Science and Culture Today | Discovering Design in Nature

Today

Stone Tools from 1 to 1.5 Million Years Ago

_{Denyse O’Leary
August 21, 2025
5
Technology}

The human body may have a history and human technology definitely has a history but the human mind does not.

Literature in a Materialistic Universe

_{Peter Biles
August 21, 2025
4
Cultural Anthropology}

Some assume humanity’s longstanding appreciation for art, be it literary, visual, or musical, has evolutionary groundings.

Introducing a New Design, and a New Name

_{David Klinghoffer
August 18, 2025
6
Science Reporting}

Conjoining science with culture, while it is the CSC’s calling card, is not our invention.

Materialistic Science Resembles a Tower of Babel

_{Andrew McDiarmid
August 23, 2025
1
Mathematics}

David Berlinski reflects on the seminal 1966 WISTAR symposium, which laid out some mathematical challenges to Darwinism.

An Evolutionist Decries Private Truth

_{Denyse O’Leary
August 22, 2025
4
Scientific Reasoning}

Ironically, the ultimate origin of private truth is the materialism that you yourself, Dr. Coyne, espouse.

Cohesins, Condensins: Next-Generation Bobby Pins

_{Emily Reeves
August 22, 2025
4
Intelligent Design}

Picture this: you grab a box of bobby pins, clip them to the ends of your hair, and sit in front of a mirror.

Communication Sets Us Apart

_{Andrew McDiarmid
August 21, 2025
2
Intelligent Design}

Communication is found across all life forms, from the signals sent by trees through fungal networks to the deep conversations we can have with each other.

ID the Future

with Andrew McDiarmid

David Berlinski Challenges Prevailing Beliefs in Modern Biology and Physics

_{2099
David Berlinski
August 22, 2025}

On today’s ID the Future, Science After Babel author David Berlinski continues discussing his newly released book from Discovery Institute Press. In this conversation with host Andrew McDiarmid, Berlinski explores a chicken-and-egg problem facing origin-of-life research, a blindness afflicting some evolutionists focused on human origins, and the mystery of why science almost flowered in ancient Greece, early Medieval China, and in the Muslim-Arab Medieval Empire, but did not, having to await the scientific revolution that swept through Europe beginning in the sixteenth century. Check out the endorsements and get your copy, paperback or e-book, at scienceafterbabel.com.

In a Universe of Non-Living Matter, Communication Sets Us Apart

_{2098
Eric Hedin
August 20, 2025}

Meaningful communication is found across all life forms, from the signals sent by trees through fungal networks to the deep conversations we can have with each other. It's one feature that makes life uniquely different from a vast universe of non-living matter. But where does our ability to communicate come from? On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid continues his conversation with physicist and author Dr. Eric Hedin about the remarkable features that separate living systems from non-life. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Look for Part 1 in a separate episode.

Physicist Eric Hedin: Information Processing as a Hallmark of Life

_{2097
Eric Hedin
August 18, 2025}

What if life isn’t just a collection of molecules bumping around? What if every living thing, from a single cell to a human being, is doing something much more surprising—processing information and communicating in complex, purposeful ways? On this episode of ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid begins a two-part conversation with Dr. Eric Hedin, a physicist and author who’s been asking bold questions about the hidden patterns of life. He’s argued recently that the way living systems handle information—and communicate—is more likely evidence of intelligent design, not blind, undirected processes. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation.

Latest Videos

Secrets of the Human Body Trailer

_{The Center for Science and Culture
August 15, 2025
Intelligent Design
Secrets of the Human Body}

Premiering September 1, 2025, Secrets of the Human Body is a new YouTube series that will unravel the mysteries of the human body and explore its exquisite intelligent design. …

The Intelligent Design of Plants

_{Emily Reeves
July 14, 2025
Intelligent Design
2025 Dallas Conference on Science & Faith}

Learn about the incredible intelligent design of plants from Daniel Reeves, Director of Education and Outreach at Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture, and biologist Dr. Emily Reeves, research scientist at the Center for Science and Culture. This talk was presented at the 2025 Dallas Conference on Science and Faith. …

Intelligent Design as Fuel for Scientific Discovery (2025 Dallas Conference on Science & Faith)

