How the Origin of Our Digits Points to Process of Foresight
Let’s talk about your digits. No, not your phone number – your fingers and toes, those dangling things on the ends of our hands and feet! Ever wondered how they form during embryonic development? On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid welcomes back Dr. Jonathan McLatchie to discuss the incredible process of apoptosis that shapes our fingers and toes, and why the operation is better explained by intelligent design than a stepwise evolutionary process.
Apoptosis is actually a precise form of programmed cell death. During early development, the hands and feet begin as solid, webbed structures. Through carefully controlled apoptosis, the tissue between them is eliminated, facilitating the separation of the digits. The role of apoptosis can be compared with the work of a stone sculptor who shapes stone by chipping off small fragments from a crude block, eventually creating a form. But how could such a developmental process involving programmed cell death evolve in a gradual, incremental fashion without awareness of the target, or a way to keep the death program in check?
In this conversation, Dr. McLatchie points to a different explanation for the origin of apoptosis. He explains in detail how the process works and why it requires foresight to function. As he describes the coordinated steps involved in apoptosis, you might think you’ve accidentally switched to an engineering podcast. But you haven’t! It turns out that an engineering approach to biology is an effective way of understanding how living systems work. It also brings intelligent design into focus as a better explanation for the intricacy and engineering prowess at the heart of life.
Dig Deeper
- Read the article that inspired this conversation:
- Listen to another recent chat with Dr. Jonathan McLatchie in our series: