In 1831 the British Admiralty recruited a naturalist to accompany Captain Robert FitzRoy of the Royal Navy on a voyage in the HMS Beagle to survey the coasts of Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego, Chile, and Peru, to visit some Pacific islands, and to establish a chain of chronometry stations around the world.

The 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth is being celebrated all over the world. In 1909, Darwin's 100th birthday celebration was sponsored by the New York Academy of Sciences. The first "Darwin Day" was celebrated just over ten years ago in 1997 and has gained momentum and recognition in the past ten years with the help of the Humanist Society.

New Year's Day is one of the best days of the year. Not only do we take a much-needed rest before jumping into the next 364 days, but we have the opportunity to reflect on the previous twelve months and perhaps make some decisions (a.k.a. "resolutions") that will improve our lives in the coming months and years. This is true as individuals and as an organization like ICR.

The research wing of ICR has an impressive slate of research projects underway. As announced in October, ICR has launched a new foundation, the National Creation Science Foundation (NCSF), which will consider research proposals and fund those deemed beneficial. Already several projects have been accepted and funded.

A new life is started the moment a human sperm cell unites with a human egg. Sounds simple, doesn't it? A person can decide for himself, but he will need to follow along very closely to catch all of the details and carefully piece them together, just as he would follow a skillful mystery.