Stars, Cells, and God (Reasons to Believe)
Explorez tous les épisodes de Stars, Cells, and God
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| 08 Jul 2024 | Human Brain Tissue Controls Robot | News of the Day | 00:38:43 | |
Join Fazale “Fuz” Rana in this breaking News of the Day episode of Stars, Cells, and God. Fuz reports on the work by a research team from Tianjin University in China, who, recently stole headlines when they announced that they developed a chip that used human brain tissue to control a robotics system. This remarkable breakthrough (called organoid intelligence) generates excitement and also raises some profound ethical and theological questions. In this episode Fuz explains:
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| 11 Jun 2024 | Distant Galaxy and the Big Bang | News of the Day | 00:20:30 | |
Join Hugh Ross in this breaking News of the Day episode of Stars, Cells, and God. Hugh describes the discovery of the most distant known galaxy and what the characteristics of this galaxy imply for the cosmic dawn and the big bang creation model. Distant Galaxy and the Big Bang Join us as we explore:
This episode is packed with astronomical insights and cosmic revelations! | |||
| 22 Nov 2023 | Sixth Great Mass Extinction and M-Dwarf Habitability? | 00:42:10 | |
Join Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Hugh Ross as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Sixth Mass Extinction Where have all the animals gone? Collaborators from Mexico and the US provide added evidence that we are entering a sixth mass extinction—triggered by human damage to the environment. The impact of the loss of species and the collapse of ecosystems could be much more devastating to humanity than climate change. How should Christians respond to the sixth mass extinction? In this episode, biochemist Fuz Rana discusses the latest insights into large-scale species loss, explores the biblical basis for Christian environmentalism, and makes the case that the Christian story provides explanatory power for the extent of the damage that humans are causing to ecosystems around the world. M-Dwarf Habitability? NASA asserts that the most promising candidates for habitability are planets orbiting M-dwarf stars. M-dwarfs are less than half the Sun’s mass, less than 1/15 the Sun’s luminosity, and comprise 70% of all stars. The only remaining hope for finding a habitable exoplanet is to discover one identical to Earth. So far, the most Earth-like known planet beyond Earth is Venus. Links and Resources:
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| 13 Aug 2024 | Hubble Constant Tension Resolution | News of the Day | 00:15:33 | |
Join Hugh Ross in this breaking News of the Day episode of Stars, Cells, and God. Hugh describes how the latest measurements of cosmic baryon acoustic oscillations shed light on the true nature of dark energy and may resolve the tension between measurements of the cosmic expansion rate (Hubble constant) based on nearby galaxies with measurements based on the cosmic microwave background radiation and extremely distant galaxies.
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| 27 Oct 2022 | Asteroids Making Land and UFOs and Christianity | 00:48:39 | |
Join Jeff Zweerink and Brian Huffling as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, as well as new discoveries that point to the reality of God’s existence. UFOs, the Paranormal, and Christianity UFOs have been a hot topic in the last few years with the recent military videos and congressional hearings. Such phenomena raise questions about whether there’s other life in the universe and what that means for Christianity. What could these UFOs be? Is there any connection between UFOs, alleged aliens, and the paranormal? Asteroids Making Land Plate tectonics play a critical role in maintaining Earth’s capacity to support life. The crust of Earth’s surface is composed of large plates that continually move past and under one another. This process ultimately led to large continental landmasses that “float” on top of the denser oceanic crust. Recent research indicates that the asteroids may have played a role in starting the formation of continents, adding to the fine-tuning required for a habitable planet like Earth. Jeff and Brian discuss these interesting topics in this episode of Stars, Cells, and God. Links and Resources: | |||
| 04 Oct 2023 | Earliest Rope Making and Gullies on Mars | 00:58:14 | |
Join Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Earliest Rope Making When did humans first begin deploying fiber technology? This question is important because fiber technology makes composite technology possible, such as textiles, ropes, baskets, nets, weapons, housing, and boats. It also reflects the capacity for advanced cognition. An international team from the Philippines, France, and Germany recently published evidence that humans in the Philippines possessed fiber technology around 40,000 years ago. In this episode, biochemist Fuz Rana discusses the scientific and theological implications of this discovery. What does this advance mean for RTB’s creation model for human origins and the scientific case for the image of God? Rana will also discuss the ramifications of this discovery for recent claims that Neanderthals invented fiber technology. Gullies on Mars Observations of Mars reveal formations that strongly point to the presence of liquid water. While astronomers know that Mars had liquid water in the distant past, these features occasionally make the news cycle as indicating the presence of liquid water more recently. A new study of Martian gullies shows that the water needed for formation indicates a highly disruptive environment for life. These results further highlight Earth’s remarkable ability to host life. Links and Resources
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| 24 Jan 2024 | Free Will: An Illusion? | 01:07:42 | |
Join Fazale Rana and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Free Will: An Illusion? The prominent neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky has created a stir with the recent publication of his book Determined. Based on a wide range of findings from neuroscience and genetics, Sapolsky argues that free will is an illusion. All of our decisions are predetermined by influences beyond our control. In this episode, biochemist Fazale Rana discusses the radical and far-ranging implications of Sapolsky’s dangerous idea, before presenting the scientific evidence, demonstrating that free will really exists. Rana concludes by offering a model for free will based on the Christian worldview. Links and Resources: | |||
| 29 Mar 2023 | Cellular Replication & Abiogenesis | 01:01:41 | |
Join Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Sy Garte as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Cellular Replication and Abiogenesis Living cells are the only things we know of that replicate themselves with very high accuracy. Evolution requires such high replication fidelity to allow for natural selection to operate. Researcher Sy Garte used a statistical simulation model to determine how self-replication fidelity could evolve in early life. The model revealed a phase transition from nonliving chemical complexity to evolving living creatures. This illustrates the necessary noncontinuity of any process, including natural selection, that could lead to the origin of evolving life. Links and Resources:
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| 20 Sep 2023 | God and Information Theory | 00:45:12 | |
Join Jeff Zweerink and Eric Hedin as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. God and Information Theory In this episode, we discuss how living things exhibit a high degree of information—far beyond what can be explained by natural causes. The physics underlying information theory shows us that natural forces will degrade the information content of a closed system over time. Since the origin and progressive complexity of life manifests a dramatic increase in information, we conclude that the existence of living things is consistent only with intelligent design—as ascribed in the Bible to the creative work of God. Links and Resources: | |||
| 06 Oct 2022 | Does JWST Reveal that Big Bang Never Happened? | 00:41:22 | |
Join Hugh Ross and Mike Strauss as they discuss a new discovery taking place at the frontiers of science that has theological and philosophical implications, as well as points to the reality of God’s existence. There’s been noise on the Internet stating that the first observations of the James Webb Space Telescope show that the big bang didn’t happen. We’ll discuss these new observations and what they’ve revealed, the evidence for and against the big bang, and possible future discoveries that JWST may make. Hugh and Mike discuss this important topic in this episode of Stars, Cells, and God. Links and Resources: | |||
| 15 Sep 2022 | How Mars Lost Its Water and Adaptation & Providence | 00:38:51 | |
Join Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, as well as new discoveries that point to the reality of God’s existence. How Mars Lost Its Water Of all the solar system bodies, Mars is the place most likely to have hosted life in the past. However, compared to Earth, Mars now has a small atmosphere and minimal water. The reasons Mars lost its water and atmosphere highlight the seemingly unique capacity of Earth to support life. Adaptation & Providence Recently, a large team of collaborators headed up by researchers from the University of California, Santa Cruz highlighted another mechanism that they think contributes to organisms’ ability to adapt: introgression—the introduction of genetic material into the gene pool of another species through interbreeding or hybridization. Insights such as this latest one are often viewed as prima facie evidence for life’s evolutionary history. Can discoveries such as this be viewed as legitimate from a creation model standpoint? Fuz and Jeff discuss these important topics in this episode of Stars, Cells, and God. Links and Resources: | |||
| 05 Apr 2023 | Obstetrics Dilemma and Abortion Pill Reversal | 01:01:14 | |
Join Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Chris Cirucci as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Obstetrics Dilemma Many skeptics point to the difficulties and dangers of the human birthing process as a flawed biological design, best explained as the product of human evolutionary history. This problem is exemplified by the obstetrics dilemma—a concept that sees the origin of the human birthing process as a compromise between two evolutionary pressures: (1) the shift of our knuckle-walking ape-like ancestor to a bipedal hominin and (2) the increased size of the human head. These two influences restricted the size of the human birth canal and made the passage of the human neonate with a large head through the birth canal difficult. In this episode, Fuz Rana discusses recent insights from an evolutionary perspective into the origin of the human birthing process (and the obstetrics dilemma) and then offers an explanation for the obstetrics dilemma from a creation model/design perspective. Abortion Pill Reversal When a woman decides to undergo a chemical abortion, she takes two medications: mifepristone on the first day, followed 24–48 hours later by misoprostol. What if she changes her mind after taking the first abortion pill? Is there any hope to save her unborn child? Can chemical abortion be reversed? Or is abortion pill reversal “junk science” as some would contend? Links and Resources:
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| 13 Sep 2023 | Design Proteins and Cosmic Time Dilation | 01:02:13 | |
Join Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Hugh Ross as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Designer Proteins Recently, a research team from the University of Washington achieved a milestone in nanotechnology when they used computational methods to design proteins from the ground up shaped into structures that resemble axles and rotors. In turn, they assembled these components into rudimentary protein machines. This proof-of-principle work sets the stage for scientists and technologists to design other machine parts that can be used to fabricate even more sophisticated protein machines. In this episode, biochemist Fuz Rana discusses this exciting work and explores how it can be marshalled as evidence for a Creator’s role in the origin and design of life. Cosmic Time Dilation Time dilation provides direct evidence for the biblically implied big bang creation model. A cornerstone of big bang cosmology is that the universe expands from an infinitesimally small spacetime volume. In such a universe distant galaxies and quasars will be moving away from Earth at high velocities. According to special relativity, clocks moving at high velocities relative to Earth will show time extended by a factor of 1 divided by the square root of (1 – v2/c2), where “v” is the velocity at which the clock is moving and “c” is the velocity of light. Astronomers have observed the cosmic time dilation predicted by the big bang in the light curves of type Ia supernova in galaxies 4–9 billion years away. However, until now, they have not seen it in the very distant universe where the time dilation effect would be 10–60 times greater. Now, a two-decade study of the variability of quasars more distant than 12.8 billion light-years has spectacularly affirmed the expected cosmic time dilation. Thus, it affirms the Bible’s accuracy in anticipating future scientific discoveries and helps establish the doctrine of biblical inerrancy. Links and Resources:
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| 02 Feb 2023 | Is Nuclear Fusion Feasible? | 00:47:39 | |
Is Nuclear Fusion Feasible? Join physicists Drs. Jeff Zweerink and Eric Hedin on Stars, Cells, and God for an informative conversation on the use of nuclear fusion to address our energy needs. A recent nuclear fusion breakthrough at the National Ignition Facility brought this topic to mainstream news. While this breakthrough is a tremendous accomplishment, the news coverage has prompted many questions about the feasibility of someday using nuclear fusion as our primary power source. Hedin and Zweerink discuss the scientific background of the achievement and address the remaining hurdles to using nuclear fusion as a replacement for fossil fuels. Links and Resources: | |||
| 07 Feb 2024 | God and Logic | 00:43:56 | |
In this episode, biochemist Fazale Rana is joined by Brazilian lawyer and philosopher Tassos Lycurgo to discuss how the laws of logic point to the necessary existence of God. In this freewheeling conversation, they also discuss the relationship between mathematics and God and explore other philosophical arguments for God’s existence. | |||
| 22 Sep 2022 | Neanderthal Brains and First Exoplanet | 00:55:58 | |
