Science

What puzzles Harry Gaines is that we typically plan our vacations with more care than we plan the rest of our lives, especially when it comes to health and fitness. Too often we neglect to make the investment in exercise that will pay rich dividends in well-being in our 70s, 80s, and beyond. Gaines, 74, a retired textbook-publishing executive who lives half the year in Newtown, Bucks County, and the other half in Florida, keeps a "bucket list" — goals and experiences he hopes to accomplish before he kicks the proverbial bucket.

In rejecting PSA screening for prostate cancer, an influential federal panel has chipped a cornerstone of preventive medicine, declaring that it's not always best to catch cancer as early as possible. "At best, PSA screening may help only 1 man in 1,000 avoid death from prostate cancer," the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said Monday. "Most prostate cancers found by PSA screening are slow growing, not life threatening, and will not cause a man any harm during his lifetime.

This weekend a group of men will gather at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary to how learn to throw a spiral, make a three-point shot and hit a long ball — and to resist homosexual urges. Courage, a Catholic group that encourages people with same-sex attraction to remain celibate, is holding its 13th annual sports camp in which "men physically compete on the field while enriching their souls through a daily regimen of prayer, confessions, mass, and the Liturgy of the Hours," according to the group's website.

Terry Starks' voice rang out as he shouted through a bullhorn at a busy intersection in North Philadelphia. "We're tired of the senseless violence out here," Starks, 34, called out to passersby and a handful of people milling in front of a bar at Ridge and Cecil B. Moore Avenues. "A brother lost his life out here Friday. " "We're Philadelphia CeaseFire," Brandon Jones, 26, yelled through another bullhorn. "We are here because we think change can happen here. " Their comments drew the attention of some pedestrians who paused to listen; others responded with wary gazes.

At Dover Area High School in York County last week, administrators appeared before ninth-grade biology classes to read a statement. Evolution is no more than a theory, the statement said, and as a way to explain the origin of humans on earth, "intelligent design" theory is just as valid. The statement, approved by the Dover school board, was brief - but the intent is revolutionary. It seeks to discredit the science of evolution, backed by nearly 150 years of research and accepted by an overwhelming majority of scientists worldwide, and to encourage the acceptance of intelligent design, a theory with strong appeal to many religious people, but no backing in actual evidence or in science.

CHRISTINE M. Flowers' op-ed characterization of science as an evil plot forced on an innocent and unsuspecting citizenry is ludicrous. Science is a systematic method for understanding the world based on observations, experiments and testing. In no sense are scientific ideas "forced down people's throats. " Science is the most unbiased of any human activity. Scientists are literally ruthless in making sure that any proposed ideas are subjected to the most thorough scrutiny and testing before they are accepted.

Admittedly it was 20-some years ago when we last encountered anthropology (Anthropology 101, Tues.-Thurs, 7:45 a.m., Mr. Taylor, 3 credits), but we seem to recall there was a heavy emphasis on the tribal subcultures of South Seas islands. Apparently a lot has changed in this field. Consider the work James Schaefer of the University of Minnesota described recently at the American Anthropological Association convention. After 10 years of research, Mr. Schaefer and some colleagues have determined that patrons of country and Western bars consume more alcohol than their counterparts in bars that feature hard rock.

THE BELIEF that a Creator made the universe and now governs it by his providential control should be rationally deduced from what our senses tell us. The steam engine, the telegraph and the telephone, pasteurized milk, the airplane, and even peanut butter were invented by those who believed in God as creator, not to mention the cosmology of such intellectual giants as Newton and Galileo, whose work certainly influenced Einstein and other physicists....

In his Jan. 13 Op-ed Page article, Rivers Singleton Jr. devalued the support that science can give us in upholding moral values, by presenting the usual confusion of science with technology. Science is consistent with moral values based on humanity. This does not mean that ancient wisdom, religious or not, cannot be accepted and utilized; it implies only that such morality, when accepted, is accepted because of its worth and appropriateness for human beings. Because science supports the basic equality of individuals and requires freedom of speech and expression, it is entirely consistent with the bases for the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

From evolution to global warming to vaccines, science is under assault from denialists - those who dismiss well-tested scientific knowledge as merely one of many competing ideologies. Science denial goes beyond skeptical questioning to attack the legitimacy of science itself. Recent foment over stolen e-mails from a British research group inspired an American creationist organization to pronounce that "a cabal of leading scientists, politicians, and media" has sought to "professionally destroy scientists who express skepticism" about climate change.

