Science and Culture Today | Discovering Design in Nature

Today

Renew Your Awe of Reproduction

_{David Klinghoffer
January 21, 2026
2
Evolution}

How do those cells “know” what to become? Where does the information reside that shapes a human in the womb?

The Nigerian Experiment

_{Amanda Witt
January 21, 2026
16
Evolution}

In the late 19th century, Great Britain, the United States, and twelve European nations got together and divided Africa up among themselves.

Intelligence Needed for Functional Information

_{Andrew McDiarmid
January 21, 2026
3
Intelligent Design}

The law of conservation of information shows that intelligence is a necessary requirement for the complex functional information found in nature.

Dembski Reveals the Hidden Cost of Information

_{Andrew McDiarmid
January 20, 2026
3
Mathematics}

When the law of conservation of information is applied properly to evolutionary claims, the reality is sobering.

The Philosophy of Intelligent Design

_{William A. Dembski
January 20, 2026
35
Philosophy}

Levin is not a reflexive Darwinian materialist. Moreover, he touches on many themes that intelligent design theorists touch on.

Doctor’s Diary: Have We Overlooked Common Sense?

_{Geoffrey Simmons
January 20, 2026
7
Intelligent Design}

Take bats, for example. Many types eat upside down, yet they flip to eliminate wastes.

C. S. Lewis on “Creative Evolution”

_{Thomas E. Woodward
January 19, 2026
3
Evolution}

“The Life-Force is a sort of tame God. You can switch it on when you want, but it will not bother you.”

ID the Future

with Andrew McDiarmid

Why Intelligence is Necessary to Explain Nature’s Functional Information

_{2164
William A. Dembski
January 21, 2026}

We already have a well-established law that shows us how order can decrease in a physical system. But is there a law that explains an increase in order? Scientists have been looking for “nature’s missing law” for a while, and while they might be asking the right questions, their training in a bottom-up reductionist framework is leading them to the wrong answers. On this ID The Future, mathematician and philosopher Dr. William Dembski continues a four-part conversation with host Andrew McDiarmid about his work on the law of conservation of information and its implications for theories that attempt to explain the origin of life and the universe. This is Part 2 of a four-part conversation.

Bill Dembski Reveals the Hidden Cost of Information

_{2163
William A. Dembski
January 19, 2026}

Chances are you’re already familiar with specified complexity, one of the mathematical pillars of the theory of intelligent design. There’s another pillar that is much less well known but equally vital: the law of conservation of information. On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid begins a four-part conversation with mathematician and philosopher Dr. William Dembski. The conversation unpacks Dembski’s work on the law of conservation of information and its implications for scientific theories like Darwinian evolution. In Part 1, Dr. Dembski begins by defining information fundamentally as the narrowing of possibilities, where specifying one outcome excludes others. Using his a simple analogy of location, he explains that identifying a specific place, like the town of …

Sexual Reproduction: Engineered for Success

_{2162
Jonathan McLatchie
January 16, 2026}

Sexual reproduction depends on an irreducibly complex core of components for its success. But can we really credit a gradual evolutionary process for this remarkable system? On this classic ID The Future from the archive, host Andrew McDiarmid continues his discussion with Dr. Jonathan McLatchie on why sex is the queen of problems for evolutionary theory and why instead it bears the hallmarks of a system governed by forethought and engineering. Dr. McLatchie covers two more components and explains why they are beyond the reach of a Darwinian process. This is Part 2 of a three-part conversation.

Latest Videos

How to Build a Baby

_{The Center for Science and Culture
January 21, 2026
Intelligent Design
Secrets of the Human Body}

Human beings possess uncanny abilities to perceive and navigate within a three dimensional world. In this episode of Secrets of the Human Body , join medical doctor Howard Glicksman and systems engineer Steve Laufmann as they investigate the hidden systems that make our astounding spatial awareness possible.