Join Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, as well as new discoveries that point to the reality of God’s existence. Neanderthal Brains Are human beings unique and exceptional? A large collaborative team from Germany recently explored this question by examining the behavior of three proteins that play a role in cell division and are expressed at high levels in the developing cells of the brain’s neocortex. As it turns out, the modern human versions of these proteins have small but significant differences in their amino acid sequences compared to the mouse, Neanderthal, and Denisovan versions. The research team determined that, because of these differences, the cell division process in human brain cells occurs much more reliably than in the corresponding cells in mice, Neanderthals, and Denisovans. This discovery points to differences in brain development in modern humans and Neanderthals, suggesting cognitive differences between the two. First Exoplanet The James Webb Space Telescope recently imaged its first exoplanet, and researchers found that the telescope was ten times more sensitive than expected. What have we learned about this exoplanet, and how will those learnings inform the search for extraterrestrial life? Fuz and Jeff discuss these important topics in this episode of Stars, Cells, and God. Links and Resources:
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| 29 Sep 2022 | Cognitive Bias Studies and Fine-Tuned DNA Structure | 00:46:12 | |
Join Jeff Zweerink and Fazale “Fuz” Rana as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, as well as new discoveries that point to the reality of God’s existence. Cognitive Bias Studies Research demonstrates that people remember the challenges they face more than the benefits they enjoy. This “headwinds/tailwinds asymmetry” helps explain why both political parties see the electoral college as favoring the other party, why most people see their favorite team as having the most difficult schedule, and why children routinely characterize parents as favoring other siblings. Unfortunately, this asymmetry contributes to a darker side of human behavior in that people who perceive greater challenges and obstacles are more inclined to endorse morally questionable behavior. The Bible helps prevent this asymmetry and provides a prescription to encourage moral behavior. Fine-Tuned DNA Structure Every detail about the structure of DNA is precisely as it must be for life to be possible, reflecting a type of molecular fine-tuning. This fine-tuning comes into focus when biochemists ask “why” questions, such as: Why is DNA made up of the four nucleobases, (adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine) and not some other set of nucleobases? A chemist from Trinity University Dublin provided insight into this question by demonstrating that the set of nucleobases in DNA uniquely minimizes the harmful impact of a phenomenon called tautomerism, revealing a rationale for the composition of this important biomolecule. This insight raises additional questions: How should we account for the ingenuity and fine-tuning of DNA’s structure? Is it the outworking of a historically contingent evolutionary process, or do these features point to a Creator’s handiwork? Jeff and Fuz discuss these important topics in this episode of Stars, Cells, and God. Links and Resources: | |||
| 25 Aug 2022 | Mass Extinction & Enduring Life and Biochem Finite State Machines | 00:53:03 | |
Join Hugh Ross and Fazale “Fuz” Rana as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, as well as new discoveries that point to the reality of God’s existence. Mass Extinction & Enduring Life The Chicxulub impact event occurred when an asteroid at least 10 kilometers in diameter struck the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico 66,038,000 years ago. The impact energy, equivalent to three billion times the combined energies of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, immediately ignited massive volcanic eruptions around the world. A new study shows that the impact resulted in huge amounts of sulfur aerosols ejected into and above the stratosphere. This ejection caused severe global cooling lasting for several years, which amplified the mass extinction of life. There is now no doubt that the Chicxulub impact event drove at least 75 percent of Earth’s species to extinction. This mass extinction and the mass speciation event that quickly followed compensated for the Sun’s increasing brightness. This paved the way for the introduction of the advanced plants and animals that would make global human civilization possible, and provided an example of God’s creation activities described in Psalm 104:29–30. Biochemical Finite State Machines In June of 2021, a team of life scientists reported the discovery of the first-ever biochemical finite-state machine (FSM) when they characterized the gait of the single-celled ciliate Euplotes. This discovery makes it possible to present a revitalized Watchmaker argument for God’s existence and fulfills the Watchmaker prediction. It also leads to a new way to view biochemical systems that has profound theological implications. In this episode Hugh and Fuz discuss these important topics. Links and Resources: | |||
| 19 Jan 2023 | Hubble's Theft & Other Scientific Inaccuracies | 00:36:25 | |
Join Jeff Zweerink and David Block as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Hubble’s Theft & Other Scientific Inaccuracies The data showing the expansion of the universe is usually referred to as Hubble’s law. However, historical studies show that astronomer Edwin Hubble used others’ research without proper attribution in writing his paper on the subject in 1929. In 2018, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) officially voted to rename it the Hubble-Lemaître law since astronomer Georges Lemaître published a paper on the same subject in 1927, two years before Hubble. We will discuss the implications and apologetic value of this development as well as other common science/faith related misconceptions. Links and Resources: | |||
| 20 Sep 2024 | Does Light Tire and Does It Prove the Big Bang Wrong? | News of the Day | 00:16:45 | |
Join Hugh Ross in this News of the Day episode of Stars, Cells, and God as he discusses a paper published by computer scientist Lior Shamir. Lior’s statistical analysis of redshifts of distant galaxies indicates that light may lose energy as it travels through space and that if light indeed gets tired, then a major revision of the standard big bang model is in order.
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| 24 Jun 2024 | Dark Matter Particles? | News of the Day | 00:13:24 | |
Join Hugh Ross in this breaking News of the Day episode of Stars, Cells, and God. Hugh describes stars at our galaxy’s center showing their luminosities are augmented by the annihilation of dark matter particles in their cores. This could be the first direct discovery of dark matter particles.
Dark Matter Particles?
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| 24 Nov 2022 | Design of RNA Structure and Critical Theory In Physics | 01:08:31 | |
Join Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Design of RNA Structure Are biochemical systems the products of unguided, historically contingent evolutionary processes shaped by natural selection? Or is there another explanation for their structure and function? Researchers demonstrate that the laws of physics and chemistry predetermine RNA secondary structure, and these structures are precisely those needed to support RNA’s central role in biochemistry. This anthropic coincidence adds to the case for a biochemical manifestation of the anthropic principle and evidence for a Creator’s role in the origin of life. Critical Theory in Physics One of the central tenets of science is the ability to test any explanation against data from the real world. The fact that science is done by people means bias and unfairness get introduced into the process, yet scientists have a vested interest in eliminating this unfair aspect. Some want to use a misguided approach of looking at physics and physics education through the lens of critical theory—an approach that will almost certainly undermine the scientific enterprise. I discuss a peer-reviewed, published paper showing how critical theory analyzes physics instruction. Links and Resources: | |||
| 24 Jul 2024 | Stabilizing Continents | 00:46:15 | |
Himalayan Snow Warming Three physicists used data collected from 165 stations in the Himalayan-Tibetan region and a regional climate model to determine the effect of black carbon aerosols (BCAs) on the climate of South Asia. Their analysis revealed warming at high elevations due to BCAs. Such atmospheric heating reduces the global mean precipitation, which impacts the summer monsoons in South Asia. Thus, all of South Asia is facing a climate change crisis with both dire economic and health consequences. In this episode, astrophysicist Hugh Ross explains that replacing coal and biofuels with natural gas as an energy source is the quickest and most economical solution to South Asia’s climate crisis. Stabilizing Continents Continents play a critical role in Earth’s capacity to support a thriving and diverse array of life. Scientific studies show that some present-day continents formed at least 3 billion years ago. Those studies have assumed that the same process responsible for how our continents look today also ensured their stability. However, a recent paper highlights some important processes needed for large pieces of continents to stick around for billions of years. In this episode, astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink discusses how those processes reveal more fine-tuning of Earth to support life. Links and Resources: | |||
| 19 Aug 2024 | Snowball Events Timed for Advanced Life | News of the Day | 00:16:50 | |
Join Hugh Ross in this breaking News of the Day episode of Stars, Cells, and God. Hugh describes the first accurate dating of the beginning and end of the Sturtian snowball event—which covered over 80% of Earth’s surface with thick ice—and how this precise timing made advanced life possible.
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| 27 Mar 2024 | God's Hand in Creation | 00:58:47 | |
God’s Hand in Creation In this special episode, we replay a recorded conversation between prominent astronomer Dr. David Block (professor emeritus of mathematics and astronomy at the University of Witwatersrand and the director of RTB Africa) and world-renowned astronomer Giovanni Fazio (senior physicist at the Center for Astrophysics-Harvard & Smithsonian and a lecturer in the department of astronomy at Harvard University). This wide-ranging conversation between two friends includes their collaboration studying the Andromeda galaxy, their perspectives on God’s handiwork in creation, and Dr. Fazio’s groundbreaking contributions to infrared astronomy. Links and Resources: | |||
| 12 Jan 2023 | Viruses Fuel the Carbon Cycle and Digital Health | 00:43:09 | |
Join Hugh Ross and James Patterson, MD, as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Viruses Fuel the Carbon Cycle A recent study shows that DNA and RNA viruses in the oceans play a crucial role in the ocean carbon flux cycle. Additionally, they play significant roles in the sulfur, nitrogen, and deep ocean cycles. Viruses deposit huge amounts of carbon, sulfur, nitrogen, and oxygen on an ongoing basis onto the ocean floors. Once there, subducting plates move these elements into Earth’s mantle. Without this process, advanced life wouldn’t be possible. These huge deposits require that ocean viruses be extremely abundant and diverse and that they be specifically designed in a variety of ways so that advanced life can thrive. Digital Health In a world that is now more connected than ever in a digital sense, it seems that humans are becoming more and more disconnected. We’ve all seen it—a room full of people, all staring at their smartphones. Why is that? Why are more people depressed and suicidal now than ever before? What can we do to promote healthy living in a digitally connected society? Links and Resources: | |||
| 04 Sep 2024 | The Cause of Gender Dysphoria | 00:52:41 | |
The Cause of Gender Dysphoria
Biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana is joined by physician Steve Willing as they address these questions and discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Disclaimer: Reasons to Believe is expressing our Christian beliefs on the issues of gender identity in the intersection of science and faith, as it’s an important discussion and many people have valid questions. This research showcases the expertise of select members of the Reasons to Believe Scholar Community on matters of gender identity. RTB is not offering medical or other professional advice. People need to consult with their own physicians, psychologists, psychiatrists, etc. We want to see everyone make informed, educated decisions. Links and Resources:
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| 17 Apr 2024 | Emerging AI Abilities or Not? | 00:51:42 | |
AI Abilities Emerging or Not? One concern regarding the development of artificial intelligence (AI) relates to the emergence of unpredictable features that arise as the systems grow in scale. Researchers consider an “emergent ability” as something that the AI has routinely failed to accomplish but suddenly performs well as the system grows in size (either from hardware or software growth). A number of papers claiming emergent abilities populate scientific literature. However, a recent study shows that these “emergent” abilities often reflect poorly designed measurement metrics or insufficient statistics. Better metrics and statistics remove the indicators of emergence. In this episode, computational biologist and physician Josh Swamidass and astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink discuss the details surrounding this issue and offer some insights from a Christian perspective. Links and Resources: | |||
| 26 Jan 2023 | God's Artistry | 00:40:53 | |
Join Fazale “Fuz” Rana and David Block in a lively conversation about God’s artistry as witnessed in his creation in this special episode of Stars, Cells, and God. Astronomer Dr. David Block and biochemist Dr. Fuz Rana make the case that God is an artist through a far-ranging conversation about the beautiful images coming from the James Webb Space Telescope and the remarkable design of biochemical systems—both of which highlight the beauty of creation. They also discuss the idea that our remarkable creativity as human beings only makes sense if we are made in the image of God to be co-creators. Links and Resources: | |||
| 21 Aug 2024 | Infant Universe | 01:08:33 | |
Hugh and Brian discuss research on the polarization signals in the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR)—the radiation left over from the cosmic creation event—that Brian conducted on the BICEP, BICEP2, POLARBEAR2, and Simons Array telescopes. They also discuss the significance of the polarization signals in establishing what kind of inflation event occurred at the tiniest fraction of a second after the universe’s beginning and the ongoing quest to gather more data on the polarization of the CMBR as a tool to learn more about the beginning and design of the universe. Brian also briefly describes his spiritual journey: a member of a Catholic church during his youth, becoming an atheist, and now a devout Jew in practice but an agnostic in belief. Links and Resources: | |||
| 22 Apr 2024 | NOTD-001 | 00:25:20 | |
Join Fazale “Fuz” Rana in this breaking News of the Day episode of Stars, Cells, and God. Fuz offers a critical assessment of a recent article addressing the origin-of-life topic.
