Letters; May 2009; Scientific American Magazine; by Staff Editor; 2 Page(s)

"The Latest Face of Creationism," by Glenn Branch and Eugenie C. Scott, details the tactics of those agitating against the teaching of evolution in public schools. Scientists have, to some extent, contributed to creationists arguments by using the term theory when referring to evolution. It is not a theory but an established law. Robin A. Cox Scarborough, Ontario

Simply suppressing the teaching of intelligent design (ID) sends the wrong message to students. They ought to learn that science is about understanding the world and that it proceeds in stages. The questions they should ask are, Does ID make predictions? And can those predictions be tested? If the answers to both are negative, they themselves can conclude that ID is "only a nonscientific theory."