Pandemic gifts
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Pandemic gifts

The gold standard of science information transfer is the peer-reviewed written word (as both front page articles in this issue mentioned). But the slow pace of publication and the impersonal interactions involved have made other forms of scientific communication popular. With anywhere from 300 to 35,000 participants, scientific meetings are one way for scientists to…

Dutch data on COVID’s learning loss
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Dutch data on COVID’s learning loss

Many people are wondering about the effects of pandemic-induced school closures. Here in Ontario’s third wave of the pandemic, schools are closed again (with some exceptions for special needs students). It’s possible the year will finish online. While the closures are necessary from a medical standpoint, what effect do they have on our children? Recently,…

Wise men lost?
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Wise men lost?

From June 29 to July 2 this year, the American Astronomical Society held a virtual conference on satellite constellations’ impact on optical astronomy. The scientists were concerned that satellite deployment, particularly bright satellites in low-Earth orbit, will prevent us from collecting meaningful optical data from the stars. I grew up in Montreal and never realized…

A Modern Prophet
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A Modern Prophet

In 2017, Alvin Plantinga, a Christian Reformed philosopher, received the Templeton Prize for his arguments that belief in God can be defended with legitimacy in today’s scientific world. We celebrated this event widely in our circles. This year the Templeton Prize was awarded to Dr. Francis Collins, the current head of the National Institutes of…