Science and Culture Today Discovering Design in Nature

ID the Future

with Andrew McDiarmid

The Intelligent Design of Sleep

2249
Eric Hedin
August 7, 2026
We’re asleep an average of about 26 years of our life! Most people have a sense that sleep is important, but many of us aren’t sure exactly why. Why is sleep so crucial to survival? And how did the processes of sleep emerge in living things? Could a gradual Darwinian process be responsible, or are the systems involved another instance of intelligent design? On this episode of ID The Future selected from the vault, host Andrew McDiarmid begins a conversation with Dr. Eric Hedin about the origin and intelligent design of sleep. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Look for Part 2 in a separate episode!

Neurosurgeon and Engineer Critique a Materialist Theory of Consciousness

2248
Michael Egnor
August 5, 2026
Today’s episode of ID The Future comes from our sister podcast Mind Matters News. Today, guest host Pat Flynn welcomes Dr. Robert Marks and Dr. Michael Egnor to the show to critique Integrated Information Theory (IIT), a popular mathematical model that attempts to explain consciousness through computational complexity.

Enjoy a Reading From the Landmark Book Darwin’s Black Box

2247
Andrew McDiarmid
August 3, 2026
It’s the book that helped launch the biochemical challenge to Darwinian evolution. It has been hailed as one of the most influential books on science in our lifetime. And this year, it celebrates thirty years in print! On today’s ID the Future, host Andrew McDiarmid invites you to join him as he reads selections from Darwin’s Black Box, authored by biochemist Michael J. Behe. And don’t miss Andrew’s two-part conversation with Behe about the impact of the book. Look for that in separate episodes of ID The Future.

Latest Videos

The Story Behind Darwin’s Black Box by Michael Behe

Michael J. Behe
August 3, 2026

Thirty years ago, biochemist Michael Behe sparked a worldwide debate over Darwinian evolution by publishing his book Darwin’s Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution. This video tells the story behind the writing of this landmark book, which fundamentally changed the debate over Darwin.

Michael Behe Was Right: Darwin’s Black Box at 30

John G. West
August 2, 2026

August 2, 2026 marks the 30th anniversary of the publication of Darwin’s Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution by biochemist Michael Behe. This landmark book posed a frontal challenge to Neo-Darwinian evolution from a mainstream scientist and helped change the course of scientific history. In this new conversation with Discovery Institute Vice President John West, Dr. Behe discusses how his ideas have stood the test of time.

Endowed with an Ultimate Body

Stuart Burgess
July 6, 2026
2026 Dallas Conference on Science and Faith

Stuart Burgess, an award-winning engineer, argues that biological systems surpass even the best human engineering. As detailed in his book, the human body exhibits “Ultimate Engineering” that operates at near-perfect physical limits. Using examples like synovial fluid, the human foot, and the heart, Burgess explains how biological performance far exceeds human technology and cannot be explained by evolutionary processes.

Intelligent Design

Behe’s Breakthrough

The cover artist was working on a bit of extra creativity, showing Behe playing poker with Charles Darwin, and holding the winning cards.

Historical Sciences

Origin of Life

Evolution

Paleontology

Cosmology

A Mind Behind the Universe?

Joel Kotkin points to a recent conference that brought together top engineers, mathematicians, and scientists to discuss the “new synergy.”

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

Faith and Science

A Mind Behind the Universe?

Joel Kotkin points to a recent conference that brought together top engineers, mathematicians, and scientists to discuss the “new synergy.”

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.

Browse the Latest

© Discovery Institute