Stars, Cells, and God

Join biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana and senior consultant in rehabilitation medicine, Dr. Uditha Jayatunga, as they discuss one of evolution’s biggest claims: macroevolution. In this presentation, Dr. Jayatunga challenges the foundational role of macroevolution in explaining the evolutionary tree of life. Many biologists view macroevolution as a natural extension of microevolution, but he rejects this premise, citing a lack of conclusive evidence and significant scientific hurdles. Drawing from biochemistry, physiology, biomechanics, microbiome science, and reproductive biology, he explains why large-scale evolutionary change is scientifically implausible—and even introduces the idea of “reverse evolution” (like losing certain abilities) in humans. This is a rare, thought-provoking perspective on the limits of evolutionary theory and the case for God’s design. LINKS AND RESOURCES: Macroevolution Modeling Evolution in a Long Time Evolution Experiment with E. Coli Evolutionary Layering and the Limits to Cellular Perfection The Sensory Hand Secret of the Chameleon’s Ballistic Tongue Revealed: Reptile’s Firing Mechanism Uses Three Parts to Hit Fast-Moving Targets Genes, Cells and Brain Areas of Intelligence Male Seahorses Are Nature’s Mr. Mom, Researchers Say The Role of the Microbiome for Human Health: From Basic Science to Clinical Applications A Unified Catalog of 204,938 Reference Genomes from the Human Gut Microbiome

Join astrophysicists Hugh Ross and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss what ocean waves reveal about God’s design, and how artificial intelligence raises questions about humanity’s future. Multiyear measurements show that ocean wave breaking on coastlines and associated bubble bursting are one of the largest sources of atmospheric aerosols. This sea spray explains fog formation, cloud development, nutrient deposition, and high precipitation rates in coastal regions, all of which appear to be optimally designed. Rapid advances in AI over the last few years have raised the question of whether AIs are truly intelligent—and what that means for human society. One thing seems clear—AI is here to stay, and we need to figure out how to use it well. A recent study of the influence of AI on novel art production lends insight into the opportunities AI brings to advancing human knowledge as well as its limitations. LINKS AND RESOURCES: Shoreline Wave Breaking Strongly Enhances the Coastal Sea Spray Aerosol Population: Climate and Air Quality Implications Improbable Planet Who Expands the Human Creative Frontier with Generative AI: Hive Minds or Masterminds?  

Join biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana and physics professor Eric Hedin as they discuss new scientific discoveries with theological and philosophical implications alluding to the reality of God’s existence. In exploring the interaction between spirit and matter, intelligent design advocates aim to construct a framework for understanding how God, as a metaphysical designer, might engage with the physical world. These concepts may help Christians envision the mechanisms of divine action more vividly while also providing thoughtful responses to skeptics who struggle to conceive how such a phenomenon could operate within the bounds of reality. LINKS & RESOURCES: Intelligent Design Beyond Physics—How Would a Designer Interact with the Universe? Mind, Matter, and Intelligent Design Plato’s Revenge: Mathematical Biologist Richard Sternberg Foresaw Major Developments in Biology

Join biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Christian apologist Steve Anonsen as they explore the real story of Galileo Galilei, beyond the myth of a lone hero battling the church. Galileo built on centuries of Christian scholarship devoted to rethinking the solar system, physics, and the broader cosmos. His ardent defense of Copernican heliocentrism and his conflict with the church highlight both the brilliance and the limitations of one of history’s great scientists. This discussion challenges the common “science vs. faith” narrative, showing Galileo as a complex, gifted figure whose legacy still offers lessons for today. LINKS AND RESOURCES: Whose Revolution? Copernicus, Brahe & Kepler   Setting Aside All Authority: Giovanni Battista Riccioli and the Science Against Copernicus in the Age of Galileo Deferent and Epicycle Why Didn't Aristarchus’ Theory of Heliocentrism Stick? Simplicity in the Copernican Revolution: Galileo, Descartes, Newton Letter to Madame Christina of Lorraine, Grand Duchess of Tuscany Galileo's Letter to Christina: Some Rhetorical Considerations

