Heffernan’s creationism: was it a scam?

July 16, 2013 • 6:37 am

Three days ago I highlighted an anti-evolution essay by Virginia Heffernan, a formerly popular journalist who is now a correspondent for Yahoo News. Her piece,  “Why I’m a creationist,” was a remarkably obtuse celebration of ignorance. In essence, Heffernan maintained that she was a creationist because the Bible told a better story than did Darwin, and that she found Darwin’s Origin unconvincing anyway because he adduced no facts to support his “hypothesis.”

Heffernan’s piece elicited a fair amount of outrage from  science-friendly people, including Carl Zimmer (read his Twitter battle with Heffernan) and Laura Helmuth, who wrote this in Slate:

As Carl Zimmer pointed out in an epic Twitter war with Heffernan, dismissing the evidence for evolution betrays a profound lack of curiosity. Their 140-character bits of back-and-forth show that she really does think of creationism and evolution merely as competing narratives: “What I believe is stories—hodgepodge of magic & facts—like what you believe. What I do is: aim to be kind.” (She apparently thought people who tweeted about evidence for evolution were being mean. Zimmer has devoted his career to telling excellent stories about evolution—stories that are true. He’s entitled to be incredulous.) Heffernan is simply wrong. There is no hodgepodge. Creationism and evolution aren’t equivalent stories to be believed or not. Creationism is magic and evolution is facts.

Now two people have suggested to me that Heffernan’s piece was not serious, and was intended only to shock. One Facebook friend wrote, “I think she’s tongue-in-cheek here. Virginia Heffernan is notorious for her subversive sense of humor.”

Was she pulling some kind of Sokal-style hoax?

Well, I pondered this possibility long and hard. After all, I went after her professed ignorance pretty strongly, and if it turned out to be some kind of hoax I was firing at a moving target.  But in the end I concluded that Heffernan wasn’t joking.

First of all, if she intended to show “subversive humor,” she failed. The piece isn’t funny at all. And even if you knew it was a scam, it’s still—unlike Sokal’s wonderful parody—not funny at all. Anybody could have written the kind of dopey-sheep defense of creationism that Heffernan did.

Second, there is no sign, as there was in Sokal’s piece, that Heffernan’s was a parody. It just evokes the tired, old creationist tropes: Darwin’s theory was only a “hypothesis”; he didn’t adduce any facts to support that theory, and that science sometimes reverses its conclusions and therefore can’t be trusted. (Remember, Sokal used real quotes from postmodernists to support his bogus article.) There is no creativity in her piece to suggest it was a parody of creationism.  If you’re writing a parody of something, its effectiveness depends on semi-savvy people being able to recognize it’s a parody.

Further, while Sokal’s piece was damaging to something that deserved damage—postmodern analysis that claims there is no such thing as objective truth—Heffernan’s damaged something worthwhile: scientific truth and the public understanding of science.  All her piece will do is give succor to creationists who will say, “See? A smart, Harvard-educated woman is on our side.” If Heffernan was having a joke on us, it was a mean-spirited and harmful joke.

Subversive humor? I don’t think so, and neither does Carl Zimmer.  Heffernan has simply made herself look like the “dopey sheep” she claims to be, and has damaged her scientific credibility enormously. Maybe in a few days she’ll realized that she screwed up, and announce that it was all a joke. But if so, it was a poor joke. And I wouldn’t believe her anyway.

The readers excoriated her, by the way. Here are just two comments from the first page:

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Cicada summer

July 15, 2013 • 10:54 pm

by Greg Mayer

This was a big year for periodical cicadas, with the emergence of Brood II along the east coast attracting attention in the media, including here at WEIT, and other websites (which I also commented at).  Despite this, I overlooked an important paper on them published by Teiji Sota and colleagues back in April. At the Evolution meetings one of the coauthors, my old colleague and teacher Chris Simon, brought it to my attention.

Distribution of Brood II (from Chris Simon's Magicicada Central).
Distribution of Brood II (from Chris Simon’s Magicicada Central).

