A presentation for the science café, “Ask a Scientist”, in San Francisco. The recent claim by two Georgia men to have discovered the remains of a Bigfoot corpse turned out to be a hoax. Sure, you didn't fall for it, but somehow a couple of blockheads and a frozen gorilla costume did manage to capture public attention and create a minor media stir. After all, Bigfoot, Yeti, and hordes of other cryptoid missing links have been igniting human imagination for ages. Even the most skeptical of us must wonder if it's possible there really could be large, undiscovered primates on earth, still unknown to us humans. Can we be so sure we've found them all? And if some enticing evidence presented itself, how would we test it scientifically? Eugenie Scott will help us answer the question of whether or not we might one day be able to welcome some long lost relatives to the family tree. This event is presented in collaboration with the Bay Area Skeptics.

A lighthearted if serious presentation for faculty, teachers, and students of ideas about teaching evolution that may help to avoid or at least head off misconceptions. Dr. Scott will reiterate her lack of belief in evolution, explain why fish did not evolve into amphibians then evolve into reptiles and then evolve into mammals, explain why evolution is like Monopoly, and conclude with "why Dobzhansky was right."

Although the 2005 Kitzmiller v. Dover trial was a test of the constitutionality of teaching intelligent design - which failed - the creationist movement has evolved new strategies calling for teaching the "strengths and weaknesses of evolution" or the "critical analysis of evolution" which are creationism in disguise.

Next year, 2009, marks the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth. To celebrate this milestone, the city of San Francisco is hosting Evolve '09, featuring a conversation between UC Berkeley evolutionary biologist Kevin Padian (who serves as the president of NCSE's board of directors) and Alan Jones, dean of Grace Cathedral. Kevin and Alan will discuss evolution and religious thought. The event is free of charge and all are welcome to attend. Co-sponsored by the Stenger Environmental Center.