James Tour

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James M. Tour is a synthetic organic chemist, specializing in nanotechnology. He is well-known for his work in molecular electronics and molecular switching molecules. He has also been involved in other work, such as the creation of a nanocar and NanoKids, an interactive learning DVD to teach children fundamentals of chemistry and physics. Dr. Tour was also a founder of the Molecular Electronics Corporation. He holds joint appointments in the departments of chemistry, computer science, and mechanical engineering and materials science at Rice University. Dr. Tour received degrees from Syracuse University (BS, 1981), Purdue University (PhD, 1986) and completed postdoctoral work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1986-1987) and Stanford University (1987-1988).[1]

In the Scientific American article "Better Killing Through Chemistry"[2], which appeared a few months after the September 11 attacks, Tour is credited for highlighting the issue of the ease of obtaining chemical weapon precursors in the United States.

Tour is one of the signatories of the Discovery Institute's "A Scientific Dissent From Darwinism", a controversial petition which the intelligent design movement uses to promote intelligent design by attempting to cast doubt on evolution.[3][4]

A February 2006 New York Times article described Tour as saying that the explanations offered by evolution are incomplete, and he found it hard to believe that nature can produce the machinery of cells through random processes. Despite this, he said he remained open-minded about evolution. He was quoted as saying "I respect that work" and being open to the possibility that future research will complete the explanations.[3] On his website, he writes that he is not a supporter of intelligent design, describing himself as "sympathetic to the arguments," but also stating that "the scientific proof is not there."[1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ James Tour's Bio at James M Tour Group website
  2. ^ Musser, George (Nov 2001). "Better Killing through Chemistry: Buying chemical weapons material through the mail is quick and easy". Scientific American. 
  3. ^ a b Kenneth Chang (2006-02-21). Few Biologists but Many Evangelicals Sign Anti-Evolution Petition. New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-05-05.
  4. ^ Signatories of 'A Scientific Dissent From Darwinism' (PDF). The Discovery Institute (April 2008). Retrieved on 2008-05-05.

[edit] External links