Since 1996, Alabama has mandated that an evolution disclaimer sticker be placed in every biology textbook in the state. Frustrated with this--as well as a similar set of stickers used by the Texas Board of Education and
Georgia's Cobb County School District--Swarthmore associate professor of evolutionary biology Colin Purrington decided to take matters into his own hands and create some stickers himself.
Printable on a home printer on standard-sized labels, many of these stickers mimic the language of the Cobb County disclaimer, which reads: "This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully, and critically considered."
Many of Purlington's labels were also designed to go on science textbooks, pointing out that things like gravity and heliocentricism are also scientific theories--while others are actually designed for pseudo-science books promoting creationism.
Apparently, Purlington has received some hate mail for his efforts on behalf of science education--but we imagine, with over 4 million visitors to this page, he's made some friends, as well.
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