Intelligent Design

Examines materialist explanations of life and the universe through DNA information, cellular complexity, fine-tuning, consciousness, morality, and evidence for design.

131 resources in this topic.

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Intelligent Design Basics

25 resources

• Stable, Discoverable, Life-Permitting Constants
• If the Universe Is Contingent, What Grounds Its Existence?
• Your Kidneys Filter about 150 Quarts a Day
• Are the Constants of Nature Brute Facts or Clues?
• Life’s System-Level Organization
• How Does Matter Give Rise to Minds That Understand the Cosmos?
• Can Matter Alone Explain Information, Consciousness, and Order?
• Why Is the Universe Intelligible to Rational Minds?
• Why Does Mathematics Map onto Reality?
• Echolocation: Living Sonar
• Why Laws Instead of Chaos?
• Design as an Inference, Not a Science-Stopper
• Why Is Science Possible at All?
• Why Does Mathematics Describe the Cosmos?
• Science Explains How—But Why Are There Laws?
• Why Is the Cosmos Mathematically Intelligible?
• Why Is the Universe Discoverable?
• Stable Laws Make Science Possible
• Science and the Deeper Explanation of Nature
• Life Is Organized to Accomplish Things
• Is Mind More Basic Than Matter?
• Order Is Not Its Own Explanation
• Why Does the Universe Look Purposefully Ordered?
• Your DNA Points to God
• (Video) Your DNA Points to God (5 min)

Evolution & Design

2 resources

• Can a Christian Accept Evolution? Theistic Evolution, Intelligent Design, and the Orthodox View
• The Cambrian Explosion: What Happened, and Does It Point to Design?

The Origin of Life

1 resource

• Where Does Origin-of-Life Research Stand?

DNA & Information

24 resources

• Junk DNA, ENCODE, and the Design Debate
• DNA and Design: Why Sequence Matters
• Codons and Meaning
• Gene Regulation Requires Timing and Control
• The Best Explanation Matters
• Science Recognizes Design Inferences
• Function Is the Real Mystery
• Error Correction Is a Design Clue
• The Design Inference: Asking for the Best Explanation
• The Design Inference: DNA, Information, and Function
• DNA’s Extraordinary Information Density
• Gene Regulation: A Living Control Network
• DNA and Protein Building: Information Becomes Function
• DNA Is Copied, Checked, and Repaired
• The Genetic Code: From Codons to Proteins
• DNA: Why Sequence Matters
• DNA as Information
• DNA Replication: Copied with Remarkable Fidelity
• From DNA to Protein: Information in Action
• In DNA, Function—Not Mere Improbability—Matters
• DNA’s Four-Letter Alphabet
• A Library Inside the Cell
• Your DNA Points to God
• (Video) Your DNA Points to God (5 min)

Design in Biology

41 resources

• The Intelligent Design of the Digestive System
• Biomimicry: jellyfish and soft underwater robots
• Biomimicry: mantis shrimp clubs and impact-resistant materials
• Biomimicry: Salvinia leaves and air-retaining surfaces
• Biomimicry: ladybug wings and deployable structures
• Biomimicry: pit vipers and infrared sensing
• Biomimicry: lobster eyes and wide-angle X-ray optics
• Biomimicry: remoras and reversible underwater attachment
• Biomimicry: spider silk and high-performance fibers
• Biomimicry: pangolin scales and flexible armor
• Biomimicry: penguin feathers and anti-icing surfaces
• Biomimicry: cat tongues and better grooming brushes
• Biomimicry: hygroscopic seeds and self-drilling devices
• Biomimicry: Venus flytraps and snap-through actuators
• Biomimicry: snake skin and directional friction surfaces
• Biomimicry: porcupine quills and improved needle design
• Biomimicry: desert beetles and fog-harvesting surfaces
• Biomimicry: burdock burrs and hook-and-loop fasteners
• Biomimicry: cactus spines and water-harvesting surfaces
• Biomimicry: sandcastle worms and underwater glues
• Biomimicry: seal whiskers and flow sensors
• Biomimicry: octopus suckers and soft robotic grippers
• Biomimicry: tree frogs and wet adhesives
• Biomimicry: toucan beaks and lightweight structures
• Biomimicry: abalone shells and tough composites
• Biomimicry: fireflies and brighter LEDs
• Biomimicry: butterfly wings and structural color materials
• Biomimicry: pitcher plants and slippery surfaces
• Biomimicry: maple seeds and autorotating drones
• Biomimicry: honeycombs and lightweight structures
• Biomimicry: mosquitoes and low-pain needles
• Biomimicry: elephant trunks and soft robotics
• Biomimicry: cicada wings and antibacterial surfaces
• Biomimicry: pine cones and humidity-responsive design
• Biomimicry: moth eyes and anti-reflective coatings
• Biomimicry: mussels and underwater adhesives
• Biomimicry: Five Designs Engineers Borrowed
• Biomimicry: Engineering Inspired by Life
• Your DNA Points to God
• (Video) Your DNA Points to God (5 min)
• The Intelligent Design of the Lungs

Irreducible Complexity

1 resource

• Irreducible Complexity: The Bacterial Flagellum and Its Critics

The Human Body & Systems

36 resources

• The Intelligent Design of the Digestive System
• Mucociliary Clearance: The Airway’s Cleaning System
• ATP Synthase: Rotary Machinery in the Cell
• The Lateral Line: How Fish Feel the Water
• Your Body Runs on Internal Clocks
• Muscle Contracts through Molecular Coordination
• Smell Begins with Molecular Detection
• Wound Healing Follows a Coordinated Program
• DNA Copies with Error-Checking
• The Placenta Is a Lifeline
• Speech Requires Coordinated Anatomy
• Blood Sugar Is Tightly Regulated
• Breathing Depends on Microscopic Architecture
• The Ear Hears and Balances
• The Human Hand: Power and Precision
• The Immune System Recognizes and Remembers
• Bone Is Living Engineering
• From One Fertilized Egg to a Human Body
• Cells Protect Their Genetic Information
• Skin Is More Than a Covering
• The Heart Keeps Time
• Blood Clotting Is a Coordinated Cascade
• The Human Eye Is an Integrated System
• The Cornea: Clear, Living, and Blood-Vessel Free
• The Kidney: Filtration with Remarkable Selectivity
• Protein Folding: Function Hidden in a Sequence
• Bird Navigation: Many Cues, One Journey
• Blood Clotting: Fast, Localized, and Coordinated
• Cell Membranes: Boundaries with Selective Control
• The Brain’s Astonishing Energy Demand
• The Eye: An Integrated Optical System
• The Cochlea: A Living Frequency Analyzer
• DNA Repair: The Cell Protects Its Information
• Adaptive Immunity: Recognition, Memory, Response
• Myelinated Axons: Speed Through Living Insulation
• The Intelligent Design of the Lungs

Common Design Objections

2 resources

• Is Intelligent Design a 'God of the Gaps' Argument?
• Is Intelligent Design Science or Creationism? Kitzmiller v. Dover and Its Critics

Fine-Tuning of the Universe

5 resources

• If the Universe Is Calibrated for Life, What Follows?
• If the Universe Began, What Explains It?
• A Universe Astonishingly Right for Life
• Why Does a Life-Permitting Universe Exist?
• Why Are the Laws of Physics Life-Permitting?