# TalkOrigins Archive

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{{Short description|Educational website}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox website
| name                 = TalkOrigins Archive
| logo                 = 
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| screenshot           = TalkOrigins screenshot.png
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| url                  = {{URL|talkorigins.org}} 
| commercial           = No
| type                 = Educational (science and evolution) and [counter-apologetics](/source/counter-apologetics)
| registration         = 
| language             = English
| num_users            = 
| content_license      = <!-- or: | content_licence = -->
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| owner                = TalkOrigins Foundation (Texas, United States)
| creators             = Brett J. Vickers, Wesley R. Elsberry, Kenneth Fair
| editor               = <!-- or: | editors = -->
| launch_date          = {{start date and age|1994}}
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| oclc                 = <!-- OCLC number, useful where an ISSN has not been allocated (automatically linked to http://www.WorldCat.org) -->
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}}
The '''TalkOrigins Archive''' is a [website](/source/website) that presents scientific perspectives on the antievolution claims of [young-earth](/source/young-earth), [old-earth](/source/Old_Earth_creationism), and "[intelligent design](/source/intelligent_design)" creationists. With sections on [evolution](/source/evolution), [creationism](/source/creationism), [geology](/source/geology), [astronomy](/source/astronomy) and [hominid evolution](/source/Human_evolution), the web site provides broad coverage of [evolutionary biology](/source/evolutionary_biology) and the socio-political antievolution movement.

==Origins and history==
The TalkOrigins Archive began in 1994 when Brett J. Vickers collected several separately posted [FAQ](/source/FAQ)s from the [talk.origins](/source/talk.origins) newsgroup and made them available from a single anonymous [FTP](/source/File_Transfer_Protocol) site. In 1995, Vickers, then a computer science graduate student at the University of California at Irvine, created the TalkOrigins Archive web site. In 2001, Vickers transferred the TalkOrigins Archive to [Wesley R. Elsberry](/source/Wesley_R._Elsberry), who organized a group of volunteers to handle the maintenance of the Archive.

In 2004, Kenneth Fair incorporated the TalkOrigins Foundation as a Texas [501(c)(3)](/source/501(c)(3)) non-profit organization.<ref>{{cite web |title=The TalkOrigins Foundation |url=http://www.talkorigins.org/foundation/index.html | work=The TalkOrigins Archive |access-date=8 May 2007}}</ref> The Foundation's purposes include funding and maintaining the TalkOrigins Archive and holding copyrights to Archive articles, thereby simplifying the process of reprinting and updating those articles. The [copyright](/source/copyright) issue has posed a particular problem since the FAQs started off as a small collection with little thought given to copyright but have since mushroomed. In 2005, the Foundation was granted tax-exempt status by the [IRS](/source/IRS).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.guidestar.org/PartnerReport.aspx?Partner=networkforgood&ein=33-1092765|title=TALKORIGINS FOUNDATION INC|work=[GuideStar](/source/GuideStar)|access-date=30 March 2014}}</ref>

==Features==
The FAQs and FRAs (Frequently Rebutted Assertions) on the TalkOrigins Archive cover a wide range of topics associated with evolutionary biology and creationism. These include Mark Isaak's Index to Creationist Claims, a list of creationist positions on various issues, rebuttals, and links to primary source material. The TalkDesign site fulfills a similar role with the [Intelligent Design](/source/Intelligent_Design) movement. Also hosted is Jim Foley's Fossil Hominids sub-site which studies the evidence for [human evolution](/source/human_evolution) and has an extensive list of links to websites on both evolutionary biology and creationism. Lastly, the Quote Mine Project examines the use of [Quote mining](/source/Quote_mining){{spaced ndash}}taking quotes out of context{{spaced ndash}}by creationists. The feedback system collects reader comments and posts a compilation, along with responses, each month. The archive maintains a sister site which addresses Intelligent Design arguments.