Do Cracks in Rocks Explain Life’s Origin? A team of German researchers recently published results of a prebiotic simulation study in which they claim that thermal gradients could drive the generation of biopolymers (chains of molecules) on early Earth. These thermal gradients would have created convection currents in water-infused cracks in rocks and the convection currents would have, in turn, purified and concentrated prebiotic materials, facilitating the production of biopolymers. The researchers claim that this work provides key insight into a chemical evolutionary origin of life and solves the problem of unwarranted researcher involvement. In fact, these claims inspired a piece by Carolyn Y. Johnson in The Washington Post. In this episode, biochemist Fuz Rana describes this work and its significance to the origin-of-life problem. He also offers a critical assessment of the study, demonstrating how this work, along with previous studies in prebiotic chemistry, evince a Creator’s necessary role in the origin of life. Links and Resources: | |||
| 24 Apr 2024 | ERVs and Embryo Development and Just the Right Amount of Water | 00:56:56 | |
ERVs and Embryo Development For many people, the shared ERV (endogenous retrovirus) sequences in the human and great ape genomes evince common ancestry and an evolutionary origin for humanity. Yet, new discoveries about the physiological role of ERVs suggest another interpretation for why they appear in the human genome. In this episode, biochemist Fuz Rana discusses the latest insight into ERV molecular biology and explores the question, “Can a creation model explain the occurrence of ERV sequences in the human genome?” Just the Right Amount of Water Most people know that life depends on Earth’s oceans, but the continents play an equally critical role in Earth’s capacity to support life. However, a planet’s ability to have land relies on having just the right amount of water. Too little and there are no oceans at all but too much and the continents never rise above the ocean’s surface. One factor that influences the amount of surface water is the planet’s capacity to store water in its interior. Recent studies indicate that the ancient earth could store much less water than today. Therefore, doubling the amount of water on Earth would have prevented the formation of continents that rise above the oceans and stymied Earth’s capacity to support life. Links and Resources: | |||
| 01 Nov 2023 | Christianity, Islam, and Science | 01:01:17 | |
Join biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana and special guest, Christian apologist Abdu Murray, president and founder of Embrace the Truth Ministry, as they address how Christianity and Islam—two of the world’s three great monotheistic religions—engage with science. Christianity, Islam, and Science In this special episode, Fuz Rana and Abdu Murray address these questions, and more.
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| 28 Feb 2024 | Chimp Tactical Behavior and New Big Bang Test | 00:45:31 | |
Join Fazale Rana and Hugh Ross as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Chimp Tactical Behavior Researchers from the Tai Chimpanzee Project operating out of the Ivory Coast recently reported that chimpanzees make use of high ground to gain tactical information about rival groups. This is the first time that this human-like behavior has been observed in other animals. According to these researchers this behavior requires advanced cognitive skills and provides insight into humanity’s evolutionary origins. What do these observations say about human uniqueness and human exceptionalism? Do human beings only differ in degree, not kind, from the Great Apes? In this episode, biochemist Fuz Rana discusses this impressive study and engages these challenging questions. New Big Bang Test Astronomers used the SIBELIUS DARK computer simulation to test the predictions of the standard LCDM big bang creation model and standard galaxy formation theory. Based on these predictions, SIBELIUS DARK successfully reproduced the spatial distributions of galaxies in the Laniakea supergalaxy cluster. It agreed with the observed excess of giant elliptical galaxies along the supergalactic plane. The simulation also revealed—contrary to previous studies—new confirmation that large disk and elliptical galaxy formation fits key predictions of the LCDM big bang model. Links and Resources: | |||
| 21 Jul 2024 | Lensed Supernovae Creation Data and Milky Way's Massive Black Hole | 00:57:15 | |
Lensed Supernovae Creation Data (Hugh): Links and Resources:
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| 23 Feb 2023 | Bioinspired Flying Robots and Leprosy & God's Providence | 00:41:23 | |
Join Hugh Ross and Fazale “Fuz” Rana as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Bioinspired Flying Robots Drones the size of tiny flies could be sent en masse to inspect and diagnose hazardous sites, or fly through piles of rubble to find and determine the condition of trapped victims, or released from spacecraft to assist in exploration. By meticulously copying the designs in fruit flies and gnats, scientists used miniaturized, high-power density piezoelectric devices to develop the equivalent of flight muscles. They then copied the biological gyroscope in bees to make a gyroscope that weighs only 15 milligrams. These achievements show that copying God’s designs in his creatures enables us to build machines to help us fulfill our God-given mandate to manage Earth’s resources for our benefit and the benefit of all life. Leprosy & God’s Providence Researchers have discovered that the mechanisms that M. leprae—the bacterium that causes leprosy—uses to spread within the human host are the same mechanisms that biomedical researchers may one day leverage to regenerate livers and, possibly, other organs. This discovery highlights God’s providential care for humanity. Links and Resources:
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| 23 Aug 2023 | Synthetic Embryos and Alien Spacecraft? | 00:37:32 | |
Join Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Hugh Ross as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Synthetic Embryos A research team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences recently reported on the first-ever production of synthetic embryos from monkey embryonic stem cells. This work follows on the heels of other research that demonstrates how (1) synthetic embryos can be produced from human embryonic stem cells, and (2) synthetic mice embryos made from embryonic stem cells can develop in a bioreactor beyond the earliest stage to display the beginning of organ formation. In this episode, biochemist Fuz Rana addresses questions such as:
Alien Spacecraft? Dozens of news stories have come out claiming that the US government has admitted to possessing physical evidence of alien spacecraft. Since we claimed in our book, Lights in the Sky & Little Green Men, that no such evidence exists, we have been asked to respond to these new claims. There are a few reasons we stand by the claims we made two decades ago. First, the US government and military security are not capable of hiding such physical evidence from the public for several decades. Second, no one has ever produced a single physical artifact from an alien craft. The third, and most definitive reason, is that physical spacecraft larger than 10 centimeters across cannot traverse interstellar space. The required travel velocities and the laws of physics guarantee that such spacecraft would be destroyed long before they reach Earth. In this episode, we’ll expound on these and give examples that support our reasoning. Links and Resources: | |||
| 16 Oct 2024 | No Sign of Dark Photons | News of the Day | 00:13:05 | |
Join Hugh Ross in this breaking News of the Day episode of Stars, Cells, and God. Hugh describes a search for dark photons, a candidate for comprising a large fraction of the universe’s dark matter. The search consisted of comparing a detailed map of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) with a catalog of more than 500 million galaxies.
