Rachel E. Gross at Slate references a Science Magazine article discussing how legislative bills attacking the teaching of evolution have, ummm, evolved:
But how did creationists think of such a perfect way to frame their anti-science agenda? You might think that such a bill came into this world fully formed, like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. But actually, it had a predecessor. An ancestor, you might even call it.
In what is almost a too-clever illustration of how evolution works, a scientist at Australian National University has created a chart to show us the evolution of anti-evolution bills. The study was published last week in Science, on the 10th anniversary of the historic Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District trial, which struck down the teaching of intelligent design, an attempt to mask creationism with pseudo-scientific language. Evolutionary biologist Nick Matzke revealed how these bills have evolved over time to avoid potential predators such as the pesky Constitution and public outcry.
However, the fact that it passed a state legislature (two, actually, the other being Tennessee) while explicitly denying that it violates the Constitution does not mean it’ll not fall victim to the Great White of the political landscape, SCOTUS.
It might, however, be better classed as a transitional evolutionary form.
