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<strong>Series:</strong> Evolution Basics

Series: Evolution Basics

Written by BioLogos Fellow of Biology Dennis Venema, this series of posts is intended as a basic introduction to the science of evolution for non-specialists.
May 17, 2013 
Dennis Venema 
Genetics, History of Life, Evolution - How It Works
Biological Evolution: What Makes it Good Science? Part 2

Biological Evolution: What Makes it Good Science? Part 2

The Galápagos Islands were not a distinct “center of creation,” but a workshop for evolution in which an ancestral species made it to the yet uncolonized island and underwent a massive degree of speciation to adapt to the environment of the island. This is precisely what one would expect if the species of islands had arisen by evolution.
Apr 16, 2013 
Michael Buratovich 
Genetics, History of Life
12
Meet Jimmy Lin, “Medical and Scientific Doxologist”

Meet Jimmy Lin, “Medical and Scientific Doxologist”

In our current culture, we’re defined by our jobs. It’s having a vocation. I wanted to shift away from that. I didn’t want to be a doctor first and foremost, or a scientist, but one who praises God.
Mar 25, 2013 
Jimmy Lin, Ruppel, Emily 
Genetics, Science as Christian Calling
2
Genes, Cells, and the Changing Face of Technology, Part 1

Genes, Cells, and the Changing Face of Technology, Part 1

Right on this tabletop, you could make materials that by current manufacturing processes would otherwise cause a great amount of environmental hazard … In 50 years, we should be able to do things in ways we don’t do them now, that will be cheaper, less toxic, less polluting, more efficient, and so forth…
Mar 12, 2013 
Doug Lauffenburger, Ruppel, Emily 
Genetics
1
Where are the Transitional Fossils?

Where are the Transitional Fossils?

A common argument leveled against the theory of evolution is that scientists have not been able to produce transitional fossils that show the change of one species into another. In this podcast, we address a common misconception about what transitional fossils actually are.
Feb 01, 2013 
Kelsey Luoma 
History of Life, Evolution - Evidence, Fossils
166
<strong>Series:</strong> The Human Fossil Record

Series: The Human Fossil Record

In this series, James Kidder provides an intriguing study on transitional fossils and the evolutionary history of modern humans. He begins by discussing the fossil record, explaining how new forms are classified. He then explains the physically distinguishing trait of humankind—bipedalism. From the discovery of Ardipithecus, the earliest known hominin, to the australopithecines, the most prolific hominin, Kidder focuses on the discovery, the anatomy, and the interpretation of these ancestral remains.
Jan 21, 2013 
James Kidder 
Human Origins, Evolution - How It Works, ID Movement, Young Earth Creationism, Fossils, Evolution - Evidence
<strong>Series:</strong> Made in the Image of God: The Theological Implications of Human Genomics

Series: Made in the Image of God: The Theological Implications of Human Genomics

This series by Denis Alexander reflects on advancements in genomics as well as their theological implications. He focuses on the relatedness of hominin genomes, arguing that this does not interfere with the image of God in humans. The image of God depends more on the capacity for relationship and covenant, not on a list of particular physical qualities. He then discusses why the recent studies of genomics provide “no grounds for genetic determinism.”
Jan 15, 2013 
Denis Alexander 
Genetics, Image of God, Atheism & Scientism
<strong>Series:</strong> Science and the Bible: Intelligent Design

Series: Science and the Bible: Intelligent Design

In this series, Ted Davis identifies the history, core tenets and assumptions about the Intelligent Design view.
Dec 18, 2012 
Ted Davis 
Design, ID Movement
Surveying George Murphy's Theology of the Cross

Surveying George Murphy's Theology of the Cross

If God himself is willing to die, particularly in such a gruesome way, then perhaps we should at least consider the possibility of God allowing the death of other creatures, too. But would this really be compatible with what we know of God through Scripture?
Dec 04, 2012 
Thomas Burnett 
Christ & New Creation, ID Movement, Young Earth Creationism, Fossils
3
<strong>Series:</strong> Behe, Lenski and the “Edge” of Evolution

Series: Behe, Lenski and the “Edge” of Evolution

In this series, we reexamine the claim made by Intelligent Design proponent Michael Behe to have found a limit to “Darwinian” evolution in light of recent results from the laboratory of Richard Lenski.
Nov 29, 2012 
Dennis Venema 
Genetics, ID Movement, Evolution - How It Works
<strong>Series:</strong> Decoding ENCODE

