Science and Culture Today Discovering Design in Nature

ID the Future

with Andrew McDiarmid

The Genius-Level Engineering Solutions in Muscle

2223
Robert P. Waltzer
June 8, 2026
Every movement you make—walking across a room, lifting a cup of coffee, even blinking your eyes—depends on trillions of microscopic molecular machines working in remarkable coordination. On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid begins exploring the hidden machinery of muscle with Dr. Robert Waltzer, professor of biology at Belhaven University and longtime researcher and lecturer on intelligent design. First, Dr. Waltzer takes us to right to the microscopic heart of muscle. Then he explains how muscle solves the formidable engineering challenge of repairing and replacing damaged muscle components in real time. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation.

Dr. Scott Minnich on the Real Science Behind E. coli “Evolution”

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Scott Minnich
June 5, 2026
Evolutionary biologist Richard Lenski hopes to demonstrate Darwinian evolution in action. But one humble scientist from Northern Idaho says not so fast! On this classic episode of ID The Future from the archive, host Eric Anderson concludes a conversation with microbiologist Dr. Scott Minnich. In Part 2, Dr. Minnich critiques Lenski’s famous Long Term Evolutionary Experiments. Through experiments of his own, Minnich has shown how the practical results of Lenski’s project on E. coli are easily repeatable under different conditions, and how some key changes to E. coli are even reversible, both of which speak more to an organism’s pre-existing capabilities than to a Darwinian explanation. “Overall, [Lenski’s] E. coli haven’t generated anything new,” observes Minnich. “They’re getting rid of stuff they don’t need…they have hyper mutational rates…but in the long run, that’s not an advantage, because you’re just going to acquire too many mutations, and that’s the road to extinction.”

A Dose of Engineering Realism Over AI Hype

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Donald Wunsch
June 3, 2026
ID The Future listeners now get to enjoy two episodes each month from our sister podcast Mind Matters News, a production of the Discovery Institute’s Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence. The Mind Matters News podcast brings you insight from computer scientists, engineers, inventors, neurosurgeons, and other experts who bring sanity to the conversation about natural and artificial intelligence, going beyond the hype to explore the undercurrents of these important ideas. And although the Mind Matters News podcast will not often explicitly discuss intelligent design, it regularly explores the nature of intelligence, the origin of information, and the things that make us uniquely human, all concepts that are central to the theory of intelligent design. Enjoy today’s offering of Mind Matters News! The hype around AI is reaching fever pitch these days. But never mind predictions of future AI potential. What can it actually do and not do today? On this episode of the Mind Matters News podcast, host Robert J. Marks welcomes Dr. Donald C. Wunsch II to the show for a long-form, wide-ranging conversation about what AI can actually do today—and the very real risks and responsibilities that come with it.

Latest Videos

Tell-Tale Signs of Bogus Science about the Origin of Life

The Center for Science and Culture
May 20, 2026
Long Story Short

Scientific claims about the origin of life are often complex—so how can you tell if they’re right or wrong? Even if you’re not an expert, there are tell-tale signs to identify scientific claims that are dubious. Are the scientists unbiased? Do they exclude possible explanations before the investigation even begins? Do the scientists make assumptions? Are the claims being made reasonable or exaggerated? It turns out origin of life research regularly makes all these mistakes.

Is America a Creedal Nation? The Real Meaning of the Declaration of Independence

John G. West
May 11, 2026
2026 Dallas Conference on Science and Faith

America is unique in being founded on a shared set of ideas — especially the Declaration of Independence — which asserts human equality, natural rights, and government by consent. John G. West argues that the founders grounded these principles in both biblical belief and reason, believing humans to be equal in seven key ways, despite obvious differences.

Intelligent Design

Historical Sciences

Origin of Life

Postcard from North Carolina

Skepticism should be a last resort rather than a starting point. If truth is knowable, we should pursue it as our highest priority.

Evolution

Paleontology

Cosmology

Human Origins

Archaeology

The Joy of (Neanderthal) Cooking

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.

History of Science

Geology

Life Sciences

Life Sciences

Neuroscience

Medicine

Biology

Physical Sciences

Physics

Chemistry

Astronomy

Fine-Tuning

Earth Sciences

Geophysics

Environment

Rare Earth

Planetology

Culture

Human Exceptionalism

Why AI Won’t Replace Us Spiritually

AI systems increasingly resemble human intelligence. But resemblance alone does not make them image bearers. It cannot. AI systems do not represent God.

Arts

Ethics

Social Sciences

Debating the Declaration

Even non-Christian Founders like Benjamin Franklin thought about the evidence for intelligent design. Franklin studied it as part of his private liturgy.

Faith and Science

Science Education

Scientific Freedom

Science Reporting

On the Origin of Our New Name

First, the conversation delves into the site’s launch in December 2004, when the modern intelligent design movement and the Internet were both relatively new.

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