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| 01 Mar 2023 | 5th Force & Creation and AI & Work & Value | 00:41:28 | |
Join Hugh Ross and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Fifth Force and Creation Some scientists have speculated that a possible fifth force of physics might provide a loophole permitting them to escape the theistic implications of cosmological and origin-of-life research findings. In that scenario stars would possess larger diameters and masses than a universe with only four physical forces. However, observations of stars and ongoing analysis of helioseismic measures put stringent limits on a speculative fifth force. These limits significantly strengthen the case for biblical creation models. AI and Work and Value Ongoing work in artificial intelligence (AI) repeatedly generates AI systems capable of doing things once thought only possible by humans. Starting with chess in the 1990s, AIs now outperform humans in many arenas—the latest examples include the games Stratego and Diplomacy, and even writing computer code. As AIs continue to encroach on humanity’s domain, we would be wise to consider the proper way to think about human value and the importance of work—two ideas that the Bible clearly addresses. Links and Resources: | |||
| 21 Jul 2022 | Lensed Supernovae Creation Data and Milky Way's Massive Black Hole | 00:57:15 | |
Join Hugh Ross and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, as well as new discoveries that point to the reality of God’s existence. Large galaxies and galaxy clusters, acting as gravitational lenses, allow astronomers to observe supernova eruption events occurring in much more distant galaxies. Such observations provide astronomers with the opportunity to determine cosmic creation parameters during that part of the early history of the universe where previously they could make only ballpark determinations. It’s now within astronomers’ grasp to obtain high precision measurements of the entire history of the universe. These measurements promise to provide a more detailed and comprehensive confirmation of the biblical cosmic creation model and for Jesus Christ as the Creator of the universe and everything that it contains. Using the Event Horizon Telescope, astronomers have now imaged a second supermassive black hole—the one at the center of our Milky Way Galaxy. The technology required for these observations is remarkable, and the data will give us important insight into how this black hole affects our galaxy. Will this data help us gain tools to probe quantum gravity? What do these insights tell us about the habitability of the Milky Way? In this episode Hugh and Jeff discuss these important topics. Links and Resources:
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| 13 May 2024 | Interstellar Cloud Trigger for Civilization | News of the Day | 00:15:00 | |
Join astrophysicist Hugh Ross in this breaking News of the Day episode of Stars, Cells, and God. Hugh describes the discovery of the important role interstellar space clouds played in establishing the current ice age cyclethat made our advanced civilization possible. Join us as we explore why we must be in an ice age cycle and:
This episode is packed with astronomical and geological revelations that explain why our current global, high-technology civilization is uniquely possible. Links and Resources: | |||
| 15 Mar 2023 | Rebounding from an Ice Age | 00:32:31 | |
Join Hugh Ross and Kevin Birdwell as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Rebounding from an Ice Age Earth has undergone approximately 25 ice age cycles over the last several million years, with 85 to 90% of that time spent in conditions much colder than the present warm period. Yet, every cold glacial period thus far has ended with a warm “interglacial” period similar to the present global climate. But why does this happen? What allows an Earth with a much higher percentage of ice and snow cover to recover from cold temperatures associated with the deep glacial periods of our recent past? Links and Resources:
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| 17 Jan 2024 | Cosmic Explosion Risk and Dust Drives Dinosaur Demise | 00:42:46 | |
Join Hugh Ross and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Cosmic Explosion Risk Astronomers have discovered yet another risk to advanced life in the universe—extremely luminous, fast-cooling transients. The most likely explanation for this newly discovered cosmic exploder is a tidal encounter between a star and a stellar-mass black hole or a star and an intermediate-mass black hole. It will take further observations to determine the precise risk of these events to advanced life in the universe. Initially, however, it appears that Earth resides in a galaxy, galaxy group, and galaxy cluster where such events should either be nonexistent or extremely rare. Dust Drives Dinosaur Demise Overwhelming evidence points to dramatic extinction events in Earth’s history where most of the life died out. One of the most well-known extinction events occurred 66 million years ago (the boundary between the Cretaceous and Paleogene periods) and marked the end of the non-avian dinosaurs on Earth. Although the evidence pointing to the extinction is strong, scientists still seek to understand what caused the mass death. New evidence points to a specific size of dust particle that caused photosynthesis to shut down for almost two years after the impact of a miles-wide asteroid hitting Earth. This new research provides insight into Earth’s history as well as the processes God used to prepare Earth for humanity. Links and Resources: | |||
| 14 Feb 2024 | Origin of Composite Genes and Infinities and Absurdities | 01:05:23 | |
Join Fazale Rana and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Origin of Composite Genes A team of investigators from the University of Nottingham in the UK has demonstrated that composite genes make up about 5 percent of the gene groups in animal genomes. When viewed from an evolutionary framework, these composite genes don’t appear to have accrued gradually in animal genomes but instead arose in bursts at times that correlate with evolutionary innovation. As it turns out, about 40 percent of composite genes appear to have had multiple independent evolutionary origins. In this episode, biochemist Fazale Rana discusses this remarkable study and explores what this new insight means for evolutionary and creation models. Infinities and Absurdities The topic of infinity fascinates people and provides for interesting discussions regarding the nature of creation. Often, when discussing infinity, one will hear the claim that actual infinities don’t exist because they lead to absurdities. In this episode, astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink provides some background to this assertion and then makes a counter claim that we could apply the same logic to the notion of zero. However, since few rational people would argue that actual zeroes don’t exist, Jeff contends that we cannot use some popular arguments about infinities to claim that actual infinities don’t exist. Links and Resources: | |||
| 18 Aug 2022 | Human Flourishing: Energy, CO2, and Food | 00:55:27 | |
Join Pat McGuire and Hugh Ross as they discuss the science behind human flourishing, energy, CO2, and food and the theological and philosophical implications. Genesis 1:28 tells us to subdue the earth and rule over every living thing. How do we balance energy and food needs in light of CO2 emissions? What does the climate change data show? What actions should we take, or not take, to be good stewards of planet Earth? How do these issues point to the reality of God’s existence? Pat and Hugh discuss these important questions in this episode of Stars, Cells, and God. Links and Resources
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| 29 Nov 2023 | Neanderthal Flower Burial Nixed and Source of Heavy Elements | 00:39:34 | |
Join Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Hugh Ross as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Neanderthal Flower Burial Nixed Were Neanderthals like us? The answer to this question has profound implications for our understanding of human origins, and for the RTB creation model. Some anthropologists argue that Neanderthals engaged in ritualistic burials reflecting the capacities for symbolism and religion—features that define modern humans. One of the most important pieces of evidence for ritualistic burials among Neanderthals comes from the Shanidar Cave in northern Iraq. One of the layers harboring Neanderthal remains and artifacts includes a partial adult skeleton that was unearthed in what appears to be a grave. The skeleton had a clump of pollen grains from flowering plants on top of it. Some anthropologists believe that this find indicates Neanderthals buried their dead with flowers—possible evidence for ritualistic burial practices. However, researchers from Liverpool John Moores University have reexamined the pollen recovered from Shanidar and reach a very different conclusion. In this episode, biochemist Fuz Rana discusses this latest insight into Neanderthal burials and its impact on the RTB human origins model. Source of Heavy Metals A team of 13 astronomers used the James Webb Space Telescope to measure the chemical abundances of galaxies that formed just 600 million years after the big bang creation event. They found that these galaxies are much poorer in heavy elements than what astronomers had previously thought. This underabundance makes Earth’s endowment of the heavy elements essential for advanced life and civilization all the more remarkable, and it provides yet more evidence for the super-intelligent, supernatural design of the solar system—and Earth in particular—that makes the existence of humans and human civilization possible. Links and Resources:
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| 13 Oct 2022 | Boas Breathe & Squeeze and Binary Stars with Planets | 00:34:25 | |
Join Hugh Ross and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, as well as new discoveries that point to the reality of God’s existence. Boas Breathe & Squeeze Prey How do boa constrictors avoid suffocating themselves while suffocating their prey? The secret lies in their rib cage. Binary Stars with Planets For a long time, the conventional wisdom was that planets couldn’t form around binary stars because of the gravitational disruptions of the binary orbit. However, astronomers have found many planets in binary star systems. We look at one particular system to demonstrate that, while we can find planets in binary systems, numerous factors make these planets uninhabitable. Hugh and Jeff discuss these important topics in this episode of Stars, Cells, and God. Links and Resources: | |||
| 03 Jul 2024 | Smart Dams and Malicious AIs | 00:43:19 | |
Smart Dams More than 58,000 dams that are built higher than 15 meters (50 feet) exist on nearly all the world’s rivers. Consequently, migratory fish stocks have declined by 76% since 1970 and populations of “megafish” have declined by 94%. Two water resource engineers combined fish migratory taxonomy data with migratory fish life cycle and dam impact models to determine the best fish rescue strategies for five flagship fish species residing in the 12 large dams on the Yangtze River in China. They identified six major misjudgments in China’s fish rescue programs and concluded that large, effective fishways are essential for maintaining robust fish stocks. Malicious AIs The quest for more powerful and capable AIs inevitably involves making more sophisticated training algorithms and models with a larger number of parameters. While pursuing this quest, AI developers are also investigating how to align AIs with the values and behaviors we want. Recent research demonstrated that those two goals currently stand in opposition to one another. Specifically, making larger, more sophisticated models results in AIs that effectively resist training to eliminate malicious behavior—regardless of whether the malicious behavior was intentionally programmed or an unintended consequence. Such results provide additional evidence that we humans need to build godly character in ourselves so that we can wisely and responsibly develop and use these powerful AI tools. Links and Resources: | |||
| 04 Aug 2022 | Human Genome Sequence and The Science of Diversity | 00:50:46 | |
Join Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, as well as new discoveries that point to the reality of God’s existence. The year 2000 marked one of the most significant scientific accomplishments of all time: a “working draft” of the human genome sequence. Yet, at that time, about 8 percent of the human genome remained unsequenced. These unsequenced regions consist of highly repetitive sequences. Recently, the Telomere-to-Telomere (T2T) Consortium made use of advances in DNA sequencing technology to sequence most of the remaining 8 percent of the human genome. What does this advance mean for the RTB creation model? Some scientists are embarking on a massive project to collect racial, ethnic, and gender information from scientists submitting papers to journals, the peer reviewers of the papers, and the editors of the journals. This data can be of great value in investigating biases in scientific publishing, but without careful thought it can run afoul of the scientific process at the same time. Can scientists investigate bias in publishing without collecting data that might jeopardize the safety of certain groups? Can we pursue efforts to discourage discrimination without allowing explanations that might offend some people? In this episode Fuz and Jeff discuss these important topics. Links and Resources: | |||
| 25 Sep 2024 | Intersex Conditions and Transgenderism | 00:57:54 | |
Intersex Conditions and Transgenderism Are there only two sexes? Many people argue that intersex conditions are evidence that sex exists on a spectrum. Is this a valid argument? In this episode, medical doctor Ryan Matthews joins biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana to take on these questions and more. Along the way, Dr. Matthews makes the point that disorders of sexual development cannot be marshalled to normalize transgenderism. Disclaimer: Reasons to Believe is expressing our Christian beliefs on the issues of gender identity in the intersection of science and faith, as it’s an important discussion and many people have valid questions. This research showcases the expertise of select members of the Reasons to Believe Scholar Community on matters of gender identity. RTB is not offering medical or other professional advice. People need to consult with their own physicians, psychologists, psychiatrists, etc. We want to see everyone make informed, educated decisions.
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| 27 Sep 2023 | Purpose in Cosmology and Biology | 00:53:33 | |
Join biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana and astronomer David Block as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Purpose in Cosmology and Biology Is the fine-tuning of the universe limited to the constants of physics or does it manifest in other areas of science such as chemistry, biochemistry, and biology? In this episode, David and Fuz describe and discuss the anthropic principle and its theological implications. They also discuss the idea of process structuralism, an evolutionary model that maintains that physical forces—not natural selection—shaped the history of life. How does this view of the evolutionary process intersect with the anthropic principle? And how do these two ideas provide evidence for design and purpose in the universe and life? Links and Resources: | |||
| 16 Oct 2024 | Interview with Physician Raj Kumar Songa | 00:44:11 | |
Interview with Physician Raj Kumar Songa In this episode of Stars, Cells, and God, Hugh Ross interviews Raj Kumar Songa, a physician specializing in internal medicine. Raj is a Reasons to Believe Scholar Community member and serves on the board of directors of RTB APAC (Asia-Pacific). He lives in Hyderabad, India, where in addition to his medical practice he heads up several enterprises, including a Christian bookstore. He also serves as a visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley. In this interview Raj shares his testimony of how he became a follower of Jesus Christ, his role in launching RTB APAC, biblical principles of giving, and the responsibility of all Christians to use the wealth they create to further the kingdom of God. | |||
| 26 Jul 2023 | Lab Meat and Photosynthetic Zone | 00:52:43 | |
Join Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Hugh Ross as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science—discoveries that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Lab Meat Futurists think that lab meat will soon be commercially available as an ethical and environmentally friendly alternative to meat produced from animal stocks. However, a research team from UC Davis has challenged the environmental friendliness of lab meat by arguing that the effects of making such meat from current technology are much worse for the environment than meat produced through agricultural means. In this episode, biochemist Fuz Rana discusses the pros and cons of lab meat and offers a Christian perspective on this emerging biotechnology. Photosynthetic Zone Four astronomers have demonstrated the necessity of the photosynthetic habitable zone for any planet thought to be a candidate for advanced life. They explain why the range of distances from a host star for a planet to conceivably harbor photosynthetic life must be narrower than the range of distances where a planet could conceivably possess surface liquid water. The team concludes that the parameter space for signs of life is far narrower than the standard HZ (liquid water habitable zone). In this episode, Hugh explains that it takes a lot of design for photosynthetic life to exist on a planet. Links and Resources: | |||
| 07 Aug 2024 | Identity and Medical Ethics | 00:33:23 | |
Gender Identity and Medical Ethics There’s still much to explore regarding the ethical implications of gender identity and medical interventions. In this insightful dialogue, biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana and medical doctor Christina Cirucci discuss what puberty blockers are, their use in gender-affirming healthcare, and their reversibility and safety. Through her work and research with RTB, Dr. Cirucci raises thought-provoking questions that challenge Christians to consider their stance on issues such as:
Central to our discussion is the biblical concept that every human bears God’s image, underscoring their inherent dignity and worth. We emphasize the necessity of accurate and reliable information regarding gender identity care and advocate for compassionate, informed, and respectful responses. Disclaimer: Reasons to Believe is expressing our Christian beliefs on the issues of gender identity in the intersection of science and faith, as it’s an important discussion and many people have valid questions. This research showcases the expertise of select members of the Reasons to Believe Scholar Community on matters of gender identity. RTB is not offering medical or other professional advice. Individuals still need to consult with their own physicians, psychologists, psychiatrists, etc. Our desire is to see everyone make informed, educated decisions. Links and Resources | |||
| 03 Jul 2024 | Do Early Supermassive Black Holes Refute the Big Bang? | News of the Day | 00:15:23 | |
Join Hugh Ross in this breaking News of the Day episode of Stars, Cells, and God. Hugh describes the discovery of four fully-formed supermassive black holes that existed just 410–760 million years after the cosmic creation event. Do Early Supermassive Black Holes Refute the Big Bang?
