TalkOrigins Archive

The TalkOrigins Archive began in 1994 when Brett J. Vickers collected several separately posted FAQs from the talk.origins newsgroup and made them available from a single anonymous FTP 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, 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) non-profit organization.{{cite web |title=The TalkOrigins Foundation |url=http://www.talkorigins.org/foundation/index.html | work=The TalkOrigins Archive |access-date=8 May 2007}} 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 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.guidestar.org/PartnerReport.aspx?Partner=networkforgood&ein=33-1092765|title=TALKORIGINS FOUNDATION INC|work=GuideStar|access-date=30 March 2014}}

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 movement. Also hosted is Jim Foley's Fossil Hominids sub-site which studies the evidence for 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{{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.

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

• In 1999, The New York Times called TalkOrigins a "good antidote" to the plethora of creationist websites that had sprung up.{{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 | date=6 May 1999 | access-date=26 February 2014 | last=Pollak | first=Michael}}
• The webpages of the National Academy of Sciences, Smithsonian Institution,{{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 }} Leakey Foundation,{{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 |archive-date = 1 April 2007}} the National Center for Science Education{{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}} and other organizations recommend Talkorigins.org.
• In August 2002, 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."{{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 |access-date=8 May 2007}}
• In October 2006, The Dallas Morning News awarded it Web Site of the Week.{{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|date=7 October 2006|archive-date=11 December 2006|access-date=30 March 2014}}

The Archive is also referenced in college-level textbooks{{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}}{{npsn|date=March 2014}} and has had material from the archive incorporated into over 20 college or university courses.{{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}}{{npsn|date=March 2014}}

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Category:Internet properties established in 1994

Category:Biology websites

Category:Evolutionary biology literature

Category:Online archives of the United States

Category:Criticism of creationism