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Thursday, February 12, 2009
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Lincoln’s legacy lives on
Darwin fathered evolution
150-year-old theory still applied to science
By Francis Vasquez The Daily Cougar
By Brenda Maymí-Luna The Daily Cougar Born 200 years ago today in Shropshire, England, Charles Robert Darwin’s research continues to revolutionize the world of science. His The Origin of Species, published in 1859, transformed the landscape of science . “Before he published The Origin of Species, many people had been playing with the idea of evolution, but no one had collected the evidence in such a way to be persuasive,” Ricardo Azevedo, assistant professor of biology and biochemistry, said. Darwin’s theory created controversy because it proposed that the evolution of mankind was a natural process without divine intervention, but Azevedo said that controversy has subsided in modern times. “Most lay people don’t realize that’s actually not a big deal in academic circles. In scientific academic circles, there is really not much of a controversy anymore,” he said.
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Charles Darwin introduced his theory of natural selection in his 1859 book, The Origin of Species. Azevedo said some of the strongest evidence supporting evolution comes from the study of humans’ biological response to infectious diseases, such as the HIV virus. “There are humans that have particular genotypes that make them relatively resistant to HIV, and obviously, those genes are spreading in Africa,” he said. “So those genes are going to be passed to future generations that will make certain genetic variance in humans that will make them resistant to HIV.” Darwin developed his theory of evolution through documented observation of animals in the Galapagos Islands off the Southern American coast. The theory explains the origin, evolution see DARWIN, page 3
In recognition of former President Lincoln’s 200th birthday, UH looks back on Lincoln’s achievements, which paved the way for social revolutions for the last 150 years. “I think Lincoln is one of the greatest and most influential presidents. He needs to be remembered,” psychology Ph.D. candidate Katina Papathopalos said. “The nation has changed because of him.” Two hundred years after Lincoln’s birth, as Barack Obama was elected as the nation’s first black president, he made distinctions to emphasize his relation to Lincoln. Obama was inaugurated with his hand on Lincoln’s Bible and had his inauguration celebration at the Lincoln Memorial. As Lincoln appointed four of his former rivals to his cabinet instead of criticizing them, political science professor Robert Lineberry said, Obama also reached to opposing party members to work together with his administration. “Obama knows that he is a powerful symbol if he can associate himself as being somewhat like Lincoln by following his path — ‘The way Lincoln ended slavery, someone like me, an African American, can become president,’” Lineberry said. “(Obama) is very carefully and consciously cultivating all those symbols like the Bible, quoting Lincoln, because he realizes it gives him a mystique
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th U.S. president authored the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862. that he would not have otherwise.” Obama and Lincoln launched their political careers in Illinois and were propelled into national recognition when they ran for president. After Lincoln had finished practicing law, he worked for the Illinois House of Representatives and later for the U.S. House of Representatives. Obama served in the Illinois State Senate and later the U.S. Senate. As Obama began his historic presidency respectfully paying homage to the man who splintered the yoke of slavery, Lincoln’s revolutionary tenure leaves a high watermark for the fledgling administration. “Every historian has the highest regards for Lincoln. He was clearly the best president of the U.S.,” Lineberry said. see LINCOLN, page 3
Noted Texan pushes for smoking ban By Melanie Pang The Daily Cougar
Yvette Davila The Daily Cougar
Industrial engineering M.S. candidate Madharesh Choudhery (left) and business sophomore Elliott Jackson (center) take a smoking break outside of M.D. Anderson Library on Wednesday.
Seven-time Tour de France winning cyclist and Plano native Lance Armstrong may have gone to Austin to promote the latest step in his campaign against cancer, but his proposal of a statewide ban on public smoking reaches beyond the Capitol to the UH campus. “I can understand maybe a parking garage because it’s sort of enclosed, but smoking outside … I don’t think that should be banned because it’s outside, it’s open air, and there’s wind,” University Studies freshman Brian Philippus said. “I mean, where are people supposed to smoke? Inside their houses?” Armstrong, successful in his involvement with Proposition 15, which procured $3 billion for Texas cancer research, was encouraged to join forces with the Smoke-Free Texas initiative to ban smoking from public buildings, he told The Houston Chronicle on Jan. 16. “Smoke-Free Texas is a logical extension of what we’ve done with Proposition 15. Polls overwhelmingly show that the people of Texas want smoking
banned from public places,” Armstrong told the Chronicle. The January Survey of Texas Voters conducted by Baselice & Associates, Inc. polled 601 voters on smoke-free law, the importance of rights of smokers versus customers and the hazards of secondhand smoke. In the results, 55 percent of voters heavily favored the smokefree options, and 20 percent said they truly oppose them. According to a National Cancer Institute report, secondhand smoke kills 53,000 non-smoking Americans yearly. Outreach counselor Lorraine Schroeder of the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center is hoping to help reduce that number. Schroeder heads a free program for UH smokers called the Fresh Start Program. The program will be four, one-and-a-half hour sessions from March 24-31 and April 7-14. “The program addresses a smoker’s behavior, thoughts and feelings and teaches them how to cope with those,” Schroeder said. “The instructors offer the strategies, and the class offers support to each other.” Fresh Start only drew two see SMOKING, page 5