[This post is a work in progress as part of the CAA Catechism.] [Add the title only in the title field, not in the body of the post.] Summary in 400 words or less: Information Argument Processes and programs require information to operate. Information requires intelligence. Biological life consists of processes and programs. Therefore, the biological life requires programming … [Read more...]
Essential DNA Required for Life
If one believes in evolution, it is important to know what is required for life. Not just what environmental conditions are needed, but also what biochemical conditions. It is often quoted that there are 250 essential proteins required for basic life. To have life, you need 250 proteins so it was thought. While those were previous guesses it is now possible to … [Read more...]
Evaluation of Darwin’s Doubt by Stephen C. Meyer, Part 3
This is a continuation of my book review series on Darwin's Doubt. You can read the first installment HERE and the second HERE. Although this is the third article (of four) in my series, it will focus on "Part II" of the book. Section two of Darwin's Doubt is entitled, "How to Build an Animal." Meyer gets a bit more technical at this point. He first explains the … [Read more...]
Bradley Monton: The Hated Atheist and ID Sympathizer
There are many who despise atheist professor of philosophy, Bradley Monton, author of Seeking God in Science: An Atheist Defends Intelligent Design, and even want to see him fired. He explains: The degree to which I have been attacked is actually pretty ludicrous. I gave a public lecture on intelligent design here at the University of Colorado, and a number of the school’s … [Read more...]
So-called pseudogenes are not Junk
Yesterday I came across this interesting article in the journal RNA on the subject of pseudogenes. The majority of scientific papers I read typically would be of no interest to the average person. This one however sparked my interest because of its relationship to a number of exciting areas. Not just in science, but also in theology and religion. This paper (titled … [Read more...]
Human Design Blindly Echos Design in Nature
Mankind has frequently, with varying degrees of success, attempted to mimic structures found in nature with the goal of adapting the function of the structure into technology. Take, for example, early flying machines. Pictured here is Gustave Whitehead's Albatross glider (circa 1905): The first thing you notice about this contraption is how very bird-like it is. … [Read more...]
The God Question: A TV Series Investigates the Relationship Between Science and Faith
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ThxrHkO-Mk The God Question, a TV series bringing together world renowned contributors on both sides of the debate on God and science, explores the question of whether there is design evident in the universe. The series, a Scottish venture that promises to reach 170 million potential viewers internationally, features figures of note in the … [Read more...]
The Flagellar Filament Cap: "One of the Most Dynamic Movements in Protein Structures"
Imagine you are an archaeologist surveying the remains of a formerly technologically advanced civilization. You stumble across the device depicted in the figure above. With its pentagon-shaped plate and its carefully crafted leg-like extensions, it looks like it came from some sort of machine. Immediately, you intuitively infer that the device was designed intentionally, for a … [Read more...]
Evaluation of Darwin's Doubt by Stephen C. Meyer, Part 2
This is the second post in my series on Darwin's Doubt: The Explosive Origin of Animal Life and the Case for Intelligent Design. You can read my introductory post HERE. A Cautionary Note on Internet "Reviews" If you have investigated the book much at all, you will have noticed some nasty pseudo-reviews posted around the internet. As I mentioned in my introductory post, I have … [Read more...]
Exon Shuffling: Evaluating the Evidence
Yesterday, I introduced the subject of exon shuffling and gave a few reasons why such a mechanism cannot explain the origins of the earliest, most ancient proteins. Now I want to offer an evaluation of the arguments, pro and con, for the role of exon shuffling in accounting for the subsequent origins of novel protein folds. … [Read more...]