_{Casey Luskin
July 8, 2025
Intelligent Design
2025 Dallas Conference on Science & Faith}

Scientist Casey Luskin explains how the theory of intelligent design provides fuel for scientific discovery. Dr. Luskin is Associate Director of the Center for Science and Culture at Discovery Institute. Presented at the 2025 Dallas Conference on Science and Faith. …

The Non-Algorithmic Nature of Life: Physicist Dr. Brian Miller

_{Andrew McDiarmid
June 4, 2025
Intelligent Design}

For decades, we’ve thought the control center of life lies in DNA. But a new scientific framework is emerging that challenges that idea, and suggests that vast portions of the genome are immaterial and lie outside the physical world. Today, physicist Dr. Brian Miller joins host ‪Andrew McDiarmid‬ to share his perspective on the cutting-edge, potentially revolutionary research of mathematical biologist Dr. Richard Sternberg on the immaterial aspects of the genome. Immaterial? As in not material? It’s a daring proposition, to be sure, and one that has the power to change everything we understand about life. Sternberg’s proposal runs dramatically counter to the conventional physicalist view of the gene. But recent findings reveal that genetic and even epigenetic sources alone …

Intelligent Design

Cohesins, Condensins: Next-Generation Bobby Pins

_{Emily Reeves
August 22, 2025
4
Intelligent Design}

Picture this: you grab a box of bobby pins, clip them to the ends of your hair, and sit in front of a mirror.

Communication Sets Us Apart

_{Andrew McDiarmid
August 21, 2025
2
Intelligent Design}

Communication is found across all life forms, from the signals sent by trees through fungal networks to the deep conversations we can have with each other.

Trailer: Secrets of the Human Body

_{David Klinghoffer
August 17, 2025
1
Intelligent Design}

“The human body. Nothing we know of is as complex or finely tuned. How did humans reach this level of sophistication?"

“Rewriting Code of Life” Sounds Like Design

_{Science and Culture
August 14, 2025
2
Intelligent Design}

Modifying the genetic code is easy. Right? It would have to be, under an evolutionary understanding.

Historical Sciences

Origin of Life

The Origin Story of an Intelligent Design Classic

_{Andrew McDiarmid
July 21, 2025
2
Intelligent Design}

Today, we bring you the second half of Robert J. Marks’s 2020 interview with Dr. Bradley.

Tour Undermines Pillar of Origin-of-Life Theories

_{Brian Miller
July 16, 2025
5
Origin of Life}

Proteins and RNA degrade at rates that render their spontaneous formation under natural, undirected conditions highly implausible.

Walter Bradley on the Origin of Life

_{Andrew McDiarmid
July 15, 2025
1
Intelligent Design}

We are grieving the recent loss of Walter Bradley, a longtime Fellow of the Center for Science and Culture at Discovery Institute.

Evolution

Why Dogmatic Materialism Is Bad for Science

_{Denyse O’Leary
August 15, 2025
6
Evolution}

Richard Lewontin addressed a controversy in evolution: Can life forms acquire characteristics during their lifespan that they pass on to their offspring?

Scopes: Same Debate, Different World

_{Daniel Witt
August 12, 2025
17
Evolution}

Understandably, the Scopes trial is often viewed through the lens of current debates surrounding evolution, creationism, and intelligent design.

False Science: Claim to Simulate Protein Evolution

_{Cornelius Hunter
August 6, 2025
4
Evolution}

The researchers designed a simulation tool, and then falsely claimed that it represents the evolutionary process.

Paleontology

Fossils as Magical Darwin Relics

_{David Coppedge
May 25, 2025
12
Paleontology}

Fossils can be handled in the present, but how they are used by evolutionists in stories of history resembles the practices of overeager medieval churchmen.

Cold Water on “Dire Wolves”

_{David Klinghoffer
April 9, 2025
2
Paleontology}

"These are not dire wolves," says evolutionary biologist Neil Shubin. "These are gray wolves with 20 edited genes."

Evolution Harms the Study of Human History

_{Denyse O’Leary
April 1, 2025
4
Paleontology}

Any state of affairs that dates to eons ago can be referred to as “evolution” even when, as in this case, the facts imply the opposite.

