Science and Faith Reflection Group
Meeting times and topics
Sessions will continue on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month through the year.
The next session will take place on in January 2025 - Date will be announced soon.
Past Sessions
Dec 10, 2024:
Nov 26, 2024
Sept 24, 2024
Tuesday, Sep 10, 2024
Tuesday, April 23rd
This will be our last meeting for the current academic year
During this session, our group will take a look at the possibilities and consequences of quick fixes to climate change manipulating nature, i.e., “Geoengineering” – is it the last choice for prevention of catastrophic climate change of the planet?
Geoengineering Explained? Harvard Solar Engineering Research Program
Geoengineering | Harvard’s Solar Geoengineering Research Program
We are Ignoring Potentially Valuable Climate-Change Technologies, The Globe and Mail, April 13, 2024
Reflecting Sunlight to Cool the Earth Must Be Studied Before Climate Change Gets Worse…. CNBC, February 27, 2023
Sunlight reflection (solar geoengineering) must be studied: scientists (cnbc.com)
Hacking the Planet May Be Closer Than You Think, Axios, December 10, 2022
Geoengineering nears decision point as global warming worsens (axios.com)
Scientists Want Near Moratorium on Geoengineering To Cool Climate for Now, Axios, February 28, 2023
UN calls for urgent geoengineering research, warns against deployment (axios.com)
How a Quick -Fix Climate Solution Could Also Trigger a War, The Washington Post, May 3, 2023
Geosolar engineering, vizualized and explained – The Washington Post
During our session we will also consider Sunday’s Gospel reading, John 10.11-18.
Tuesday, April 9:
Planetary Boundaries Broken?
Science Advances, Sept. 13, 2023
Humans Have Crossed 6 of 9 ‘Planetary Boundaries’ | Scientific American
What is the Anthropocene and Why Does it Matter?
What is the Anthropocene and why does it matter? | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
Anthropocene Unit of Geological Time is Rejected. BBC, March 21, 2024C
https://bbc.com/news/science-environment-68632086
Anthropocene or Not, it is Our Current Epoch That We Should Be Fighting For
The Conversation Canada, March 26, 2024
https://apple.news/AtCxVE-CGSJSzzDr1OTiUEw
Population Growth and Impact on Our Epoch
Scientific American, Sept. 1, 2023, Centre for Biological Diversity, 2006
Human Population Growth and Extinction (biologicaldiversity.org)
During our session we will also consider Sunday’s Gospel reading, John 20.19-31.
Past Sessions
March 12, 2024 session
During this session, our group will consider aspects of the public discourse considering environmental changes in the Amazon rainforest. We will also look at a section of the apostolic exhortation, QUERIDA AMAZONIA, by Pope Francis. The following articles and the apostolic exhortation, QUERIDA AMAZONIA, will be used to help focus our conversation.
Who Can Save the Amazon?, The New Yorker, April 3, 2023
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/photo-booth/who-can-save-the-amazon
Trouble in the Amazon (Document provided as an attachment), Nature, August. 24, 2023
Amazon rainforest at a critical threshold: Loss of forest worsens climate change, Phys.ORG, February 14, 2024
https://phys.org/news/2024-02-amazon-rainforest-critical-threshold-loss.html
Querida Amazonia – Chapter 3 (p.11-17) (Document provided as an attachment, February 2, 2020
During our session we will also consider Sunday’s Gospel reading, John 9: 1-41.
Tuesday, Jan 9, 2024. 7:00pm in the Chapel.
During this session, our group will consider the recent development of new diabetes and weight loss drugs. The following articles and one video, will be used to help focus our conversation.
Please let me know if you have trouble accessing any of the material.
The Year of Ozempic, The New Yorker, Dec. 14, 2023
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/2023-in-review/the-year-of-ozempic
Obesity Meets its Match, Science Magazine, Dec. 14, 2023
https://www.science.org/doi/epdf/10.1126/science.adn4691
and related video:
Some Psychiatrists Have Started Prescribing Ozempic, The New York Times, Nov. 3, 2023
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/03/well/mind/ozempic-weight-loss-antidepressants-antipsychotics.html
Novo Nordisk developed Ozempic and started a weight-loss revolution. Its next moonshot is eliminating obesity altogether, Fortune, August/September 2023
https://fortune.com/longform/novo-nordisk-ozempic-weight-loss-obesity/
During our session we will also consider Sunday’s Gospel reading, Matt 2:1-12
Tuesday Dec 12, 2023, 7:00pm in the Chapel
During this session, our group will consider the subject of Knowledge Mobilization: how do we communicate critical scientific research to those that need to hear it most? Our session will be guided by Bruce Marchfelder.