Periodical cicadas (Magicicada) are fascinating animals. They live underground for 17 years, then emerge in huge numbers, mate, lay eggs, and die, all in a few weeks. The huge numbers overwhelm their predators’ ability to eat them. Each year class is called a “brood”, so Brood II previously emerged in 1996, 1979, and so on; Brood III will emerge next year (in Iowa, Missouri, and Illinois). One species of cicada doing this would be pretty marvelous, but it turns out there are also cicadas that do it every 13 years– so there are both 17- and 13-year cicadas. Thirteen-year broods are numbered XVII to XXXI. To make your mind explode, it turns out that each brood consists of three, separate, reproductively isolated species– known as Decim, Decula, and Cassini. (Go to Chris Simon’s Magiciacada Central for all things cicada.)

Magicicada septendecim, from Chris Simon's Magicicada Central.
Magicicada septendecim (from Chris Simon’s Magicicada Central).

Although there are 30 possible broods, only 15 currently exist, with two more historically known broods now extinct. A few broods lack one or two species, but most have all three, so there are close to 45 brood-species combinations. What Sota and colleagues have done is performed a molecular phylogenetic analysis, using mitochondrial and nuclear genes, of all extant brood-species combinations, including multiple geographic samples. They find three real interesting things.

First, the pattern of geographic variation is similar in all 3 species groups (Decim, Decula, and Cassini). Each one has major eastern, middle, and western genetic groups, with Decim also having a southern group.

Second, the 13 year cicadas of each species group are not monophyletic, but rather seem to have evolved repeatedly from the 17 year form, remarkably, in all three species!

Third, these geographic patterns were not established simultaneously, but rather the patterns were converged on, at least in part because synchronization of periodicity in a given area is favored ecologically. I think this third one the weakest of the conclusions, because the dating of the divergences doesn’t rest on well-established assumptions, and resulted in large standard errors relative to the divergence times anyway. But, regardless of this last point, it’s a great advance in our understanding of cicada evolution. Sota et al. quite reasonably conclude that the evolution of time-shifting rests on genetic abilities present in the common ancestor of the entire group in the Pliocene.

In a commentary, Stewart Berlocher has produced a helpful figure simplifying the results, but you really must look at the detailed figures in Sota et al. to appreciate the work fully.

F1.large
Figure 1 from Berlocher. Note that all three species groups have the same east-middle-west structure, and that 13 year cicadas are related to propinquous 17 year cicadas, and not other 13 years.  B+ is the southern group found only in Decim.

And I need to add one more complication. In the western part of Magicicada‘s distribution, the 13 year broods of Decim are different from the other 13 year Decims, but are extremely similar to the local 17-year Decims, and have been named as a seventh species by Marshall and Cooley (2000). Sota’s data supports this, and strongly suggest that this fourth 13 year species has arisen relatively recently by a 4 year shift in the life cycle from the 17 year Decims, as described by Simon et al. (2000).

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Berlocher, S.H. 2013. Regularities and irregularities in periodical cicada evolution. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA 110:6620-6621. extract

Marshall, D. C., and J. R. Cooley.  2000.  Reproductive character displacement and speciation in periodical cicadas, with description of a new species, 13-year Magicicada neotredecim. Evolution 54: 1313-1325. pdf

Simon, C.M., J. Tang, S. Dalwadi, G. Staley, J. Deniega, and T.R. Unnasch.  2000. Genetic evidence for assortative mating between  13-year cicadas and sympatric “17-year cicadas with 13-year life cycles” provides support for allochronic speciation. Evolution 54:1326-1336 . pdf

Sota, T. S. Yamamoto, J.R. Cooley, K.B.R. Hills, C. Simon and J. Yoshimura. 2013. Independent divergence of 13- and 17-year life cycles among three periodical cicada lineages. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA 110:6620-6621. pdf

Evolution 2013—Refreshments

July 15, 2013 • 3:28 pm

by Greg Mayer

Because the Snowbird Resort (where this year’s Evolution meetings were held) is an “all in one” resort isolated from anyplace else (kind of like Jerry’s casino-in-the-desert for TAM), pretty much all of the food was produced in house. And it was generally quite good. Unfortunately, I neglected to take many pictures. So we’ll have to settle for dessert.

Apple strudel and German chocolate cake at Evolution 2013, Snowbird.
Apple strudel and German chocolate cake at Evolution 2013, Snowbird.

Above are the desserts from the last night (June 25) banquet, apple strudel and German chocolate cake. I had the strudel and my colleague Sher Hendrickson had the chocolate, but she gave me a taste. Both were very good, but the strudel was especially delightful. The banquet had an “Oktoberfest” theme: bratwurst, red cabbage, spaetzle, etc.

