Tag: James Tour

^{Type
post

Author
Stephen C. Meyer

Date
August 6, 2025

Tagged
, abiogenesis, complex specified information, Darwinism, DNA, Evolution, informational code, Intelligent Design, James Tour, Materialism, molecules, Natural Selection, Neo-Darwinism, organic chemistry, origin of life, Shannon information, Stephen Meyer}

From Dead Ends to Design: Meyer & Tour on Life’s Information Code

_{Stephen C. Meyer
August 6, 2025

Uncategorized

3}

On today's episode, enjoy the second half of a discussion between philosopher of science Dr. Steven Meyer and synthetic organic chemist Dr. James Tour about the origin of life and the explanatory power of intelligent design. The conversation, hosted by Peter Robinson, transitions from the "dead end" of current origin of life research to the crucial concept of information. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Look for Part 1 in a separate episode. We’re grateful to the producers of Uncommon Knowledge for permission to share this conversation here. Uncommon Knowledge is a production of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Read More ›

Image of dna strand spinning and data with connections on green background

^{Type
post

Author
Stephen C. Meyer

Date
August 4, 2025

Tagged
, abiogenesis, Charles Darwin, Darwinism, discovery of DNA, Evolution, Francis Crick, Intelligent Design, James Tour, James Watson, Materialism, Miller-Urey, Natural Selection, organic chemistry, origin of life, Peter Robinson, primordial soup, Uncommon Knowledge}

The Unsolved Mystery of Life’s Origin: Stephen Meyer & James Tour

_{Stephen C. Meyer
August 4, 2025

Uncategorized

2}

How did life originate? Does Darwin’s theory of evolution have an answer for the origin of life? On this ID The Future, enjoy the first half of an insightful conversation between philosopher of science Dr. Stephen Meyer and synthetic organic chemist Dr. James Tour as they unravel important issues around the origin of life. Dr. Tour is a professor at Rice University, renowned for his work in nanotechnology and his skepticism toward the current scientific models explaining the origin of life. Dr. Meyer is author of Darwin’s Doubt: The Explosive Origin of Animal Life and the Case for Intelligent Design. The pair are interviewed by Peter Robinson, host of Uncommon Knowledge. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Look for Part 2 in a separate episode. Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Stephen C. Meyer

Date
April 8, 2024

Tagged
, Assembly Theory, biology, Darwinism, Denis Noble, developmental gene regulatory network, epigenetic information, epigenetic revolution, Evolution, James Tour, Joana Xavier, Lee Cronin, Natural Selection, Nature (Journal), Neo-Darwinism, Nick Lane, origin of life, RNA world, RNA World hypothesis, Stephen Meyer}

Meyer & Tour on New Critiques of Origin of Life Research

_{Stephen C. Meyer
April 8, 2024

Uncategorized

2}

On this ID The Future, we're pleased to share a new discussion between Dr. James Tour and Dr. Stephen Meyer about recent critiques of origin of life research published in the prestigious science journal Nature. The interview originally aired on The Science and Faith Podcast, hosted by Dr. Tour. We are grateful to Dr. Tour for permission to share this interview on ID The Future. Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
ID the Future

Date
January 31, 2024

Tagged
, abiogenesis, Assembly Theory, creative agency, Darwinism, demigod, design hypothesis, engineering principles, Evolution, God of the gaps, Harvard University, James Tour, Lee Cronin, Materialism, materialism of the gaps, materialist science, Natural Selection, Neo-Darwinism, origin of life, origin-of-life experiments, roundtable, roundtable debate, Scientism, technology}

Evolution’s Demigods: Reviewing the Tour/Cronin Debate

_{ID the Future
January 31, 2024

Uncategorized

3}

Do biologists give too much credit to natural selection and self-organization? What are the limits of a materialist approach to science? On this ID The Future, we bring you the second half of a panel discussion reviewing the recent debate between Rice University chemistry professor Dr. James Tour and University of Glasgow professor of chemistry Dr. Lee Cronin. In November 2023, Dr. Tour and Dr. Cronin participated in a roundtable debate on origin-of-life studies at Harvard University with a live audience of Harvard faculty and guests. Even if you haven’t seen the debate yet, you’ll get valuable insight into the state of origin-of-life research from this panel discussion, featuring three of our own: scientist and attorney Casey Luskin, physicist Brian Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
ID the Future

Date
January 29, 2024

Tagged
, abiogenesis, Assembly Theory, Darwinism, design hypothesis, Evolution, God of the gaps, Harvard University, James Tour, Lee Cronin, Materialism, materialism of the gaps, Natural Selection, Neo-Darwinism, origin of life, origin-of-life experiments, Scientism}