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. Who were the Neanderthals? How do they fit into the biblical account of human origins? Were they image-bearers like us? Or were they “soulish” animals? In this episode, biochemist Fuz Rana details how recent work by researchers from the UK on the origin of Chiari type 1 malformations (brain abnormalities) offers insight into these questions. Also in this episode, Hugh Ross explains field experiments that provide further evidence of human exceptionalism—highlighting infant-directed communication as a unique tool for rapid, complex language acquisition. Unlike great apes, adult humans use specialized gestures, sign language, and acoustic and structural verbal features when communicating with their infants. As a result, human infants can easily distinguish between adult and infant-directed communication. Moreover, they receive significantly more infant-directed input than their great ape counterparts, further accelerating their linguistic development. LINKS AND RESOURCES Evolutionary Hypothesis for Chiari Type I Malformation A Test of the Archaic Homo Introgression Hypothesis for the Chiari Malformation Type I The Evolution of Infant-Directed Communication: Comparing Vocal Input Across All Great Apes

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. Researchers have reconstructed ancient lake temperatures in the Qaidam Basin (western China)to show that either 11.0 or 7.6 million years ago, the northern Tibetan Plateau rose by 1,650 or 1,525 meters in less than 500,000 years. Hugh Ross explains how this final major event in the collision of the Indian subcontinent with Asia created a “third pole” of ice covering 1 million square miles. This pole made global human civilization possible. The fact that the event occurred 7.6 million years ago means the resultant tectonic activity has subsided to a nonthreatening level for human civilization.   While today’s AIs still lack skills humans possess, advances continually push AI technology to accomplish things we thought only humans could do. Jeff Zweerink discusses how a recent studyindicates that AI may one day do science as well as humans. However, if we focus only on efficiency, we could miss the reason why we do science—that God designed us to learn how to relate to him and learn about him through his revelation in creation.  LINKS AND RESOURCES: Terrestrial Temperature History Reveals Late Miocene Rapid Uplift of the Northern Tibetan Plateau Flow-Driven Data Intensification to Accelerate Autonomous Inorganic Materials Discovery This AI-Powered Lab Runs Itself—and Discovers New Materials 10x Faster Representation of Locomotive Action Affordances in Human Behavior, Brains, and Deep Neural Networks Affordances in the Brain: The Human Superpower AI Hasn’t Mastered

Join biochemists Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Richard Gunasekera, research professor of nanomedicine and biochemistry at Biola University, as they discuss scientific discoveries with philosophical implications that point to the reality of God’s existence. Dr. Richard Gunasekera explores advances in nanomedicine, including nanomachines that kill antibiotic-resistant microbes, dendrimer carriers that may cross the blood-brain barrier, and plant-based noble metal nanoparticles that target cancer and microbes. Drawing from his work at Biola University and decades of research in cancer biology and bioactive plant compounds, he examines how these breakthroughs show scientific ingenuity and evidence of intelligent design in nature. Richard and Fuz also discuss recent peer-reviewed case studies investigating medically documented instances of divine healings, proposing a framework where cutting-edge science and faith are not at odds but together point to a Creator who heals by design. LINKS & RESOURCES: One Human Race: Scientific and Scriptural Views on the Single Origin of Humans Molecular Mechanisms Lead to Sex-Specific COVID-19 Prognosis and Targeted Therapies Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Sex-Specific COVID-19 Clinical Outcomes Molecular Nanomachines Can Destroy Tissue or Kill Multicellular Eukaryotes Does COVID-19 Spread Through Droplets Alone? Biopsychosocial and Spiritual Implications of Patients with COVID-19 Dying in Isolation  Delayed Interventions, Low Compliance, and Health Disparities Amplified the Early Spread of COVID-19 Near-Infrared Light Activates Molecular Nanomachines to Drill into and Kill Cells Molecular Nanomachines Disrupt Bacterial Cell Wall, Increasing Sensitivity of Extensively Drug-Resistant Klebsiella pneumonia to Meropenem Lutein Inhibits Growth of Human Prostate Cancer Cells and Potentiates Capsaicin, Curcumin, and the Traditional Chemotherapy Agent, Campothecin Phyto-Bioactive Food Pyramid© A Healthy Dietary Plan for Preventing Certain Common Cancers Bioactive Molecules from Fruits and Vegetables Significantly Potentiate Traditional Chemotherapy Lycopene and Lutein Inhibit Proliferation in Rat Prostate Carcinoma Cells Differential Phosphorylations of Constitutive NFkB and Cell Growth of MDA-MB 231 Human Breast Cancer Cell Line by Limonins Bioflavone Alpha Increases Chemotherapeutic Activity of Antitumor Drug Campothecin Influence of Harvest Time on Citrus Pectin and Its In Vitro Inhibition of Fibroblast Growth Factor Signal Transduction Citrus Pectin: Characterization and Inhibitory Effect on Fibroblast Growth Factor-Receptor Interaction Characterization of Citrus Pectin and Inhibition of Fibroblast Growth Factor Signal Transduction Process