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| 15 Nov 2023 | The Musings on AI | 00:50:04 | |
Join astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink and special guest Christian apologist and lawyer Abdu Murray (president and founder of Embrace the Truth Ministry) as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Musings on AI Artificial intelligence (AI) has already penetrated many areas of our daily life. While AI can bring some benefits, we often don’t understand the long-term effects of AI use. In this episode, Jeff Zweerink and Abdu Murray explore some of the consequences that might ensue as we utilize AI in the legal profession. Of particular interest is the way AI will impact our relationships, not just in legal matters, but in everyday life as well. Links and Resources: Can the AI Driving ChatGPT Help to Detect Early Signs of Alzheimer's Disease? Did Life Exist on Mars? Other Planets? With AI’s Help, We May Know Soon | |||
| 25 Oct 2023 | Biochemical Maxwell Demons and First Australians | 00:52:41 | |
Join Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Hugh Ross as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Biochemical Maxwell Demons Maxwell’s demon is a thought experiment designed to illustrate the second law of thermodynamics. In this imaginary scenario, a demon operates a massless door separating two boxes filled with gas molecules. The demon opens and shuts the door to allow certain gas molecules to pass from one box to the other. Eventually one box contains high temperature molecules and the other, low temperature molecules—violating the second law of thermodynamics. Physicists have discovered why Maxwell’s demon doesn’t violate the second law by describing the demon’s activity with information theory. Recently, a team of biophysicists from Switzerland demonstrated that a special class of transport proteins found in cell membranes behave as literal Maxwell’s demons, making these proteins sophisticated computational devices. In this episode, biochemist Fuz Rana discusses this work and demonstrates why this discovery evinces a Creator’s role in the origin and design of life. First Australians Some scientists have long held that thermoluminescence dating of circular engravings in the Jinmium rock shelter proved that modern humans had colonized Australia 75,000–58,000 years ago. Carbon-14 measurements of charcoal samples found in the same layer as the engravings showed that this date was too old by a factor of 20 times. Other carbon-14 measurements on modern human remains and artifacts found in 26 other archaeological sites in Australia and New Guinea establish that anatomically modern humans first colonized Sahul (an ice age continent consisting of Australia, New Guinea, and Tasmania) 47,000–40,000 years ago and that evidence for an earlier arrival by modern humans is very weak. This newly established date for the first colonization of Sahul is consistent with the date of 44,000–40,000 years ago for the arrival of the first humans in Europe. These dates provide support for the biblical claim that there was a rapid, near simultaneous, widespread dispersal of humans from one region some time after Noah’s Flood. Links and Resources:
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| 13 Mar 2024 | A Distilled Doxology | 00:57:45 | |
A Distilled Doxology In this special episode, Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Sy Garte discuss Garte’s new book, Science and Faith in Harmony. Garte’s approach to science and faith inspires a sense of wonder. He demonstrates the many ways that science—the study of God’s spoken word—harmonizes with Scripture—God’s written word—in profoundly beautiful and meaningful ways. Links and Resources: | |||
| 09 Oct 2024 | A Medical Analysis of the Hallucination Hypothesis | 00:41:05 | |
A Medical Analysis of the Hallucination Hypothesis Join Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Dr. Joe Bergeron as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Jesus’s disciples experienced something that made them believe Jesus bodily resurrected from the dead after a grisly death by crucifixion. As a naturalistic explanation to explain away the biblical narrative, critical scholars have proposed that Jesus’s disciples were hallucinating when they saw the resurrected Jesus. This has been referred to as the hallucination hypothesis. Dr. Bergeron provides a medical analysis of hallucination hypotheses and explains why they are unsupportable and inconsistent with current medical understanding. Links and Resources: | |||
| 30 Aug 2023 | Neanderthal Engravings and Capturing CO2 | 00:50:19 | |
Join Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Neanderthal Engravings An international team of collaborators recently discovered “engravings” on the walls of the La Roche-Cotard cave system (in the Loire Valley of central France) that date to be older than 57,000 years. These engravings appear to reflect the intentional activities of Neanderthals, suggesting that these hominins displayed the capacity for symbolic expression—just like modern humans. This discovery raises several questions:
Capturing CO2 With the growing concern over global climate change, scientists are thinking deeply about how to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. Many of these ideas focus on reducing the amount of CO2 produced, but they also address ways to remove CO2 and store it. In this episode, we discuss some of the removal techniques while considering the technical and philosophical hurdles researchers face. Links and Resources:
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| 01 Sep 2022 | Aquatic Dinosaurs and Fasting & Brain Metabolism | 00:40:38 | |
Join professor of nutrition Dr. Jim Painter and Hugh Ross as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, as well as new discoveries that point to the reality of God’s existence. Fasting & Brain Metabolism Fasting is beneficial for many reasons. As would be expected, eating less is associated with weight loss. Fasting has also been utilized in treating cancer, reducing heart disease risk, and treating irritable bowel disease. For many years it was thought that once a brain cell is lost, it could never be regrown. But recent research has shown that fasting improves brain function and is involved in neuroplasticity, the growth of new brain cells. Fasting upregulates brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is the compound responsible for the brain's ability to regrow damaged tissues. Aquatic Dinosaurs A creation principle proclaimed throughout the longest of the creation psalms (Psalm 104) is that God packed Earth with the maximum biomass and maximum biodiversity. Such maximal creation activity ensured that humans had all the biodeposit resources they needed to launch and sustain global civilization. A new research study shows that large carnivorous dinosaurs prowled the shallow seas that covered much of the continental landmasses 230–66 million years ago. Only when extensive shallow seas existed on Earth was it possible for land animals as massive as the largest dinosaurs to live and thrive. Jim and Hugh discuss these important topics in this episode of Stars, Cells, and God. Links and Resources: | |||
| 10 Apr 2024 | Growing Human Organs in Pigs and Mitigating Air Pollution | 00:58:30 | |
Growing Human Organs in Pigs In the fall of 2023, a team of researchers from China published the results of a proof-of-principle study that demonstrated for the first time that it’s possible to grow humanized kidneys in a fetal pig. This work provides the means to study the process of organogenesis that may also alleviate the shortage of organs available for human transplant procedures. However, this research raises all sorts of questions that could be summarized with a single question: “Should we play God?” In this episode, biochemist Fuz Rana describes the work of the Chinese researchers and offers a Christian perspective on the creation of human-animal chimeras. Mitigating Air Pollution Air pollution level in India’s capital territory of Delhi is more than 25 times greater than the maximum human tolerable level set by the World Health Organization (WHO). This pollution is called PM2.5 (inhalable particles with diameters of 2.5 micrometers or less) and is almost entirely composed of black carbon soot, mineral dust, sulfates, nitrates, ammonia, and sodium chloride. Scientists at WHO have determined that the average Indian living in Delhi would live 11.9 years longer if the PM2.5 level there were reduced to WHO’s maximum limit. Nearly all of India’s PM2.5 air pollution comes from the burning of coal, wood, biomass, diesel, gasoline, and oil, in that order. Replacing these fuel sources with natural gas would eliminate all of India’s PM2.5 except for the small contribution from road and construction dust. This replacement would also immediately reduce carbon greenhouse gas emissions by nearly half. Links and Resources:
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| 23 Oct 2024 | Nuclear Power and Climate Change | 00:52:34 | |
Nuclear Power and Climate Change One undeniable question accompanies any discussion about climate change: How much power do we need and what existing technologies are capable of generating that power? Most technologies capable of producing sufficient power for the world’s energy needs also emit large amounts of greenhouse gases. Technologies emitting fewer greenhouse gases don’t produce abundant power—except for nuclear power. In this episode, atmospheric scientist Kevin Birdwell and astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink discuss how current and future nuclear power technologies dramatically impact our ability to generate adequate power for humanity in an environmentally friendly way. Links and Resources: | |||
| 08 Mar 2023 | Green Logging and Our Rare Galaxy | 00:28:09 | |
Join Hugh Ross and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Green Logging Eleven environmentalists have developed new techniques for determining forest ecosystem health based on the energetics of plants, trees, birds, mammals, and insects living within tropical forests in Malaysian Borneo. They compared measurements from five old-growth, unlogged forests with those from four selectively logged forests and one palm oil plantation. These environmentalists found that wise selective logging of forests maximizes possible lumbering income while simultaneously optimizing the forest ecosystem and maximizing global warming mitigation. Our Rare Galaxy Our Milky Way galaxy is not unusual when it comes to size, but astronomers continue to find ways that it’s unlike the vast majority of other galaxies in the universe. The latest example relates to how large the Milky Way is when accounting for the unusually small velocity dispersion of galaxies in our local neighborhood. Simulations reveal that we have to look outside a box nearly 600 million light-years on a side to expect another galaxy matching the Milky Way’s size and velocity dispersion. Links and Resources:
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| 20 Oct 2022 | Climate, Security, & Stewardship | 00:54:09 | |
Join Hugh Ross and Leslie Wickman in a conversation about climate changes, national security, and the importance of environmental stewardship and how they point to the reality of God’s existence. Climate, Security, and Stewardship Leslie Wickman’s motivation for environmental stewardship is closely tied to her passion for space exploration, and the realization of just how rare our Earth appears to be. Climate change indicators are trending in the wrong direction to simply be dismissed as a natural variation in Earth’s weather patterns. The resulting environmental changes are being noticed and studied by the national security community. What should our response be as stewards of creation? Hugh and Leslie discuss this important topic in this episode of Stars, Cells, and God. Links and Resources: | |||
| 10 Jul 2024 | A New Organelle? and Atmospheric Oxygenation | 00:51:02 | |
A New Organelle? A team of life scientists has claimed to discover a new organelle (called a nitroplast) that fixes nitrogen. It looks like this organelle evolved from an endosymbiont that assumed permanent residence in a eukaryotic cell. If so, this discovery provides support for the endosymbiont hypothesis, challenging the notion that a Creator is responsible for life’s origin and design. In this episode, biochemist Fuz Rana describes this work and its significance to life’s history, and offers a critical assessment of the study’s conclusion. Atmospheric Oxygenation An international team of 17 scientists has proposed that a dramatic weakening of Earth’s magnetic field caused an oxygen level jump 575 million years ago. They showed that a much weaker magnetic field would cause solar particles to split apart water molecules in Earth’s atmosphere into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen would escape to interplanetary space, leaving the oxygen to accumulate in Earth’s atmosphere. They demonstrated that that the magnetic field decline is sufficient to explain most of the rapid oxygen rise (from 2% to 8%) that occurred at the time of the Avalon explosion, which marked the first appearance of macroscopic animals. In this episode, Hugh Ross explains that the transition of Earth’s core from being 100% liquid to where a solid inner core begins to form would explain the dramatic weakening of Earth’s magnetic field—and the minimum oxygen level needed for complex life—that occurred 0.6 million years ago. Links and Resources: | |||
| 01 Jul 2024 | Bolide Airbursts Trigger Recent Global Cooling Event | News of the Day | 00:16:59 | |
Join Hugh Ross in this breaking News of the Day episode of Stars, Cells, and God. Hugh describes the discovery of microspherules and meltglass at three North American sites, consistent with low-altitude airbursts from a disintegrating comet, that explain the Younger Dryas cooling onset 12,800 years ago. Bolide Airbursts Trigger Recent Global Cooling Event
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| 17 Nov 2022 | Neanderthal Brains, Redux and Local Realism Is Dead | 00:55:53 | |
Join Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Neanderthal Brains, Redux Are human beings exceptional? Recent work by a large collaborative team from the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig, Germany, explores this question by examining the behavior of the TKLT-1 protein in archaic and modern humans. This discovery points to differences in brain development in modern humans and Neanderthals, suggesting cognitive differences between the two. Local Realism Is Dead In our macroscopic world where quantum mechanical effects seem remote, we operate as though the universe obeys two obvious properties. However, a suite of experiments over the past five decades demonstrates that both properties can’t be true in the world of quantum mechanics. We’ll describe the experiments that establish this remarkable conclusion as well as the implications for the science/faith discussion. Fuz and Jeff discuss these important topics in this episode of Stars, Cells, and God. Links and Resources:
