She was born the same year as Charles Darwin. Like him, she studied nature and wrote books. But while Darwin staked his life's work on the power of natural selection, she recognized the evidence of intelligent design in nature and living organisms. On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid shares his profile of 19th century naturalist and children's author Margaret Gatty. Here, McDiarmid reports on Gatty's life and work within the framework of Darwin's, to show where both were similar as well as where they diverged. The result is a better understanding of 19th century Britain during a crucial chapter in the history of biology, and indeed, in the history of human ideas. Read More ›
peacock feather close up. Peafowl feather background. Mor pankh. Beautiful feather.
At its core, intelligent design is the science of detecting design. It's a broadly accepted method used by scientists of all stripes in a variety of scientific disciplines. But when design hypotheses are applied to biology, cosmology, or physics, some claim it's no longer a scientific pursuit. On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid talks to philosopher and author Peter S. Williams about his recent book An Informed Cosmos: Essays on Intelligent Design Theory. Read More ›
Happy family together, parents with their little child at sunset.
In his landmark book Darwin's Black Box, biochemist Michael Behe wrote that "to appreciate complexity, you have to experience it." On today's ID The Future, we conclude a three-part series with Dr. Jonathan McLatchie that dives into the complexity and design of sexual reproduction. In Part 3, Dr. McLatchie explains the design features of erectile function, the ejaculatory reflex, sperm chemotaxis, and the female egg cell. McLatchie reminds listeners how all separate parts work together as an irreducibly complex whole system. Be sure to catch Parts 1 and 2 of this informative series! Read More ›
On today’s ID the Future from the archive, astrobiologist Guillermo Gonzalez unpacks one of his chapters in the book The Comprehensive Guide to Science and Faith, edited by episode host Casey Luskin. Gonzalez discusses the fine-tuning that makes Earth possible and why our existence is far from insignificant. Read More ›
IDTF 1851 McLatchie Sex Series Post Graphic Edited
Sexual reproduction depends on an irreducibly complex core of components for its success. But can we really credit a gradual evolutionary process for this remarkable system? On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid continues his discussion with Dr. Jonathan McLatchie on why sex is the queen of problems for evolutionary theory and why instead it bears the hallmarks of a system governed by forethought and engineering. Dr. McLatchie covers two more components and explains why they are beyond the reach of a Darwinian process. This is Part 2 of 3. Read More ›
Sexual reproduction ought to be a recipe for evolutionary disaster. It's a waste of resources producing no short-term advantages. It demands an entirely different form of cell division and requires highly designed interconnected components to succeed. And yet, sex reigns supreme in the biological world. On this ID The Future, Dr. Jonathan McLatchie begins a series on why sex is the queen of problems for evolutionary theory and why instead it bears the hallmarks of a system governed by forethought and engineering. This is Part 1 of 3. Read More ›
London, England - December 4, 2019: Statue of Charles Robert Darwin was an English naturalist and biologist in Natural History Museum. London, United Kingdom.
On this ID the Future from the vault, Taking Leave of Darwin author Neil Thomas and host Jonathan Witt continue their conversation about Thomas’s journey from Darwinian materialism to theistic humanism and a thorough skepticism of Darwinian theory. Hear Thomas draw a link between Darwin's theory and the animistic thinking of pagan thought stretching back to the ancient Greeks. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Read More ›
Spiral stairway abstract swirl hypnotising perspective. View downstairs to infinity circular stairs glowing in yellow light background
Is the universe meaningful or meaningless? Purposeful or pointless? On this ID The Future, enjoy the second half of an interview with Dr. Jonathan Witt about the evidence of purpose and meaning built into the universe. In the second half of a conversation, Dr. Witt describes four characteristics common in works of human genius and shows that these same hallmarks are also found in the natural world. Don't miss the first half of the interview, available in a previous episode. Read More ›
Nearly 30 years ago, physicist Steven Weinberg wrote that “[t]he more the universe seems comprehensible, the more it also seems pointless.” But is our universe really just a meaningless accident? Or can we detect true genius by studying its workings? On this ID The Future, we are pleased to share the first half of an interview with Dr. Jonathan Witt about the central questions of his 2006 book A Meaningful World, co-written with Benjamin Wiker. Witt explains that the more we learn about the universe, the more it seems laden with meaning. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Read More ›
Woman listening to music at home during coronavirus pandemic
Cerumen, tympanic membranes, and ossicles, oh my! On this ID The Future, lend us your ears as host Andrew McDiarmid invites Dr. Jonathan McLatchie to give us a tour of our magnificent sense of hearing. Dr. McLatchie reviews the anatomy of the human ear with all its interconnected parts, from the oracle (ear lobe) to the curly cochlea in the inner ear. Along the way, he explains why intelligent design is a more reasonable explanation for our sense of hearing than a blind Darwinian evolutionary process. Read More ›
