If our minds are the product of a blind and aimless process, what reason do we have to believe what we think? But if we can be rational because a rational intelligence designed life and the universe, how does that change how we should think about thinking? On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid concludes his conversation with science teacher and writer Rebekah Valerius about an essay she recently wrote unpacking the argument from reason and its implications for Darwinism, materialism, and atheism. In Part 2, Valerius shows why a Darwinian process cannot be responsible for our powers of reason. She also offers the argument from reason as a lens to better understand modern technology like artificial intelligence. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Read More ›
Before we can ask whether the universe is designed, we should first ask if we can trust the minds we’re using to investigate it. On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid welcomes to the show science teacher and writer Rebekah Valerius to discuss an essay she recently penned unpacking the argument from reason and its implications for Darwinism, materialism, and atheism. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Read More ›
Imagine you have been invited to a futuristic discovery center, a lavishly funded facility that has pioneered the ability to shrink people and objects many orders of magnitude. What if you could climb aboard an incredible shrinking submarine and travel into the heart of a living cell? This would be a tour like no other, to be sure! You’d get a glimpse of DNA, molecular machines, and cellular architecture, certainly, but you’d also bear witness to the workings of a hidden world of information and epigenetic controls operating beyond the physical structures of life. On this ID The Future, historian of science Dr. Tom Woodward reads an excerpt from his new book Epigenetics and the Architect, co-authored with Dr. James Gills. And rather than beginning with definitions and diagrams, he invites us on an imaginative journey inspired by sci-fi movie classics like Fantastic Voyage, Innerspace, or Honey I Shrunk the Kids. Read More ›
A second revolution is underway in biology today. DNA isn’t the whole story for the development of living things. The deeper scientists look into the cell, the more they find layers of coding, regulation, communication, and control. Where did all this additional information come from? On today's ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid continues his conversation with Dr. Tom Woodward, co-author with Dr. James Gills of a new book called Epigenetics and the Architect: Evidence of Design at the Frontier of Biology. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Read More ›
Many of us have heard about one of the biggest discoveries in modern biology: the discovery of the information code embedded in DNA. But perhaps an even bigger discovery than that would be that DNA isn’t running the show by itself. A second revolution is underway centered around a hidden layer of information beyond DNA that helps direct the development of every living thing. On this episode of ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid welcomes Dr. Tom Woodward to the show to discuss his new book, co-authored with Dr. James Gills: Epigenetics and the Architect: Evidence of Design at the Frontier of Biology.
This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Read More ›
The new documentary film The Story of Everything is no longer available in movie theaters, but there are now new ways to stream and share this intriguing documentary! Host Andrew McDiarmid recently caught up with our friend and colleague Dr. Stephen Meyer to ask him a few questions about how The Story of Everything has been received and the exciting new ways people can enjoy the film. Read More ›
New fossil discoveries from China are being hailed as evidence that could reshape our understanding of the origin of complex animal life. Does the new find solve the mystery of the Cambrian explosion? Are the headlines about these fossils justified? Are these in fact the long-lost ancestors of the Cambrian animals we’ve been looking for? On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid welcomes Dr. Casey Luskin to the show to to examine the evidence, ambiguity, and ongoing controversy surrounding newly reported Ediacaran bilaterian fossils. Read More ›
Today on ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid concludes his conversation with Dr. Robert Waltzer about the amazing molecular machinery and systems that allow muscles to generate force and movement.
How do microscopic structures help us move large objects in real time? In Part 2, Dr. Waltzer explores the remarkable molecular engineering required for nanometer-scale molecules to move massive bodies. He explains that muscle function actually involves constant microscopic damage as tiny proteins are strained far beyond their physical capacities. To prevent total failure, Waltzer says muscles operate like a plane being fixed while it's flying, utilizing specialized detection and signaling systems to replace large proteins at an astonishing rate: sometimes as frequently as every 25 seconds!
Waltzer unpacks key structures in muscle, including the intricate Z-disk that functions like a biological shock absorber or mattress box spring. Waltzer argues that the extreme order and nested irreducible complexity found in these systems defy unguided evolutionary explanations. Instead, the sophistication, coordination, and complexity of muscle function points to intelligent design as a more adequate explanation.
This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Read More ›
Every movement you make—walking across a room, lifting a cup of coffee, even blinking your eyes—depends on trillions of microscopic molecular machines working in remarkable coordination. On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid begins exploring the hidden machinery of muscle with Dr. Robert Waltzer, professor of biology at Belhaven University and longtime researcher and lecturer on intelligent design. First, Dr. Waltzer takes us to right to the microscopic heart of muscle. Then he explains how muscle solves the formidable engineering challenge of repairing and replacing damaged muscle components in real time. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Read More ›
Aliens are trending right now. At least the topic of alien life. It’s in the news, it’s in our movie theaters, and even the U.S. government is getting in on the action as it releases troves of documents related to unexplained phenomena and the search for extraterrestrial life. But here’s a question that isn’t getting explored as much as others: If we do find alien life, will that alien life support the case for intelligent design or an evolutionary origin of life? On this episode of ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid welcomes Dr. Casey Luskin to the show to discuss this intriguing topic and the implications for intelligent design and evolution. Read More ›
