Astrophysicist Sir Fred Hoyle (Fig. 7.1) pioneered research on how the nuclear reactions in stars transform hydrogen into the many chemical elements, including carbon and oxygen, necessary for life.1 He started his scientific career as a staunch atheist who saw no evidence of design in the universe. As he said in his early years as a scientist, “Religion is but a desperate attempt to find an escape from the truly dreadful situation in which we find ourselves. . . . No wonder then that many people feel the need for some belief that gives them a sense of security, and no wonder that they become
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