Stars, Cells, and God

Reasons to Believe
  • 4.7 (43)
  • Science
  • Updated Semiweekly

Discussions of 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.

  1. 1d ago

    New Data Converges on Creation | Another Habitability Constraint

    Join biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana and astrophysicist Hugh Ross as they discuss discoveries with theological and philosophical implications that point to the reality of God’s existence. According to the evolutionary paradigm, there have been eleven times in Earth’s history when animals transitioned from water to land. Recent work by researchers in the UK and Spain indicates that these transitions involved similar genomic changes, providing another remarkable example of convergence. In this episode, Fuz describes this work and its implications for the RTB creation model. Astronomers have identified many different “habitable zones” in space—places where conditions might allow life to exist. Now, they’ve found a new one: a chemical habitable zone. For life to exist, both nitrogen and phosphorus must be present in just-right amounts and forms. The availability of these elements depends on how much oxygen is involved during a rocky planet’s core formation. Earth falls within this zone. If a rocky planet is formed with less oxygen, it will lack the needed phosphorus for life. If it forms with too much oxygen, it will lack the needed nitrogen. Either way, life as we know it wouldn’t survive. LINKS AND RESOURCES: Convergent Genome Evolution Shaped the Emergence of Terrestrial Animals The Chemical Habitability of Earth and Rocky Planets Prescribed by Core Formation Are Humans Alone in the Cosmos? We’re taking a short hiatus in July and will return with more scientific discoveries and theological conversations on August 5.

    51 min

  2. Jun 17

    A Scientific Review on Treatment of Pediatric Gender Dysphoria

    Join biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana and OB/GYN Christina Cirucci as they discuss discoveries with theological and philosophical implications that point to the reality of God’s existence. In 2025, the US Department of Health and Human Services published a comprehensive, peer-reviewed, 400-page review titled “Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria: Review of Evidence and Best Practices.” They used rigorous evidence-based medicine methodology and reached the following conclusions: Quality of evidence: The overall quality of evidence concerning the effects of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries on psychological outcomes, quality of life, or long-term health in minors is very low. Therapeutic benefits: Evidence does not support the effectiveness of these interventions in children and adolescents. Treatment harms: There are known and plausible harms to these treatments—infertility, sexual dysfunction, loss of bone density, adverse cognitive effects, CV disease and metabolic disorders, psych disorders, surgical complications, and regret. Risk-benefit analysis: The evidence demonstrates an unfavorable risk-benefit profile for medical and surgical interventions in children and adolescents with gender dysphoria. These findings are consistent with a biblical ethic that sees biological sex as God's created design and seeks compassionate psychological treatment of gender dysphoria. LINKS AND RESOURCES: Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria: Review of Evidence and Best Practices A Scientific and Medical Evaluation of Transgenderism Transgenderism and the Bible

    1h 9m

  3. Jun 10

    Scientific Apologetics: How it Supports Evangelism

    Join biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Balajied Nongrum, lead consultant for research and apologetics for Reasons to Believe Asia-Pacific (RTB APAC), as they discuss discoveries with theological and philosophical implications that point to the reality of God’s existence. A popular narrative in today’s culture claims that Christian apologetics and science do not go hand in hand. Critics often argue that apologists are more interested in making arguments than in engaging seriously with science, using it merely as a means to advance their agenda. As a result, any inference pointing to God—and especially to Jesus—is often dismissed as overreach rather than a reasonable conclusion. But is that really the case?

