Why Evolution is True is a blog written by Jerry Coyne, centered on evolution and biology but also dealing with diverse topics like politics, culture, and cats.
The news will be light today as I’m dealing with duck and duckling issues. The upshot is that I’m worried we may not keep our six ducklings on the pond this year, thanks to Facilities’ desire to prioritize plants over ducks. Stay tuned, but posting will be very light or even nonexistent until Monday. Bear with me; I’m doing my best.
Welcome to Friday, May 9, 2025, and National Butterscotch Brownie Day. These are also known as “blondies”, and have their own Wikipedia page. A photo of a hazelnut brownie (they are made with brown sugar and butter, hence the “butterscotch”):
Readers are welcome to mark notable events, births, or deaths on this day by consulting the May 9 Wikipedia page.
Da Nooz:
*Habemus papam. They not only elected a new Pope relatively quickly, but he’s an American-born pope—the first one! Not only that, but he’s from Chicago! Here’s a picture with the Pope as a Chicago dog dragged through the garden. I believe this is from the Onion (h/t Merilee):
He’s young, too (for a Pope): Just 69. I think they want to elect popes who won’t serve for long, but it is a job for life. The pope is entitled to a modest salary (a few hundred euros a month), but Pope Francis refused it; all the other needs of the pope, including travel, are met by the Vatican.
The morning after his stunning election in a papal conclave, Pope Leo XIV returned to the Sistine Chapel on Friday to preside over his first Mass as leader of 1.4 billion Roman Catholics, calling for “missionary outreach” to restore faith in the church.
Evoking the teachings of his predecessor, Pope Francis, Leo XIV delivered a homily rich in theological references. Speaking to a solemn gathering of the cardinals who had elected him, he said that a loss of religious faith had contributed to “appalling violations of human dignity” around the world.
The first American-born pope, he will soon confront urgent questions about the church’s direction. Addressing a crowd from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on Thursday, he spoke of “building bridges” but gave little overt indication of how he would govern the church.
Here’s what we’re covering:
Who is Pope Leo XIV? Despite his American roots, Leo, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, transcends borders. He served for two decades in Peru, where he became a bishop and a naturalized citizen, and then was appointed to one of the most influential posts at the Vatican by Francis, who made him a cardinal in 2023.
Chicago celebrates: The pope’s election resonated in Chicago, where he grew up before spending much of his life outside the United States. “They picked a good man,” said the Rev. William Lego, the pastor on the city’s south side who has known Leo since their high school days.
Pope Leo in fact went to Catholic theological seminary here in Hyde Park, near the University of Chicago. Of course he was all over the local news last night. He is also a White Sox fan, being from the South Side, and is rumored
. . . As he did yesterday in his first speech in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV evoked Pope Francis’ teachings in his homily — a sign of continuity with his predecessor. He tackled the issue of a loss of faith, which he said is often “tragically accompanied by the loss of meaning in life, the neglect of mercy, appalling violation of human dignity in its most dramatic forms, the crisis of the family.”
In some situations, he said, the Christian faith is considered to be something for the weak and unintelligent, so people pursue things like technology and money instead. It’s for this reason, the pope added, that “our missionary outreach is needed.” According to experts, Pope Leo XIV’s pastoral approach was important in lifting his candidacy.
. . . What’s in a name? A lot, it turns out.
Matteo Bruni, a Vatican spokesman, told reporters on Thursday that Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost’s choice to be called Pope Leo XIV had been a clear and deliberate reference to the last Leo, who led during a difficult time for the Roman Catholic Church and helped marshal it into the modern world.
Leo XIII — who was head of the church from 1878 to 1903, one of the longest reigns in papal history — is known for his 1891 encyclical “Rerum Novarum,” which strongly defended the rights of working people to a living wage and set the tone for the church’s modern social doctrine. He became known as the “pope of the workers.”
*As usual, I’ll steal a few items from Nellie Bowles weekly and snarky news column at the Free Press, called this week, “TGIF: In this $TRUMP economy.”
→ This is how the Trump economy works: Let’s say you run Freight Technologies, Inc., a cross-border shipping logistics company. Heavy new tariffs seem like a risk to your business, right? Maybe not! All it takes is this one weird trick called Buying Trump’s Crypto Token, which is a scam “currency.” As the chief executive officer of Freight Technologies, Inc. put it in a recent press release: “We believe that the addition of the Official Trump tokens are an excellent way to diversify our crypto treasury, and also an effective way to advocate for fair, balanced, and free trade between Mexico and the U.S.” Buying $TRUMP tokens—$TRUMP is the official name of the corruption coin, not some mockery I’ve made up here—is how you advocate for yourself these days. Want to keep doing business in Indonesia? Buy some $TRUMP first, you globalist piggy. Pulled over for speeding? Go to CoinBase.com, get yourself a $TRUMP card, and we’ll see about the points on your license. Skip the IRS bill, and instead pay taxes directly in $TRUMP. It’s that easy! There was a song popular in my youth called “Gangsta’s Paradise,” and it’s been stuck in my head for weeks. Soon our only currency will be baseball cards with Eric and Don Jr.’s faces on them, and I’ll be the poor sucker with nothing but Tiffany’s.