Cosmology

The Birth of Science and of the Cosmos

_{Andrew McDiarmid
June 15, 2025
2
Faith & Science}

Do we have to choose between science and God? Absolutely not, says philosopher of science Dr. Stephen Meyer.

12 Discoveries Point to Intelligent Design

_{Granville Sewell
February 27, 2025
2
Intelligent Design}

Michael Kent is a Fellow with the Center for Science and Culture and a recently retired bio-scientist from Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque.

The Singularity that Atheists Try To Evade

_{The Singularity that Atheists Try To Evade}_{Andrew McDiarmid
February 15, 2025
1
Cosmology}

The singularity isn’t the supposed future singularity imagined by transhumanists, but the well-supported singularity at the foundation of the Big Bang.

Human Origins

Hey Smithsonian, Make Humans Exceptional Again

_{David Klinghoffer
August 15, 2025
2
Human Origins and Anthropology}

Denying human exceptionalism is intended to make human visitors to the museum feel animal-like and without special dignity.

Calling on Smithsonian to Fix Errors to Be Mean?

_{David Klinghoffer
August 13, 2025
4
Human Origins and Anthropology}

The errors and biased oversimplifications of scholarly material all run in one direction: to persuade visitors that humans aren’t exceptional beings in nature.

Luskin Calls on the Smithsonian to Get It Right

_{Andrew McDiarmid
August 11, 2025
3
Human Origins and Anthropology}

The Smithsonian Institution has recently been called out by the Trump Administration for pushing “one-sided, divisive political narratives.”

Archaeology

More Discoveries Point to Neanderthal Intelligence

_{Denyse O’Leary
December 5, 2024
5
Archaeology}

This very ancient people we know the most about can’t be the missing link that many paleontologists are looking for.

The Joy of (Neanderthal) Cooking

_{Denyse O’Leary
July 30, 2024
5
Archaeology}

The Darwinian account of the human race would be much easier to believe in good faith if scientists could point to a clearly inferior and clearly human being.

Dallas Conference: Archaeology & the Life of Jesus

_{Titus Kennedy
January 19, 2024
1
Archaeology}

My presentation will explore archaeological discoveries illuminating a major event in the life of Jesus — his trial in Jerusalem.

History of Science

The Legacy of Baruch Spinoza

_{Andrew McDiarmid
April 2, 2025
1
History of Science}

Join host and geologist Casey Luskin and historian of science Michael Keas for a lively conversation puncturing a series of anti-Christian myths.

Conservation of Information: History of an Idea

_{William A. Dembski
January 20, 2025
30
History of Science}

Conservation of information” is a term that appears in both the physics and the computer science literature.

Michael Keas Debunks Science-Faith Warfare Myth

_{Science and Culture
January 28, 2023
1
History of Science}

“Scientists do love a good story,” says Keas. “Turns out there are plenty of stories we shouldn’t believe.”

Geology

Plate Tectonics and Scientific Discovery

_{Guillermo Gonzalez
September 3, 2024
4
Geology}

Plate tectonics is important for advanced life in multiple ways and planets with plate tectonics are very rare.

Luskin: Our Intelligently Designed Planet

_{Science and Culture
November 3, 2022
1
Geology}

Dr. Luskin offers an additional design argument, this one aesthetic in nature, and takes questions from the audience.

Biominerals Could Predict Life on Exoplanets

_{Science and Culture
August 3, 2022
4
Geology}

One-third of minerals — chemical solids whose atoms are highly ordered — are created directly or indirectly by life forms.

Life Sciences

Fireweed: An Example of Intelligent Latent Design

_{Eric Hedin
February 5, 2025
7
Life Sciences}

The photo with fireweed in the foreground at the top of this article was taken by my father, Robert Hedin, at Mount Shuksan in Washington State.

Biological Information in Static Electricity

_{David Coppedge
December 5, 2024
5
Life Sciences}

The influence of static charge in pollination is one demonstrable case — not only for bees, but for moths and hummingbirds as well.

Plant Missile Technology: A Peek in the Armory

_{David Coppedge
December 2, 2024
5
Life Sciences}

Ballistic missiles are common in plants and fungi. Take a look at how they launch their payloads.

Neuroscience

The Tiniest Brain Is Not Simple

_{Eric Cassell
March 14, 2025
9}

Even a cursory examination of the connectome shows the complexity of the brain, despite its tiny size.

