In a final vote, the Texas Board of Education approved on Friday new language that requires science teachers to encourage students to "critique" and examine "all sides" of scientific theories.

In adopting the new science standards, the board dropped a 20-year requirement that teachers address both the "strengths and weaknesses" of scientific theories. The vote was 13-2.

The new curriculum will be in place for the next decade. more >>

LONDON – New guidance for secondary schools in Hampshire gives teachers the green light to hold discussions in class on creationism and intelligent design alongside evolution.

The discussions form part of a joint syllabus for science and religious education (RE) and will be used for 11- to 14-year-olds, according to The Telegraph.

The decision was praised by academics and clergy who said it would encourage students to analyze the different viewpoints about the origins of man and the earth. more >>

A leading intelligent design proponent said Friday that views expressed this week at a Darwin conference in Rome should not be confused with the Vatican's position on intelligent design and Darwinism.

Organizers of the March 3-7 conference, "Biological Evolution: Facts and Theories," at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome had declined to invite intelligent design speakers because they felt the theory lacked scientific merit.

Bruce Chapman, president of the Seattle-based Discovery Institute, an intelligent design think tank, said he believes the Pope remains in serious "fruitful dialogue" with intelligent design even though speakers of the conference, sponsored by a Catholic Church-related agency, may be critical of the theory. more >>

LONDON – A new survey from theology think-tank Theos has found that 80 percent of people in the United Kingdom do not believe in creationism and intelligent design.

At the same time, almost half of British people did not know who wrote "On the Origin of Species," in which Charles Darwin introduces evolution.

Interestingly, the poll found that five percent of adults believed Darwin to be the author of "A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking, another three percent thought he wrote Richard Dawkins’ "The God Delusion," while one percent thought him to be the author of cookery book "The Naked Chef." more >>

A conference hosted by a creationist ministry to help Christians defend their faith against evolution drew over 4,500 people during its opening evening on Sunday.

Ken Ham, founder and president of Answers in Genesis, which hosted the three-day "Answers for Darwin" conference, told the crowd in the opening session that America is becoming less of a Christian nation everyday and that it is due in part to the influence of Darwinism.

He cited statistics by research firm The Barna Group, showing that at least 60 percent of students raised in church-going homes who attend public schools will walk away from church. more >>

A Christian schoolteacher's lawsuit over a UC Berkeley website on evolution has been appealed to the Supreme Court.

Sacramento-based Pacific Justice Institute, which is representing Jeanne Caldwell, a Sacramento parent, announced in January that it had filed an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court after a lower court's dismissal of the case was upheld last fall.

Caldwell alleges that the federally-funded website on evolution by the University of California, Berkeley, pushed a specific viewpoint on religious doctrine in violation of the separation of church and state. more >>