BREAKING NEWS: Intelligent Design Creationists claim that this year's Nobel Prize refutes junk DNA and confirms IDC predictions!

This is a Come Let Us Reason Together (sic) podcast moderated by Lenny Esposito with Faxale "Fuz" Rana of Reasons to Believe and Casey Luskin of the Discovery Institute. They discuss this year's Nobel Prize for the discovery of microRNAs and "how it supports intelligent design and weakens the evolutionary paradigm." Casey Luskin devoted a post to the topic on the Discovery Institute propaganda blog: 2024 Nobel Prize Awarded for the Discovery of Function for a Type of “Junk DNA”.

Enjoy! (Spot the lies.¹)

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1. In Luskin's case, we know he is lying. [Is Casey Luskin lying about junk DNA or is he just stupid?]

Francis Collins on the existence of God

This is a video of a debate/discussion between Alex O'Connor and Francis Collins on the existence of God. I'm not impressed with any of the points made by either side. Here's the YouTube description.

"'Does God Exist?' is perhaps the most important question to human existence because of its far reaching implications. What you believe about the existence of God—and by extension, who or what God might be—has the power to profoundly influence your values, and the course of your life.

To explore this question from opposing perspectives, we’ve brought together two intellectual heavyweights.

Alex O’Connor is an Oxford philosopher and self-proclaimed atheist, who has described himself as 'violently agnostic' about the existence of God. In recent years, he’s gained substantial recognition in the academic world and beyond, with nearly a million YouTube subscribers. His show, Within Reason, has featured intellectual giants like Jordan Peterson, Richard Dawkins, William Lane Craig, and Sam Harris.

On the other side, we have Dr. Francis Collins—one of the most decorated scientists of our time. From 1993 to 2003, he led the Human Genome Project, the monumental effort to map all human genes.

Dr. Collins is perhaps the most notable scientist to transition from atheism to belief in God, famously chronicling his journey in the New York Times bestseller, The Language of God. In it, he presents compelling arguments for the existence of a higher power.

In this episode, we explore the various lines of evidence for and against the existence of God. We begin by defining the concept of 'evidence' itself before delving into topics such as the fine-tuning of the universe, the moral argument, the resurrection of Jesus and the world's holy texts.

We found this to be a deeply stimulating discussion, and we believe it will be for you as well. So, join us as we navigate the complexities, the debates, and the profound mysteries surrounding the existence of God."

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Zack Hancock explains why Denis Noble and James Shapiro are wrong about evolution

Zack Hancock has posted a lengthy (2 hours) video explaining why Denis Noble, James Shapiro, and the rest of The Third Way of Evolution crowd are wrong about evolution. You may not agree with everything Zack says but if you are really interested in following this debate then you should watch the entire video.

If you want to get to the juicy parts first then watch the section on "Chapter VII: Crusade against genetic reductionism" beginning with a short introduction at 1:35. In the last few minutes Zack gets into motive by asking why Denis Noble and James Shaprio seem to be so comfortable with supporters like Intelligent Design Creationists.

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William Haseltine misrepresents molecular biology and calls for a paradigm shift

William Hasletine is a well-respected molecular biologist with an outstanding track record dating back to the time when he was a graduate student under Jim Watson and Wally Gilbert where he studied the regulation of gene expression in bacteria (Ph.D. in 1973). This is why I was surprised to see his recent article in Forbes where he seems to have fallen hook-line-and-sinker for postgenomics gobbledygook. It looks like Haseltine is losing the ability to think critically as he concentrates more on technology and public policy.

A New Dogma Of Molecular Biology: A Paradigm Shift by William A. Haseltine

United States House of Representatives supports the lab leak conspiracy theory

On January 9, 2023 the US House of Representatives created the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic. It was chaired by Republican representative Brad Wenstrup of Ohio. There were nine Republicans on the subcommittee and seven Democrats.

The mandate of the subcommittee was to investigate the origins of COVID-19, gain-of-function research, coronavirus-related government spending, and mask and vaccine mandates. Its report was released on Dec. 2, 2024: AFTER ACTION REVIEW OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: The Lessons Learned and a Path Forward.