→ Americans disapprove of all their politicians on all topics: Trump’s approval rating on a swath of issues is negative. But for some reason, Dem approval ratings are also really low? People don’t seem to be thinking more favorably of Dems. They’re just hating both sides, equally, week over week. America is like me when someone asks who my favorite child is: The answer is neither. The right question is who do I dislike less.
→ And how are things for the Jews? Oh, the usual. Students for Justice in Palestine at Temple University hosted a panel honoring Mumia Abu-Jamal, who is in prison for the 1981 murder of a Philadelphia police officer. Panelists said things like: “We know it’s a victory when a red triangle goes above an Israeli soldier’s head, and a pig gets iced.” I love our new hippies. And: “We will free Mumia because it is our job to destroy imperialism, destroy the United States, and destroy capitalism.” I didn’t see any protests after this. It’s just a completely typical panel from a student group at a normal American university.
Then, over at a Barstool Sports event in Philadelphia last week, someone held up a sign in the crowd that read “Fuck the Jews,” as people laughed and cheered. A young man named Mo Khan then allegedly posted a video of the sign on his Instagram. The head of Barstool Sports, Dave Portnoy, quickly disavowed all this. But then we got to witness the birth of a new media star. Khan posted a video, saying: “Dave Portnoy and the greater Jewish community are acting as if they are the victims, when this whole time I am the victim.” He appeared onThe Stew Peters Show, where Stew said: “You’re an innocent man, but over the past few days, this disgusting Jew has internationally destroyed your reputation. . . . Would you call that Jewish supremacy?” Khan replied, “To an extent, yes.” Stew said that Portnoy is “a filthy Jew.” In the final step of the 2025 antisemitic media-darling cycle, Khan then posted a call to action for his followers to buy $JPROOF—as in Jewish-proof—a cryptocurrency for neo-Nazis, I guess. My biggest takeaway here is that if Bari doesn’t stop spending so much money on face serums, I’m transferring our assets into $JPROOF to keep them safe.
China said exports to the U.S. plunged in April, as the Trump administration’s tariff assault forced the world’s second-largest economy to redirect more of its goods to Southeast Asia, Latin America, Europe and Africa.
Overall, China said its export growth demonstrated surprising resilience last month, with the headline figure showing exports rising 8.1% in dollar-denominated terms in April from a year earlier.
But beneath that rosy number was a marked shift in the composition of outbound shipments from China, which has spent the past three decades building up its status as the world’s factory floor.
Chinese shipment of goods to the U.S. dropped 21% in April from a year earlier, while exports to the bloc of Southeast Asian nations known as Asean surged 21%, according to official trade figures released Friday by China’s General Administration of Customs. Exports to Latin America jumped 17%, while shipments to Africa soared 25%, the data showed. Chinese exports to the European Union rose 8.3%.
The figures underscore the degree to which U.S. tariffs on China, which have been cranked up by 145% in President Trump’s first three months in office, have altered the global trade map.
U.S. and Chinese officials are set to meet in Switzerland this weekend to talk, potentially paving the way for broader trade negotiations. Both U.S. and Chinese officials have indicated that the key objective for the weekend meeting is to de-escalate tensions amid what some White House officials have described as a total trade embargo between the two countries.
The figures for April represent China’s first release of official trade numbers since Trump ratcheted up tariffs on all Chinese goods by a cumulative 125% in a series of actions throughout April, on top of 20% levies placed on the country for its role in the fentanyl trade. Later in the month, he exempted smartphones and other electronics goods, many of which are made in China.
The fentanyl trade is just an excuse, though China does have a big role in supplying fentanyl-making drugs to other countries, which then make the final substance and send it to the US. No, the tariff wars are expressions of Trump’s desire for revenge, and he doesn’t give a damn that it’s likely to promote a recession in America.
Meanwhile in Dobrzyn, Hili is amazed at woodpeckers’ tenacity. In fact, the answer to her question is in Why Evolution if True, and it reflects the power of natural selection:
Hili: I’m amazed.
A: What are you amazed about?
Hili: That woodpeckers do not suffer from constant headaches.
In Polish:
Hili: Podziwiam.
Ja: Co podziwiasz?
Hili: Fakt, że dzięcioły nie cierpią na ustawiczne bóle głowy.
