiously partisan healthcare deliberations is an outrage.

Dark Matter And Dark Energy Make Up 95 Percent Of Universe, Detailed Measurements Reveal • ScienceDaily • 5th Nov 2009

A detailed picture of the seeds of structures in the universe has been unveiled by an international team co-led by Sarah Church of the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology

Darwin's pit bull not so aggressive in real life • James Dacey - physicsworld.com • 4th Nov 2009

The thing that immediately struck me was that, despite all the sharp put-downs, Dawkins is actually incredibly mild-mannered in person.

Biologist Richard Dawkins on the evolution debate • Lori Kozlowski - LA Times • 4th Nov 2009

Author of 'The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution' shares his passion for spreading an understanding of scientific processes with the layperson.

Speed Limit To The Pace Of Evolution, Biologists Say • ScienceDaily • 4th Nov 2009

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a theoretical model that informs the understanding of evolution and determines how quickly an organism will evolve using a catalogue of "evolutionary speed limits."

Human rights ruling against classroom crucifixes angers Italy • John Hooper - guardian.co.uk • 4th Nov 2009

European court of human rights rules crucifixes that hang in classrooms violate religious and educational freedoms

The Upside of Feeling Down • Sharon Begley - Newsweek • 4th Nov 2009

Depression might be evolution's way of fixing what ails us

Creationism, Minus a Young Earth, Emerges in the Islamic World • Kenneth Chang - New York Times • 3rd Nov 2009

Creationism is growing in the Muslim world

Pig DNA Is Decoded, a Boon for Research • CBSNews.com • 3rd Nov 2009

Success in Genetic Sequencing May Help in Combating Human Ailments, Including Obesity, Heart Disease

Fossil hunter finds 140-million-year-old spider's web • Telegraph.co.uk • 2nd Nov 2009

The world's oldest spider web spun when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth has been found encased in a Prehistoric piece of amber from a beach in the south of England.

Dawkins et al bring us into disrepute • Michael Ruse - guardian.co.uk • 2nd Nov 2009

There's a schism alright, and I seem to find myself on the unfashionable side of it.
The question: Is there an atheist schism?
[UPDATE] - links to articles by PZ and Jerry Coyne

Morality: no gods required • Paula Kirby • 1st Nov 2009

Can people be good if they don't think Charles Dickens was the greatest novelist in the English language?

'The Greatest Show on Earth' • David Perlman - San Francisco Chronicle • 1st Nov 2009

Richard Dawkins, who recently retired from the Oxford University faculty, is a canny, funny and beguiling biologist

Findings on Mysterious Haze at Galaxy's Center • Dennis Overbye - NY Times • 1st Nov 2009

The electrons could, in turn, be the result of decaying dark matter, but that, they said, is an argument they will make in a future paper.

Five Minutes With: Sir Jonathan Miller • Matthew Stadlen - BBC News • 1st Nov 2009

Celebrities and news-makers are grilled by Matthew Stadlen in exactly five minutes in a series for the BBC News website.

How About Another Post on Accommodationism? • Jason Rosenhouse - EvolultionBlog • 31st Oct 2009

I had intended to leave this subject behind, at least for a while, but Josh Rosenau has a lengthy post up that I think merits a reply

Junk DNA Mechanism That Prevents Two Species From Reproducing Discovered • ScienceDaily • 30th Oct 2009

Cornell researchers have discovered a genetic mechanism in fruit flies that prevents two closely related species from reproducing, a finding that offers clues to how species evolve.

3 Silly Religious Beliefs Held By Non-Silly People • Greta Christina - alternet.org • 30th Oct 2009

Many of the beliefs held by religious moderates -- smart people who respect science and the separation of church and state -- are as untenable as the dogma of fundamentalists.

Addicted to Hate • Jon Michael Bell • 30th Oct 2009

This is an article/book from 1994 on the Phelps family and Westboro Baptist Church that was made available on the web after the author ran into difficulties getting it published.

The secularist case against ''Atheism 3.0'' • Austin Dacey - The Washington Post • 30th Oct 2009

Austin Dacey is former representative to the United Nations for the Center for Inquiry and the author of "The Secular Conscience: Why Belief Belongs in Public Life."

Nobel Laureate says God is ''Cruel, Spiteful, Vengeful, Jealous and Unbearable.'' • Mario de Queiroz - IPS • 30th Oct 2009

PORTUGAL: Bible Is "A Catalogue of Cruelties," Says Saramago

Why Dawkins Gets Asked About His Atheism • Chris Mooney - The Intersection • 29th Oct 2009

Why is Richard Dawkins, promoting his new evolution book, regularly being asked about his atheism, and why he is “strident,” “polarizing,” etc?

The Cost To the Planet of Fearing Science • Jeff Glor - CBSNews.com • 29th Oct 2009

Time was when science was considered a value-neutral pursuit. That seems like an eternity ago.

Islamic countries push a global 'blasphemy' law • Editorial Board - Christian Science Monitor • 29th Oct 2009

As a new member of the UN Human Rights Council, the US must persuade other countries not to go along.

Cult Busters • Christopher Beam - Slate • 29th Oct 2009

How governments decide whether a religion is real or not.

New T ads reach out to Hub's nonbelievers • David Abel - boston.com • 29th Oct 2009

"Good Without God?" posters in the Boston subway.

