<p>Scientists in general tend to be less than forgiving of belief systems that are factually incorrect. It’s one thing to be a molecular/cell biologist and believe in God, but quite another to be a molecular/cell biologist and believe that the world was created in six literal days around six thousand years ago. </p>
<p>There is no legitimate scientific debate about whether evolution happened, and I think it’s perfectly reasonable for molecular biology PhD programs to expect their students to understand this. I think it’s something like a Holocaust denier graduating from a top history program having written a thesis on the history of Judaism in the 20th century. It’s not just wrong, it’s wrong in a way that’s relevant to the mission of that particular PhD program.</p>
<p>…at any rate, Catherine Dulac is not actually this guy’s department head. He was in my program, BBS, and Professor Dulac heads the MCB program in Cambridge. So the guest author was writing an email to complain to a scientist at the university who is an acquaintance of his – again, something I see as his right.</p>