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| 03 Nov 2022 | Urban Vs Rural Navigation and A Moon-Forming Collision | 00:36:02 | |
Join Hugh Ross and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Urban vs. Rural Navigation A huge survey shows that people living outside of cities are better navigators than their urban cousins. What does this tell us about how humans were designed? A Moon-Forming Collision The prominent giant impact hypothesis for the formation of the Moon is backed by plenty of evidence, but one troubling discrepancy remains. Can a new impact model resolve this discrepancy, adding to the already large body of evidence supporting the idea that Earth is fine-tuned for life? Hugh and Jeff discuss these important topics in this episode of Stars, Cells, and God. Links and Resources: | |||
| 28 Aug 2024 | Metal-Free Stars | 00:56:33 | |
Metal-Free Stars Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), a team of 15 astronomers discovered a galaxy (RXJ2129-z8HeII) with a measured redshift that corresponds to a distance of 13.16 billion light-years. This measurement implies that astronomers are seeing it just 630 million years after the big bang creation event. The newly discovered galaxy’s features include two unique features: a bright ultraviolet continuum with an extremely steep spectral slope and a strong helium emission line. These newly found features, combined with a discovery made a few months earlier of an ionized gas cloud in the halo of another galaxy that contains only hydrogen and helium, affirms a fundamental prediction of the biblically predicted big bang creation model. That prediction claims that before any stars form the elemental composition of the universe will, by mass, be composed of 75.33% hydrogen, 24.67% helium, and a trace amount of lithium. These discoveries provide yet more evidence that the more we learn about the universe, the more evidence we accumulate that a God beyond space and time created the universe and exquisitely designed it so that humans could live and thrive. Links and Resources: | |||
| 21 Feb 2024 | Too Many Early Galaxies and AI Easily Fooled | 00:42:39 | |
Join Hugh Ross and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Too Many Early Galaxies The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has revealed about ten times as many galaxies within the cosmos’s first 420 million years as what some big bang creation models predict. Astronomers are searching for an explanation for this overabundance of early galaxies. Possible scenarios include a high number of supernova events during the universe’s first 420 million years. Different big bang models predict different average star masses and different star formation rates during the universe’s first half billion years. It will take at least another year of JWST observations to determine which of these big bang creation models correctly describes very early and later epochs of cosmic history. AI Easily Fooled Powerful large language models (like ChatGPT) have demonstrated remarkable abilities to provide solutions to problems that require complex reasoning. Yet researchers want to discern the level of understanding by the AIs (artificial intelligence), just as a teacher wants to know how well a student comprehends a correct answer they provided. A recent study shows that despite generating good answers, AIs have very little understanding of the issues involved. Specifically, when confronted with challenges that involved absurdly wrong facts (like 8 x 7 = 14), the AIs will disavow the previous answer and apologize for being mistaken. This research demonstrates that, while AIs accomplish impressive tasks, they do not demonstrate some essential features of “intelligence.” Links and Resources:
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| 30 Oct 2024 | Winter Gatekeeper Hypothesis | 00:40:15 | |
Join Jeff Zweerink and Kevin Birdwell as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Winter Gatekeeper Hypothesis Virtually all public discussion about climate changes focuses on greenhouse gases—usually only carbon dioxide. Clearly greenhouse gases impact the climate, but scientific research demonstrates that the climate system is far more complicated than any single set of gases could describe. Specifically, one of the dominant drivers of the climate may be Earth’s capacity to transport energy from the tropics to the poles. This episode describes the winter gatekeeper hypothesis and its consequences for the global climate. Links and Resources: | |||
| 03 Jan 2024 | JWST Galaxies Explained and AI Sees Differently Than Us | 00:29:25 | |
Join Hugh Ross and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. JWST Galaxies Explained The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has revealed that early galaxies have much brighter ultraviolet luminosities than many big bang creation models predicted. Do such data challenge the creation view? Further research suggests not. Using a computer simulation, astronomers have found that the standard big bang creation models can still accommodate the new data from JWST. Their conclusions remain consistent with the findings reported in the Stars, Cells, and God episode #79 on the “Source of Heavy Elements”, aired on November 29, 2023. AI Sees Differently than Us As AIs (artificial intelligence) mimic more and more human behavior, the question continues to arise of whether AI is truly intelligent or not. One way to assess the data is to understand whether the AI does things differently than a human. In the arena of image and audio recognition, AIs have advanced tremendously, but there are some noticeable discrepancies between AI and human categorization. Research into one type of discrepancy shows that humans and AIs really do see the world differently—and those differences highlight important defining features of humanity. Links and Resources: | |||
| 01 May 2024 | Xenotransplant Success and "Big Ring" of Galaxies found | 00:50:18 | |
Xenotransplant Success Worldwide, millions of people need organ transplants and many die while waiting. It is impossible to scale up human organ donation rates to meet the demand. However, recent success in xenotransplantation may solve the shortfall. Surgical transplants of pig hearts, livers, and kidneys all show promise of (at least temporary) function and no signs of organ rejection. Xenotransplantation provides yet more evidence that God designed the higher animals to enhance human health and well-being. “Big Ring” of Galaxies Found Astronomers recently announced the discovery of a “Big Ring” of galaxy clusters. According to calculations based on scientists’ best understanding of the universe, the size of this ring exceeds the largest size structure that could possibly form, and it joins a class of about 10 structures that are “too big.” While some people might take this find as evidence that our current understanding of the universe (size, age, composition, etc.) is wrong, the discovery highlights how well we comprehend the universe and provides insight that will direct us into a deeper understanding. It also affirms the biblical prediction that we live in an orderly, reliable, and understandable creation. Links and Resources:
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| 03 May 2023 | The Image on the Shroud | 00:51:40 | |
Join Jeff Zweerink and Joseph Bergeron, as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. The Image on the Shroud Was Jesus’s resurrection recorded in the Shroud of Turin? A detailed chemical analysis of the shroud demonstrates that no high-energy processes (like emission of gamma rays or a burst of energy) were responsible for generating the image on the shroud. Instead, careful study reveals key evidence illuminating how the processes surrounding first-century crucifixion and burial readily produce the image seen on the shroud and give further evidence in support of the biblical accounts of Jesus’s death. Links and Resources: | |||
| 22 Mar 2023 | God's Image and Bison & Grass Diversity and Animal Smarts | 00:45:36 | |
Join Hugh Ross and Fazale “Fuz” Rana as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Bison & Grass Diversity A three-decade long field study in the Flint Hills ecoregion in Eastern Kansas shows that reintroducing bison to tallgrass prairie increased grassland species diversity by more than 100% compared to ungrazed areas and by more than 50% compared to areas grazed by domesticated cattle. In tallgrass prairie grazed by bison, researchers observed a continual increase in native plant species richness. Unlike domesticated cattle, bison engage in frequent wallowing, which increases habitat heterogeneity. Researchers noted that long-term, year-round grazing by bison resulted in plant communities that were resilient to the two-year severe drought that occurred from 2011–2012. The researchers concluded that “rewilding native megafauna could help to restore grassland biodiversity” worldwide. Animal Smarts & God’s Image Animals are intelligent and display remarkable skills that reflect the ability to plan and problem solve. Some life scientists interpret this behavior as evidence that animal intelligence is closer to human intelligence than we might have initially thought. This claim seems to challenge the view that human beings are exceptional. According to Scripture, human beings stand apart from all other creatures because we bear God’s image. But if, in essence, human beings are no different from animals, it’s challenging to maintain that we are the crown of creation, as Scripture teaches. Yet, recent work by biologist Johan Lind from Stockholm University indicates that animals engage in behavior that resembles flexible planning through a different process: associative learning. In this episode, biochemist Fuz Rana explores the scientific and theological implications of Lind’s insight. Links and Resources:
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| 14 Aug 2024 | Transgenderism Through a Medical and Biblical Lens | 00:43:48 | |
RTB president Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Dr. Steve Willing, a seasoned neuroradiologist, tackle the sensitive and pivotal topic of transgenderism through a biblical perspective. From the philosophical and scientific considerations to the profound implications for society and individuals, join us as they navigate through this complex terrain with respect, compassion, and a commitment to seeking the truth in the pursuit of a better understanding of God’s design for humanity. Transgenderism Through a Medical and Biblical Lens Reasons to Believe explores this topic not only to shed light on the scientific underpinnings of gender identity, but also to provide a comprehensive understanding rooted in biblical teachings. This initiative stems from a commitment to offer credible, trustworthy insights amid a landscape fraught with controversy and differing perspectives. Fuz and Steve discuss the definitions of transgenderism and the evolving medical and societal landscapes, and they address critical questions surrounding gender identity. They examine recent studies and societal shifts that help explain why gender identity has become a leading issue in contemporary discourse. Disclaimer: Reasons to Believe is expressing our Christian beliefs on the issue of gender identity in the intersection of science and faith, as it’s an important discussion and many people have valid questions. This research showcases the expertise of select members of the Reasons to Believe Scholar Community on matters of gender identity. RTB is not offering medical or other professional advice. People need to consult with their own physicians, psychologists, psychiatrists, etc. We want to see everyone make informed, educated decisions. Links and Resources: | |||
| 06 Mar 2024 | Crust Thickness and Life and Antimatter Feels Gravity | 00:38:47 | |
Join Hugh Ross and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Crust Thickness and Life A team of five geophysicists demonstrated that the level of oxides in basalt primary melts are a good proxy for the thickness of Earth’s crust. They then supervised a machine-learning algorithm to analyze global geodatabases (e.g., EarthChem and GEOROC) of basalts to determine the variation of the thickness of Earth’s crust spanning the past 3.8 billion years. Their analysis revealed five features of Earth’s crust that led to supercontinent cycles and plate tectonics that are highly fine-tuned for complex life on Earth Antimatter Feels Gravity When Einstein first published his general theory of relativity, scientists did not even know about antimatter—which was discovered almost 15 years later. Since then, scientists have speculated about how antimatter behaves in gravitational fields. Most think that it behaves just like normal matter. However, gravity’s weakness compared to electromagnetic forces has prevented any direct test to see if antimatter falls like normal matter. Recently, the ALPHA collaboration was able to isolate enough atoms of antihydrogen (antimatter counterpart of hydrogen) to demonstrate that the atoms behave like normal hydrogen atoms in a gravitational field. This result demonstrates two things. First, it provides even more evidence for the constancy of the laws of physics. Second, it shows that scientists are willing, able, and driven to test fundamental parts of theories rather than simply accept them without data. Links and Resources:
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| 19 Apr 2023 | Cheaper Clean Energy and Can Atoms Think? | 00:52:46 | |
Join Hugh Ross and Thomas Bieler as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Cheaper Clean Energy Scientists define “clean energy” as electricity for sustaining human civilization and technology that is not derived from the burning of fossil fuels. It is clean in that no particulates or greenhouse gases are injected into the atmosphere. Remarkably, in just twelve years, solar power and battery-based power storage costs have fallen by a factor of eight times. In a few more years, clean energy production will be cheaper than burning fossil fuels to produce electricity. Therefore, economic incentives alone will be adequate to restore climate stability within the time constraints needed to avoid ecological and climatic calamities. Can Atoms Think? What we think about atoms is intimately entwined with what we think about God, matter, energy, life, and chaos. Atoms are at the heart of the epic drama that underlies the tensions between theism, atheism, and science that simultaneously inform how we think about our culture, ourselves, our relationships with others, and our purpose in life. Links and Resources: | |||
| 15 May 2024 | Biological Basis for Belief? and Woke at the University? | 01:00:33 | |
Biological Basis for Belief? As human beings, our religious nature defines us. Treating it as a scientific question, many scientists wonder, how do we account for human spirituality and religiosity? Are there brain structures and processes that explain this behavior? Using lesion mapping, a research team from Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital recently determined the brain regions and neural circuits that account for religiosity and spirituality. This study (amongst others) raises troubling questions for Christians.
