Cave Art and God's Image | Life on Titan? How Much?
Join biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana and astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries with theological and philosophical implications that point to the reality of God’s existence.
Many anthropologists believe that the earliest modern humans’ production and interaction with cave art was a deeply spiritual experience. Interestingly, anthropologists often find children’s footprints and handprints associated with ancient cave art. But why? Archaeologists from the University of Tel Aviv argue that the earliest modern humans regarded children as liminal (transitional) agents between the physical and spiritual realms. In this episode, biochemist Fuz Rana explains how this insight can be marshaled to make a scientific case that human beings bear the image of God.
Life’s abundance on Earth raises the question of whether other bodies in our solar system might host life. Besides Mars, proposed candidates include the moons Europa, Enceladus, and Titan because they have a large ocean underneath a surface layer of ice. Recently, scientists applied a model for life that considers metabolic pathways, moon conditions, and available chemical compounds to assess how much life Titan might host. Given reasonable values for these parameters, astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink explains how this model demonstrates that Titan might host a few kilograms of life in its ocean and what it means.
LINKS & RESOURCES:
Child in Time: Children as Liminal Agents in Upper Paleolithic Decorated Caves
Saturn’s Moon Titan Could Harbor Life, but Only a Tiny Amount, Study Finds
The Viability of Glycine Fermentation in Titan’s Subsurface Ocean
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48:18
Bioinspired Robotic Hand | Is Dark Energy Fine-Tuned?
Join astrophysicists Hugh Ross and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries with theological and philosophical implications that point to the reality of God’s existence.
Engineers have designed two types of robotic hands: rigid ones that move precisely and can be carefully controlled, and soft ones that are flexible and resilient. Hugh Ross describes how these robotics, modeled after the human hand’s musculoskeletal system, can play a piano and pick up and twirl an egg without breaking it.
The teleological argument, often expressed through fine-tuning, serves as a powerful way to point to the God of the Bible. However, Christians need to be diligent about keeping the specific examples up to date with the best scientific understanding. In this episode, Jeff Zweerink notes how we should use the cosmological constant to demonstrate both the power of the fine-tuning and the pitfalls to avoid when making the argument.
LINKS AND RESOURCES:
Biomimetic Rigid-Soft Finger Design for Highly Dexterous and Adaptive Robotic Hands
Thinking About Evolution
The Cosmological Constant
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1:02:03
An Ordered Case for Design | Life on K2-18b Revisited
Join biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana and astrophysicist Hugh Ross as they discuss new discoveries with theological and philosophical implications that point to the reality of God’s existence.
A team of German researchers discovered that genes located in bacterial chromosomes assume a precise order based on their function. Biochemist Fuz Rana explains why this discovery evinces a Creator’s role in the origin and design of life.
Astrophysicist Hugh Ross comments on how the internet has blown up with blogs announcing astronomers have discovered signs of life on a distant planet called K2-18b. The reason for the excitement stems from a 99.7% probable detection of a molecule, dimethyl sulfide, in the planet’s atmosphere that might have been generated by living things. As an example, all of Earth’s dimethyl sulfide comes from marine microbes. However, several factors have been overlooked amidst the optimism: (1) Astronomers have found dimethyl sulfide in a comet and in the interstellar medium that’s indisputably nonbiological, (2) Astronomers question the detection, and (3) This distant planet and its host star’s physical characteristics rule out any possibility of physical life.
Links and Resources:
Most Bacterial Gene Families Are Biased Toward Specific Chromosomal Positions
New Constraints on DMS and DMDS in the Atmosphere of K2-18b from JWST MIRI
Signs of Life on a Distant Planet? Not So Fast, Say These Astronomers
On the Abiotic Origin of Dimethyl Sulfide: Discovery of Dimethyl Sulfide in the Interstellar Medium
Evidence for Abiotic Dimethyl Sulfide in Cometary Matter
A Comprehensive Reanalysis of K2-18b’s JWST NIRISS+NIRSpec Transmission Spectrum
Designed to the Core (chapters 9–11)
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58:33
Mice Created to Have Two Dads | What If We Are Alone?
Join biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana and astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries with theological and philosophical implications that point to the reality of God’s existence.
Scientists used CRISPR gene editing and modified in vitro fertilization techniques to create mice with two dads and no mother. How should Christians respond to these types of studies? Biochemist Fuz Rana discusses how this research team accomplished this feat and why scientists would do this work.
As scientists design new telescopes to search for habitable, or even inhabited, exoplanets, they also recognize that our searches may not find any signs of life. As they try to quantify what a lack of life measurements means, it benefits Christians to think about how we use the scientific data to argue for the truth of Christianity. Astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink examines what the science shows and how to use the current scientific data to argue for God’s robust design of Earth.
Links and Resources:
Adult Bi-Paternal Offspring Generated Through Direct Modification of Imprinted Genes in Mammals
What If We Find Nothing in Our Search for Life Beyond Earth?
What If We Find Nothing? Bayesian Analysis of the Statistical Information of Null Results in Future Exoplanet Habitability and Biosignature Surveys
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1:00:02
Human Language and God’s Image | Space Solar Power
Join biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana and astrophysicist Hugh Ross as they discuss discoveries with theological and philosophical implications that point to the reality of God’s existence.
Is it possible to mount a scientific defense showing that humans uniquely bear God’s image as Scripture teaches? In this episode, biochemist Fuz Rana discusses recent research from MIT that estimates the timing of the origin of human language and demonstrates that these results support the biblical account of humanity’s beginning.
Astrophysicist Hugh Ross discusses the feasibility of obtaining solar power from space. Researchers have devised a system where large satellites collect and convert solar power to electricity and transmit the electricity to Earth wirelessly. Previously, the system costs were prohibitive. Technological advances—lightweight collectors that can be folded and unraveled robotically and dynamically controlled for high precision and stability—now make space solar power an economically viable, fossil-fuel-free, continuously available solution for humanity’s energy needs.
Links and Resources:
Linguistic Capacity Was Present in the Homo sapiens Population 135 Thousand Years Ago
Rigid-Flexible Coupling Dynamics Modeling and Fractional-Order Sliding Mode Control for Large Space Solar Power Stations
Wireless Power Transfer in Space Using Flexible, Lightweight, Coherent Arrays
A Comprehensive Review on Space Solar Power Satellite: An Idiosyncratic Approach
Weathering Climate Change: A Fresh Approach
Discussions of 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.
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