IF THEY GET WIND of his story, Hollywood producers will be rooting for Tahjere McCall to make the NBA. This kid already has a great story. During his junior season at Engineering and Science High, McCall was your classic, still-feelin'-his-way neophyte. Now he owns a Division I scholarship. The 6-4, 160-pound senior point guard, who earlier had made an oral commitment to D-II Holy Family, has signed with Niagara. Don't feel bad if McCall's name is unfamilar. He literally came out of nowhere.

Drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline P.L.C. said Wednesday it would play a bit more hardball with Human Genome Sciences Inc., taking its $2.6 billion takeover offer directly to shareholders after HGS management declined a friendlier overture on April 11. Glaxo is based in London but has a big operation in Center City and facilities in the Philadelphia suburbs. HGS is based in Rockville, Md. On April 18, HGS disclosed Glaxo's offer of $13 a share. HGS management said in a statement then that the offer undervalued the company and invited Glaxo to participate in a "strategic review process.

The jazz quartet performing Sunday at Drexel University's Mitchell Auditorium created music that you could not only hear, but see. Notes in an octave became pulses of blue, pink, and yellow. Chords on an electric keyboard looked like a moving, three-dimensional EKG. Bass notes morphed into streaks of neon green. The concert, part of the Philadelphia Science Festival, introduced the audience to the science of music by showing concepts like frequency, pitch, and timbre as visual elements.

The week is crammed with carefully orchestrated events for the 2012 winners of the Franklin Institute awards in science and engineering, including academic lectures, luncheons and a black-tie dinner. Tuesday morning, however, was time for some scientific uncertainty: exposure to high school students. Five of the nine award recipients stood gamely behind exhibit tables for 90 minutes, fielding questions from a crowd of teenaged visitors to the museum. The scientists patiently explained their work over and over again as new groups of students pressed in close, scrutinizing exhibits on such topics as climate change, black holes and artificial intelligence.

The sidewalks of Logan Square were filled with science fans and lined with experiment-filled tents Saturday for the Science Carnival on the Parkway, part of the 10-day Philadelphia Science Festival. More than 125 sponsors, including schools and organizations such as the event's presenting sponsor, Dow Chemical Co., filled the tents with scientific spectacles. Mayor Nutter joined Dow president and chief executive Jerome Peribere as he announced the company would contribute $100,000 for next year's festival - and double the donation if other sponsors matched it. "All the improvements which are going on right now are thanks to science," said Peribere, adding that he was happy children could see "that science is fun. " Peribere heads Dow's advanced-materials division, the umbrella group of the Philadelphia-based Dow specialty-materials businesses.

The sidewalks of Logan Square were filled with science fans visiting white experiment-filled tents Saturday for the Science Carnival on the Parkway, an event of the 10-day Philadelphia Science Festival. Mayor Nutter joined Dow president and CEO Jerome Peribere as he announced the company would not only contribute $100,000 for next year's festival, but would double the donation if other sponsors matched it. "All the improvements which are going on right now are thanks to science," said Peribere.

Bishop Eustace second baseman T.J. Maiorino has committed to attend the University of the Sciences on a partial baseball scholarship. Maiorino, who has a .450 on-base percentage for the Crusaders, said he's projected as a shortstop at the University of the Sciences, a Division II program in Philadelphia. "I'll have a chance to play right away," Maiorino said. "It's a great school and they play good baseball, and I really wanted to be in the city. " Maiorino, who lives in Mt. Laurel, said he plans to major in health-care marketing.

Want to play with robots? Experiment with crime-scene clues? Learn about the intersections between science and, say, love, or fashion, or beer? Of course you do. Even the anti-geek will find it hard to resist the all-ages, all-topics allure of the Second Annual Philadelphia Science Festival, which runs today through April 29. The topics include music, gadgets, animals, and public health, reflecting the Science Festivals' aggressively inclusive...

When people think of Philadelphia, they might imagine cheesesteaks and Rocky, the Phillies and the Flyers. They don't necessarily think of our city as an intellectual hub or a center of scientific research, but they should, said Steve Snyder, vice president for exhibit and program development at the Franklin Institute. This region is packed with top-notch universities, illustrious science museums, and booming technology-oriented businesses. Philadelphia is among the top five U.S. cities in National Institutes of Health grants, Snyder said.

Sir Paul Callaghan, 64, a top New Zealand scientist who gained international recognition for his work in molecular physics, died Saturday after a long battle with cancer. "New Zealand has suffered a tremendous loss," Sir Peter Gluckman, Prime Minister John Key's chief science adviser, said in a statement. "Paul has been our most distinguished public scientist and in the world of molecular physics has been a giant. " Dr. Callaghan, who was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2008, was best known for his work with magnetic resonance, a field that has practical applications in everything from health care to industrial production.