In the United States, the determination to keep the creationist flame alive in science classes burns fiercely. Just three months ago, its champions won the right to force Texas schoolbooks to state that evolutionary theory, a stable pillar of modern biology, is still a matter of scientific dispute.

The move was instigated by Don McLeroy, the creationist chairman of the Texas State Board of Education. In March, he argued to the board that textbook authors should be compelled to detail the “strengths and weaknesses” of evolution, allowing creationist discussions in the classroom. His case was crafted with the help of the Discovery Institute, a Seattle-based organisation that has been instrumental in promoting the neocreationist concept of “intelligent design”.

The board narrowly rejected McLeroy’s idea but adopted a compromise, calling for students to “analyse and evaluate scientific explanations concerning any data on sudden appearance and stasis” in the fossil record. Both phenomena are viewed by creationists, although not by scientists, as evidence against evolution.

Before the hearing, McLeroy recommended that board members read Sowing Atheism, a book that was written by Robert Bowie Johnson, to rebut the National Academy of Science’s (NAS) anti-creationist stance. Johnson once stated: “Our nation cannot progress morally, spiritually, or politically so long as we permit the NAS to teach our children that they are descended by chance from worms.”

A week ago, McLeroy was ousted from his post.