Consciousness... In All the Wrong Places

_{Michael Egnor
March 9, 2025
8}

If concept cells nestled in the hippocampi were the seat of consciousness, bilateral hippocampal destruction would cause loss of consciousness. It doesn’t.

Did Evolution Give Us Free Will? (Continued)

_{Daniel Witt
March 5, 2025
10}

The door is open to other causes — even those that neuroscientist Kevin Mitchell himself would prefer to keep out.

Medicine

Killing for Organs — Who Could Possibly Object?

_{Wesley J. Smith
August 5, 2025
4
Medicine}

Three doctors promote the idea of “redefining death” to allow patients to be killed for their organs.

Organ-Procurement Goofs Threaten Trust

_{Wesley J. Smith
August 4, 2025
5
Medicine}

The “dead donor rule” is the cement that binds the public’s trust in organ transplant medicine.

Finding Purpose in Medicine and Science

_{Andrew McDiarmid
July 18, 2025
2
Medicine}

Ultimately, Dr. Iacoboni aims to help his fellow physicians escape the “suffocating boundaries of mechanism and materialism.”

Biology

An Evolutionist Decries Private Truth

_{Denyse O’Leary
August 22, 2025
4
Scientific Reasoning}

Ironically, the ultimate origin of private truth is the materialism that you yourself, Dr. Coyne, espouse.

Cohesins, Condensins: Next-Generation Bobby Pins

_{Emily Reeves
August 22, 2025
4
Intelligent Design}

Picture this: you grab a box of bobby pins, clip them to the ends of your hair, and sit in front of a mirror.

Information Processing as a Hallmark of Life

_{Andrew McDiarmid
August 19, 2025
3
Biology}

I begin a two-part conversation with Dr. Eric Hedin, a physicist and author who’s been asking bold questions about the hidden patterns of life.

Physical Sciences

Physics

What (If Anything) Physics Says About Consciousnes

_{Denyse O’Leary
June 13, 2025
5
Neuroscience & Mind}

What about objects? If we want to argue that they have consciousness too, we need to define the term differently from the experiential way we usually do.

A “Quantum Miracle” that Leads to Life

_{Eric Hedin
May 28, 2025
5
Intelligent Design}

To eventually form stars, planets, and life, neutral atoms are a definite prerequisite.

What Drives All that "New Physics" Hype?

_{Denyse O’Leary
May 19, 2025
5
Intelligent Design}

Many thinkers are troubled by the massive evidence for fine-tuning of our universe. They want to believe that a multiverse just popped into existence.

Chemistry

Postcard from São Paulo

_{Casey Luskin
July 23, 2025
4
Intelligent Design}

Kristin Marais spoke about “How to Make Chemistry Fun by Teaching Intelligent Design and the Origin of Life.”

Homeschool High‑School Science Courses

_{Brian Westad
July 16, 2025
3
Science Education}

Give your high‑schooler a course that sparks curiosity today and prepares them for the science of tomorrow.

DI Academy “Meet the Teachers” Zoom

_{Kristin Marais
May 28, 2025
4
Science Education}

If you weren’t able to drop by our booth in Florida, why don’t you consider joining our “Meet the Teachers” Zoom event on Thursday, May 29 at 5:00 pm (PDT).

Astronomy

An Icon of Intelligent Design

_{David Klinghoffer
August 6, 2025
2
Faith & Science}

If wokeness leads to promoting surgical sexual mutilation of children, maybe we need to rethink the whole thing.

Dave Farina Gives Avi Loeb the Hamas Treatment

_{David Klinghoffer
July 30, 2025
4
Evolution}

Farina was known to us before for his puerile attack videos aimed at intelligent design proponents.

Reflections on Astronomy in Iconic National Parks

_{Eric Hedin
July 3, 2025
5
Intelligent Design}

The most poignant evidence of design intervention on planet Earth is certainly life itself.

Fine-Tuning

Geometric Design in the Solar System

_{Eric Hedin
August 11, 2025
8
Intelligent Design}

My favorite example of such geometric design arises from the mean orbits of our innermost two planets, Mercury and Venus.

We Are Children of Light and Water

_{Andrew McDiarmid
August 10, 2025
2
Intelligent Design}

“In this vast range, there’s only one…infinitesimally small band which has the right energy for photosynthesis,” a prerequisite for human life. Coincidence?