…

How Common Sense Points to God

_{The Center for Science and Culture
January 19, 2026
Intelligent Design
God Proofs}

Does common sense point to… God?!!! A short animated video inspired by the graphic novel The God Proofs: How Science Points to YOUR Creator by Doug Ell for young teens and above. For more information, check out https://thegodproofs.com/. …

How Your Smartphone Points to God

_{The Center for Science and Culture
January 12, 2026
Intelligent Design
God Proofs}

Does your smartphone point to… God?!!! A short animated video inspired by the graphic novel The God Proofs: How Science Points to YOUR Creator by Doug Ell for young teens and above. For more information, check out https://thegodproofs.com/. …

All Life Runs Code

_{The Center for Science and Culture
January 6, 2026
Intelligent Design
God Proofs}

All life runs code… but what does the code point to? A short animated video inspired by the graphic novel The God Proofs: How Science Points to YOUR Creator by Doug Ell for young teens and above. For more information, check out https://thegodproofs.com/. …

Intelligent Design

Doctor’s Diary: Have We Overlooked Common Sense?

_{Geoffrey Simmons
January 20, 2026
7
Intelligent Design}

Take bats, for example. Many types eat upside down, yet they flip to eliminate wastes.

Sexual Reproduction: Engineered for Success

_{Andrew McDiarmid
January 18, 2026
2
Intelligent Design}

I continue a three-part discussion with Dr. Jonathan McLatchie on why sex is the queen of problems for evolutionary theory.

Scott Adams Explains: How to Be an ID Critic

_{David Klinghoffer
January 13, 2026
2
Intelligent Design}

His tips for trolling include, “Misstate then criticize,” “Context doesn’t matter,” and “You understand science” (but nobody who disagrees with you does).

Adams: ID (Of a Sort!) Is “Close to 100 Percent”

_{David Klinghoffer
January 13, 2026
4
Intelligent Design}

I wrote the following in December 2018. Poor Scott Adams, beloved podcaster and creator of Dilbert, died today of cancer at age 68.

Historical Sciences

Origin of Life

Remembering ID and Tech Pioneer Walter Bradley

_{Andrew McDiarmid
November 8, 2025
3
Origin of Life}

In 1984, three scientists dared to probe the mystery of life’s origin by putting the prevailing theories of prebiotic and chemical evolution to the test.

Origin of Life Isn’t a Scientific Question

_{Denyse O’Leary
September 19, 2025
5
Origin of Life}

Some answers are Correct Groupthink but others will get you Canceled. It’s not clear that the current approach will enable many more insights.

Researcher Picks Up Design Signal in Biopolymers

_{Science and Culture
September 15, 2025
2
Origin of Life}

You will hear one word, over and over in this remarkable talk, that has stolen the place, or taken the credit, for what is undeniable evidence of design.

Evolution

C. S. Lewis on “Creative Evolution”

_{Thomas E. Woodward
January 19, 2026
3
Evolution}

“The Life-Force is a sort of tame God. You can switch it on when you want, but it will not bother you.”

Bad News for “Oxygen Theory” of Cambrian Explosion

_{Casey Luskin
January 9, 2026
8
Evolution}

The technical paper acknowledges that this level of oxygenation, if sustained, would indeed “challenge the view” that oxygen was a trigger for animal evolution.

Merry Christmas! No. 8 Story: Life’s Optimization

_{Emily Reeves
December 25, 2025
9
Evolution}

On Daphne Major, a Galápagos island, there are three major types of finch food: large seeds, small seeds, and pollen and insects.

Paleontology

No. 4 Story: Farewell to Günter Bechly

_{David Klinghoffer
December 29, 2025
8
Paleontology}

I told Richard Sternberg a story from own experience. I learned about more than paleontology from Bechly.

With Namibian Fossils, Ediacaran Mystery Remains

_{David Coppedge
November 24, 2025
8
Paleontology}

Simon Conway Morris described the Ediacaran ecology as a “sleepy” world of simple, passive creatures bearing no resemblance to what was to come.

Ancient Eyes, Modern Design

_{Emily Reeves
October 23, 2025
3
Paleontology}

Does this discovery suggest that the principles of compound vision emerged nearly half a billion years ago as the authors concluded?

Cosmology

Charles Murray Shows the Impact of Our Work

_{David Klinghoffer
December 16, 2025
3
Faith & Science}

As Stephen Meyer, John West, Steve Buri, and others got up and spoke, there was an odd shaking in the floor and windows.

Does Elon Musk Believe in God?