And a photo of Baby Kulka:
*******************
From Private Eye, a British satirical magazine that hits its target this time. Click to enlarge (h/t Andrew)
From Masih: another political prisoner murdered in Iran:
The Islamist regime in Iran has murdered Mohsen under the pretense of “espionage for Israel” and “waging war against God.” But we all know this wasn’t about Israel. This wasn’t justice. This was revenge, a brutal message disguised as law.
I misread National Moscato Day as National Mosquito Day, and I thought, “Well, they ARE underappreciated…”
But certainly not unnoticed….
I knew a guy whose last name was Amoscato. His nickname was Skeeter. It came about after a Japanese postdoc pronounced it Ah moo skee-t’oh. –> Skeeter
Sorry to hear that facilities may be putting abstract Botany Pond renewal plan implementation above already successful result. I hope you can have the same influence with this administration that you had with President Zimmer (alav hashalom). I still recall with a smile the day decades ago that our Nasa landscapers carefully worked around a nest with mom and baby birds in the bush outside my window after we pointed the nest out to them. They put aside their power tools and used only quiet hand tools and with care not to disturb the new family. Thank you and Team Duck for helping ensure the babies’ safety and health.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
How can we expect righteousness to prevail when there is hardly anyone willing to give himself up individually to a righteous cause… It is such a splendid sunny day, and I have to go. But how many have to die on the battlefield in these days, how many young, promising lives. What does my death matter if by our acts thousands are warned and alerted. -Sophie Scholl, student and anti-Nazi activist (9 May 1921-1943) [Her last words before being executed by guillotine.]
Over the past six or seven years, the Scottish parliament has been the source of much of the gender madness in the UK – including the legislation that was challenged by For Women Scotland resulting in the UK’s Supreme Court clarifying that sex in equalities law refers to biological sex. Thanks to that clarification, single-sex spaces must now actually BE single-sex and Holyrood, the Scottish parliament building, has fallen into line: https://archive.is/1kBp5
Now the Scottish first minister, John Swinney, needs to stop hedging and ensure that all Scottish bodies – including hospitals, schools, universities, rape crisis centres, etc. – all follow suit.
The article from Private Eye on the Dire-Wolf is a brilliant piece of satire. Thanks for this mornings first laugh.
I really don’t see why the business of having a funeral for the old pope and electing a new pope should garner so many worldwide headlines. There has been so much Pomp and Circumstance over something that has pretty much zero impact on the world stage.
Tiresome isn’t it Mark.
Catholics have a hard lock on aesthetics and pageantry. Kinda their thing.
🙂
best,
D.A.
NYC
Didn’t Tallulah “Three Ls, two As and an aitch” Bankhead say to a bishop during a mass, “Dahling, your gown is divine but I have to tell you your purse is on fire.”
Yep, pageantry.
I dislike P&C too, Mark, especially for something so ludicrous. Pointy hats and all. Still, something that ~1.4 billion people are invested in does makes it newsworthy. He, his words and the fancy hats mean nothing to me, but he does have a place on the world stage. IMO
Celebrity culture SOP. “The Pope”, whoever it happens to be at the time, is known for being known. It helps a little that in the past that office really mattered.
Nice for the Brits they have finally embraced Sharia.
I’m sure it’ll work out excellently for them, hopefully as good as it has in other sharia countries.
Some lifestyle changes in store maybe… but definitely a bright future
From Jihadwatch, a site that reproduces my own articles. Called a “hate site” by various wokes it actually is merely a fact based publication of what Islam is and represents.
Salaam to our friends in the Islamosphere: Englandistan!
D.A.
NYC
Maybe Britannistan ?
I hope Jerry was tongue-in-cheek about which child I dislike the least. There are, of course, people who think of childhood as a disease we outgrow.
I actually find it a bit sad that so many people these days lack the instinctive affection towards children that is natural to our species. The other day I was waiting in line at a McDonalds (only to buy iced coffee, I eat healthier food than McDonalds). A mother had a daughter about four years old. The child didn’t misbehave much, just fidgeted a little and momentarily fussed about something. The mother quickly and easily calmed the girl and she became more cheerful. I became aware that half of the people in line were looking grumpy. They seemed to regard the presence of even a moderately well behaved child as a public nuisance.
“I hope Jerry was tongue-in-cheek about which child I dislike the least. ”
That was Nellie Bowles who said that and I am quite sure it is a joke.
Sad news: Margot Friedländer has died at the proud age of 103 years. She survived the Nazi persuction (among others the Theresienstadt concentration camp) as did her future husband, with whom she eventually went to America. At the age of almost 88, after the death of her husband, she moved back home to Berlin.
I misread National Moscato Day as National Mosquito Day, and I thought, “Well, they ARE underappreciated…”
But certainly not unnoticed….
