Biotechnology Institute News room
Creationism Undermines Nation’s Economic Well-Being
Arlington, Va. (October 17, 2006) – Concerned by recent attacks on teaching evolution in school systems around the nation, the Biotechnology Institute says the siege on evolution in Kansas, Ohio, Michigan, and many other states is compromising the quality of US public science education, stifling scientific innovation and so undermining our economic well-being. The Arlington, Virginia-based non-profit biotechnology education organization stated in a position statement that “development of scientific literacy and the successful completion of training in the sciences demand a clear understanding of evolution as scientists understand it.” Evolution, the evidence-based theory that all living organisms have descended from common ancestors, is a cornerstone principle of the biological sciences on which biotechnology is based.
Our understanding of evolution has already improved our lives in undeniable ways. Biotechnological research depends on insights built on the concept of evolution for discoveries that make us healthier, safer, and better fed.
“To combat the spread of AIDS, bio-warfare and pandemic diseases, to give us life-saving new cures and life-improving new breakthroughs, tomorrow’s biologists must be equipped with scientifically-based knowledge today,” says Paul A. Hanle, president of the Biotechnology Institute. “The race to develop new antibiotics and antiviral drugs to combat rapidly-evolving bacteria and viruses is a well-known example of evolution-based research in action. Policymakers considering issues of science should certainly respect non-scientific viewpoints. But they must uphold the standards of teaching science if only to let the communities they serve offer a decent public science education. With that, our children can grow up to make informed decisions affecting public policy and prepare for careers in the science-based world economy.”
Nations that value open inquiry and use scientific criteria in education, research, and industry will outperform those that don’t. If we are to continue to be leaders in the global economy, we must teach science, not religion, in the science classroom, according to Hanle.
“We urge state boards of education, local school districts, and individual teachers to support the teaching of evolution and leave discussions concerning issues of faith to their appropriate settings in classes on religion and in our nation’s churches, synagogues, mosques, and other places of worship,” says Hanle.
About the Biotechnology Institute
The Biotechnology Institute is as an independent, national nonprofit organization dedicated to education about the present and future impact of biotechnology. Its mission is to engage, excite and educate the public, particularly students and teachers, about biotechnology and its immense potential for solving human health, food and environmental problems. For more information, visit www.biotechinstitute.org. ###
 Download the PDF
For information, contact:
Jeff Ghannam
Communications Director
(703) 248-8681
jghannam@biotechinstitute.org
|
