Stars, Cells, and God

Join astrophysicists Hugh Ross and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries with theological and philosophical implications that point to the reality of God’s existence. Human skin contains several amazing features that explain our long lifespans and ability for rapid global technological advance: high resilience, high toughness, self-adhesion, self-healing, high ionic conductivity, dynamic functionality, mechanical robustness, and stability. Scientists have designed and manufactured a water/glycerol binary solvent containing bismuth ions that yields an artificial skin that comes close to matching several of the functions and capabilities of human skin. This close match shows how well-designed the “real thing” is. A growing body of evidence indicates that Mars had water on its surface nearly 4 billion years ago, which raises the obvious question of whether this Martian water ever hosted life. A recent study of the Martian water cycle—specifically how it differs from Earth’s—reveals that surface water on the red planet was likely even more transient than originally thought. Studies like these also reveal how remarkably designed Earth is, as it hosts an abundant array of life today. LINKS AND RESOURCES:  A Skin-Mimicking Multifunctional Hydrogel Via Hierarchical, Reversible Noncovalent Interactions Thinking About Evolution Missing Link in Early Martian Water Cycle Discovered Infiltration Dynamics on Early Mars: Geomorphic, Climatic, and Water Storage Implication

When considering how science and the Bible integrate, we face the risk of reading scientific concepts into the text. Biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Christian apologist Steve Anonsen discuss how critics who read ancient, incorrect scientific views into the Bible are actually reading bad science into the Bible. This episode discusses the fun exercise of how to interpret the Bible well.

Join astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink and ophthalmologist Andy Moyes as they discuss discoveries with theological and philosophical implications that point to the reality of God’s existence. For decades, the human eye has been at the center of the creation/evolution debate. Even Charles Darwin recognized its apparent design despite arguing that evolution produced this vital sensory organ. Ophthalmologist Andrew Moyes brings his expertise in eye diseases to bear on this debate, making a case that the latest research shows the elegant and near-perfect design of the human eye. LINKS AND RESOURCES: Evolution of the Eye A Pessimistic Estimate of the Time Required for an Eye to Evolve Is Our Retina Really Upside Down?  

Discover how ancient art's depictions of dinosaurs challenge young-earth creationist claims about human-dinosaur coexistence. Explore the catastrophic impacts of a 41,000-year-old geomagnetic event on Neanderthals, revealing human resilience through innovation. Learn about the survival strategies of early humans, from specialized clothing to dietary choices. Delve into the implications of ancient creativity and how it reflects both scientific understanding and theological beliefs in the quest for knowledge.

Join biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana and astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries with theological and philosophical implications that point to the reality of God’s existence. Many anthropologists believe that the earliest modern humans’ production and interaction with cave art was a deeply spiritual experience. Interestingly, anthropologists often find children’s footprints and handprints associated with ancient cave art. But why? Archaeologists from the University of Tel Aviv argue that the earliest modern humans regarded children as liminal (transitional) agents between the physical and spiritual realms. In this episode, biochemist Fuz Rana explains how this insight can be marshaled to make a scientific case that human beings bear the image of God. Life’s abundance on Earth raises the question of whether other bodies in our solar system might host life. Besides Mars, proposed candidates include the moons Europa, Enceladus, and Titan because they have a large ocean underneath a surface layer of ice. Recently, scientists applied a model for life that considers metabolic pathways, moon conditions, and available chemical compounds to assess how much life Titan might host. Given reasonable values for these parameters, astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink explains how this model demonstrates that Titan might host a few kilograms of life in its ocean and what it means. LINKS & RESOURCES: Child in Time: Children as Liminal Agents in Upper Paleolithic Decorated Caves Saturn’s Moon Titan Could Harbor Life, but Only a Tiny Amount, Study Finds The Viability of Glycine Fermentation in Titan’s Subsurface Ocean

Join astrophysicists Hugh Ross and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries with theological and philosophical implications that point to the reality of God’s existence. Engineers have designed two types of robotic hands: rigid ones that move precisely and can be carefully controlled, and soft ones that are flexible and resilient. Hugh Ross describes how these robotics, modeled after the human hand’s musculoskeletal system, can play a piano and pick up and twirl an egg without breaking it. The teleological argument, often expressed through fine-tuning, serves as a powerful way to point to the God of the Bible. However, Christians need to be diligent about keeping the specific examples up to date with the best scientific understanding. In this episode, Jeff Zweerink notes how we should use the cosmological constant to demonstrate both the power of the fine-tuning and the pitfalls to avoid when making the argument. LINKS AND RESOURCES: Biomimetic Rigid-Soft Finger Design for Highly Dexterous and Adaptive Robotic Hands Thinking About Evolution The Cosmological Constant

