Stars, Cells, and God

God's Artistry

Join Fazale “Fuz” Rana and David Block in a lively conversation about God’s artistry as witnessed in his creation in this special episode of Stars, Cells, and God.
Astronomer Dr. David Block and biochemist Dr. Fuz Rana make the case that God is an artist through a far-ranging conversation about the beautiful images coming from the James Webb Space Telescope and the remarkable design of biochemical systems—both of which highlight the beauty of creation. They also discuss the idea that our remarkable creativity as human beings only makes sense if we are made in the image of God to be co-creators.
Links and Resources: 
The Argument from Beauty: Can Evolution Explain Our Aesthetic Sense?

Hubble's Theft & Other Scientific Inaccuracies

Join Jeff Zweerink and David Block as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence.
Hubble’s Theft & Other Scientific Inaccuracies
The data showing the expansion of the universe is usually referred to as Hubble’s law. However, historical studies show that astronomer Edwin Hubble used others’ research without proper attribution in writing his paper on the subject in 1929. In 2018, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) officially voted to rename it the Hubble-Lemaître law since astronomer Georges Lemaître published a paper on the same subject in 1927, two years before Hubble. We will discuss the implications and apologetic value of this development as well as other common science/faith related misconceptions.
Links and Resources: 
Belgian Priest Recognized in Hubble-Law Name Change
IAU Members Vote to Recommend Renaming the Hubble Law as the Hubble-Lemaître Law

Viruses Fuel the Carbon Cycle and Digital Health

Join Hugh Ross and James Patterson, MD, as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence.
Viruses Fuel the Carbon Cycle
A recent study shows that DNA and RNA viruses in the oceans play a crucial role in the ocean carbon flux cycle. Additionally, they play significant roles in the sulfur, nitrogen, and deep ocean cycles. Viruses deposit huge amounts of carbon, sulfur, nitrogen, and oxygen on an ongoing basis onto the ocean floors. Once there, subducting plates move these elements into Earth’s mantle. Without this process, advanced life wouldn’t be possible. These huge deposits require that ocean viruses be extremely abundant and diverse and that they be specifically designed in a variety of ways so that advanced life can thrive.
Digital Health
In a world that is now more connected than ever in a digital sense, it seems that humans are becoming more and more disconnected. We’ve all seen it—a room full of people, all staring at their smartphones. Why is that? Why are more people depressed and suicidal now than ever before? What can we do to promote healthy living in a digitally connected society? 
Links and Resources: 
Diversity and Ecological Footprint of Global Ocean RNA Viruses
The Dark Side of Civilization

Design of the Genetic Code and Impacts and Tsunamis

Join Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence.
Design of the Genetic Code (Fuz Rana)
The genetic code—the rules used to translate the information found in DNA into the information functionally expressed by proteins—displays optimization with respect to error minimization. New work by researchers from Japan indicates that the genetic code optimization exceeds 1 in 1020 randomly generated genetic codes, suggesting that the genetic code found in nature displays a greater degree of optimization than originally thought. This new insight supports the case that biochemical systems are the product of intentional design.
Impacts and Tsunamis (Jeff Zweerink)
A massive asteroid strike in the Yucatan Peninsula is known to have caused one of the mass extinctions on Earth. A recent study investigated the tsunami that would result from such a collision and found waves of incredible heights would have washed across the Northern Atlantic and Southern Pacific oceans. A search of geological records affirms the devastation wrought by these tsunamis. We’ll discuss the details of the techniques behind this research and highlight the apologetic implications of these catastrophic events.
Links and Resources:
Rare-Event Sampling Analysis Uncovers the Fitness Landscape of the Genetic Code
Fazale Rana, Fit for a Purpose
Fazale Rana, The Cell’s Design 
Fazale Rana, “The Genetic Code: Optimized for Resource Conservation”
The Chicxulub Impact Produced a Powerful Global Tsunami
Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid Triggered Global Tsunami

Design of RNA Structure and Critical Theory In Physics

Join Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence.
Design of RNA Structure
Are biochemical systems the products of unguided, historically contingent evolutionary processes shaped by natural selection? Or is there another explanation for their structure and function? Researchers demonstrate that the laws of physics and chemistry predetermine RNA secondary structure, and these structures are precisely those needed to support RNA’s central role in biochemistry. This anthropic coincidence adds to the case for a biochemical manifestation of the anthropic principle and evidence for a Creator’s role in the origin of life.
Critical Theory in Physics
One of the central tenets of science is the ability to test any explanation against data from the real world. The fact that science is done by people means bias and unfairness get introduced into the process, yet scientists have a vested interest in eliminating this unfair aspect. Some want to use a misguided approach of looking at physics and physics education through the lens of critical theory—an approach that will almost certainly undermine the scientific enterprise. I discuss a peer-reviewed, published paper showing how critical theory analyzes physics instruction.
Links and Resources:
Phenotype Bias Determines How Natural RNA Structures Occupy the Morphospace of All Possible Shapes
Fazale Rana, Fit for a Purpose
Observing Whiteness in Introductory Physics: A Case Study
Observing Whiteness in Introductory Physics: A Case Study

