ID the Future Intelligent Design, Evolution, and Science Podcast
Topic

entropy

James Tour–A Flyover of the Challenges Facing Abiogenesis

Today’s ID the Future features the next in a YouTube video series by Dr. James Tour on the origin-of-life problem. Here Tour, a distinguished synthetic organic chemist, lists the characteristics of life and describes some features of the early Earth where life first appeared. Then he provides a fast flyover of the many grave problems of blindly evolving the first living cell from prebiotic materials. 

A James Tour Course on Abiogenesis: Prologue

Today’s ID the Future features audio of the first in a series of YouTube videos by Dr. James Tour on the origin-of-life problem. Here Tour, a renowned synthetic organic chemist and professor at Rice University, explains why he is addressing the origin-of-life issue, also known as abiogenesis, and touches on some common misconceptions about the field. He says the organizing impetus for the series is a YouTube video by Dave Farina, “Elucidating the Agenda of James Tour: A Defense of Abiogenesis.” As Farina’s title suggests, he begins his video with an ad hominem attack, seeking to discredit Tour by showing that Tour is a Christian. Tour briefly responds to this line of attack and then moves into matters scientific. There he touches on, among other issues, thermodynamics and the origin-of-life puzzle of low entropy and high energy.

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James Tour and Brian Miller Talk Engines We Can’t Live Without

Today’s ID the Future features Part 1 of an extended interview that first appeared on a podcast show hosted by distinguished Rice University synthetic organic chemist James M. Tour. As he typically does, since it’s the Science & Faith podcast, Dr. Tour begins his show by asking his guest for a statement of faith. Miller, a Christian, gives his, and then they dive into origin-of-life science. In a surprisingly accessible discussion given the depth of the material, the pair cover a range of issues—thermodynamics and the origin of the first cell, entropy, free energy, order and disorder, molecular engines, non-equilibrium thermodynamics, and the need for engines and information to overcome the vicissitudes of entropy. Also in the mix—feedback loops, Jeremy England, and much more.

Peter Robinson Interviews David Berlinski, Pt. 3

Today’s episode of ID the Future features the third and final part of a conversation between Uncommon Knowledge host Peter Robinson and Darwin skeptic David Berlinski, author of the newly released book Human Nature. Here the pair discuss the fate of Europe. Then they turn again to science, and the challenge the second law of thermodynamics poses for Darwinism and, by implication, to any theory of biological origins restricted to purely mindless processes. Berlinski suggests that this poses a considerable challenge, tempting Robinson to ask Berlinski whether he still consider himself an agnostic.

Photo by Chris Leipelt

Dr. Brian Miller On Complex Systems and ‘Intellectual Captivity’

On this episode of ID the Future, physicist Dr. Brian Miller explains several challenges to the origin of life, from thermodynamic challenges to the need for complex systems to create complex systems: information processing, energy production, manufacturing, auto-assembly, control systems, and feedback loops are all required from the start.

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Abstract 3d rendering of chaotic liquid in empty space. Background with dynamic fluid splash. Design element.

Jeremy England’s Physics-Based OOL Theory Under the Microscope

On this episode of ID the Future, Brian Miller, who holds a Ph.D. in physics from Duke University, examines Dr. Jeremy England’s physics-based theory of the origin of life. England’s theory, based on his studies of “non-equilibrium systems,” suggests that a system driven strongly enough could create order and therefore be a potential explanation for the origin of life. Miller summarizes the theory and discusses what he sees as its fatal weaknesses.

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Brian Miller on Why Free Energy Means No Free Lunches for the Origin of Life

On this episode of ID the Future, Brian Miller discusses common myths about the origin of life. Listen in to learn more about how low entropy and information differ, what the concept of free energy has to tell us about moving from non-life to the first life, and why physical processes cannot account for the information in the genetic code.

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Abstract design of white powder snow cloud

Tornadoes, Ice and Cells: How Does Thermodynamics Inform Origin-of-Life Scenarios?

On this episode of ID the Future, Brian Miller discusses the thermodynamics of the origin of life. Listen in to learn more about equilibrium, self-organization, and how the cell defies natural tendencies towards high entropy and low energy. Materialistic explanations seem to hit a wall when examining the physics of abiogenesis.

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Dr. David Snoke: Information and Entropy

On this episode of ID the Future, hear part 2 of a lecture given by David Snoke at a conference sponsored by the Christian Scientific Society. In this segment, Dr. Snoke, professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Pittsburg, discusses the relationship between information and entropy.

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Part 3: Einstein Vs. Darwin

On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin and Dr. Frank Tipler continue their discussion of fine-tuning, the multiverse, and the cosmological evidence for design. Dr. Tipler argues that the initial conditions of the universe must have been “fine-tuned,” explaining that our universe was at its minimum entropy at its beginning. The probability of this condition occurring randomly is 1 in 1010123 — staggeringly unlikely. Could the universe be “self-creating,” as Stephen Hawking has argued? Listen in as Tipler says the answer is “No.”

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