Join biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana and astrophysicist Hugh Ross as they discuss new discoveries with theological and philosophical implications that point to the reality of God’s existence. A team of German researchers discovered that genes located in bacterial chromosomes assume a precise order based on their function. Biochemist Fuz Rana explains why this discovery evinces a Creator’s role in the origin and design of life. Astrophysicist Hugh Ross comments on how the internet has blown up with blogs announcing astronomers have discovered signs of life on a distant planet called K2-18b. The reason for the excitement stems from a 99.7% probable detection of a molecule, dimethyl sulfide, in the planet’s atmosphere that might have been generated by living things. As an example, all of Earth’s dimethyl sulfide comes from marine microbes. However, several factors have been overlooked amidst the optimism: (1) Astronomers have found dimethyl sulfide in a comet and in the interstellar medium that’s indisputably nonbiological, (2) Astronomers question the detection, and (3) This distant planet and its host star’s physical characteristics rule out any possibility of physical life. Links and Resources: Most Bacterial Gene Families Are Biased Toward Specific Chromosomal Positions New Constraints on DMS and DMDS in the Atmosphere of K2-18b from JWST MIRI Signs of Life on a Distant Planet? Not So Fast, Say These Astronomers On the Abiotic Origin of Dimethyl Sulfide: Discovery of Dimethyl Sulfide in the Interstellar Medium Evidence for Abiotic Dimethyl Sulfide in Cometary Matter A Comprehensive Reanalysis of K2-18b’s JWST NIRISS+NIRSpec Transmission Spectrum Designed to the Core (chapters 9–11)

Join biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana and astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries with theological and philosophical implications that point to the reality of God’s existence. Scientists used CRISPR gene editing and modified in vitro fertilization techniques to create mice with two dads and no mother. How should Christians respond to these types of studies? Biochemist Fuz Rana discusses how this research team accomplished this feat and why scientists would do this work.  As scientists design new telescopes to search for habitable, or even inhabited, exoplanets, they also recognize that our searches may not find any signs of life. As they try to quantify what a lack of life measurements means, it benefits Christians to think about how we use the scientific data to argue for the truth of Christianity. Astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink examines what the science shows and how to use the current scientific data to argue for God’s robust design of Earth.  Links and Resources: Adult Bi-Paternal Offspring Generated Through Direct Modification of Imprinted Genes in Mammals    What If We Find Nothing in Our Search for Life Beyond Earth?   What If We Find Nothing? Bayesian Analysis of the Statistical Information of Null Results in Future Exoplanet Habitability and Biosignature Surveys

Join biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana and astrophysicist Hugh Ross as they discuss discoveries with theological and philosophical implications that point to the reality of God’s existence. Is it possible to mount a scientific defense showing that humans uniquely bear God’s image as Scripture teaches? In this episode, biochemist Fuz Rana discusses recent research from MIT that estimates the timing of the origin of human language and demonstrates that these results support the biblical account of humanity’s beginning. Astrophysicist Hugh Ross discusses the feasibility of obtaining solar power from space. Researchers have devised a system where large satellites collect and convert solar power to electricity and transmit the electricity to Earth wirelessly. Previously, the system costs were prohibitive. Technological advances—lightweight collectors that can be folded and unraveled robotically and dynamically controlled for high precision and stability—now make space solar power an economically viable, fossil-fuel-free, continuously available solution for humanity’s energy needs. Links and Resources: Linguistic Capacity Was Present in the Homo sapiens Population 135 Thousand Years Ago Rigid-Flexible Coupling Dynamics Modeling and Fractional-Order Sliding Mode Control for Large Space Solar Power Stations Wireless Power Transfer in Space Using Flexible, Lightweight, Coherent Arrays A Comprehensive Review on Space Solar Power Satellite: An Idiosyncratic Approach Weathering Climate Change: A Fresh Approach

Join astrophysicists Hugh Ross and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries with theological and philosophical implications pointing to the reality of God’s existence. Astrophysicist Hugh Ross discusses the James Webb Space Telescope’s confirmation that a galaxy called JADES-GS-z14-0 is the farthest one ever found. We’re seeing it as it looked just 291 million years after the big bang—13.48 billion light-years from us. By analyzing light from the galaxy, scientists found signs of a specific type of oxygen (called OIII), and hints of dust. The presence of heavy elements in the galaxy means that many massive stars must have formed just 200 to 290 million years after the universe began. Does the presence of these metals challenge the big bang? Without Earth’s magnetic field, cosmic rays would sputter our atmosphere into space. Yet, scientists recently found that the magnetic field virtually collapsed for more than 20 million years as life transitioned from single-celled to complex, multicellular creatures. Astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink explains how detailed studies of Earth’s magnetic field direction and strength, coupled with measurements of the Earth’s core and the history of life, provide compelling evidence that Earth’s capacity to support life requires critical events occurring at precisely the right time. Such evidence points to a God who fashioned and developed our planet so life can thrive—particularly human life. Links and Resources: Photometric Detection at 7.7 µm of a Galaxy Beyond Redshift 14 with JWST/MIRI Spectroscopic Confirmation of Two Luminous Galaxies at a Redshift of 14 Earth’s Magnetic Dipole Collapses, and Life Explodes Is the Big Bang Theory in Trouble?