Paul Zachary Myers
Paul Zachary "PZ" Myers (born March 9, 1957 in Kent , Washington ) is an American biologist. He teaches as a professor at the University of Minnesota at Morris .
Myers works in the field of evolutionary developmental biology with a special focus on research into zebrafish . He is a well-known critic of the concept of the pseudoscience Intelligent Design (ID) and creationism developed by Christian fundamentalists and takes an active part in the debate that is taking place in schools in the USA over the creation stories of the Bible. He describes himself as a "godless liberal" and as an atheist he is a strong skeptic about all forms of religion, superstition, spirituality and pseudoscience .
Life
Myers was born on March 9, 1957, the oldest of six children. He reports that he had been fascinated by science since childhood and that he developed a special interest in zoology and marine biology while fishing with his father .
Myers was brought up as a Christian, but he changed his mind even before his confirmation : "I began to think and realized that I didn't believe a word of it". According to his own statements, he has no bad memories of his upbringing.
In 1975, Myers enrolled at DePauw University in Indiana (USA) and received a full scholarship. However, he broke off his studies because his father had a heart attack. He then enrolled at the University of Washington and received a Bachelor of Science degree in oceanography in 1979 . Then he took an interest in evolutionary developmental biology and received a PhD in biology from the University of Oregon .
After completing his doctorate, he worked at the University of Oregon, the University of Utah and Temple University and is currently a professor at the University of Minnesota in Morris, Minnesota.
Myers has been married for over 30 years.
Commitment against creationism and intelligent design
Myers was active on the Internet early on, got involved in user groups , websites and Usenet groups such as talk.origins and developed a special interest in the debate about the growing creationist movement in the USA. He was a founding member of The Panda's Thumb and launched his website at Pharyngula.org in June 2002 , named after a technical term from biology (an embryonic stage of development), with his own blog.
His blog was a great success, he received the Koufax Award for the best blog of an expert in 2005 and the journal Nature named "Pharyngula" the most popular science blog, measured by the number of readers recorded by Technorati .
On his blog, Myers frequently criticizes the Discovery Institute , Answers in Genesis, and other creationist websites, and the intelligent design movement; he explained many times why their claims were pseudoscientific .
controversy
In July 2008, Myers sparked controversy when he pierced a host with a rusty nail, tossed it in the trash along with coffee grounds, banana peels, and pages from the Quran and Dawkins The Delusion of God , and documented this on his blog.
Awards (selection)
- 2005 Koufax Award for the best scientist's blog
- In 2009 he was named "Humanist of the Year" by the American Humanist Association .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b The Mad Scientist ( Memento of the original from September 30, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Interview on City Pages
- ↑ - ( Memento of the original from May 27, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ PZ Myers: Why I Am an Amoral, Family-Hating Monster ... and Newt Giongrich Isn't . ( Memento of the original from December 13, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: the Humanist - A Magazine of Critical Inquiry and Social Concern , May-June 2011. Retrieved December 25, 2011.
- ↑ talk.origins homepage ( memento of the original from June 15, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ The Talk, Origins Archive
- ↑ Panda's Thumb
- ↑ Top five science blogs . July 6, 2007
Web links
- Pharyngula (blog)
- The original Pharyngula website (Archive)
- Myers' website at the University of Minnesota, Morris
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Myers, Paul Zachary |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Myers, PZ |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American biologist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 9, 1957 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Kent (Washington) |