I was somewhat surprised to find that Utah, despite the predominance of the anti-alcohol Mormon Church, has a very healthy craft beer industry. Here’s the hands down favorite at the conference:

Empty bottles at Evolution 2013.
Empty bottles of Evolution at Evolution 2013.

So why does Wasatch Brewery have an Evolution Amber Ale? To protest attempts to bring intelligent design into Utah schools!

Why they made this beer.
Why they made this beer.

The Wasatch Brewery has a history of humorously standing up for their rights and tweaking the theocratic impulses of the Utah government. They first made their name with Polygamy Porter and one of its slogans: “Bring some home to the wives.” (For those unfamiliar with U.S. history, the Mormons had to renounce polygamy, which they had previously embraced as divinely ordained, in order for Utah to be admitted as a state. Mormons have had a hard time living this down ever since, and there are schismatic “fundamentalist” Mormon sects which still practice polygamy.)

Polygamy Porter. Is that supposed to be Joseph Smith with the beard?
Polygamy Porter. Is that supposed to be Joseph Smith with the beard?

To punish Wasatch for Polygamy Porter and other advertising they didn’t like, the Utah legislature increased taxes on beer. The brewers’ response? A “Salt Lake Beer Party” and a new beer, First Amendment Lager with the slogan, “Give me liberty, and give me a cold one!”

1st Amendment Lager
1st Amendment Lager
Back label of First Amendment Lager.
Back label of First Amendment Lager.

In addition to the three above, I also had Provo Girl Pilsner, but on tap, so I don’t have a label to show you; it’s made by Squatters Beers, which seems to have some relationship with Wasatch, but I’m not sure exactly what. All of these beers were quite good, and although I can’t rule out that the setting and the company made everything taste better, I really think the beers were good.

Wasatch Brewery has about the only corporate “mission statement” I’ve ever seen that seems the least bit authentic or appealing:

Our Mission: To make the best ales and lagers possible. To achieve commercial profitability, while maintaining the highest level of social responsibility. To have as much fun as we can legally get away with.

Musical flash mob in a London grocery store

July 15, 2013 • 6:22 am

Here’s something to make you smile as I head back home. And if it doesn’t make you smile, you’re at the wrong place.

Reader Malcolm spotted this video on Big Geek Daddy, with the caption:

A routine day of shopping for groceries at John Lewis Foodhall from Waitrose turned into a grocery store opera when five singers performed a rousing rendition of the Italian classic Funiculì, Funiculà. This creative and fun musical flash mob is from Sacla’ the Pesto Pioneers and Italian foodies favourite brand who served up a great surprise by staging this impromptu Opera in the food aisles. How cool would it be to have some opera singers perform each time you went shopping for groceries.

Bravissimo!

TAM 2013

July 15, 2013 • 6:16 am

I was too busy going to talks to write about them, but they’ll all be up on the internet eventually, and I’ll let you know when they are.  It was a fun meeting, with a whole diversity of topics centered on skepticism.

One of the dramatic moments was a very acrimonious confrontation between two magicians on a five-person panel, with one of them accusing the other of pretending to be a psychic without revealing that it was just an act, since part of the notion of being an honest magician or psychic is, apparently, to let the audience know—at least implicitly—that you are a skilled actor and have no supernormal powers.

Randi gave some moving final remarks, telling us all that this was the best TAM conference ever, and then he choked up while recounting all the friends he’d made and hugs he’d received. (Randi is a hugger, and said that his ribs were sore, but that the pain was “delightful.”) It was a tearful moment for everyone.

It was announced that he’s going to have some surgery soon, and I hope it’s nothing serious. Randi had colon cancer and a bypass operation a while back, and came through with flying colors. He seems quite spry, and, though he’s 85, he’s the toughest old bird I’ve ever seen.

TAM is quite different from the few atheist meetings I’ve attended, for it’s about many things besides godlessness. Atheism is, in fact, a minor feature. There is also plenty of entertainment, including magic, which I love. I’d recommend people going at least once if they’re willing to endure the Vegas heat in July. (There’s no reason to leave the air-conditioned hotel, since all human needs can be met within its confines!)

Many people came up to me with some kind words for this website, which I much appreciated. I also got to meet two regular commenters, Sastra and articulett.

Thanks to D. J. Grothe for inviting me, all the wonderful people who supported the meeting and the speakers, and, of course, The Amazing Randi for getting it all going.