Series: Decoding ENCODE

The BioLogos Foundation explains to the findings of the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) project and responds to the claims that its discoveries challenge the theory of evolution, especially regarding so-called "junk DNA".
Sep 26, 2012 
Stephen Mapes, Dennis Venema 
Genetics, Evolution - Evidence, ID Movement
<strong>Series:</strong> Biblical and Scientific Shortcomings of Flood Geology

Series: Biblical and Scientific Shortcomings of Flood Geology

Gregg Davidson and Ken Wolgemuth seek to remove the stumbling block of the Genesis flood in this four part series. Though many believe in an ancient world-wide flood, the evidence given does not hold up to geological scrutiny, but points rather to something regional instead. It is their hope that Christians will not walk away from faith in Christ simply because a global flood is not supported by science. Looking at natural phenomena like the Grand Canyon, salt beds, and fossil deposits, they reveal reasons for these deposits and structures while showing that their origin did not stem from a violent flood that covered the planet.
Sep 15, 2012 
Gregg Davidson, Wolgemuth, Ken 
Earth, Universe & Time, Young Earth Creationism, Fossils, The Flood
Denisovans, Humans and the Chromosome 2 Fusion

Denisovans, Humans and the Chromosome 2 Fusion

The Denisovans, an extinct hominid group that interbred with modern humans, made the news again lately with the publication of a more detailed study of their genome. One of the many interesting findings was that the Denisovans share the same chromosome 2 fusion that modern humans have.
Sep 06, 2012 
Dennis Venema 
Genetics, Human Origins, Evolution - Evidence
52
<strong>Series:</strong> Asa Gray and Charles Darwin Discuss Evolution and Design

Series: Asa Gray and Charles Darwin Discuss Evolution and Design

Many Christians believe that they face a painful choice-- either life was designed by God or it is an evolutionary product of natural selection. Charles Darwin himself believed in this dichotomy, and people ever since have felt the need to "choose sides". However, looking back at history, we find that one of Darwin's chief scientific colleagues, Asa Gray, did not share this perspective. In this three-part essay, part 1 charts the relationship of Asa Gray and Charles Darwin. Part 2 describes Darwin's struggle with the problem of natural evil and design in nature, and part 3 explores how Asa Gray was able to embrace evolution without rejecting the idea of design.
Aug 04, 2012 
Sara Joan Miles 
Design, Problem of Evil, ID Movement
Becoming Human: New Insights from Genome-wide Functional Genomics

Becoming Human: New Insights from Genome-wide Functional Genomics

We live in exciting times for a geneticist: more and more genomes are being sequenced, and more and more novel genome-wide analyses are being performed to shed light on what all those newly-determined sequences mean.
Jul 27, 2012 
Dennis Venema 
Genetics, Evolution - How It Works
29
Hominids Lived Millions of Years Ago, but How Can We Tell? (Videocast)

Hominids Lived Millions of Years Ago, but How Can We Tell? (Videocast)

This BioLogos videocast addresses the age of recently discovered hominid fossils and how scientists are able to obtain those dates.
Jul 26, 2012 
Joy Walters 
Human Origins, Fossils
12
The Fossil Record

The Fossil Record

There are two opposite errors which need to be countered about the fossil record: 1) that it is so incomplete as to be of no value in interpreting patterns and trends in the history of life, and 2) that it is so good that we should expect a relatively complete record of the details of evolutionary transitions within all or most lineages.
Jul 13, 2012 
Keith Miller 
History of Life, Fossils, Evolution - Evidence
8
<strong>Series:</strong> Understanding Evolution: the Evolutionary Origins of Irreducible Complexity

Series: Understanding Evolution: the Evolutionary Origins of Irreducible Complexity

One of the challenges for discussing evolution within evangelical Christian circles is that there is widespread confusion about how evolution actually works. In this installment, we examine evidence that proteins in irreducibly complex (IC) systems can form and refine new interactions through gradual mechanisms.
Jun 28, 2012 
Dennis Venema 
Design, Genetics, ID Movement
Fine-tuning and the “Fruitful Universe”

Fine-tuning and the “Fruitful Universe”

I ask the question, “Why is the universe so special?” Now scientists don’t like things to be special; we like things to be general, and our natural anticipation would have been that the universe is just a common specimen of what a universe might be like.
Jun 01, 2012 
John Polkinghorne 
Design, Astronomy & Physics, ID Movement
15
Caution! Design Arguments Ahead

Caution! Design Arguments Ahead

Design arguments have been around forever and expressed in various ways. Most of them fall into what we call natural theology, which is the process of inferring something about the existence and nature of God by the inspection of nature.
May 15, 2012 
Karl Giberson 
Design, Astronomy & Physics
11
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