Intelligent design should be taught in Scottish schools alongside theories of evolution - but not in science lessons, a leading academic said yesterday.

Professor Eric Priest, from the School of Mathematics and Statistics at St Andrews University, said the concept that living things were created by God, rather than natural selection, were important for pupils to discuss.

"Having said that, they have no place in science lessons because intelligent design is not science," he said.

Mr Priest's comments came ahead of a lecture at St Andrews on the conflict between science and religion in the classroom by American biologist Professor Kenneth Miller.

Mr Miller, who teaches at Brown University in Rhode Island, will discuss new demands that the theory of intelligent design should be taught alongside Darwinian evolution in schools.

"The goal of the intelligent design movement is to tell students that either you turn your back on the faith that you've been brought up with in order to embrace the scientific mainstream, or to be true to your faith you have to reject modern science," he said.

"That's a false choice. It does disservice to religion, and to science."