Stars, Cells, and God

Join biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana and OB/GYN Christina Cirucci as they discuss regret, desisting, and detransitioning among people who receive gender-affirming care. How often do people change their minds after they transition to the opposite gender? What motivates that change of mind? Can gender transitioning be fully reversed? Warning: This content may include explicit material. Viewer discretion is advised. The intention is not to offend but to provide information. Proceed only if you are comfortable with conversations regarding gender-affirming care, gender reassignment surgeries, and detransitioning. Disclaimer: Reasons to Believe is expressing our Christian beliefs on the issues of gender identity in the intersection of science and faith, as it’s an important discussion and many people have valid questions. This research showcases the expertise of select members of the RTB Scholar Community on matters of gender identity. RTB is not offering medical or other professional advice. People need to consult with their own physicians, psychologists, psychiatrists, etc. We want to see everyone make informed, educated decisions. Links and Resources: Gender Identity White Papers: Learn to Defend Biblical Sexuality with Gentleness and Respect

Discover the fascinating world of ancient DNA and its implications for the age of Earth. Learn why fossil DNA evidence doesn't support a young Earth perspective. Meanwhile, explore how mussels inspire innovative biodegradable solutions to combat plastic pollution. Scientists are bioengineering bacteria to decompose harmful pollutants, showcasing nature's potential in environmental stewardship. Delve into the intersection of science, technology, and faith, raising profound questions about existence and sustainability.

DNA Data Storage In this episode, biochemist Fazale Rana discusses one of the latest advances in DNA data storage technology and explains how this insight adds to the evidence that a Creator played a role in the origin and basic design of life. Most Hunted Particle The most sought-after particles in the universe are axions, the leading candidate to comprise most of the universe’s dark matter. A team of physicists led by Dion Noordhuis has shown that the best place to look for axions is around rapidly spinning neutron stars, where scientists believe axion clouds reside. Current radio telescopes may be able to detect the mystery particles, a discovery that would bolster the evidence for a big bang creation model. Links and Resources: Parallel Molecular Data Storage by Printing Epigenetic Bits on DNA Axion Clouds Around Neutron Stars Dark Matter Particles

In this episode, biochemist Fazale Rana and OB/GYN Christina Cirucci discuss the safety of gender-affirming care, including gender reassignment surgeries. •What do these procedures entail? •Are there benefits to these procedures? •What are the complications? •How should Christians respond to someone who is considering these types of operations? Warning: This content may include explicit material. Viewer discretion is advised. The intention is not to offend but to provide information. Proceed only if you are comfortable with conversations regarding gender-affirming care and gender reassignment surgeries. Disclaimer: Reasons to Believe is expressing our Christian beliefs on the issues of gender identity in the intersection of science and faith, as it’s an important discussion and many people have valid questions. This research showcases the expertise of select members of the RTB Scholar Community on matters of gender identity. RTB is not offering medical or other professional advice. People need to consult with their own physicians, psychologists, psychiatrists, etc. We want to see everyone make informed, educated decisions. Reference: The Truth About Transgenderism—What Scripture, Science, and Medicine Say

Rabbi Elie Feder, a professor at CUNY specializing in mathematics and religious studies, and Rabbi Aaron Zimmer, a former commodities trader with a physics background now exploring science and religion, dive into fine-tuning and the multiverse. They discuss how the universe's specific constants suggest a purposeful design rather than randomness. The guests debate the implications of multiverse theories, challenge human-centric views on extraterrestrial life, and explore the philosophical questions surrounding intelligent design.

Join Hugh Ross in this breaking News of the Day episode of Stars, Cells, and God. Hugh interviews fellow RTB astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink while Jeff is in Antarctica. Jeff is part of a research team that’s preparing to launch a balloon loaded with instruments that will either detect dark matter particles or impose more stringent constraints that will guide future efforts to find the universe’s elusive dark matter particles. The quest to find dark matter particles is considered the holy grail for astrophysicists, with a Nobel Prize in the waiting for the discovery team. Links and Resources: No Dark Matter Near the Sun—Oh Wait, We Found It Designed to the Core  

Join Jeff Zweerink in a conversation with authors Krista Bontrager and Monique Duson as they discuss their theological and philosophical journey toward understanding what the Bible says about racial harmony. How good and pleasant it is for brothers and sisters to dwell together in unity! Yet conversations between people who hold different views on the topic of race rarely bring unity. Join Jeff, Krista, and Monique as they provide a shining example of how seeking biblical truth can bring true unity even while exploring a divisive topic.

Will AI Ever Be Like Us? In this episode, biochemist Fuz Rana and philosopher Kristen Davis explore the question, Will AI ever be like us? One of the most important questions to emerge from advances in AI is the age-old, Who are we as human beings? Some people claim that when we achieve artificial general intelligence—the ability of machines to learn intellectual tasks that human beings can—AI systems will be persons, just like us. Others claim that when we achieve artificial superintelligence—the ability of machines to surpass human beings’ capabilities—AI systems will represent the next stage in evolutionary history. Are these viewpoints valid?

AI and the Genome In this episode, biochemist Fuz Rana describes recent insight from two investigators who make the case that genomes are generative AI systems. The architecture and operation of biochemical information is far more sophisticated and complex than previously recognized and points to purposeful design. Earth’s Past Temperature Two new studies on Earth’s past climate have provided important data for predicting Earth’s future climate, as well as exoplanet habitability. Oxygen-18 measurements from shale, iron oxide, carbonates, and chert show that Earth’s climate was warm from 2.0–0.5 billion years ago. Then a drop in global mean surface temperature (GMST) occurred 500 million years ago to a decline in atmospheric carbon dioxide. An integration of geological data with climate model simulations shows that GMSTs varied from 11–36°C over the past 485 million years, a much larger range than previous reconstructions. Temperature changes were especially dramatic at high latitudes. During the Phanerozoic, Earth spent more time in warm climate states than cold ones and atmospheric CO2 was the dominant control on climate. Throughout the past 2 billion years, atmospheric CO2 played the most important role in compensating for increasing solar luminosity. Links and Resources: Hot and Cold Earth Through Time A 485-Million-Year History of Earth’s Surface Temperature Oxygen Isotope Ensemble Reveals Earth’s Seawater, Temperature, and Carbon Cycle History The Genomic Code: The Genome Instantiates a Generative Model of the Organism

Join Jeff Zweerink and Kevin Birdwell as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Winter Gatekeeper Hypothesis Virtually all public discussion about climate changes focuses on greenhouse gases—usually only carbon dioxide. Clearly greenhouse gases impact the climate, but scientific research demonstrates that the climate system is far more complicated than any single set of gases could describe. Specifically, one of the dominant drivers of the climate may be Earth’s capacity to transport energy from the tropics to the poles. This episode describes the winter gatekeeper hypothesis and its consequences for the global climate.  Links and Resources: The Winter Gatekeeper Hypothesis (VII). A Summary Plus Q&A Solving the Climate Puzzle. The Sun’s Surprising Role