_{David Klinghoffer
December 10, 2025
2
Faith & Science}

It’s the season of the unexpected convert, isn’t it? Musk has more than enough smarts to evaluate that evidence for himself, once he has got it in front of him.

Max Tegmark’s Mathematical Universe Hypothesis

_{Andrew McDiarmid
December 3, 2025
3
Cosmology}

According to this theory, every possible set of laws governs a universe, and our existence is simply explained by observer bias.

Human Origins

Overblown Media Claims of a “Missing Link”

_{Casey Luskin
January 14, 2026
6
Human Origins and Anthropology}

So we’re talking about fossils that are very humanlike, if not essentially completely human.

“Competition and Politics” Complicate Debate

_{Casey Luskin
January 13, 2026
12
Human Origins and Anthropology}

It seemed like lots of people wanted to forget about the femur, because years went by and nothing was published about the bone.

New Paper Fails to Settle Debate Over Bipedalism

_{Casey Luskin
January 12, 2026
8
Human Origins and Anthropology}

Many have called this fossil a human ancestor that lived at about 7 million years ago, around the time of our supposed most recent common ancestor with chimps.

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

Science Before the Rise of Modern Science

_{William A. Dembski
October 27, 2025
25
History of Science}

An interview with Winston Ewert about his fascinating new book on the interaction between science and faith before Copernicus.

Darwin as a Prefiguration of Postmodern Man

_{Neil Thomas
August 25, 2025
17
History of Science}

Whether we like it or not, Erasmus Darwin’s simple and predictable world is no more, and we now find ourselves subject to a profoundly mysterious cosmos.

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.

Geology

As an Idea, the “Anthropocene” Era Is Dead

_{Science and Culture
November 25, 2025
3
Geology}

in a world where pundits regularly accuse us all of being too anthropocentric, the naming of a new geological epoch would enshrine that view forever in science.

The Wonders of a Hard Mineral

_{David Coppedge
September 5, 2025
11
Geology}

Explore the features of a remarkable mineral erupted from volcanoes that is found in our teeth. How did it get there?

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.

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

Free Will vs. the Totalitarian Temptation

_{Denyse O’Leary
January 3, 2026
6
Neuroscience & Mind}

If our thoughts and choices really are wholly determined, well then what follows?

New Model Says Consciousness Underlies Universe

_{Science and Culture
December 1, 2025
2
Neuroscience & Mind}

We live in a universe closer to the vision of Plato (c. 427 – 348 BC) than of Thomas Henry Huxley (1825–1895).

Skeptic Michael Shermer’s Non-Vision of the Soul

_{Denyse O’Leary
November 28, 2025
5
Neuroscience & Mind}

Responding to Michael Egnor at COSM 2025, he said that the soul is an explanation but not a good explanation for our relationship to our bodies.

Medicine

For MAHA’s Sake, Don’t Eliminate Animal Research

_{Wesley J. Smith
January 7, 2026
5
Medicine}

Years ago, Dr. Edward Taub hypothesized that brain function could exhibit greater plasticity than it was believed at the time.

From C. S. Lewis, Prophetic Warnings on Scientism

_{Andrew McDiarmid
December 6, 2025
2
Medicine}

What happens when science leaves human values behind? Or when governments become beholden to scientists?

Canada Blazes a Trail to Authoritarianism

_{Wesley J. Smith
December 4, 2025
3
Medicine}

Some worry about theocracies. But Canada is demonstrating that a secularocracy can be just as suppressing of comity and human freedom.

Biology

Systems Biology and ID: A Natural Fit

_{Emily Reeves
January 15, 2026
8
Biology}

My optimism comes from how powerfully top-down design has succeeded in giving us the complex systems of the modern world.

With James Tour, I Have Been Assessing Evolution

_{Rob Stadler
January 14, 2026
1
Biology}

The evidence that is most often presented in support of evolution (i.e., the fossil record and homology) fails to meet the criteria for providing confidence.

Sex: A Spicy Problem for Evolutionary Theory

_{Andrew McDiarmid
January 11, 2026
2
Biology}

Sexual reproduction is a seeming waste of resources producing little or no short-term advantages.

