August 9, 2013

Iran’s Position on Evolution? Not What You Might Expect.

If you had asked me before yesterday what the official Iranian position on evolution was, I would have shrugged my shoulders and said, “skewed?” As such you can imagine my surprise when I found out that Neil Shubin’s popular book, Your Inner Fish, has been translated into Persian: And here I must admit: I’m more [...]

By Kalliopi Monoyios

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American

If you had asked me before yesterday what the official Iranian position on evolution was, I would have shrugged my shoulders and said, "skewed?" As such you can imagine my surprise when I found out that Neil Shubin's popular book, Your Inner Fish, has been translated into Persian:

And here I must admit: I'm more than a little ignorant on the topic of science education in Iran. According to these recent papers on the subject (here and here), Iran's science textbooks are relatively untouched by religion, at least compared to its Muslim neighbors. It would seem that Iranians are getting a fairly accurate explanation of what evolution is and how it works. So perhaps it's not so surprising to see Your Inner Fish in Persian after all.

Further Reading:

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

Elise K. Barton, the author of the papers above, was kind enough to point me in the direction of several other researchers studying the state of science education in the Muslim world:

Irtiqa: a blog by Salman Hameed, a professor at Hampshire College, that "tracks and comments on news relevant to the interplay of science & religion - with a focus on scientific debates taking place in the Muslim world."

A forthcoming book by Jorg Matthias Determann, on networks of biology and evolution in Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf countries

Subscribe to Support Independent Journalism

Great science journalism requires human expertise, time, effort and creativity. And it costs money. That’s why I and the journalists here at Scientific American hope you’ll join our community.

When you subscribe, you are supporting staff and freelance journalists who are passionate about telling science stories that are true, important and compelling. Our editors and reporters are often experts in their fields, which means they understand the nuances of big discoveries and can untangle the breakthroughs from the hype. With a subscription, you are also supporting rigorous fact-checking to ensure the words we publish are precise and accurate. And you’re supporting original illustrations, graphics and photos that bring you closer to an advanced laboratory, an ice sheet in Antarctica or a space mission in orbit. You’re helping us craft other types of high-quality journalism as well: Our newsletters are carefully written, edited and curated by staffers you have or will come to know and love. Our Science Quickly podcast is based on original reporting, collaboration with editors and scientists and exacting production.

Subscriptions keep this engine running so we can continue to deliver thoughtful, rigorous and independent science journalism to you. In an era of viral misinformation, this work is crucial. If you value what we do, I hope you’ll consider joining us as a subscriber

Thank you,

Jeanna Bryner, Editor in Chief, Scientific American