Debate Review: Jim Tour vs Lee Cronin at Harvard

_{ID the Future
January 29, 2024

Uncategorized

3}

Are we close to cracking the origin of life problem or not? In 2021, chemist Dr. Lee Cronin declared publicly that "Origin of life research is a scam." Yet, scientists regularly claim to be close to creating simple and complex life from non-life in their labs, and the public is buying it. On this ID The Future, we bring you the first half of a panel discussion reviewing the recent debate on the origin of life between Rice University chemistry professor Dr. James Tour and University of Glasgow professor of chemistry Dr. Lee Cronin. This is Part 1 of 2. Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
James Tour

Date
August 23, 2023

Tagged
, abiogenesis, amino acids, chemical evolution, chemistry, Darwinism, Dave Farina, Evolution, hydrophobic, James Tour, Lee Cronin, origin of life, prebiotic chemistry, prebiotic conditions, prebiotic evolution, Professor Dave, Robert Shapiro, simulation experiments, warm little pond}

Why Hands-On Chemistry Experiments Can’t Simulate A Prebiotic Earth

_{James Tour
August 23, 2023

Uncategorized

3}

When scientists claim they have simulated early earth chemistry to create life from non-life, are they being honest? This episode of ID The Future is the fourth and final installment in a series of conversations between philosopher of science Dr. Stephen Meyer, author of Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design, and Dr. James Tour, a world-leading synthetic organic chemist at Rice University. Dr. Tour has recently been engaged in a series of back-and-forth responses to attacks on his work from YouTube science communicator Dave Farina. This has given Tour a new opportunity to critique experts in the field of abiogenesis and allows an interested public to better evaluate both sides of the argument. In Part 4, Meyer and Tour evaluate the work of chemist Bruce Lipshutz; specifically his work designing surfactant molecules that enable amide/peptide bonds. By itself, Lipshutz’s work developing synthetic techniques for doing chemistry in water is interesting and has value. But for those tempted to think that his work validates chemical evolutionary theories of the origin of life, Tour has bad news. Peptides don’t form in aqueous environments like water. A realistic prebiotic environment would not be capable of producing the reactions necessary to form proteins. And Lipshutz acknowledges this. In their conversation, Tour and Meyer discuss how Lipshutz applies hands-on chemistry that bears no resemblance to the likely conditions of a prebiotic earth. If anything, the work of Lipshutz and others in origin of life research is actually simulating the need for intelligent agency to move simple chemicals in a life-friendly direction. Says Meyer, "Even the modest movement they get towards life seems to be intelligently designed at each step of the way, and even the vocabulary will sometimes reveal that: ribozyme engineer, designer surfactants. Very curious!" Watch the series on video at Dr. Meyer's YouTube channel: @DrStephenMeyer Read More ›

classic science experiment, with smoke and bubbling liquid, in black and white, created with generative ai

^{Type
post

Author
James Tour

Date
August 2, 2023

Tagged
, abiogenesis, chemical evolution, chemistry, Darwinism, Dave Farina, Evolution, James Tour, Lee Cronin, origin of life, Professor Dave, Robert Shapiro, simulation experiments, Stephen Meyer, synthetic organic chemistry}

Smoke & Mirrors: Tour and Meyer Assess Origin of Life Experiments

_{James Tour
August 2, 2023

Uncategorized

3}

Have scientists made life in a laboratory? Two-thirds of the public think the answer is yes. What do you think? This episode of ID The Future is the third installment in a series of four conversations between philosopher of science Dr. Stephen Meyer, author of Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design, and Dr. James Tour, a world-leading synthetic organic chemist at Rice University. Dr. Tour has recently been engaged in a series of back-and-forth responses to attacks on his work from YouTube science communicator Dave Farina. This has given Tour a new opportunity to critique experts in the field of abiogenesis and allows an interested public to better evaluate both sides of the argument. In Part 3, Meyer and Tour continue their critique of the claims of chemist Lee Cronin, including his experiments on the formose reaction, autocatalysis, his attempts to conjure up lipids in oil, and more. Along the way, Tour explains how he got into the debate in the first place, providing some background on his interactions with Farina and how it led him to call out experts in the field. Tour and Meyer are careful to remind us just what life is and what it takes to build it. And on several occasions, you’ll enjoy Meyer’s insight into the big picture. These simulation experiments, says Meyer “are actually showing the difficulty of making life-relevant molecules…via an undirected process.” In other words, origin of life researchers are doing sophisticated chemistry with multi-million dollar equipment that can only be done in a modern lab! In the process, they’re showing us just how implausible chemical evolutionary theories actually are. This is Part 3 of a 4-part series. Watch the video versions of these conversations at Dr. Meyer's YouTube Channel: @DrStephenMeyer Read More ›

science laboratory test tubes , lab equipment for research new medical

^{Type
post

Author
James Tour

Date
July 26, 2023

Tagged
, abiogenesis, chemistry, Darwinism, Dave Farina, Evolution, Intelligent Design, James Tour, Lee Cronin, origin of life, origins, Professor Dave, Rice University, RNA world, RNA World hypothesis, Science, synthetic organic chemistry}