The "Nature of the Universe" Puzzles Physicists

_{Denyse O’Leary
June 27, 2025
7
Intelligent Design}

The more physicists know about the universe, the larger loom some questions about ultimate realities.

Earth Sciences

Geophysics

Aurora Borealis: Scientific and Aesthetic Design

_{Casey Luskin
May 12, 2024
9
Astronomy}

You appreciate the aurora borealis or aurora australis because you were not created by strictly material evolutionary processes.

Geoengineering on an Intelligently Designed Planet

_{Tova Forman
August 30, 2023
4
Intelligent Design}

Scientists are still discovering how many systems, controls, and other aspects of planetary fine-tuning are in place to ensure that we have abundant life.

No Iron, No Life: Design in Iron Availability

_{Science and Culture
January 25, 2022
9
Biology}

As an exercise, count the number of lucky breaks that had to occur for the evolutionary story to work.

Environment

Is Geomimetics an Intelligent Design Science?

_{David Coppedge
August 19, 2025
7
Environment & Climate}

Biomimetics, the imitation of nature’s designs, clearly qualifies as an ID science. What about “geomimetics” — the imitation of geophysics?

Only Bioethicists Can Save the Planet!

_{Wesley J. Smith
August 13, 2025
3
Bioethics}

Apparently, anyone with any claim to victimization or marginalization can be a bioethicist now.

A “Right to Flow”: River Rights for the Seine?

_{Wesley J. Smith
June 7, 2025
3
Bioethics}

Even nonessential activities could be blocked by pretending that the Seine is a person.

Rare Earth

Study: Geological Habitability Parameters

_{Casey Luskin
August 14, 2024
8
Rare Earth}

One thing that is likely to get some pushback is the study’s claim that modern-style plate tectonics on Earth did not commence until the Neoproterozoic.

Earth and Mars — A Rare Gem and a Sharp Contrast

_{Eric Hedin
August 5, 2024
9
Rare Earth}

Apparently, simple living organisms must exist for eons on a planet before more advanced life can thrive.

Rare Earth: How Vital Minerals "Evolve"

_{David Coppedge
August 29, 2022
4
Rare Earth}

It's intriguing that life as we know it depends on a seemingly un-natural distribution of minerals.

Planetology

Hope for Mars Life Is Dashed Again

_{David Coppedge
March 4, 2025
1
Planetology}

Subsequent landers discovered a high concentration of perchlorates in the soil. Perchlorates are chlorinated salts, often used in fireworks.

How NASA Might Change Soon

_{Science and Culture
March 2, 2025
3
Planetology}

There has been much speculation in the tech media over the current government shakeup.

God and the Odds of ET

_{Jonathan Witt
January 13, 2025
9
Planetology}

There is a rational and intellectually defensible strategy for maintaining a measure of optimism about the possibility of extra-terrestrial life.

Culture

Human Exceptionalism

Smithsonian Denigrates the Human Race

_{David Klinghoffer
August 20, 2025
3
Human Exceptionalism}

I have not yet heard that the Trump Administration is looking at what the NMNH says about human origins. But reforming the Smithsonian requites it.

C. S. Lewis and the Advent of the Posthuman

_{James A. Herrick
August 21, 2020
9
Human Exceptionalism}

In Julian Savulescu’s view, rapidly advancing brain science will provide some of the data necessary to shaping a better human race.

Oral Cavity’s “Lousy” Design Is Key to Speech

_{Science and Culture
July 5, 2018
5
Human Exceptionalism}

We’re constantly told that the design of the human larynx, trachea, and oral cavity is poor because it allows for choking on food.

Arts

The “Music Model” of Consciousness

_{Denyse O’Leary
August 13, 2025
6
Neuroscience & Mind}

Gazzaniga and Queenan’s new model accounts for missing brain parts but it leaves out the very thing that creates the music.

Fantastic Four and a Walk-On for Darwin

_{David Klinghoffer
August 5, 2025
4
Evolution}

Great tensions fuel engaging drama, always. If there’s a conflict, it has to be stark and serious, and the stakes have to be high.

