#1381: Mark C. Biedebach

Perhaps he is a small fish in the grand scheme of things, but Mark C. Biedebach is still worth mentioning. Biedebach is Professor Emeritus of Physiology at the California State University, Long Beach, which superficially might make him sound like a scientist. His actual research record is pretty slim, however (old papers in Acupuncture & electro-therapeutics research just don’t impress us, though they did apparently impress the people at the “Lost teachings of Atlantis” website). Instead, Biedebach has apparently used his credentials to lend a sheen of legitimacy to a range of denialist views, anti-science, religious fundamentalist causes, and conspiracy theories.

For instance, Biedebach is a signatory to the Discovery Institute’s pitiful petition A Scientific Dissent to Darwinism. And at present Biedebach appears to be affiliated with Caroline Crocker’s denialist organization the American Institute for Technology and Science Education, a cargo cult think tank devoted to religious fundamentalism, creationism and global warming denialism. Biedebach’s own contributions to creationism consist of trite, old, often-refuted ID talking points, and they – as well as his endorsement of Stephen Meyer’s latest book – are evaluated here.

At present, Biedebach appears to be writing a book titled Evolution is a Weasel Word.

Diagnosis: No, Biedebach. The weasel words here are “Professor Emeritus of Physiology”. Biedebach is an apologetic for fundamentalist religion, and his understanding of science is, despite his apparent credentials, sorely deficient.