Here’s some exciting news from the UK, where 300 biologists, computer scientists, physicists, mathematicians, philosophers and social scientists from around the world have gathered “to address one of the greatest challenges in modern science: how to create a genuine artificial life form.” (“Can we make software that comes to life?” Telegraph)Despite the image of Wall-E (with the amusing caption “self-aware computers such as Pixar’s Wall-E are surprisingly tricky to put together” — no, really? Every nerdy kid who ever tried to make a robot in 6th grade science camp could tell you that), the focus of the story is on evolution and — wait for it — the failure of Darwin’s theory to explain complex creatures.Using computer programs to test Read More ›

What many people observing the debate over intelligent design and evolution don’t get is that intelligent design is not merely an American phenomenon. As the debate continues in every corner of the globe, design proves to be an interesting and legitimately explorable scientific concept. Take the latest from today’s Economic Times, out of India. Columnist Mukul Sharma notes writes in “Design argument and beyond“: One of the core arguments of Intelligent Design is that the fundamental constants of physics and chemistry are just right or fine-tuned to allow the universe and life as we know it to exist. They are precisely the values needed to have a universe capable of producing life. In other words, everything in the cosmos tends Read More ›