Neanderthal Brains, Redux and Local Realism Is Dead

Join Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence.
Neanderthal Brains, Redux
Are human beings exceptional? Recent work by a large collaborative team from the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig, Germany, explores this question by examining the behavior of the TKLT-1 protein in archaic and modern humans. This discovery points to differences in brain development in modern humans and Neanderthals, suggesting cognitive differences between the two.
Local Realism Is Dead
In our macroscopic world where quantum mechanical effects seem remote, we operate as though the universe obeys two obvious properties. However, a suite of experiments over the past five decades demonstrates that both properties can’t be true in the world of quantum mechanics. We’ll describe the experiments that establish this remarkable conclusion as well as the implications for the science/faith discussion.
Fuz and Jeff discuss these important topics in this episode of Stars, Cells, and God.
Links and Resources:
Human TKTL1 Implies Greater Neurogenesis in Frontal Neocortex of Modern Humans than Neanderthals
Reduced Purine Biosynthesis in Humans after Their Divergence from Neanderthals
Fazale Rana, “Brain Organoids Cultivate the Case for Human Exceptionalism”
Fazale Rana, “Key Difference in Developing Human and Neanderthal Brains”
Nobel Prize: Quantum Entanglement Unveiled

Urban Vs Rural Navigation and A Moon-Forming Collision

Join Hugh Ross and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence.
Urban vs. Rural Navigation
A huge survey shows that people living outside of cities are better navigators than their urban cousins. What does this tell us about how humans were designed?
A Moon-Forming Collision
The prominent giant impact hypothesis for the formation of the Moon is backed by plenty of evidence, but one troubling discrepancy remains. Can a new impact model resolve this discrepancy, adding to the already large body of evidence supporting the idea that Earth is fine-tuned for life?
Hugh and Jeff discuss these important topics in this episode of Stars, Cells, and God.
Links and Resources:
Entropy of City Street Networks Linked to Future Spatial Navigation Ability
Immediate Origin of the Moon as a Post-Impact Satellite

Asteroids Making Land and UFOs and Christianity

Join Jeff Zweerink and Brian Huffling as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, as well as new discoveries that point to the reality of God’s existence.
UFOs, the Paranormal, and Christianity UFOs have been a hot topic in the last few years with the recent military videos and congressional hearings. Such phenomena raise questions about whether there’s other life in the universe and what that means for Christianity. What could these UFOs be? Is there any connection between UFOs, alleged aliens, and the paranormal?
Asteroids Making Land
Plate tectonics play a critical role in maintaining Earth’s capacity to support life. The crust of Earth’s surface is composed of large plates that continually move past and under one another. This process ultimately led to large continental landmasses that “float” on top of the denser oceanic crust. Recent research indicates that the asteroids may have played a role in starting the formation of continents, adding to the fine-tuning required for a habitable planet like Earth.
Jeff and Brian discuss these interesting topics in this episode of Stars, Cells, and God.
Links and Resources:
Giant Impacts and the Origin and Evolution of Continents

Climate, Security, & Stewardship

Join Hugh Ross and Leslie Wickman in a conversation about climate changes, national security, and the importance of environmental stewardship and how they point to the reality of God’s existence.
Climate, Security, and Stewardship
Leslie Wickman’s motivation for environmental stewardship is closely tied to her passion for space exploration, and the realization of just how rare our Earth appears to be. Climate change indicators are trending in the wrong direction to simply be dismissed as a natural variation in Earth’s weather patterns. The resulting environmental changes are being noticed and studied by the national security community. What should our response be as stewards of creation?
Hugh and Leslie discuss this important topic in this episode of Stars, Cells, and God.
Links and Resources:
Evangelicals Go Green—Will Conservative Candidates Follow Suit?
For God So Loves the Cosmos

Boas Breathe & Squeeze and Binary Stars with Planets

Join Hugh Ross and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, as well as new discoveries that point to the reality of God’s existence.
Boas Breathe & Squeeze Prey
How do boa constrictors avoid suffocating themselves while suffocating their prey? The secret lies in their rib cage.
Binary Stars with Planets
For a long time, the conventional wisdom was that planets couldn’t form around binary stars because of the gravitational disruptions of the binary orbit. However, astronomers have found many planets in binary star systems. We look at one particular system to demonstrate that, while we can find planets in binary systems, numerous factors make these planets uninhabitable.
Hugh and Jeff discuss these important topics in this episode of Stars, Cells, and God.
Links and Resources:
Modular Lung Ventilation in Boa Constrictor
3D Orbital Architecture of a Dwarf Binary System and Its Planetary Companion