A sustainable human population, based on the annual energy input of the sun, is in the range of two-to-five billion people. By this measure, Earth will be catastrophically overpopulated with a projected nine billion humans in 2050. Human demands for energy, water, and food are at the root of habitat loss, species extinction, farmland erosion, depletion of aquifers, ocean acidification, climate change, and the worldwide death of coral reefs. Temporarily maintained by plentiful cheap oil, the human population overshoot will be a significant stumbling block to long-term sustainability. The keys to reaching demographic stability are (1) developing comprehensive education on carrying capacity, (2) fostering cultural and religious leadership on population sustainability, and (3) encouraging replacement-sized families. Nature's minions are famine, resource wars and epidemic disease, and nature always bats last. To preempt these forces, the human community must tackle population issues proactively, employing religious and cultural sensitivity to seek honest and workable solutions.

Celebrate Darwin Day with a pot luck dinner commerating the birth of Charles Darwin. Speakers will include a Physicist who won the Nobel Prize, a Darwin expert, and a famous biologist.

Speaking will be Dr. George Smoot, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics for finding the non-uniformity in the cosmic microwave background radiation from the Big Bang.

Peter Hess, a leading expert on Darwin and the evolution-creation controversy with the National Center for Science Education, will speak on Darwin's vital contribution to religion.

The third speaker will be David Seaborg, cutting-edge evolutionary biologist and Darwin expert, who will discuss current evolutionary theory—what is known today, and the unsolved problems and controversies—dressed as Charles Darwin, and impersonating him.

After his lecture, David Seaborg will show fossils and live animals that illustrate evolutionary principles, and he will allow you to hold them—only if you want to.

This will be followed by a group discussion.

Finally, enjoy a pot luck dinner party with the speakers and many other interesting, stimulating, knowledgeable, and friendly people. Bring any dish to share.

Many elements of the modern American creationist movement would be familiar to Darwin, especially the argument from design, which of course was very well known (and well-regarded) by educated people of his time. Young-Earth creationism, on the other hand, would be puzzling to him; Bishop Ussher's 4004 BC age of the Earth was not considered mainstream Christian theology in the late 19th century, though certainly the view had its adherents among clergy. Darwin might have heard of the “scriptural geologists” who promoted a young-Earth view during the 19th century, but like other scientists of his time, he would have ignored them. The current creationist strategy of disclaiming evolution as weak science would have seemed more familiar to him, given the criticisms of evolution he encountered during his own time.

"Academic Freedom" Bills are being introduced at the state level across the country to undermine quality science education. Originally devised to weaken evolution education in public schools, these bills have been expanded in recent years to include climate change science as well. Under the guise of teaching students critical thinking skills and protecting educators, this legislation insidiously erodes science education by promoting misinformation as scientific controversy. Dr. Berbeco will talk about the history of these bills, status of current legislation, and the future of science education in America.

A presentation for the
Kol Hadash's Darwin Day Program