July 2023 Newsletter
In this Clergy Letter Project update you’ll find the following seventeen items:
- Please Vote for a Theme for Religion and Science Weekend 2024;
- Astrobiology News for July 2023: Are Red Dwarf Planets Habitable?;
- Flat Earth I;
- Flat Earth II;
- Visualize CO2 Emissions;
- Teaching That Dinosaurs and Humans Coexisted;
- Study Opportunity: Jewish Spiritual Exercises and Wellbeing;
- Radical Right-wing Politics and Hypocritical Religion;
- If You Love Science…;
- A Quick Look at Scientism;
- North Atlantic Temperatures;
- Science and Religion Can Work Together to Boost Mental Health;
- Religion and Climate Change I;
- Religion and Climate Change II;
- Religion and Climate Change III;
- Greenhushing; and
- Good News from Maine on the Creationism Front.
1. Please Vote for a Theme for Religion and Science Weekend 2024
It’s time to vote for a theme for Religion and Science Weekend 2024. Below are the eight suggestions that I’ve received. Please reply to this e-mail and indicate your first choice and your second choice for our 2024 theme. I very much look forward to hearing from you.
_____ How do science and religion mutually contribute to our understanding of the common good?_____ Religion and Science: Stronger Together
_____ Finding Common Ground
_____ Religious Anti-Science Crusaders, Then and Today: The Comstock Act of 1873 and ensuring the Religious Purity of the US Mail
_____ Religion and Science: Love and Compassion
_____ What do Religion and Science teach us about human equality?
_____ Faith and Science: Meaning and Facts
_____Considering Psalm 8: Humanity's faith(s) and science
2. Astrobiology News for July 2023: Are Red Dwarf Planets Habitable?
In this month’s Astrobiology News essay, Grace Wolf-Chase, Senior Scientist and Senior Education & Communication Specialist at the Planetary Science Institute as well as a Clergy Letter Project consultant, explores the possibility of finding habitable exoplanets, especially within the TRAPPIST-I system.
Check out the list of potentially habitable exoplanets on the website of the Planetary Habitability Laboratory(1) (PHL) and you’ll see that almost all of these worlds orbit M stars (red dwarfs), stars that are much cooler and dimmer than our Sun. Four of the seven Earth-sized exoplanets that comprise the TRAPPIST-1 system can be found among PHL’s “conservative sample of potentially habitable exoplanets,” the list that imposes the most stringent criteria of habitability for inclusion. The TRAPPIST-1 system is of particular interest, since it is “only” 40 light-years away and it contains the largest number of Earth-sized worlds observed to transit(2) their star.
All seven TRAPPIST-1 exoplanets are high-priority targets for the JWST to determine whether they have atmospheres, and, if so, what the composition of those atmospheres might be. Results for the two innermost TRAPPIST-1 worlds (b and c, which are not on PHL’s potentially habitable list) have been reported recently,(3) and indicate that these worlds have no appreciable atmospheres. TRAPPIST-1 c was a bit of a disappointment, as it was thought it might be analogous to Venus, which has a very thick carbon dioxide atmosphere.(4)
Red dwarfs comprise about 75% of all stars and are extremely long-lived; however, there are several factors that may prove to be problematic for the habitability of worlds that orbit these stars. Young red dwarfs experience bouts of intense flares that may sterilize their worlds. Furthermore, most red dwarf exoplanets are “tidally locked” to their stars, such that only one side of the exoplanet ever faces its star. Another issue has to do with the lack of Jupiter-sized worlds in red dwarf systems. Jupiter’s presence is thought to have shielded the Earth from potentially catastrophic impacts in the early days of our Solar System; however, a recent study led by Emily Pass of the Center for Astrophysics(5) reports finding no Jupiter-sized worlds orbiting the 200 red dwarfs that were examined.(6)
Does this mean habitable worlds orbiting red dwarfs are rare or non-existent? No - we don’t know enough about these worlds to make that claim at this point in time. However, even if habitable red dwarf exoplanets are rare, roughly 20% of the approximately 200 billion stars in our galaxy are similar to the Sun, and these stars may harbor habitable, Earth-like worlds. Jupiter-sized exoplanets orbiting Sun-like stars at distances comparable to Jupiter’s orbit about the Sun are common. However, it is more difficult to identify Earth-sized exoplanets in the habitable zones of Sun-like stars than in the habitable zones of red dwarfs, so there is a selection effect at play when we consider the present list of potentially habitable exoplanets.
