In Leonard Krishtalka’s eyes, more is at stake in the evolution debate than what will be taught in Kansas science classes.

It could lead to millions of dollars of losses in the state’s fledgling bioscience industry as word gets around that Kansans can’t agree on basic scientific principles.

“It is ironic that at the same time the Legislature is pumping $500 million into the Kansas bioscience initiative to build a bioscience and biotech industry in Kansas, the (state) board of education is trying to remove and water down the basic fundamental concept of evolution that underlies all of biology,” said Krishtalka, director of the Kansas University Natural History Museum.

As hearings continue Thursday in Topeka on whether evolution exclusively — or evolution paired with more criticism of the theory — should be taught in Kansas public schools, there is growing disagreement on how much, if at all, the national publicity could hurt state biotechnology efforts.

The Legislature in 2004 approved the Kansas Economic Growth Act, which will use an estimated $580 million in tax growth from the life science industry to fund tax incentives, faculty positions and other benefits for universities and biotech companies.

Bill Harris, a professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and a proponent of the teaching of intelligent design, said the approval of an intelligent design curriculum in Ohio in 2004 hadn’t wiped out the state’s economy.

“I think they’re crying wolf,” said Harris, who served on the state science standards committee that developed the proposals. “They’re using every tactic they can to scare the hell out of Kansans.”

Recruitment troubles?

But Charles Decedue, executive director of the Higuchi Biosciences Center at KU, said the threat was real.

Kansas University research assistant Kelsie Cropp inspects fruit flies through a microscope as Yin Chi Wong, an exchange student from Hong Kong, cleans test tubes in the background. The pair of researchers conducted a slice of research to try to understand what genes control specific behaviors Monday in Haworth Hall at KU.

He said companies wanting to locate in Kansas would need to recruit scientists to work for them. Those scientists might not want to move here if they think their children’s science education might be compromised.

“Quite often, those (scientists) have to be brought in from the outside,” he said. “It becomes that much harder to do if the people from outside the state think there’s something very strange going on in Kansas, where they’re going to basically redefine what science is and redefine evolution.”

Likewise, entrepreneurs might not want to invest in Kansas companies if the state develops a bad reputation when it comes to science, Decedue said. He said the evolution issue could help to negate the Economic Growth Act.

“It’s very forward-looking, very progressive,” he said of the growth initiative. “States from all over are coming to Kansas to see how we did it, and they want to copy it. At the same time, we’re looking backward to the 15th century in terms of our educational system.”

Officials quiet

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That view may or may not be shared with local heavy hitters in the life science field, but their views won’t be known publicly because they’re steering clear of the debate. They include:

• Clay Blair, chairman of the Kansas Biosciences Authority, did not return phone calls seeking comment. The authority board administers money generated by the Economic Growth Act.
• A spokesman for Serologicals Corp., which has constructed a $28 million plant in the East Hills Business Park and often is touted as the biggest success in the biotech-recruitment arena in Lawrence, said his company didn’t want to delve into the hot-button topic.
• A spokeswoman for the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, a private foundation in Kansas City, Mo., with a $2 billion endowment, said officials there were focusing on fighting a proposed ban on stem cell research in Missouri — not on evolution in Kansas.

For Jay Nicholson, a Wichita science teacher who favors teaching intelligent design, that’s a sign the organizations don’t really think there will be an impact.

“There are a lot of people running around saying the sky is falling, and I don’t think it is,” said Nicholson, who also served on the science standards committee. “I have a hard time believing the sky is falling.”

Nicholson said he thought scientists would want their children exposed to a critical analysis of evolution.

“I’m not afraid of a good discussion,” he said. “I’m not afraid to sit down, name the assumptions — the fundamental assumptions on both sides of the argument — and discuss the validity of the assumptions.”

Krishtalka said he was bracing for the late-night talk show jokes about Kansas and evolution to start up again. He worries there could be irreparable harm.

“Kansas has enough of a handicap nationwide in terms of the Oz factor, and this plays into that — that we’re a hayseed state populated by morons,” he said. “That’s so unfortunate, because I’ve been all over the world, and I think Kansas has terrific schools and great universities.”

6News reporter Brooke Wehner contributed information to this report.