==Awards and recognition==
Talkorigins.org has gained awards and recognition over the years:

* In 1999, ''[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)'' called TalkOrigins a "good antidote" to the plethora of creationist websites that had sprung up.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/06/technology/screen-grab-exploring-neanderthal-lore-on-line.html | title=SCREEN GRAB; Exploring Neanderthal Lore on Line | work=[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times) | date=6 May 1999 | access-date=26 February 2014 | last=Pollak | first=Michael}}</ref>
* The webpages of the [National Academy of Sciences](/source/National_Academy_of_Sciences), [Smithsonian Institution](/source/Smithsonian_Institution),<ref>{{cite journal |title=Teacher Resources: Human Evolution Websites |journal=AnthroNotes |volume=21 |issue=2 |url=http://www.nmnh.si.edu/anthro/outreach/anthnote/Spring00/anthnote.html#TEACHER |author=Smithsonian Institution |access-date=8 May 2007 |author-link=Smithsonian Institution |archive-date=6 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070906142913/http://www.nmnh.si.edu/anthro/outreach/anthnote/Spring00/anthnote.html#TEACHER |url-status=dead }}</ref> [Leakey Foundation](/source/Leakey_Foundation),<ref>{{cite web |title=The Leakey Foundation - Recommended Links |url=http://www.leakeyfoundation.org/resources/r3.jsp |access-date=8 May 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070401215040/http://www.leakeyfoundation.org/resources/r3.jsp <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 1 April 2007}}</ref> the [National Center for Science Education](/source/National_Center_for_Science_Education)<ref>{{cite web |title=Critiques of Creationism: Links |url=http://www.ncseweb.org/link.asp?category=7 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071021130247/http://ncseweb.org/link.asp?category=7 |archive-date=21 October 2007 |author=National Center for Science Education |access-date=9 September 2009 |quote=The main site for arguments refuting the "science" of creation science.|author-link = National Center for Science Education}}</ref> and other organizations recommend Talkorigins.org.
* In August 2002, ''[Scientific American](/source/Scientific_American)'' recognized Talkorigins.org for its "detailed discussions (some of which may be too sophisticated for casual readers) and bibliographies relating to virtually any objection to evolution that creationists might raise."<ref>{{cite web |title=Other Resources for Defending Evolution |first=John |last=Rennie |url=http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=000276B7-6792-1D0A-8E49809EC588EEDF |date=17 June 2002 |publisher=[Scientific American](/source/Scientific_American) |access-date=8 May 2007}}</ref>
* In October 2006, ''[The Dallas Morning News](/source/The_Dallas_Morning_News)'' awarded it Web Site of the Week.<ref name=dallas>{{cite news|url=http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/religion/arts/stories/DN-web_07rel.ART.State.Edition1.4db5ac8.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061211193709/http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/religion/arts/stories/DN-web_07rel.ART.State.Edition1.4db5ac8.html|title=WEB SITE OF THE WEEK|last=Damm|first=Tyra|work=[Dallas Morning News](/source/Dallas_Morning_News)|date=7 October 2006|archive-date=11 December 2006|access-date=30 March 2014}}</ref>

The Archive is also referenced in college-level textbooks<ref>{{cite web |title=Science Textbooks that Use the Archive |url=http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/awards/#textbooks |work=The Talk.Origins Archive |access-date=8 May 2007}}</ref>{{npsn|date=March 2014}}  and has had material from the archive incorporated into over 20 college or university courses.<ref>{{cite web |title=University and College Courses that Use the Archive |url=http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/awards/#courses |work=The Talk.Origins Archive |access-date=8 May 2007}}</ref>{{npsn|date=March 2014}}

==See also==
*[The Panda's Thumb](/source/The_Panda's_Thumb_(blog))

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Talkorigins Archive}}
Category:Internet properties established in 1994
Category:Biology websites
Category:Evolutionary biology literature
Category:Online archives of the United States
Category:Criticism of creationism

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [TalkOrigins Archive](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TalkOrigins_Archive) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TalkOrigins_Archive?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.