    1h 11m

  4. Jun 3

    Neanderthal Brains Shaped Like Ours? | More Moon Formation Designs

    Join biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana and astrophysicist Hugh Ross as they discuss discoveries with theological and philosophical implications that point to the reality of God’s existence. A new study from a US–China research team argues that the volumes of Neanderthal brain regions fall within the range seen in modern human populations. If so, does that mean Neanderthals were just as cognitively capable as modern humans—and would that challenge RTB’s human origins model? In this episode, Fuz Rana explains what the researchers measured, what their conclusions do and do not show, and why RTB’s model remains scientifically robust. New evidence suggests that Theia, the planet believed to have collided with Earth to form the Moon, may still exist deep inside our planet, near the boundary between Earth’s mantle and core. According to a new model, Theia’s metallic core may have sunk through Earth’s mantle and merged with Earth’s core, while denser mantle fragments settled deep inside Earth. These buried fragments may explain unusual structures detected there, as well as a thin, chemically distinct layer at the top of Earth’s core. The model also helps explain why Earth and the Moon have such similar compositions and how Earth maintained the long-lasting magnetic field essential for life.  LINKS AND RESOURCES:  Neanderthal Brain and Cognition Reconsidered   Reconstructing the Neanderthal Brain Using Computational Anatomy   Secular Changes in Cranial Morphology and Pattern of Sexual Dimorphism in Modern Japanese: A Geometric Morphometric Analysis Using Post-Mortem Computed Tomography Data   Survival of Asteroid-Sized Debris from the Moon-Forming Impactor in Earth’s Deep Mantle with Implications for Its Solar System Provenance   Immediate Formation of Core-Mantle Boundary Heterogeneities Following a Giant Impact   Designed to the Core

    38 min

  5. May 27

    Is AI Merely Artificial Imitation?

    Join biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana and electrical engineer and computer scientist Zachary Leung as they discuss discoveries with theological and philosophical implications that point to the reality of God’s existence. Most artificial intelligence (AI) systems today are based on neural networks that have existed for decades in other academic disciplines before being imported into AI. Neural networks are traditionally conceived of as mathematical optimization, pattern recognition, and associative memory. We don’t need to think of today’s AI as genuinely “intelligent.” Much of the confusion surrounding AI today can be resolved if we think of it instead as artificial imitation—imitation of human behavior.

    50 min

  6. May 20

    Can Psychology Be Biblical? The Truth About CBT & Resilience

    Join biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana and clinical psychologist and apologist Sari Shepphird as they discuss discoveries with theological and philosophical implications that point to the reality of God’s existence. Humans have a God-given ability to freely use and apply language to shape our experiences, direct our choices, and improve our health. What we say to ourselves and how we reason can help alleviate aspects of human suffering, promote human flourishing, and enable us to live out our faith more productively. LINKS AND RESOURCES: Effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy on Resilience of Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

    49 min

  7. May 13

    Could Viruses Be Good? | New Evidence Our Sun Is Rare

    Join biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana and astrophysicist Hugh Ross as they discuss discoveries with theological and philosophical implications that point to the reality of God’s existence. Why would God create a world with viruses? In this episode, biochemist Fuz Rana discusses work by scientists from Imperial College London that provides one possible reason why God created a world with viruses. For 70 years, astronomers have looked for a star close enough to the Sun to host an Earth-like, life-friendly planet––but they still haven’t found one. Studies of thousands of “Sun-like” stars suggest that our Sun stands out in several ways, including unusually low lithium and other element abundances, an unusually calm and steady energy output, and remarkably low flare activity. Hugh explains that despite extensive research, scientists don’t yet have a satisfying natural explanation for why the Sun combines all these traits. LINKS & RESOURCES: Type I Interferons Induced upon Respiratory Viral Infection Impair Lung Metastatic Initiation A Comprehensive Study of the Relations Between the Properties of Planetary Systems and the Chemical Compositions of Their Host Stars Designed to the Core

    1 hr

  8. May 6

    Complex Life on Earth? | Pristine Star and Creation

    Join biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana and astrophysicist Hugh Ross as they discuss discoveries with theological and philosophical implications that point to the reality of God’s existence. To determine whether the geochemical signatures of biological nitrogen fixation—a key metabolic process necessary for life to flourish—are bona fide, investigators from the University of Wisconsin used evolutionary principles to reconstruct ancient versions of nitrogenase and evaluated their biochemical properties. In this episode, biochemist Fuz Rana describes this work and its implications for creation and evolutionary models for the origin of life. Astronomers have discovered a star, SDSS J0715-7334, whose abundance of elements heavier than helium is less than 0.00000078! Such a low abundance can only be explained if it formed immediately after the burnout of a huge star in its vicinity, one composed of 100% hydrogen and helium. The elemental composition of this star and seven other stars like it affirms a major prediction of the biblically predicted big bang creation model. LINKS & RESOURCES: Resurrected Nitrogenases Recapitulate Canonical N-Isotope Biosignatures over Two Billion Years A Nearly Pristine Star from the Large Magellanic Cloud Big Bang Implications of Detecting the Universe’s First Stars What Does the Bible Say About the Big Bang?

    50 min
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Discussions of 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.

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