Extravagant Claims: James Tour & Stephen Meyer Critique Origin of Life Research

_{James Tour
July 26, 2023

Uncategorized

2}

On this ID The Future, we continue a four-part conversation series between philosopher of science Dr. Stephen Meyer, author of Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design, and Dr. James Tour, a world-leading synthetic organic chemist at Rice University. Dr. Tour has recently been engaged in a series of back-and-forth responses to attacks on his work from YouTube science communicator Dave Farina. This has given Tour a new opportunity to critique experts in the field of abiogenesis and allows an interested public to better evaluate both sides of the argument. In Part 2, Meyer and Tour discuss the work and claims of origin of life researcher Lee Cronin. They begin with a review of the four classes of molecules before critiquing Cronin’s foremose reaction experiments and his claims to have found a process that’s analogous to cell division. Tour also discusses the importance of chirality, as well as how amino acids behave in aqueous solutions. Turns out that “warm little pond” story we’ve been told for many years is chemically implausible. The discussion rounds out with a reminder of the information problem, something Meyer writes about at length in Signature in the Cell. Have prebiotic chemists made any progress on the sequence specificity problem? None whatsoever, says Dr. Tour. This is Part 2 of a four-part series of conversations. Watch the video versions of these at Dr. Meyer’s YouTube channel: @DrStephenMeyer Read More ›

A close up of a chemical petri dish with organic bacteria on a desk in a scientific lab is used to evaluate a material sample. prepared glass plate containing a bright liquid for biochemical developme

^{Type
post

Author
James Tour

Date
July 19, 2023

Tagged
, abiogenesis, chemistry, Darwinism, Dave Farina, Evolution, Intelligent Design, James Tour, origin of life, origins, Professor Dave, Rice University, RNA World hypothesis, Science, Steve Benner, synthetic organic chemistry}

James Tour and Stephen Meyer Bring Clarity to Origin of Life Debate

_{James Tour
July 19, 2023

Uncategorized

2}

On this ID The Future, we kick off a series of conversations between Dr. Stephen Meyer and Dr. James Tour on the many challenges faced by origin of life researchers. Dr. Tour, a world-leading synthetic organic chemist at Rice University, has recently been engaged in a series of back-and-forth responses to attacks on his work from YouTube science communicator Dave Farina. This has given Tour a new opportunity to critique experts in the field of abiogenesis and allows an interested public to evaluate both sides of the argument. Philosopher of science Dr. Stephen Meyer hosts these engaging conversations. Meyer is author of the 2009 book Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design, which explores theories attempting to explain the origin of the first life. So Meyer is the perfect candidate to unpack Tour's expertise and draw out key insights. In Part 1, Meyer and Tour critique the work of origin of life researcher Steve Benner. Along the way, they discuss the basic definition of life, the RNA world hypothesis, the problem with hands-on chemistry, and why the challenges facing origin of life research increase every year as our understanding of the cell grows. "What is being simulated is the need for intelligent agency to move simple chemicals in a life-friendly direction," says Meyer, and researchers "seem utterly blind to the role of their own hand, their own mind, in achieving the results that they get, such as they are." This is Part 1 of a four-part series of conversations. Watch the video versions of these at Dr. Meyer's YouTube channel: @DrStephenMeyer Learn more about Dr. Tour's work via his YouTube channel: @DrJamesTour Read More ›

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post

Author
David Berlinski

Date
June 14, 2023

Tagged
, ancient Greece, ancient Greek mathematics, ancient Greek technology, Andrew McDiarmid, Charles Darwin, chemical evolution, chicken and egg problem, chimpanzees, Constantinople, Darwin’s warm little pond, David Berlinski, DNA, enzymatic function, enzymes, Higgs boson, human evolution, human exceptionalism, infinite regress, Istanbul, Jack Szostak, James Tour, John Sutherland, Joseph Needham, macromolecules, Medieval Chinese technology, Medieval Islamic astronomy, Miller-Urey experiment, Mongol invasion, Muhammad Taragai Ulugh Beg, Muslim-Arab Medieval Empire, Noam Chomsky, observatory of Taqi ad-Din, origin of life, pre-biotic conditions, protein, ribozyme, RNA World hypothesis, Robert Shapiro, Science After Babel, Stephen Jay Gould, synthetic organic chemistry}

David Berlinski on Chickens, Eggs, Human Exceptionalism, and a Revolution

_{David Berlinski
June 14, 2023

Uncategorized

1}

On today’s ID the Future, Science After Babel author David Berlinski continues discussing his newly released book from Discovery Institute Press. In this conversation with host Andrew McDiarmid, Berlinski explores a chicken-and-egg problem facing origin-of-life research, a blindness afflicting some evolutionists focused on human origins, and the mystery of why science almost flowered in ancient Greece, early Medieval China, and in the Muslim-Arab Medieval Empire, but did not, having to await the scientific revolution that swept through Europe beginning in the sixteenth century. Check out the endorsements and get your copy, paperback or e-book, at scienceafterbabel.com. Read More ›