thanks for stopping in to see what i've collected for you guys this week. and, hey, do me a favor and tweet the link or post it on Facebook or to Google+. i'm sure like you, most people are too busy to keep up with this stuff throughout the week and they'd find value in Sunday School too! thanks!

let's take care of some announcements and then we'll get to the links!

i'm going to tell you about the show we have lined up for you tonight on the Think Atheist Radio Show. but first, head on over to Twitter and make sure you get entered to win a signed copy of John Loftus's new anthology, The End of Christianity. the contest is slated to end at noon Eastern US time so do not wait! the 3 winners will be announced during the show so if you've entered make sure to tune in either live or from the archive ASAP! remember, per the contest rules (at the link) you have 48 hours after the winners are announced to contact me with your address!

now, remember, if you missed last Sunday's fascinating chat with Dr. Daniel Everett, you can always check it out from the archive just as you can with any of our past shows!

But tonight we'll be playing our interview with Bible scholar Dr. Hector Avalos. Dr. Avalos has caused quite a stir with his book The End of Biblical Studies, wherein he argues that we must replace the current paradigm under which the Bible is studied as sacred scripture and institute instead a study of the Bible as just another ancient document. in addition to playing our interview with Dr. Avalos, to coincide with the contest for John Loftus's book, we have a short segment to play for you with Mr. Loftus.

make sure you stop in next week where i'll have some details of our next contest. I'll tell you the name of the book and when exactly the contest will be.

i wanted to say a quick thank you to all the people who contributed to our donation drive for the podcast. i can't tell you how much it means to me that you would let go of some of your hard earned money to help improve the show by affording us the ability to upgrade our equipment. you guys are incredible!

finally, as already mentioned, always remember that you can listen to any of our previously aired shows from the archive. do follow the show on the main page or on iTunes. follow me on Twitter (especially if you've entered the contest or are interested in future contests as i often release details there in between Sunday School editions) or G+ (if you need an invite just email me from your gmail to Nelson (at) iThinkAtheist (dot) com and i'll invite you) for the latest updates on contests, scheduling, and guests! (and, hey, if you enjoy the show please consider leaving a review on iTunes and telling others about the show on Facebook, Reddit, Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube, or where ever else you may hang out on the internet! take a look at the list of guests we've had join us. listen to the show. tell me that you don't think that others should be listening to us too!)

alright. links!....

so many young scientists working today were turned on to the beauty of science when they watched Carl Sagan's Cosmos in 1980, when it aired for the first time, or at one of its many subsequent airings. now an update/sequel to the classic is in the works. blasphemy? hang on a second before you judge.

the new program is going to involved Anne Drunyan, Sagan's widow and collaborator on the original, and- this is awesome- is going to be presented by Neil deGrasse Tyson!

Ethan Siegel posted about the smallest galaxy we've ever seen. unbelievable. only 1,000 stars and yet it's massive- 600,000 solar masses! what's going on?

and why does this phenomena occur? is it a problem for dark matter?

where did the universe come from? why is there something rather than nothing. this post by Sean Carroll should help.

Juno is on its way to Jupiter to orbit the planet and send us back what is sure to be tons of data. can't wait for the images! but how long will we have to wait?

there appears to be new evidence of water flowing on Mars. the video is striking (or see this gif composed of images from the video). sure looks like flowing water to me! Phil Plait of Bad Astronomy comments.

Susan Jacoby calls American Atheists's lawsuit against the 9/11 cross "frivolous" and wonders whether American Atheists president David Silverman "really believes this nonsense" or "is being deliberately obtuse".the misunderstanding- if there is one- may stem from the erroneous impression some seem to have that the cross will be a part of the memorial itself as opposed to a part of the museum.

five myths about memory (and why they matter in court)

or, if you rather (they're both good), four things most people get wrong about memory

the Dutch rethink Christianity for a doubtful world

it has long been questioned whether eukaryotes are the result of a merger between one archaebacteria and one eubacteria, producing a cell that was capable of complex structure. now we've "found an imprint of this original symbiosis remaining after 1.5 billion years.”

income inequality really does go hand in hand with religion

is our universe inside a bubble? the first observational tests of the multiverse

"To understand how we evolved, we have to understand where we evolved." so what did home look like for 7 million years?

how vampire bats turned their thermometer into a heat-seeking face

what's the difference between the public's perception of scientific progress and actual scientific progress?

if you only read one thing among all these links, this is it. defense lawyers for Jesus, by Matt McCormick, contributor to The End of Christianity.

remember the whole arsenic bacteria thing? sure you do. how could you have missed all that drama. well, Rosie Redfield, a prominent and vocal critic of the research authors's findings, is now doing her own experiments refuting the original research and blogging her way through it for all of us. Carl Zimmer comments.

faith based pregnancy counseling centers in the UK are lying and misleading women.

there's no need for an ultimate explanation for the universe. but if there was one, it wouldn't have to be god.

Jerry Coyne argues on our behalf in USAToday, you can be good without god.