Meanwhile, the scientific community is anxiously awaiting JWST’s results for TRAPPIST-1 d,e,f, and g, all of which are currently considered to be potentially habitable. Given the ubiquity of red dwarfs, the presence and composition of atmospheres around the worlds of TRAPPIST-1 could tell us a lot about the general prospects for exoplanet habitability in our galaxy.
Until next month,
Grace
Grace Wolf-Chase (she/her/hers) (gwolfchase@gmail.com)
Senior Scientist & Senior Education & Communication Specialist, Planetary Science Institute (www.psi.edu/about/staffpage/gwchase)
Vice President, Center for Advanced Study in Religion and Science (CASIRAS: www.casiras.org)
1. https://phl.upr.edu/projects/habitable-exoplanets-catalog
2. All seven worlds have orbits that pass in front of, and behind, their star in a matter of days.
3. See https://www.theclergyletterproject.org/pdf/abnews42023.pdf for results on TRAPPIST-1 b.
4. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2023/webb-rules-out-thick-carbon-dioxide-atmosphere-for-rocky-exoplanet
5. https://arxiv.org/abs/2305.19357
6. https://manyworlds.space/2023/06/07/the-makeup-of-red-dwarf-solar-systems-may-seriously-limit-the-formation-of-earth-sized-planets/
3. Flat Earth I
It’s difficult to believe that it’s 2023 and there is still discussion of the Earth being flat. Here’s the first of two pieces on this compelling topic! This one is a story from The Jerusalem Post detailing how a flat Earth proponent’s expensive experiment proved that the world is round.
4. Flat Earth II
This second story about flat Earthers is from Psypost and the title of the article says it all: “Flat-earthers are overconfident about their own scientific knowledge but exhibit low scientific literacy, study finds.” Happy reading!
5. Visualize CO2 Emissions
Because a picture is worth 1,000 words, here’s a NASA video showing the CO2 emissions from the burning of fossil fuels as if they were visible to humans.
6. Teaching That Dinosaurs and Humans Coexisted
While it might be a good idea to send your kids to summer camp, secular or religious, what would you think of sending them to one that taught that humans and dinosaurs co-existed and which featured a cryptozoologist claiming to prove exactly that? Well, here's your chance! Obviously, the work of The Clergy Letter Project is far from over.
7. Study Opportunity: Jewish Spiritual Exercises and Wellbeing
Our good friends at Sinai and Synapses, working with Northeastern University’s Social Emotions Lab, have received a grant from the Templeton Foundation to conduct a study to determine if certain religious practices may help you flourish. If you want to participate in this study, and be paid for your time, click here.
8. Radical Right-wing Politics and Hypocritical Religion
Dr. James Paulson, retired chemistry professor and a member of The Clergy Letter Project’s list of scientific consultants, sent me the following note. I hope you find it as interesting as I did:
A recent article in Mother Jones magazine (July-August 2023) appears to show some new connections between anti-evolutionism, radical right-wing politics, and hypocritical religion. The article is titled “The Message Man: Conservative Activist Christopher Rufo is on a Quest to Hijack the Political Debate.” It is written by Isabela Dias.
Rufo is best known for spreading propaganda against Critical Race Theory (CRT). He successfully distorted its academic and legal framework and turned the acronym CRT into a “conduit for white grievance.” Since 2021, he has been an advisor to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and “is a ‘main source and surrogate’ for the governor’s ‘anti-woke’ agenda.”
Rufo is also associated with the Discovery Institute in Seattle, the foremost proponent of the anti-evolution idea of “Intelligent Design.” He is director of the Center on Wealth and Poverty there, but he seems likely to have some indirect involvement in the Institute’s Center for Science and Culture which promotes intelligent design.
Rufo is also signatory to a National Conservatism manifesto elevating Christian values. However, he also complains about the “misguided principles of tolerance, diversity, and compassion.” This is surprising because I thought those principles were central in the teachings of Jesus. I guess they just don’t fit with right-wing “Christian nationalism.”
