Discovery Institute's Blog, page 134

Paul Nelson Will Host Atlanta Premiere of Living Waters: Intelligent Design in the Oceans of the Earth

Save the date and join us on October 5 for the Greater Atlanta premiere of the new documentary Living Waters: Intelligent Design in the Oceans of Earth! The screening will be followed by discussion with one of the film's featured scientists, Discovery Institute philosopher of biology Paul Nelson. This is a special chance to explore fascinating evidences for design with an expert. Watch the trailer here.

From the complex navigational systems of humpback whales, sea turtles, and Pacific salmon...

A "Cambrian Explosion" in Robotics?

Here's a fascinating and revealing analogy. IEEE Spectrum, published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, republishes an article from the current issue of another scholarly publication, the Journal of Economic Perspectives. The title almost says it all: "Is a Cambrian Explosion Coming for Robotics?"

We've expressed skepticism before about what the future of AI really holds (see, for example, "Group Delusions Aside, Sentient Robots Aren't on the Way"). But grant them the...

Is It "Delusional" to Think Darwinism Is on the Ropes?

I referred earlier to biochemist Lawrence Moran's post characterizing biologist Ann Gauger as "truly delusional" for writing here that Darwinism is on the ropes ("What If People Stopped Believing in Darwin?"). Setting aside the superficiality of Professor Moran's comments, which include no substance and only insults, is he right that Dr. Gauger is wrong?

Not if you believe the New York Times. George Johnson writes there that he is nearly in despair over the success of scientific and other id...

University of Toronto Biochemist Admits Most ID Critics Can't Win a Debate with Us

OK, I admit that headline forced me to leave out a couple of qualifications, strictly for the sake of brevity you understand. Here's what Lawrence Moran of the University of Toronto told Forbes writer John Farrell in a recent interview:

"Most scientists and science lovers cannot win a debate with the best intelligent design creationists," he said. "That's because their knowledge of science is nowhere near as good as they think it is. One of the other reasons for debating creationists on my...

Competition Among Closely Related Evolutionary Neighbors? Yet Another Failed Darwinian Prediction

On an episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin wraps up his four-part series of conversations with Cornelius Hunter about the failed predictions of Darwinism. Dr. Hunter is a Discovery Institute Fellow, adjunct professor, and author. His website Darwin's Predictions critically examines 22 fundamental predictions of evolutionary theory.

In this last podcast in the series, Hunter discusses evolution's prediction that competition should be greatest between closely related species. For more on...

Growing a Bone Requires Foresight

Picture a linear bone growing. Say it's a leg bone, with attachment points for muscles and tendons along its length. Picture one such protrusion located a third of the way from one end. If the bone grows only at one end, the protuberance will migrate from its 1/3 position, causing problems for the tissues that need to attach there. If the bone grows at both ends, the same problem can occur.

How does the bone "know" to keep its structures at proper ratios along its length as it grows? That p...

Devolution: Getting Back to the Simple Life

As we have seen already in this series, evolution can occur via horizontal gene transfer and epigenetics, both of which add information to a life form by non-Darwinian means -- that is, not by natural selection acting on random mutation of the genome.

The information added by epigenesis and horizontal gene transfer is not random. For example, assume that male parents' alcoholism is consistently associated with disrupted patterns in children's genes. The effects of excess alcohol, far from be...

Cornelius Hunter on Adaptive Mutations -- Another Failed Prediction of Darwinian Evolution

On an episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin talks with Dr. Cornelius Hunter -- a Discovery Institute Fellow, adjunct professor, and author -- about his website Darwin's Predictions, which critically examines 22 fundamental predictions of evolutionary theory.

In this third podcast of a series, Hunter discusses the prediction of Darwinian theory that mutations should not be adaptive but, instead, random, with respect to organisms' needs. Hunter contrasts this with what University of Chicago...

In the U.S., Euthanasia Steams Toward Anything Goes

The media and many other observers continue to pretend that the euthanasia/assisted suicide movement is only about terminal illness. But events here and abroad demonstrate that isn't true. Meanwhile, slowly the camouflage is coming off. For example, a proposed constitutional amendment in Colorado pretends to be about allowing doctors to assist suicides of the terminally ill.

But it would really permit doctors, nurses, even chiropractors, to help kill nearly anyone (with the possible exceptio...

Listen: Cornelius Hunter and More Failed Predictions of Darwinian Evolution

On an episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin talks with Dr. Cornelius Hunter -- a Discovery Institute Fellow, adjunct professor, and author -- about his website Darwin's Predictions, which critically examines 22 fundamental predictions of evolutionary theory.

In this second podcast in a series, Dr. Hunter discusses the uniqueness of the DNA code and differences in fundamental molecules.