Physical Sciences

Physics

New Paper Defends Fine-Tuning Argument

_{Jonathan McLatchie
January 14, 2026
11
Fine-tuning}

Fumagalli does not in the end state whether he himself lands on the multiverse hypothesis, cosmic design, or unknown physics as the best explanation.

What Forces of Nature Can Do and What They Can’t

_{Eric Hedin
January 2, 2026
7
Physics}

Our universe not only has limited physical resources, but also informational limits, and the only way to overcome these is by intelligent design.

The Weak Force: “Most Intricate and Subtle” of All

_{Eric Hedin
December 15, 2025
9
Physics}

The existence of the weak force wasn’t even suspected until about a hundred years ago, and now we find that we can’t live without it!

Chemistry

The Messy Reality of Prebiotic Chemistry

_{Andrew McDiarmid
January 15, 2026
2
Origin of Life}

The interview explores the professional risks faced by scientists who question the standard evolutionary paradigm.

Organic Chemistry Without Intelligence

_{Andrew McDiarmid
January 13, 2026
2
Origin of Life}

While amino acids can be produced in experiments or found on meteorites, they are often consumed by side reactions that create non-living tar.

When Science Degenerates into a Spoils System

_{Denyse O’Leary
November 2, 2025
5
Scientific Freedom}

Chemistry professor Anna Krylov forces us to look at that in discouraging detail.

Astronomy

Astrobiology as a Secular Quest for Meaning

_{Denyse O’Leary
November 13, 2025
6
Astronomy}

I don’t think this stuff does any harm — as long as it is understood as drama and not given undue importance in science or philosophy.

Rights for Planets, Moons, and Space Microbes?

_{Wesley J. Smith
September 29, 2025
3
Planetology}

The ultimate purpose in granting such rights would be to disincentivize investments in space exploration and keep us Gaia-bound.

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.

Fine-Tuning

New Paper Defends Fine-Tuning Argument

_{Jonathan McLatchie
January 14, 2026
11
Fine-tuning}

Fumagalli does not in the end state whether he himself lands on the multiverse hypothesis, cosmic design, or unknown physics as the best explanation.

No. 10 Story: Wiki Co-Founder on Arguments for God

_{Larry Sanger
December 23, 2025
8
Faith & Science}

I was impressed by a lecture by philosopher of science Stephen Meyer, who presented versions of the cosmological argument and the fine-tuning argument.

Beyond Fine-Tuning: Design in the Laws of Nature

_{Brian Miller
December 3, 2025
7
Physics}

There is only one way to explain why our universe is governed by such simple and elegant laws that support life.

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 Levengood
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

Great Science Cancellation Continues

_{David Klinghoffer
September 18, 2025
3
Scientific Freedom}

In the domination of science by ideology, by the myth of “settled science,” the stakes couldn’t be more profound.

COSM Will Feature Nobel Laureate John F. Clauser

_{Science and Culture
September 12, 2025
5
Physics}

Discovery Institute’s upcoming COSM 2025 tech conference will feature something a little different.

Put Mother Nature on the Board of Directors?

_{Wesley J. Smith
September 9, 2025
6
Ethics}

Nature can’t “own” anything. That’s a human construct. Moreover, nature would be represented by environmental “flesh flake” radicals.

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

The Search for ETs: Keeping Hope Alive

_{Denyse O’Leary
October 15, 2025
5
Planetology}

The question looms: How much can science avoid facts while retaining the character of science?

Rights for Planets, Moons, and Space Microbes?

_{Wesley J. Smith
September 29, 2025
3
Planetology}

The ultimate purpose in granting such rights would be to disincentivize investments in space exploration and keep us Gaia-bound.

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.

Culture

Human Exceptionalism

Bees Are Granted the Right to Life

_{Wesley J. Smith
January 7, 2026
2
Human Exceptionalism}

It is not as if nature or animals need to be granted rights in order to be protected robustly.

Robert P. George on Human Exceptionalism

_{Wesley J. Smith
December 8, 2025
2
Human Exceptionalism}

Whether or not human beings are exceptional is one of the most important questions of our age.

On New Book, Elite Opinion Cuts Loose from Reality

_{Denyse O’Leary
November 18, 2025
5
Human Exceptionalism}

All these intellectual worthies, in deadly earnest virtue, choose to miss the point.