In this episode, biochemist Fuz Rana addresses these questions and presents a model that accommodates these scientific findings, while retaining a biblical view of human nature. Woke at the University During the 2023–2024 academic year, Rice University offered a course called “Afrochemistry” that claimed to “apply chemical tools and analysis to understand Black life in the US.” From January 16 to May 16, 2024, AcademicJobsOnline.org advertised a job for the University of Victoria’s physics and astronomy department that was only open to an indigenous person. Both examples show how a worldview subversive to the scientific enterprise is spreading into the scientific community. This view of contemporary critical theory sees the world in terms of oppressors and oppressed. In contrast, the Judeo-Christian worldview sees all people as valuable and worthy of God’s and our love. Additionally, the Judeo-Christian worldview buttresses and supports the foundation needed for the scientific enterprise to flourish. Links and Resources: | |||
| 08 May 2024 | Before the First Stars and The Universe: 28 GYr Old? | 00:50:21 | |
Before the First Stars A team of astronomers have used the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) “to boldly go where no man has gone before”: to observe and measure the composition of gas clouds before any stars formed. The JWST’s primary mission is to explore the cosmic dawn—the first billion years of cosmic history. Astronomers took a high-resolution spectrum of a giant gas cloud in the halo of GN-z11, a bright galaxy 13.38 billion light-years away, corresponding to only 410 million years after the big bang creation event. The only elements found in the gas cloud’s spectrum were hydrogen and helium. This is the first time astronomers detected an object in the universe where no elements heavier than helium exist. This discovery affirms a major prediction of the biblically predicted big bang creation model: that before stars formed, the elemental composition of the universe, by mass, will be 75.33% hydrogen, 24.67% helium, and a trace amount of lithium. The level of ionization in the gas cloud revealed that the stars in GN-z11’s core must all be in the range of 50–1,000 times the Sun’s mass. This mass range explains why astronomers observe many bright galaxies and several supermassive black holes in the cosmic dawn. All these discoveries provide yet more evidence that the more we learn about the universe, the more evidence we accumulate that a God beyond space and time created and exquisitely designed the universe so that at the just-right time and location, humans could live and thrive. The Universe: 28 GYr Old? Recent images from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) found galaxies that, given their age, appeared far larger and more complex than expected. In more lay-level arenas, this discovery was used to cast doubt on the standard big bang cosmological model. However, this discovery generated quite a bit of excitement in the scientific community because it revealed a fun problem to investigate. Consequently, astronomers have invested much effort trying to understand how to explain these large, complex galaxies. An author of a recent paper attempts to understand these galaxies by modifying how light propagates through the universe and by having some fundamental constants change over time. A careful analysis of this latter approach shows how standard big bang cosmology (with dark energy and dark matter) can give a robust explanation of the universe—and provide evidence for the God of the Bible. Links and Resources: | |||
| 26 Apr 2023 | The Man Behind the Shroud | 00:36:51 | |
Join Jeff Zweerink and Joseph Bergeron as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. The Man Behind the Shroud The Shroud of Turin remains one of the most hotly debated artifacts related to Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection. Join us as medical specialist Joe Bergeron discusses what an analysis of the shroud’s image reveals about the man behind the shroud. The data provides abundant evidence supporting the accounts of Jesus’s crucifixion given in the Gospels. Links and Resources: | |||
| 20 Mar 2024 | Perils of Space Travel and Drug Stability for Mars Mission | 00:30:30 | |
Join Jeff Zweerink and Steve Baertschi, president of Baertschi Consulting, as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Perils of Space Travel Although science fiction makes space travel seem almost inevitable, current research demonstrates numerous challenges to humans residing in space for long periods of time. Along with the well-known detrimental effects on muscle mass and density, research shows that prolonged periods in space expose the human body to far more radiation than encountered here on Earth. That radiation dramatically decreases our bodies’ capacity to fight off cancer and to keep past viral exposure in check. Additionally, radiation impacts the function of our gastrointestinal system and its ability to absorb nutrients and oral medications. These results highlight Earth’s amazing capacity to host a diverse and abundant array of life. Drug Stability for Mars Mission Drug stability is a function of the storage environment. Shelf-lives of 2–3 years (from refrigerated to room temperature storage) are common. NASA is planning for a roundtrip mission to Mars, expected to last 2–3 years. Little is known about the stability of drugs in deep space (outside of Earth’s protective magnetosphere). Limited studies of drugs on the International Space Station raise significant questions that have identified critical parameters: microgravity, vibration, humidity, ionizing radiation, carbon dioxide levels, and repackaging. Can we ensure a safe, stable drug formulatory that will meet all of the health needs for a round-trip journey to Mars in the deep space environment? Links and Resources: | |||
| 08 Sep 2022 | RNA Assembly on Glass and AI for Scientific Research | 01:00:59 | |
Join Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, as well as new discoveries that point to the reality of God’s existence. AI for Scientific Research Scientists have sought to utilize machine learning techniques—those that undergird most AI advances—for decades. While many interesting possibilities surface, they never seem to materialize examples of machine learning working better than human driven algorithms. Will humans always outperform AI options in scientific research, or have we just not found the right approach to AI yet? RNA Assembly on Glass Recently, a research team from the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution (FAME), led by origin-of-life researcher Steve Benner, demonstrated that ribonucleotide building blocks could be assembled into RNA polymers (around 90 to 300 subunits in size) by glass catalysts. The research team maintains that their findings add fresh support for the RNA world hypothesis, making it that much more reasonable to think that life arose on Earth via chemical evolution. Is their conclusion valid? In this episode of Stars, Cells, and God, Fuz and Jeff discuss these important topics. Links and Resources:
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| 09 Aug 2023 | Homo Naledi Art? and Sandgrouse Feathers | 00:58:16 | |
Join Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science, discoveries that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Homo naledi Art? A team of paleoanthropologists made a splash when they announced that the enigmatic hominin, Homo naledi (who lived about 330,000 to 250,000 years ago), buried its dead, made art, and mastered fire. These claims are shocking because H. naledi had a brain size comparable to a chimpanzee. Most paleoanthropologists have long held the view that a large brain size was necessary for advanced cognition. If these claims stand, they will upend the prevailing thinking about what makes us human and undermine the notion of human exceptionalism, an idea closely linked to the biblical view that human beings uniquely bear God’s image. In this episode, biochemist Fuz Rana, author of Who Was Adam?, will discuss these claims and their impact on RTB’s creation model for humanity’s origin and the biblical view of human nature and identity. Sandgrouse Feathers Normally, bird feathers work to repel water so birds stay dry. However, the Namaqua sandgrouse has feathers that capture and retain water. This feature plays a vital role in allowing the sandgrouse to transport water from distant sources (up to 30km) with high efficiency to provide hydration for their chicks. Detailed microscopic studies of the feathers reveal the remarkable characteristics that enable this critical—and bizarre—function for the sandgrouse. Jeff Zweerink explains how these studies add to an impressive body of research showing how the designs of animal bodies often exceed the best human designs. Links and Resources:
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| 08 Nov 2023 | Life on K2-18b? and Galaxy Formation Models | 00:47:04 | |
Join Hugh Ross and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Life on K2-18b? Two months ago the Internet blew up with articles and blogs announcing that astronomers had discovered molecules in the atmosphere of exoplanet K2-18b that only living organisms can produce. Those biosignature molecules were dimethyl sulfide and chloromethane. While there is no doubt that methane was detected in K2-18b’s atmosphere and carbon dioxide likely detected, the detections of dimethyl sulfide and chloromethane were marginal at best. Furthermore, astronomers have detected chloromethane in a comet and an interstellar cloud where it is well established that life and life chemistry is impossible, and they found abiotic pathways for the production of dimethyl sulfide. The Internet articles overlooked the physical characteristics of K2-18b and its host star that categorically rule out any possibility of physical life on the planet. Galaxy Formation Models The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has provided numerous images and results that challenge our current models of galaxy formation. Some astronomers have even used this discrepancy to argue against big bang cosmology. A recent paper provides strong evidence for the formation of spiral-type galaxies forming within the first billion years of the universe (where most models predict much longer formation times). We discuss the importance of this data and the implications for how galaxy formation models will change—particularly becoming more complex. Additionally, we expect that this complexity will reveal even more evidence for design in the universe than is now known. Links and Resources:
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| 19 Jun 2024 | Do Primordial Black Holes Resolve Dark Matter Mystery? | News of the Day | 00:17:56 | |
Join Hugh Ross in this breaking News of the Day episode of Stars, Cells, and God. Hugh describes a discovery that may resolve a long-standing mystery about dark matter. Do Primordial Black Holes Resolve Dark Matter Mystery?
