Science and Culture Today Discovering Design in Nature
Emily-Reeves
Photo source: Discovery Institute.
Latest

Reeves: A Rising Star Describes a Biological Revolution

Categories
Biochemistry
Biology
Intelligent Design
Science
Technology
Share
Facebook
Twitter/X
LinkedIn
Flipboard
Print
Email

Biochemist Emily Reeves is one of the rising young stars in the world of intelligent design research. She spoke recently about the revolution — that is the right word — taking place in biology with the application of engineering and design thinking. Systems biology, as Dr. Reeves describes the new field, offers “a clearer description of life” than materialist reductionism does. Why? Because while Darwinian scientists do a fine job of sitting around and theorizing, “Engineers more easily recognize impressive design because they have actually tried to build stuff.”

Reeves neatly captures the nexus between intelligent design and systems biology. When looking at life through these new eyes we see:

  • “Hierarchical integration requires foresight.” 
  • “Signaling networks require top-down design.” 
  • “Emergent properties require irreducible complexity.”

Nor is it only scientists with known sympathies for ID who are recognizing this. Reeves cites, among others, computer scientist Jim Esch who compared living systems with human-engineered ones and found that the living systems were far more sophisticated: “Silicon-based technology cannot come close to the kinds of integration seen at the bacterial scale, for example.” Such observations cry out for an inference to intelligent purpose. Please watch and share:

Click here to display content from YouTube.
Learn more in YouTube’s privacy policy.

David Klinghoffer

Senior Fellow and Editor, Science and Culture Today
David Klinghoffer is a Senior Fellow with Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture. He is the author of seven books including Plato’s Revenge: The New Science of the Immaterial Genome and The Lord Will Gather Me In: My Journey to Jewish Orthodoxy. A former senior editor at National Review, he has contributed to the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and other publications. He received an A.B. magna cum laude from Brown University in 1987. Born in Santa Monica, CA, he lives on Mercer Island, WA.
Benefiting from Science & Culture Today?
Support the Center for Science and Culture and ensure that we can continue to publish counter-cultural commentary and original reporting and analysis on scientific research, evolution, neuroscience, bioethics, and intelligent design.

© Discovery Institute