9. If You Love Science…
If you love science, and if you want to have some fun, you might want to take a look at Neal.fun. There are a number of interesting items, not all related to science, but all are fun. Do take a look at the items entitled “Space Elevator,” “Days Since Incident,” “Universe Forecast,” “Life Stats,” “The Size of Space,” as well as most of the others. Enjoy!
10. A Quick Look at Scientism
Scientism, often misunderstood, has become a straw-person for those who are anti-science. Dr. Moti Mizrahi, associate professor of philosophy at the Florida Institute of Technology, discusses this point in this “academic minute.” As he explains, “Scientism is the view that scientific knowledge is superior to non-scientific knowledge in terms of explanatory, predictive, and instrumental success.” You might want to invest one minute of your time to listen to him.
11. North Atlantic Temperatures
You’ve probably seen some of the frightening news stories reporting on the unprecedented increase in ocean temperatures off the coast of Florida in recent weeks. Here is another sobering bit of information: a graph of North Atlantic Sea surface temperatures on the summer solstice for the last 42 years. The data are absolutely alarming.
12. Science and Religion Can Work Together to Boost Mental Health
Our good friends at WesleyNexus brought the following article to my attention and I thought it valuable enough to share with all of you. Although it is from 2019, it is still pertinent. It is entitled “Science and Religion Can Work Together to Boost Mental Health” and that title nicely explains what the piece is all about!
13. Religion and Climate Change I
The good folks at WesleyNexus have also shared a number of items exploring the link between religion and climate change. This first item is a webinar sponsored by Harvard Divinity School as part of Harvard’s Climate Action Week. It is entitled “Examining the Religious and Spiritual Implications of Climate Change.” I trust you’ll find it interesting.
14. Religion and Climate Change II
The second item exploring the link between religion and climate change is a study performed by the Pew Research Center looking explicitly at “religious groups’ views on climate change.” Although there is much in the study of great interest, one point that stands out is that Evangelical Protestants are among the least likely to view global climate change as a serious problem. Scan the report for more fascinating information.
15. Religion and Climate Change III
The third item exploring the link between religion and climate change is an interview with Rick Lindroth, University of Wisconsin ecologist and member of The Clergy Letter Project’s list of scientific consultants. The interview, published last year in The Washington Post, is entitled “To fight climate despair, this Christian ecologist says science isn’t enough.” The subtitle explains his perspective in a bit more detail: “Rick Lindroth is among a small but growing number who argue faith is important to combatting hopelessness. Getting ‘re-enchanted with the Earth,’ he says, is the key.” You can read the full article here, via a gift link so even if you’re not a subscriber to The Washington Post, you can read the article for free.
16. Greenhushing
The Washington Post just published an interesting article about a practice they’ve called “Greenhushing.” The premise of the piece is that companies that are taking steps to combat climate change have stopped discussing their actions because of negative feedback from extremists claiming climate change is a hoax. Voices like those of Clergy Letter Project members who recognize that climate change poses an existential threat to humanity and who recognize that on both religious and scientific grounds action needs to be taken must he heard. If you’ve not yet added your signature to our Climate Crisis Letter, now would be a great time to do so. Simply reply to this e-mail and tell me how you’d like your signature to appear, and I’ll get you listed immediately. (I’ve provided a link to the article via a gift link so you can read it for free even if you’re not a subscriber to The Washington Post.)
17. Good News from Maine on the Creationism Front
As our good friends at the National Center for Science Education report, “A bill in the Maine legislature that would ban public school teachers from practicing "indoctrination" — and contained a provision that could adversely affect science education — was defeated in June 2023.” You can read more details here.
Concluding Thoughts
As the northern hemisphere summer blossoms, we’re seeing record-breaking temperatures and fires. The records we’re setting are alarming scientists around the world – and we’re running out of time to take meaningful actions to mitigate the damage. Please spread the word and, if you haven’t yet done so, please add your signature to our Climate Crisis Letter.
Finally, as I do every month, I urge you to take one simple action. Please share this month’s Newsletter with a colleague or two (or post a link via any social media platform you use) and ask them to add their voices to those promoting a deep and meaningful understanding between religion and science. They can add their signatures to one of our Clergy Letters simply by dropping me a note at mz@theclergyletterproject.org. Spread the word; change the world. Together we are making a difference.
Michael
Michael Zimmerman
Founder and Executive Director
The Clergy Letter Project
www.theclergyletterproject.org
mz@theclergyletterproject.org