Creating Coronavirus

Are mutated viruses a challenge for those who deny science?

Over a third of Americans believe that God created humans in their present form less than 10,000 years ago. Most of these follow young-earth creationism, a widespread science denial movement which teaches that biological evolution is a hoax and that the earth, solar system, and universe are only a few thousand years in age. The nexus of young-earth creationism in the United States is an organization called Answers In Genesis, the subject of the 2019 critical documentary We Believe In Dinosaurs. As a former creationist who once wrote for Answers In Genesis before earning a degree in physics, I appeared in the documentary to help shed light on the impact this type of pseudoscience can have.

These beliefs are not limited to the fringes of society. Vice President Mike Pence, who currently heads the Coronavirus Response Team, has expressed doubts regarding evolution and indicated sympathy for the young-earth movement. The same is true of Texas Senator Ted Cruz. Former Rep. Paul Broun, who was a member of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, claimed in 2012 that the earth is only a few thousand years old, and HUD Secretary Ben Carson has expressed his belief that the theory of…