Arts

False Messiah: An Addendum on Darwin and Theism

_{Neil Thomas
October 22, 2025
12
Evolution}

The standpoint of poet John Keats is certainly gaining resonance in our doubt-ridden 21st century. I for one welcome its openness to questioning and wonder.

J. K. Rowling Comes Out Against Assisted Suicide

_{Wesley J. Smith
September 26, 2025
2
Bioethics}

Two of the core tenets of liberalism are (supposed to be) protecting vulnerable people from exploitation and promoting equality among all people.

Darwin, Faust, and the Alchemist: Unexpected Roots

_{Neil Thomas
September 25, 2025
19
Evolution}

Today we would of course brand both Faust and the Alchemist fantasists or “mad scientists” of the first order. Was Darwin prone to such wishful thinking?

Ethics

For MAHA’s Sake, Don’t Eliminate Animal Research

_{Wesley J. Smith
January 7, 2026
5
Medicine}

Years ago, Dr. Edward Taub hypothesized that brain function could exhibit greater plasticity than it was believed at the time.

Bringing a Moral Horror to the U.S.

_{Wesley J. Smith
January 7, 2026
3
Bioethics}

Conjoining organ harvesting with assisted suicide or euthanasia gives society a “stake” in sick people being made dead.

Bees Are Granted the Right to Life

_{Wesley J. Smith
January 7, 2026
2
Human Exceptionalism}

It is not as if nature or animals need to be granted rights in order to be protected robustly.

Social Sciences

In Study of Human Psychology, the Power of “Maybe”

_{Denyse O’Leary
October 22, 2025
5
Psychology}

This is not science and is not a good look for a psychology that purports to have some relationship with science.

Can Evolution Explain Altruism or Heroism?

_{Andrew McDiarmid
September 20, 2025
2
Evolutionary Psychology}

Casey Luskin and I share separate recent examples of people who have run towards burning cars to save complete strangers.

If You Want Creative Storytelling, Look No Further

_{Andrew McDiarmid
September 19, 2025
2
Uncategorized}

If evolutionary psychology attempts to explain every behavior, including each behavior’s opposite, can it really explain anything?

Faith and Science

Catholicism and “Evolution,” Whatever That Means

_{David Klinghoffer
January 15, 2026
3
Faith & Science}

In the book review by Stephen Barr, I count 66 mentions of “evolution” and not one of “Darwinian evolution.”

New Video: “How Your Smartphone Points to God”

_{David Klinghoffer
January 12, 2026
2
Faith & Science}

If evolution is defined as an unguided process, then inserting “God used” it into the sentence doesn’t affect the argument of this little video at all.

Two New Guides for the Perplexed

_{David Klinghoffer
January 6, 2026
4
Faith & Science}

As many already know, the beloved podcaster Scott Adams, beset by cancer, is wavering on death’s portal.

Science Education

“My Public Education Was Ruined,” Weeps Dover Grad

_{David Klinghoffer
January 8, 2026
2
Science Education}

A bit melodramatic, perhaps? Attorney and geologist Casey Luskin, who was present for part of the Dover trial, has this to say.

Creepy Crawly Complexity: The Design of Insects

_{Andrew McDiarmid
December 22, 2025
2
Science Education}

Far from being mere nuisances, these creatures function as tiny engineers that elegantly solve complex problems to sustain global ecosystems.

Myth No. 5: “Discovery Supported Dover Policy”

_{Sarah Chaffee
December 17, 2025
6
Science Education}

Both Judge John E. Jones and the media have promoted the myth that Discovery was somehow behind the events that sparked the case.

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

On the Origin of Our New Name

_{Andrew McDiarmid
September 27, 2025
3
Science Reporting}

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.

On Genetic (Dis)Similarity, Give Credit Where Due

_{David Klinghoffer
September 10, 2025
4
Science Reporting}

Would anyone know that the 1 percent icon has finally fallen, if we hadn’t broken the story? It seems not.

Science Struggles with Reality

_{Denyse O’Leary
August 27, 2025
7
Science Reporting}

There seems to be little relationship between many science writers’ current concerns and the reasons that public trust in science has been steadily declining.