The following videos will be used to help focus our discussion.
The complete FUN TO IMAGINE with Richard Feynman
https://vimeo.com/892829052/49bbbd6cb3
Brian Cox, Neil deGrasse Tyson – Communicating Science in the 21st century
https://vimeo.com/lwpcreative/tysoncox
The best stats you’ve ever seen | Hans Rosling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVimVzgtD6w
Please let me know if you have trouble accessing any of the material.
Description: In the rapidly evolving landscape of scientific research, the challenge of effectively conveying critical findings to the right audience is paramount. This discussion explores the concept of knowledge mobilization, offering insights into strategies, tools, and ethical considerations (including faith) for communicating complex scientific research to diverse stakeholders. Join us for an enlightening discussion on bridging the gap between academia and real-world impact.
Following our usual format, our session we will also consider Sunday’s Gospel reading, Mark 1: 1-8.
Tuesday Oct 10, 2023, 7:00pm in the Chapel
During this session, our group will discuss the subject of ‘seabed mining.’ The following articles will be used to help focus our conversation. Please let me know if you encounter difficulties accessing any of the articles.
The Mining Industry’s Next Frontier Is Deep, Deep Under the Sea , Wired Magazine, Feb. 28, 2023
https://www.wired.com/story/deep-sea-mining-electric-vehicle-battery/
Canada isn’t sold on mining the world’s oceans. A Canadian company is diving in anyways, The Narwhal Magazine, July 12, 2023
https://thenarwhal.ca/deep-sea-mining-canada-moratorium-2/
Race to the Bottom: Deep Sea Mining Is the Next Frontier, Foreign Policy, JUNE 26, 2022
https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/06/26/deep-sea-mining-climate-change-energy-environment/
Why Deep-Sea Mining Is the Next Battleground in the Energy Transition, The New York Times, July 15, 2023
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/15/business/dealbook/deep-sea-mining-energy-transition.html
During our session we will also consider Sunday’s Gospel reading, Matt 21:33-43.
September 12, 2023, 7:00pm in the Chapel
During this session, our group will discuss the subject of ‘organoids and synthetic embryos.’ The following articles will be used to help focus our conversation.
Human Brain Organoids Transplanted Into Rats Respond to Visual Stimuli, The Scientist, Feb. 3, 2023
Scientists Create ‘Synthetic Embryos’ From Monkey Cells, The Smithsonian Magazine, June 1, 2023
Scientists Debut Lab Models of Human Embryos, New York Times, June 24, 2023
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/24/science/human-embryos-lab-models-fertility.html
‘Embryo Models’ Challenge Legal, Ethical and Biological Concepts,
Quanta Magazine, June 13, 2023
https://www.quantamagazine.org/embryo-models-challenge-legal-ethical-and-biological-concepts-20230613/
Scientists have created synthetic human embryos. Now we must consider the ethical and moral quandaries, The Conversation, June 16, 2023
https://theconversation.com/scientists-have-created-synthetic-human-embryos-now-we-must-consider-the-ethical-and-moral-quandaries-207911
During our session we will also consider Sunday’s Gospel reading, Matt 18:15-20.
April 25, 2023 in the Chapel
(a description of Quantum Entanglement – Mark Van Raamsdonk, a video from the World Science Festival):
Past Topics
April 11, 2023 in the Chapel.
David Wilkinson will lead the discussion for this session.
During this session, our group will discuss a collection of articles dealing with Hydrogen and the Energy Transition to Net Zero 2050. The following articles will be used to help provide some background and focus for our conversation. Included are a few power point slides to provide context for the Energy Transition and some of the related challenges. If you have any problems accessing the material, please let me know and I will assist as required.
Some Useful Slides on the Energy Transition, Wilkinson, April 4, 2023
The Colours of Hydrogen, EWE, Atiengellschaft, Oldenberg
The Enticing Energy Fix That Could Make Us Carbon Free, Daily Beast, December 13, 2021
Why Hydrogen Will Likely Be The Gateway to Net Zero, Forbes, December 8, 2021
The African Nation Aiming to be a Hydrogen Superpower, BBC, December 28, 2021
Where Mining and Energy Projects Will Hurt Wildlife the Most, Time, March 23, 2023
An Explosive Report on One of the Largest Carbon Capture and Storage Facilities in Alberta is Challenging the Wisdom of Canada’s Hydrogen Strategy, National Observer, January 26, 2022
During our session we will also consider Sunday’s Gospel reading (John 20:1-18).
March 28, 2023: 7:00pm in the chapel.
During this session, our group will discuss a collection of articles dealing with rare genetics conditions. The following articles will be used to help focus our conversation.