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. Researchers from China recently determined the identity of a hominin dubbed 'Dragon Man' that had been classified as a distinct species called Homo longi. However, new evidence places them in the category of the Denisovans—the mysterious hominins known from ancient DNA they left behind in nondescript fossils.In this episode, biochemist Fuz Rana describes how these scientists determined the Denisovans’ identity and what this insight means for RTB’s human origins model. For the first time, astronomers have observed atmospheric sputtering—where atoms or molecules are ejected from a planet’s atmosphere due to impacts by energetic particles—at Mars. Using 9+ years of argon isotope measures at Martian altitudes from 250–400 kilometers, astronomers determined that the argon sputtering rate was more than four times higher than model predictions, and especially high during solar storms. Astrophysicist Hugh Ross explains that the sputtering rates shed light on how, when, and why Mars quickly lost its water and nearly all its atmosphere, and why Earth was able to retain both. LINKS AND RESOURCES: Denisovan Mitochondrial DNA from Dental Calculus of the >146,000-Year-Old Harbin Cranium The Proteome of the Late Middle Pleistocene Harbin Individual First Direct Observations of Atmospheric Sputtering at Mars Designed to the Core

Join biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana and astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink as they discuss discoveries with theological and philosophical implications that point to the reality of God’s existence. A recent MIT study determined that the composition of cell membranes dynamically adjusts so that cells maintain a constant surface area-to-volume ratio. In this episode, biochemist Fuz Rana describes this work and explores the design implications for God’s existence and role in life’sorigin and design. We tend to think of AI as completely rational, objective, and unswayed by emotion, but current AIs don’t match this perception. Astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink discusses how large-language model AIs (like ChatGPT and Llama) often reflect human foibles such as overconfidence, biases, malicious behavior, and data fabrication. A recent study demonstrated that AI overconfidence resembles a human speech disorder known as Wernicke’s aphasia. The research paves the way for novel techniques to detect the disorder in humans and may help with future treatments. LINKS AND RESOURCES: Plasma Membrane Folding Enables Constant Surface Area-to-Volume Ratio in Growing Mammalian Cells Membrane Curvature and Mechanisms of Dynamic Cell Membrane Remodelling AI Overconfidence Mirrors Human Brain Condition Comparison of Large Language Model with Aphasia

Join biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Christian philosopher and apologist Tricia Scribner, as they discuss theological and philosophical implications that point to the reality of God’s existence. Theistic evolution is increasingly popular among Christians, and it’s not surprising. Theistic evolutionists argue that their origins view reconciles the Christian faith with science. But what if affirming theistic evolution diminishes, distorts, or denies one or more of God’s divine attributes? This is a question few Christians have given much thought to, even though an accurate understanding of God’s attributes is crucial to our worshipping God in truth. So, let’s think through what theistic evolution claims not only about the origin and diversification of living things but also about the God who employed evolutionary mechanisms to bring all living things into existence, even humans as divine image-bearers. LINKS & RESOURCES:  Aquinas and Evolution BioLogos Darwin’s Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution I Love Jesus and I Accept Evolution God After Einstein: What’s Really Going On in the Universe? Mapping the Origins Debate: Six Models of the Beginning of Everything Theistic Evolution: A Scientific, Philosophical, and Theological Critique Thomistic Evolution: A Catholic Approach to Understanding Evolution in the Light of Faith Tricia Scribner’s Resources General Apologetics: Answering the Music Man: Dan Barker’s Arguments Against Christianity LifeGivers Apologetics: Women Designed and Equipped to Share Reasons for the Hope Within

