This is the fourth in a series of posts whose central scientific point is stated as a conclusion, not a question like the title above. We seem, in the biosphere, to be beyond Newton, beyond Laplace, beyond Einstein, beyond Schrodinger, beyond Reductionism, and beyond Entailing Law.

If so, we must rethink our view of the world and our place in it.

If you haven't seen or heard about it, when NBC Sports began its coverage of the U.S. Open on Sunday it opened with one of those video montages that are meant to stir emotions.

It sure did.

By twice editing out the words "under God" from the audio of children reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, the network sparked a firestorm of complaints on Twitter and caused enough of a protest that before the broadcast was over, the network's Dan Hicks was on the air apologizing.

About 40 cats and dogs that were displaced by severe storms in Alabama will soon be up for adoption in the Louisville area. The pets could not be reunited with their owners after tornadoes devastated Tuscaloosa and the surrounding area. The Humane Society collected the animals and is distributing them to various shelters. Locally, the Kentucky Humane Society and the New Albany/Floyd County Animal Shelter will be responsible for finding new homes for the animals.

The Louisville Metro council committee on Public Safety held a special meeting today that ended with the passage of a revised ordinance that allows the sale and use of fireworks within city limits. The ordinance was created to respond to a move by state lawmakers that made it legal to sell and ignite fireworks anywhere in Kentucky. The initial proposal in the council reinstated the ban, limiting the sale and use to only small grade novelties. However, amendments added by the county clerk’s office changed the ordinance to allow the sale of larger fireworks.

In a typical classroom, you can expect to find a couple of children with some sort of food allergy, according to a national survey of about 40,000 families.

Some 8 percent of kids, or about 1 in 13, are allergic to at least one food. That works out to 5.9 million kids in the U.S.

Among the kids with allergies, the most common foods causing problems are peanuts (25 percent), milk (21 percent) and shellfish (17 percent).

There's no question that Gov. Rick Perry of Texas can rally the Republican Party's activist base.

He did it again at the Republican Leadership Conference gathering in New Orleans over the weekend, delivering the rousing rhetorical smackdown of President Obama he's quite skilled at.

Speaking of Obama, Perry indulged in the kind of overstatement that's typical of hyperpartisan events on the political right or left that's never fails to excite party hardliners.

A preliminary blueprint for Lexington's five-year development outlook will be open to public comment this week. Jim Duncan of the Division of Planning is working with other city officials to put together the 2012 Comprehensive Plan. "It addresses all issues from housing and transportation to jobs and economic development, as well community facilities and parks. And so we look at a variety of issues and try to determine how the community can grow, accommodate new population, and be responsive to the existing needs of the current population."

Growing up with two parents working as police officers, Kentucky State Police forensic scientist Vanessa Beall knew she wanted to work in law enforcement. Beall is one of 60 forensic scientists at the Kentucky State Police Central Laboratory branch in Frankfort. Every police agency in the state relies on the forensic scientists in KSP’s six crime labs to process evidence gathered at crime scenes. The central lab is the only full-service lab in the state.

Cecilia resident Frank Taylor was sitting on the porch of a house he owns in Rineyville when he saw a sphere of rusted cast iron protruding from the ground. It looks just like three other Civil War cannonballs he owns. Taylor never noticed the piece of history while he lived in the house from 1986 until 2004 and later tenants never mentioned finding anything. He thinks erosion during the last eight months, during which the house has been vacant, uncovered the find. Heavy rains in April and May likely contributed to uncovering the sphere, he said.

The murder trial of Glenn Doneghy is expected to resume Monday with continued testimony from Lexington police officers who investigated the hit-and-run crash that killed officer Bryan Durman. On Thursday — the last day of testimony before court recessed for the weekend — Detective Billy Salyer was on the witness stand. Prosecutors showed the jury video taken of the crash scene, and Salyer narrated. Fayette Circuit Court Judge James Ishmael told jurors Salyer's testimony would continue Monday.