Nobody Has My Condition But Me – The New Yorker, Jan. 23, 2023
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/01/30/nobody-has-my-condition-but-me
It Will Consume Your Life’: 4 Families Take On Rare Diseases – The New York Times, July 7, 2020
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/07/health/rare-diseases.html
How a Rare Brain Mutation Spread Across America – The Atlantic, Jan. 24, 2022
Girl with deadly inherited condition is cured with gene therapy on NHS – The Guardian, Feb. 15, 2023
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/feb/15/girl-with-deadly-inherited-condition-mld-cured-gene-therapy-libmeldy-nhs
$3.5-Million Hemophilia Gene Therapy Is World’s Most Expensive Drug – Scientific American, Dec. 9, 2022
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/3-5-million-hemophilia-gene-therapy-is-worlds-most-expensive-drug/
During our session we will also consider Sunday’s Gospel reading John 11: 1-45.
Feb 28, 2023: 7:00pm in the chapel.
During this session, our group will discuss a collection of articles dealing with rare genetics conditions. The following articles will be used to help focus our conversation.
Nobody Has My Condition But Me – The New Yorker, Jan. 23, 2023
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/01/30/nobody-has-my-condition-but-me
It Will Consume Your Life’: 4 Families Take On Rare Diseases – The New York Times, July 7, 2020
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/07/health/rare-diseases.html
How a Rare Brain Mutation Spread Across America – The Atlantic, Jan. 24, 2022
Girl with deadly inherited condition is cured with gene therapy on NHS –
The Guardian, Feb. 15, 2023
$3.5-Million Hemophilia Gene Therapy Is World’s Most Expensive Drug – Scientific American, Dec. 9, 2022
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/3-5-million-hemophilia-gene-therapy-is-worlds-most-expensive-drug/
During our session we will also consider Sunday’s Gospel reading Matt 4:1-11.
Jan 10, 2023: 7:00pm in the chapel.
During this session, our group will discuss the 2022 Nobel Prize for Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, awarded to Svante Pääbo “for his discoveries concerning the genomes of extinct hominins and human evolution.” The following articles (and video) will be used to help focus our conversation.
Nobel Prize, Press Release – for discoveries concerning the genomes of extinct hominins and human evolution
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2022/press-release/
Svante Pääbo Nobel Prize lecture The Neandertal Genome and the Evolution of Modern Humans on 7 December 2022
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2022/paabo/lecture/
Humans are 8% virus – how the ancient viral DNA in your genome plays a role in human disease and development
The Conversation, Oct18, 2022
Humans Are Still Evolving Thanks to Microgenes
The Conversation, Jan 4, 2023
Ancient-DNA Researchers Set Ethics Guidelines for Their Work New York Times, Oct. 20, 2021:
During our session we will also consider Sunday’s Gospel reading Matt 2:1-12.
Past Events
On Tuesday, Nov. 22 at 7:00pm we will gather in St. Marks Chapel for the lecture - Let the Little Children Come to Me: Our Ecological Future & Biblical Past
Coming so close on the heels of COP 27 (Nov 6 – Nov 18, 2022), I hope the evening will provide a special opportunity to reflect on how best to respond to the environmental challenges of our age.
The event is free and available in two formats :
i) in person at St. Marks Parish
ii) online in webinar format
To register, please check the following link:
Articles
Conception to birth
Watch this excellent visualization of life starting from conception by Alexander Tsiaras: “Conception to birth”
Knowledge, belief and faith
Read this article by Adam D. Hincks, S.J., an astrophysicist at the University of British Columbia
Science and Faith
– Br. Guy Consolmagno (Vatican astronomer) provides a great explanation of how science and faith can co-exist. View the video here…
Stephen Hawking: Great Scientist, Lousy Theologian?
– Article by Bishop Barron. Can science adequately answer questions of faith, or vice versa?
“Catholicism is a science friendly religion”. Neil deGrasse Tyson, an American astrophysicist, author, and science communicator, speaks about the role of the Catholic church in important scientific discoveries throughout history. Read more here:
Laudato Si After Paris, COP 21: Our Mission for a Healthy Planet – a Free Public Lecture hosted by St. Mark’s College. This event, held on Friday, Jan 22, 2016, was very successful with over 200 in attendance. Listen to this informative lecture by keynote speakers, Reverend Dr. Robert Allore, SJ, and the Honourable Joyce Murray, Member of Parliament, Vancouver Quadra.
Fr. Robert Barron comments about his meeting with Fr. George Coyne, Director of the Vatican Observatory. He speaks of the universe as having a “fertility”, with many common patterns on a macro level (the cosmos) that mimic behaviour biological processes that we can observe our planet. Watch his commentary here…