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. The early universe may produce dark photon dark matter via inflation fluctuations, parametric resonances, or the decay of cosmic strings. The Sun’s vast plasma, extending out to Earth’s orbit, yields the best environment for detecting dark photons converting into photons. The Parker Solar Probe’s orbit (0.046–1.000 AU) and receiver (70 kHz–20 MHz) provide the most sensitive test for dark photons. Initial observations establish a dark photon constraint 20,000 times superior to the previous best from maps of the cosmic microwave background radiation. AI that recognizes and responds properly to emotions would play a valuable role in helping us take care of others. However, this skill also comes with the danger that some people might replace important human relationships with the emotional mimicry of AI. Knowing how AI works and the limitations it faces (training data, biases in algorithms, being black boxes, etc.) can help us think properly about developing AI technology so that we can enjoy the benefits without falling prey to the perils.  LINKS AND RESOURCES: In Situ Measurements of Dark Photon Dark Matter Using Parker Solar Probe: Going Beyond the Radio Window Dark Photon Limits from Patchy Dark Screening of the Cosmic Microwave Background Could AI Understand Emotions Better Than We Do? Large Language Models are Proficient in Solving and Creating Emotional Intelligence Tests

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. Human skin contains several amazing features that explain our long lifespans and ability for rapid global technological advance: high resilience, high toughness, self-adhesion, self-healing, high ionic conductivity, dynamic functionality, mechanical robustness, and stability. Scientists have designed and manufactured a water/glycerol binary solvent containing bismuth ions that yields an artificial skin that comes close to matching several of the functions and capabilities of human skin. This close match shows how well-designed the “real thing” is. A growing body of evidence indicates that Mars had water on its surface nearly 4 billion years ago, which raises the obvious question of whether this Martian water ever hosted life. A recent study of the Martian water cycle—specifically how it differs from Earth’s—reveals that surface water on the red planet was likely even more transient than originally thought. Studies like these also reveal how remarkably designed Earth is, as it hosts an abundant array of life today. LINKS AND RESOURCES:  A Skin-Mimicking Multifunctional Hydrogel Via Hierarchical, Reversible Noncovalent Interactions Thinking About Evolution Missing Link in Early Martian Water Cycle Discovered Infiltration Dynamics on Early Mars: Geomorphic, Climatic, and Water Storage Implication

When considering how science and the Bible integrate, we face the risk of reading scientific concepts into the text. Biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Christian apologist Steve Anonsen discuss how critics who read ancient, incorrect scientific views into the Bible are actually reading bad science into the Bible. This episode discusses the fun exercise of how to interpret the Bible well.

Join astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink and ophthalmologist Andy Moyes as they discuss discoveries with theological and philosophical implications that point to the reality of God’s existence. For decades, the human eye has been at the center of the creation/evolution debate. Even Charles Darwin recognized its apparent design despite arguing that evolution produced this vital sensory organ. Ophthalmologist Andrew Moyes brings his expertise in eye diseases to bear on this debate, making a case that the latest research shows the elegant and near-perfect design of the human eye. LINKS AND RESOURCES: Evolution of the Eye A Pessimistic Estimate of the Time Required for an Eye to Evolve Is Our Retina Really Upside Down?  

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. Young-earth creationists claim that humans and dinosaurs coexisted. One key line of evidence they cite in support of this claim concerns the depictions of “dinosaurs” in art made by humans before paleontologists discovered dinosaur remains. In this episode, biochemist Fuz Rana demonstrates why the appearance of dinosaurs in ancient art fails to support a young-earth view. A 3D reconstruction of Earth’s magnetosphere during the Laschamps event (a geomagnetic excursion 41,000 years ago) shows that for 300 years, Earth’s magnetic field strength weakened to less than 10% of its present level and the aurora oval (ring-shaped zone around Earth’s magnetic poles) expanded and moved to lower latitudes. Hugh Ross tells us how this event was catastrophic for Neanderthals and Denisovans, but not for humans because they had sunscreen and made clothing. Note: Stars, Cells, and God will be on hiatus for the month of June, but don’t worry—we’ll be back with new episodes in July! LINKS AND RESOURCES: A Remarkable Assemblage of Petroglyphs and Dinosaur Footprints in Northeast Brazil A Possible Later Stone Age Painting of a Dicynodont (Synapsida) from the South African Karoo Wandering of the Aurora Oval 41,000 Years Ago Life and Magnetic Field Variations

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

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

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)

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

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