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

irreducible complexity

Happy family together, parents with their little child at sunset.
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post
Author
Jonathan McLatchie
Date
January 22, 2024
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Sex: A Masterpiece of Design

Jonathan McLatchie
January 22, 2024
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 ›
IDTF 1851 McLatchie Sex Series Post Graphic Edited
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Author
Jonathan McLatchie
Date
January 17, 2024
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Sex: Engineered for Success

Jonathan McLatchie
January 17, 2024
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 ›
sperm-and-egg-cell-stockpack-adobe-stock
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Author
Jonathan McLatchie
Date
January 15, 2024
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Sex: A Spicy Problem for Evolutionary Theory

Jonathan McLatchie
January 15, 2024
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 ›
Woman listening to music at home during coronavirus pandemic
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Author
Jonathan McLatchie
Date
December 22, 2023
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Jonathan McLatchie on the Gift of Hearing

Jonathan McLatchie
December 22, 2023
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 ›
blood-clot-in-damaged-blood-vessel-made-of-red-blood-cells-platelets-and-fibrin-protein-strands-stockpack-adobe-stock
Blood clot in damaged blood vessel made of red blood cells, platelets and fibrin protein strands
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Author
Jonathan McLatchie
Date
September 20, 2023
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The Engineering Prowess of the Blood Clotting Cascade

Jonathan McLatchie
September 20, 2023
The vertebrate blood coagulation system is a delicately regulated marvel that helps maintain the integrity of the circulatory system. Over 20 years ago, Michael Behe argued it was an example of an irreducibly complex system. Does Behe's claim still hold up today? On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid speaks with fellow Scotsman Dr. Jonathan McLatchie about his new article series examining recent claims that an evolutionary pathway has been identified for this incredible process. McLatchie is a fellow and resident biologist at the Discovery Institute’s Center for Science & Culture. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Forensic Biology, a Masters degree in Evolutionary Biology, a second Master’s degree in Medical and Molecular Bioscience, and a PhD in Evolutionary Biology. In their conversation, McLatchie describes how the blood clotting cascade works and why it poses a challenge for evolutionary theory. "Evolution doesn't perform particularly well when you need to make multiple co-dependent mutations," he says. McLatchie explains just how delicately regulated the blood coagulation system is and defends Behe's argument for the cascade, saying it exhibits irreducible complexity in spades. McLatchie also critiques recent proposals by the late biochemist Dr. Russel Doolittle, who claims to show a step-by-step evolution of vertebrate blood coagulation. McLatchie notes that Doolittle helps himself to irreducibly complex components as he attempts to explain its origin, inadvertently helping to confirm Behe's arguments in the process. Read McLatchie's 3-part article series on the blood clotting cascade at evolutionnews.org. Read More ›
3d-rendered-medically-accurate-illustration-of-a-sprinter-stockpack-adobe-stock
3d rendered medically accurate illustration of a sprinter
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post
Author
Howard Glicksman
Date
July 5, 2023
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Engineering, not Evolution, Explains the Body

Howard Glicksman
July 5, 2023
The groundbreaking recent book Your Designed Body is the focus of today’s ID the Future. Here in Part 2 of a two-part conversation with host Wesley J. Smith, the two authors, systems engineer Steve Laufmann and physician Howard Glicksman, delve deeper into the exquisite, multi-layered fine tuning of the human body. They point to essential systems within systems within systems—irreducible complexity cubed, if you will. They also respond to the charge that aspects of the human body are poorly designed and, therefore, are supposedly better explained by the blind process of Darwinian evolution. Laufmann identifies five common errors that Darwinists make when pushing this bad-design argument. All of the errors involve an ignorance of key engineering principles, he says, one of them being a failure to consider the principle of constrained optimization. This episode is reposted at ID the Future by permission of Wesley J. Smith and the Humanize podcast. Read More ›
complex machine
Metallic background of car automotive transmission gearbox
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post
Author
Jonathan McLatchie
Date
May 24, 2023
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A PhD Evolutionary Biologist on Why He Embraces Intelligent Design

Jonathan McLatchie
May 24, 2023
On this episode, Dr. Jonathan McLatchie takes us on a deep dive into two classic examples of irreducibly complex systems - the bacterial flagellar motor and the process of DNA replication in cell division. He explains the intricacies of each process and shows why each stands up to scrutiny as a true example of irreducible complexity. Along the way, he explains why the RNA world scenario isn't likely to be the answer to irreducible complexity that materialists are looking for. And near the end, be sure to listen to McLatchie explain the "likelihood ratio"of the evidence for irreducible complexity, a top-heavy ratio he says strongly supports a design hypothesis. This is Part 1 of a 2-part interview. Read More ›
replication-fork-for-a-new-strand-dna-in-the-dna-origin-stockpack-adobe-stock
Replication fork for a new strand DNA in the dna origin
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Author
Jonathan McLatchie
Date
May 15, 2023
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Jonathan McLatchie on Classic Examples of Irreducibly Complex Systems

Jonathan McLatchie
May 15, 2023
On this episode, Dr. Jonathan McLatchie takes us on a deep dive into two classic examples of irreducibly complex systems - the bacterial flagellar motor and the process of DNA replication in cell division. He explains the intricacies of each process and shows why each stands up to scrutiny as a true example of irreducible complexity. Along the way, he explains why the RNA world scenario isn't likely to be the answer to irreducible complexity that materialists are looking for. And near the end, be sure to listen to McLatchie explain the "likelihood ratio"of the evidence for irreducible complexity, a top-heavy ratio he says strongly supports a design hypothesis. This is Part 1 of a 2-part interview. Read More ›
Charles_Darwin_photograph_by_Leonard_Darwin,_circa_1874
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Author
Steve Laufmann
Date
January 16, 2023
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Evolution: How Darwin’s Four Causal Factors Fail

Steve Laufmann
January 16, 2023

On today’s ID the Future, Your Designed Body co-author and systems engineer Steve Laufmann continues his conversation with host and neurosurgeon Michael Egnor. In this episode, Laufmann reviews four causal factors involved in Darwin’s theory of evolution, and explains why they lack the power to generate life’s great variety of forms. To dive deeper into his argument, check out Laufmann’s new book co-authored with physician Howard Glicksman.

YourDesignedBody-1600x840
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Author
Steve Laufmann
Date
January 11, 2023
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A Neurosurgeon and an Engineer Explore Your Designed Body

Steve Laufmann
January 11, 2023

On today’s ID the Future, neurosurgeon Michael Egnor hosts systems engineer Steve Laufmann, author with physician Howard Glicksman of the new book Your Designed Body. Egnor makes the surprising confession that his medical library is full of engineering texts because at some point he discovered that engineering texts, and engineering principles, often shed more light on human physiology than did his physiology books. Egnor, then, is extraordinarily well prepared to interview Laufmann about the amazing engineering of the human body. Tune in for Part 1, and stay tuned for Parts 2 and 3.

Discovery Institute