Iran Becoming a Leader in Stem Cell Science
In 2002, Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei created a "stem cell fatwa" declaring experimentation with human embryonic stem cells consistent with Shiite Islam and encouraging scientists to advance the technology to save lives. (Neil Katz and Jonathan Schienberg, FRONTLINE/World)


New Search Engine for Hebrew-Speaking Orthodox Jews
Yossi Altman said Koogle, a play on the names of a Jewish noodle pudding and the ubiquitous Google, appears to meet the standards of Orthodox rabbis, who restrict use of the Web to ensure followers avoid viewing sexually explicit material. (Allyn Fisher-Ilan and Jon Boyle, Reuters)

The "War" Between Science and Religion
James Hannam: A strange thing about the conflict myth is that much of the evidence for it is bogus. Not only are most people ignorant of the real history, but what they think they know about it is actually untrue. (guardian.co.uk)

AUDIO SLIDESHOW
Darwin's Endless Forms at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Take a guided tour with the curators Diana Donald and Jane Munro (BBC News)

TELEVISION
Good and Evil in HBO's "True Blood"
The drama series repeatedly toys with notions of so-called civilized society, forcing us to question what makes a person (or vampire) morally upright or fundamentally depraved. (Heather Havrilesky, Salon)