Vaccination: the moral imperative • Paula Kirby - The Washington Post • 29th Oct 2009

Polls show a majority of Americans are concerned about the H1N1 virus (swine flu), but also about the safety and efficacy of the swine flu vaccine. Is it ethical to say no to this or any vaccine?

Secrets In A Seed: Clues Into The Evolution Of The First Flowers • ScienceDaily • 29th Oct 2009

Approximately 120-130 million years ago, one of the most significant events in the history of the Earth occurred: the first flowering plants

Seven questions that keep physicists up at night • Ivan Semeniuk - NewScientist • 29th Oct 2009

It's not your average confession show: a panel of leading physicists spilling the beans about what keeps them tossing and turning in the wee hours.

Ex-bishop preaches a kinder atheism • thestar.com (Canada) • 28th Oct 2009

Richard Holloway's `third way' approach has riveted the U.K.

Atheists are good humans, too • James Richmond - Sydney Morning Hearald • 28th Oct 2009

A rebuttal to the Dvir Abramovich article from a few days ago.

I am become Death, destroyer of worlds • The Economist • 28th Oct 2009

The story of how the dinosaurs disappeared is getting more and more complicated

50 Voices of Disbelief • Jerry Coyne - Why Evolution is True • 28th Oct 2009

Jerry Coyne's post on the book 50 Voices of Disbelief (released yesterday 26-Oct in the US) by Russell Blackford and Udo Schüklenk

Faith No More • Christopher Hitchens - Slate • 27th Oct 2009

What I've learned from debating religious people around the world.
[UPDATE] Fox & Friends YouTube video of Christopher Hitchens and Douglas Wilson.

Colossal 'sea monster' unearthed • Rebecca Morelle - BBC Earth News • 27th Oct 2009

Palaeontologist Richard Forrest explains why the T. rex was a kitten compared with this monster

Paul Haggis • Moving On Up a Little Higher • 27th Oct 2009

The Paul Haggis news has gone viral. (Scientology)
[UPDATE]links to a few more news articles added

Islam's Darwin problem • Drake Bennett - boston.com • 27th Oct 2009

In the Muslim world, creationism is on the rise

Darwin's Rottweiler and Dawkins's Dogma • Ferris Jabr - scienceline • 27th Oct 2009

...“we are better off using a word that ordinary lay people actually understand”—the word ‘fact.’...

WHAT IS A RAINBOW REALLY? • Press release and correction • 26th Oct 2009

Press release on Publishers Marketplace

Norman Levitt (1943-2009) • Richard Dawkins • 26th Oct 2009

Norman Levitt (1943-2009)

Give us your misogynists and bigots • Richard Dawkins - The Washington Post • 26th Oct 2009

What major institution most deserves the title of greatest force for evil in the world?

The teacher you wish you'd had • Marcus Berkmann - Spectator Book Club • 26th Oct 2009

Sometimes you can become too well known.

Teach both evolution and creationism say 54% of Britons • phyliss - All Your Minds Are Belong to Us - Update from Derren Brown and the Enigma Crew • 26th Oct 2009

British Council poll finds UK adults overtake Americans in wanting science teaching in schools to include intelligent design.

Karen Armstrong Weaves Bizarre Defense of Religion • PZ Myers - Alternet • 26th Oct 2009

She takes a series of statements about god that she says need rethinking, but her thinking is a complete mess.

Celebrity atheists expose their hypocrisy • Dvir Abramovich, Sydney Morning Herald • 25th Oct 2009

A flurry of books bashing religion are making best-seller lists and grabbing a lot of attention — so much so that anti-religion publications seem to have become a lucrative genre all their own.

Rock of Ages, Cleft by the Pope • A. N. Wilson - NY Times • 25th Oct 2009

...The pope has parked his tanks on the Church of England’s lawn; Rome has made a hostile takeover bid for Canterbury....

The Fact of Evolution • Daniel Dennett, Philip Kitcher, NY Times • 25th Oct 2009

Letters: Scientists Respond to Our Review of Richard Dawkins’s ‘Greatest Show on Earth’.

Nofaithnoworship - epetition response • Number10.gov.uk • 25th Oct 2009

“We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to remove collective worship from all non-faith schools.”

An Atheist's Review of the Book of Genesis Illustrated by a Legendary Comics Artist • Greta Christina - alternet.org • 24th Oct 2009

This isn't Beatrix Potter here. It's more like "Dangerous Liaisons" by way of Quentin Tarantino. With tents, sand, and sheep.

Business as usual for Vatican Enterprises, Inc. • Paula Kirby, Newsweek, On Faith • 24th Oct 2009

'It is business as usual," said the Archbishop of Canterbury at the press conference announcing the Vatican's latest attempt to poach disaffected Anglicans. And how right he was. The Roman Catholic Church is a giant multinational corporation, differing from its business equivalents only in that they pay their taxes.

Genome analysis changes diagnosis • BBC • 24th Oct 2009

A critically ill Turkish boy has had his life saved after scientists were able to read his genome quickly and work out that he had a wrong diagnosis.

Michael Green: Master of the universe • Aida Edemariam - guardian.co.uk • 24th Oct 2009

Michael Green is the new Lucasian chair of mathematics at Cambridge