Someone passed on to me a clipping from a newspaper (yes, a real one made out of actual paper and ink) that mentions the planned opening of a hall in the National Museum of Natural History dedicated to human evolution.:

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History plans to open a hall next year dedicated to the story of human evolution over 6 million years, officials announced Wednesday [October 14]. The $21 million Hall of Human Origins will follow milestones in history – when humans started walking upright and started speaking, for example – as well as the impact of climate change and extinction of ancient species. It’s scheduled to open on March 17, 2010, marking the museum’s 100th anniversary on the National Mall.

Of course this sounds like an interesting and worthwhile project – one that I hope I might one day be able to see. If $21 million dollars sounds like an extraordinary amount of money for an evolution museum then you should recall that Ken Ham’s Creation Museum in Kentucky cost $27 million to build back in 2007. To be fair, the museum is actually getting $30 million in private funding with the remaining $7 million financing a research chair and educational outreach programs.

Nevertheless, what does it say about the state of science in the United States when creationist organizations can raise nearly as much money for Creation museums as Evolution museums? Clearly, part of creationism’s continual survival despite so many legal setbacks in recent years has been their strong financial base. As long as such organizations remain at least as well-funded as pro-evolution organizations creationism will continue to thrive in certain corners of our society.