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

last universal common ancestor

close-up-of-stromatolites-at-lake-thetis-a-saline-coastal-la-237185771-stockpack-adobe_stock
Close-up of Stromatolites at Lake Thetis, a saline coastal lake in Cervantes, Western australia.

New Study Triggers Key Origin of Life Questions

Did life on earth spring up early and easily through evolutionary processes? Or does the emergence of life represent another infusion of information into the biosphere that is best explained by intelligent design? On this episode of ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid and Dr. Casey Luskin discuss the implications of a recent study on the last universal common ancestor, also known as LUCA. They explore the nature of LUCA as a hypothetical organism, its complexity, and the challenges it poses to evolutionary theory. The conversation also touches on the media's portrayal of scientific findings and the problems associated with molecular clock techniques used to date LUCA. Ultimately, they highlight the rapid emergence of complex life on Earth and the implications for origin of life theories. Read More ›
shift blame
The student is sitting at the table and is looking for excuses for not being ready for the lesson. Photo by Dmitriy on Adobe Stock

How Universal Common Descent Survives Failed Predictions

On today’s ID the Future, philosopher of biology Paul Nelson discusses his chapter in a recent Harvest House anthology edited by host Casey Luskin, The Comprehensive Guide to Science and Faith. Nelson says the theory of universal common descent, a key component of modern evolutionary theory, has generated multiple predictions that have failed. The prediction he discusses here is that there would turn out to be a single universal genetic code, since that’s what we should expect if all life on earth is descended from the last universal common ancestor (LUCA). Findings over the past three decades have  proven that prediction spectacularly wrong. How does the theory of universal common descent shrug off this contrary empirical finding? The trick for Read More ›