I knew a guy whose last name was Amoscato. His nickname was Skeeter. It came about after a Japanese postdoc pronounced it Ah moo skee-t’oh. –> Skeeter
Sorry to hear that facilities may be putting abstract Botany Pond renewal plan implementation above already successful result. I hope you can have the same influence with this administration that you had with President Zimmer (alav hashalom). I still recall with a smile the day decades ago that our Nasa landscapers carefully worked around a nest with mom and baby birds in the bush outside my window after we pointed the nest out to them. They put aside their power tools and used only quiet hand tools and with care not to disturb the new family. Thank you and Team Duck for helping ensure the babies’ safety and health.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
How can we expect righteousness to prevail when there is hardly anyone willing to give himself up individually to a righteous cause… It is such a splendid sunny day, and I have to go. But how many have to die on the battlefield in these days, how many young, promising lives. What does my death matter if by our acts thousands are warned and alerted. -Sophie Scholl, student and anti-Nazi activist (9 May 1921-1943) [Her last words before being executed by guillotine.]
Over the past six or seven years, the Scottish parliament has been the source of much of the gender madness in the UK – including the legislation that was challenged by For Women Scotland resulting in the UK’s Supreme Court clarifying that sex in equalities law refers to biological sex. Thanks to that clarification, single-sex spaces must now actually BE single-sex and Holyrood, the Scottish parliament building, has fallen into line: https://archive.is/1kBp5
Now the Scottish first minister, John Swinney, needs to stop hedging and ensure that all Scottish bodies – including hospitals, schools, universities, rape crisis centres, etc. – all follow suit.
The article from Private Eye on the Dire-Wolf is a brilliant piece of satire. Thanks for this mornings first laugh.
From a WaPo poll, Cheeto’s most unpopular actions are in the area of (de)funding medical research.
I really don’t see why the business of having a funeral for the old pope and electing a new pope should garner so many worldwide headlines. There has been so much Pomp and Circumstance over something that has pretty much zero impact on the world stage.
Tiresome isn’t it Mark.
Catholics have a hard lock on aesthetics and pageantry. Kinda their thing.
🙂
best,
D.A.
NYC
Didn’t Tallulah “Three Ls, two As and an aitch” Bankhead say to a bishop during a mass, “Dahling, your gown is divine but I have to tell you your purse is on fire.”
Yep, pageantry.
I dislike P&C too, Mark, especially for something so ludicrous. Pointy hats and all. Still, something that ~1.4 billion people are invested in does makes it newsworthy. He, his words and the fancy hats mean nothing to me, but he does have a place on the world stage. IMO
Celebrity culture SOP. “The Pope”, whoever it happens to be at the time, is known for being known. It helps a little that in the past that office really mattered.
Nice for the Brits they have finally embraced Sharia.
I’m sure it’ll work out excellently for them, hopefully as good as it has in other sharia countries.
Some lifestyle changes in store maybe… but definitely a bright future
Cheers and salaam!
D.A.
NYC
Proof – https://jihadwatch.org/2025/05/sharia-uk-man-who-burned-quran-faces-charges-for-harassing-islam
From Jihadwatch, a site that reproduces my own articles. Called a “hate site” by various wokes it actually is merely a fact based publication of what Islam is and represents.
Salaam to our friends in the Islamosphere: Englandistan!
D.A.
NYC
Maybe Britannistan ?
I hope Jerry was tongue-in-cheek about which child I dislike the least. There are, of course, people who think of childhood as a disease we outgrow.
I actually find it a bit sad that so many people these days lack the instinctive affection towards children that is natural to our species. The other day I was waiting in line at a McDonalds (only to buy iced coffee, I eat healthier food than McDonalds). A mother had a daughter about four years old. The child didn’t misbehave much, just fidgeted a little and momentarily fussed about something. The mother quickly and easily calmed the girl and she became more cheerful. I became aware that half of the people in line were looking grumpy. They seemed to regard the presence of even a moderately well behaved child as a public nuisance.
“I hope Jerry was tongue-in-cheek about which child I dislike the least. ”
That was Nellie Bowles who said that and I am quite sure it is a joke.
Sad news: Margot Friedländer has died at the proud age of 103 years. She survived the Nazi persuction (among others the Theresienstadt concentration camp) as did her future husband, with whom she eventually went to America. At the age of almost 88, after the death of her husband, she moved back home to Berlin.
RIP! 🙁
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margot_Friedl%C3%A4nder
May her memory be a blessing.
I hope the Botany Pond ducks and ducklings are thriving?
Because the Pope’s first name is Robert, I was hoping people would be happy calling him Pope Bobby. It has a nice fisherman’s ring to it.