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| 10 May 2023 | AI With an Off Switch? and Self-Supervised Learning | 01:00:44 | |
Join Jeff Zweerink and computer scientist Dustin Morley as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Self-Supervised Learning Recent major breakthroughs in public-facing artificial intelligence (AI) such as OpenAI's ChatGPT and Tesla's self-driving software have achieved success in part due to complex, multi-component deep learning model architectures where each of the components can be trained or fine-tuned while leaving the other components fixed—effectively decoupling different steps or subtasks from each other. A new paper (still in preprint) has demonstrated significant success with self-supervised learning, pushing the envelope on this level of AI versatility even further. What does this mean for the near-term future of AI, and what implications does it have for the age-old comparison between AI and human intelligence? AI with an Off-Switch? As we contemplate what a world with true AI (general or super, rather than narrow, artificial intelligence) looks like, the question of how we interact with AI inevitably arises. Specifically, what do we do when AI pursues a path that is harmful to humanity? One scenario put forth is to install an off switch that we control, but would the AI leave the off switch enabled? One study showed that programming uncertainty into the AI about its objective may provide incentives for the AI to leave the off switch functional. However, that uncertainty diminishes the AI’s effectiveness in obtaining its purpose. We discuss some of the apologetic implications of this study. Links and Resources: | |||
| 04 Jan 2023 | Design of the Genetic Code and Impacts and Tsunamis | 00:59:11 | |
Join Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Design of the Genetic Code (Fuz Rana) The genetic code—the rules used to translate the information found in DNA into the information functionally expressed by proteins—displays optimization with respect to error minimization. New work by researchers from Japan indicates that the genetic code optimization exceeds 1 in 1020 randomly generated genetic codes, suggesting that the genetic code found in nature displays a greater degree of optimization than originally thought. This new insight supports the case that biochemical systems are the product of intentional design. Impacts and Tsunamis (Jeff Zweerink) A massive asteroid strike in the Yucatan Peninsula is known to have caused one of the mass extinctions on Earth. A recent study investigated the tsunami that would result from such a collision and found waves of incredible heights would have washed across the Northern Atlantic and Southern Pacific oceans. A search of geological records affirms the devastation wrought by these tsunamis. We’ll discuss the details of the techniques behind this research and highlight the apologetic implications of these catastrophic events. Links and Resources:
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| 18 Oct 2023 | Hominin Burials? and Viscous Fine-Tuning | 00:51:36 | |
Join Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Hominin Burials? Were modern humans the first to bury their dead deliberately and ritualistically? Or did hominins that preceded them in life’s history also deliberately inter their dead? These questions bear on the concept of human exceptionalism and, for Christians, the scientific case for the image of God in modern humans. In this episode, biochemist and Christian apologist Fuz Rana discusses recent work by a research team of collaborators from the US, Spain, Italy, and South Africa that relies on the use of machine learning algorithms to analyze hominin burials. What did they discover? How do their insights impact the case for human exceptionalism? Viscous Fine-Tuning For decades, physicists have recognized that the fundamental constants of our universe (speed of light, fine structure constant, proton-to-electron mass ratio, etc.) appear finely tuned to make the environment suitable for life to exist. Typically, that fine-tuning has arisen in the context of making atomic nuclei or stars or planets. A recent paper shows how the fine-tuning of the fundamental constants applies even to the life-essential processes at work inside the cell. Links and Resources:
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| 17 Jul 2024 | Nature Inspired Design | 00:43:06 | |
Nature-Inspired Designs One of the most exciting areas of science and engineering is biomimetics and bioinspiration. Scientists and engineers working in this field develop new technology and solve engineering problems by studying and copying biological designs. In this episode biochemist Fuz Rana and special guest Casey Luskin, associate director of the Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture, discuss recent findings in biomimetics and bioinspiration and explore the implications of this work for the design argument. Links and Resources: | |||
| 01 Jul 2024 | Neanderthal with Down Syndrome | News of the Day | 00:23:29 | |
Join Fazale “Fuz” Rana in this breaking News of the Day episode of Stars, Cells, and God. Fuz discusses work by a team of anthropologists from Spain who maintain that analysis of a partial skull fossil indicates that Neanderthals provided compassionate care for a Neanderthal child with Down syndrome. Neanderthal with Down Syndrome
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| 02 Oct 2024 | Aquinas's Fifth Way | 00:43:47 | |
Aquinas’s Fifth Way Join Jeff Zweerink and Kyle Keltz as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Modern scientists often dismiss Aquinas’s Five Ways as being outdated, irrelevant, or even invalid. However, when properly understood, the Five Ways show a remarkable similarity to how we think and approach science and they provide profound insight into explaining the universe. In this episode, astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink and philosopher Kyle Keltz clear up some misconceptions about the Fifth Way and design arguments while also showing how scientific advances over the last four centuries provide strong support for the premises of the Fifth Way. Links and Resources:
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| 03 Apr 2024 | CRISPR Update and Two Noteworthy AI Finds | 01:06:11 | |
Join Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. CRISPR Update In December of 2023, the FDA approved two revolutionary new treatments for the blood disorders sickle cell anemia and ß-thalassemia, both based on gene-editing technology. This approval represents an important milestone for gene therapy and the treatment of thousands of genetic disorders. It also serves as a stepping stone for human enhancements and adds to the legitimacy of transhumanism. In this episode, biochemist Fuz Rana describes these new gene therapies and discusses the ethical issues connected to them. He also offers a Christian response to the prospects of human enhancements and transhumanism. Two Noteworthy AI Finds As the field of artificial intelligence (AI) advances, research continues to show both the promise and peril of using AI. For example, most AIs work well within a single domain (e.g., classifying signs, responding to language, playing a game). Recent work in game play resulted in an AI capable of mastering multiple games that in the past required different approaches. However, the AI (called Student of Games) mastered multiple different games using a single algorithm. This development represents a significant step (the promise) on the journey to make an artificial general intelligence. Yet, other research demonstrates that a wide variety of AIs are highly vulnerable to malicious attacks. Specifically, the algorithms AIs use to recognize images are easily exploited and manipulated (the peril). In this episode, astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink explains the breakthrough and why a Christian perspective is needed when considering such advances. Links and Resources:
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| 19 Jul 2023 | AI-Human Collaboration and New Hubble Constant Measurement | 00:49:00 | |
Join Hugh Ross and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science, discoveries that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. AI-Human Collaboration Artificial intelligence (AI) can analyze enormous diverse databases at lightning speeds. But unlike humans, AI can’t reason, produce new databases, or make sense of things it hasn’t seen before. Only humans can determine what’s interesting and worth pursuing and what isn’t. Recognizing these distinctives, a team at Lam Research Corporation conducted experiments to determine how best to manage collaboration between AI and humans to optimize the development of computer chips with target characteristics. The Lam team found that AI works best when human experts operate as “data dieticians,” controlling the amounts, kinds, and timing of data being fed into AI systems. New Hubble Constant Measurement The strongest evidence supporting big bang models comes from measurements of the universe’s expansion. Although scientists have compelling evidence for expansion from Cepheid variables and Type 1a supernovae, as well as the cosmic microwave background radiation, astronomers continue to search for data that will confirm or falsify current understanding. Recently, scientists applied a new technique to measure the Hubble constant (which is a simple way to quantify the universe’s expansion) and found results consistent with the best measurements from other techniques. These results add to the already substantial evidence that we live in a big bang universe.
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| 11 Oct 2023 | Sun's Birth Cluster and More Gravitational Waves | 00:47:41 | |
Join Hugh Ross and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Sun’s Birth Cluster The quantity of aluminum-26 in primitive meteorites indicates that a nearby core-collapse supernova event occurred during the first 100,000 years of the solar system’s existence. For this to be possible, the solar system’s birth cluster must have contained 2,000–20,000 stars. Additionally, the solar system must have formed in a huge, dense molecular cloud where multiple filaments join to form hubs (the only possible sites where stars with enough mass to become core-collapse supernovae can form) and where dense single filaments stream out from the hubs. Only if the solar system forms in a dense single filament at the just-right distance from a hub will it be enriched with the measured quantity of aluminum-26 without having its system of planets being so disrupted as to rule out the possibility of life. Furthermore, for advanced life to be possible in the solar system, the solar system must be ejected from its birth cluster at the just-right time to a location just inside the Milky Way Galaxy’s co-rotation distance. More Gravitational Waves Recently, four different collaborations announced the potential detection of gravitational waves from monitoring the timing of pulsars. If confirmed, this would be the second type of gravitational wave detected, the first being the few-km-long wave found by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) and similar instruments. These new waves have wavelengths closer to the distances between stars and most likely originate from mergers of supermassive black holes. We will discuss the detection techniques for these new waves as well as the apologetic implications. Link and Resources:
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| 12 Apr 2023 | What Does It Mean to Be Human in the Age of AI? | 00:59:13 | |
Join astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink and technology ethicist Jason Thacker as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. What Does It Mean to Be Human in the Age of AI? From ChatGPT and generative AI to algorithms and automation, we live in an age of unprecedented technological innovations. Despite the many benefits and conveniences these technologies provide, they are fundamentally challenging what we’ve long assumed it means to be human. How does Christian philosophy and ethics help us to better understand what’s unique about being human in a digital world? And how do we develop wisdom in navigating the challenges before us as a society? Links and Resources:
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| 01 Oct 2024 | New Comet Belt? | News of the Day | 00:15:00 | |
Join Hugh Ross in this breaking News of the Day episode of Stars, Cells, and God. Hugh describes an analysis by an international team of 44 astronomers of a survey of trans-Neptunian objects. This analysis reveals strong evidence for the existence of a sixth belt of asteroids/comets in the solar system. Here are some takeaways:
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| 15 Feb 2023 | The Design of ERVs and AI, Optimism & Long Life | 00:58:08 | |
Join Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. The Design of ERVs For many people, the shared ERV sequences in the human and great ape genomes evince common ancestry and an evolutionary origin for humanity. Yet, new discoveries about the physiological role of ERVs—such as their contribution to the innate immune system—makes possible another interpretation of ERVs in the human genome. In this episode biochemist Fuz Rana discusses the latest insight into ERV molecular biology, exemplified by the ERV-encoded protein supressyn, and explores the question: “Can a creation model explain the occurrence of ERV sequences in the human genome?” AI, Optimism, and Long Life In an era where AI developments show great potential and great peril, ongoing research indicates that optimism plays an important role in increased longevity and health. These results affirm a repeated refrain from Scripture that we are to rejoice, be content, and have hope in all situations. We will discuss the studies leading to this conclusion as well as make the important biblical connections. Links and Resources:
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| 31 Jan 2024 | Soft Tissues in Fossils and Theia and Earth Mantle | 00:48:54 | |
Join Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Hugh Ross as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Soft Tissues in Fossils A research team from the University College Cork (UCC), Ireland, published two separate reports in which they present evidence for melanin pigments and keratin filaments in fossilized feathers. The researchers developed models for the chemical alterations of melanin and keratin during fossilization. Using these models, they identified degradation products in fossilized feathers that age-date 120 to 130 million years old. Young-earth creationists cite the recovery of soft tissue materials in fossils as evidence that Earth is only 6,000 years old, and the fossil record is the result of a global deluge. They argue that it’s impossible for biological materials to survive for millions of years and, therefore, the fossils must be thousands of years old. In this episode, biochemist Fuz Rana describes the UCC researchers’ work and explains how certain biological materials can endure in fossils for tens of millions of years, negating the claims of young-earth creationists. Evidence for the Planet Theia The only plausible explanation for the origin of the Moon is that a collision between two rocky planets, Theia and the proto-Earth, occurred when the solar system was about 90 million years old. However, direct evidence for the existence of Theia has been elusive. Now, simulations performed by 12 astrophysicists (combined with seismic measurements) show that two large regions, thousands of kilometers across, deep in Earth’s mantle are denser than the surrounding mantle. Therefore, these regions must be the remains of Theia’s iron-rich mantle that sank and settled above Earth’s core, where it deposited an extraordinary high density and exceptional abundance of the heaviest elements. Links and Resources:
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