With “Great Genes,” Plato Exacts His Revenge

_{David Klinghoffer
July 30, 2025
2
Intelligent Design}

If I had no sense of humor whatsoever about the whole thing, I would point out that the nature of “genes” is the subject of a fascinating scientific dispute.

Ethics

A Device to Read Minds?

_{Denyse O’Leary
August 19, 2025
5
Neuroscience & Mind}

"There’s a voice inside most people’s minds that comes alive when they listen, read, or prepare to speak."

Redefining Health to Impose Technocracy

_{Wesley J. Smith
August 18, 2025
4
Bioethics}

The public-health intelligentsia and bioethics movement are determined to become the primary policy decision makers internationally.

The Horrors of Canadian Euthanasia

_{Wesley J. Smith
August 16, 2025
2
Bioethics}

As journalist Andrew Coyne said, “A society that believes in nothing can offer no argument even against death.”

Social Sciences

Luskin Calls Out Smithsonian on Human Origins

_{David Klinghoffer
July 28, 2025
4
Human Origins and Anthropology}

The museum misinforms visitors about how humans are so very, very close to non-human creatures. Equating humans with non-humans isn't humane. It's the opposite.

Designed to Dance? Here’s What Science Says

_{Tova Forman
July 14, 2025
12
Arts}

Dancing is not a mere add-on feature that came a couple of mutations after mankind figured out how to shamble.

Piers Morgan Hosts Egnor on Near-Death Experiences

_{Denyse O’Leary
July 7, 2025
5
Neuroscience & Mind}

Near-death experiences headlined the discussion. But Dr. Egnor made clear that there is much other evidence for the reality of the human soul.

Faith and Science

What’s Bothering Augustine?

_{Winston Ewert
August 12, 2025
7
Faith & Science}

I began to understand that there was a rich history of the interaction between the Church and premodern science, but not one that is widely known.

An Icon of Intelligent Design

_{David Klinghoffer
August 6, 2025
2
Faith & Science}

If wokeness leads to promoting surgical sexual mutilation of children, maybe we need to rethink the whole thing.

Faith and Science Before Modern Science

_{Denyse O’Leary
July 24, 2025
5
Faith & Science}

Winston Ewert offers a surprising look at how Christians debated science theories in the ancient and medieval world.

Science Education

Homeschool High‑School Science Courses

_{Brian Westad
July 16, 2025
3
Science Education}

Give your high‑schooler a course that sparks curiosity today and prepares them for the science of tomorrow.

DI Academy “Meet the Teachers” Zoom

_{Kristin Marais
May 28, 2025
4
Science Education}

If you weren’t able to drop by our booth in Florida, why don’t you consider joining our “Meet the Teachers” Zoom event on Thursday, May 29 at 5:00 pm (PDT).

HS Biology and Chemistry with ID Integration

_{Andrew McDiarmid
May 21, 2025
4
Science Education}

The integration is key; the courses don’t just tack on ID concepts but place them directly where they fit with the underlying scientific understanding.

Scientific Freedom

The Wrong Tool to Fix Woke Science Journals

_{Wesley J. Smith
May 3, 2025
2}

The government has no business pressuring medical journals about their content — no matter how biased.

Hysteria in the Science Sector Over DOGE

_{Wesley J. Smith
March 30, 2025
4}

Whatever problems now exist for the public medical research funding sector, the disappointing Francis Collins helped create them.

Stand Up for Science or... for Naked Ideology?

_{Wesley J. Smith
March 12, 2025
4}

“Stand Up for Science 2025” protests were clearly aimed at reaffirming control by the now discredited science establishment.

Science Reporting

Evolution News Evolves

_{The Design of Science and Culture Today}_{Nathan Jacobson
August 18, 2025
7
Science Reporting}

New features of the site include audio versions of every article, estimated reading times, advanced search, and in-context footnotes.

Big Announcement for Evolution News

_{Casey Luskin
August 18, 2025
2
Science Reporting}

Don’t worry, under editor David Klinghoffer, the content will remain the same. But the new name more accurately reflects an “evolution.”

Fact Check: Life on Exoplanet K2-18b?

_{Casey Luskin
April 19, 2025
14
Science Reporting}

The molecule is dimethyl sulfide (DMS) or dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), and on Earth its sole known source is life (specifically, marine phytoplankton algae).