How Engineering Logic Unlocks Biological Mysteries
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Intelligent design is fundamentally a theory of design detection. But in addition to helping us evaluate models that best explain past events, ID can also guide experiments that study the present-day operations of nature. On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid records a conversation from our new Studio West in the Seattle offices of Discovery Institute.
McDiarmid is joined by two members of our Center for Science & Culture science team, Dr. Emily Reeves and Dr. Brian Miller, to discuss a new paper co-authored by our science team that unpacks how intelligent design can guide scientific research in multiple fields of science.
Recent evidence has revealed that complex biological systems are not random evolutionary accidents. The closer we look at living things, the more we see that they are masterfully engineered networks designed with top-down precision. In this discussion, Dr. Reeves and Dr. Miller explain how modern systems biology is adopting an engineering framework to make sense of longstanding biological mysteries. Viewing life through the lens of intentional design, they show how everything from metabolic pathways optimized for peak efficiency to brain blood vessels designed as protective shock absorbers demonstrates coherent, multi-level planning.
Intelligent design offers a powerful method for evaluating the origin of historical events and artifacts. But as today’s guests show, it can also guide our study into the current operations of nature. If we ask the right questions, it can lead us to surprising new answers about our understanding of the natural world.
Dig Deeper
- Read, bookmark, and share with others the paper that inspired this conversation! (free download)
- Don’t miss our companion discussion with Dr. Casey Luskin and Dr. Jonathan McLatchie about the same paper and topic!