A former geophysicist and college professor, Stephen C. Meyer argued for the existence of intelligent design (ID) based upon DNA, and scientific evidence from such fields as biology, physics, chemistry, and cosmology. These new discoveries have outstripped the Darwinian approach, which never addressed where first life came from, he said. The earliest cellular life that emerged 3.8 billion years ago, such as blue-green algae, wasn't simple at all according to molecular biology research. Rather, such cell life was a highly complex "factory" run on a DNA code that was akin to advanced technology, he detailed, and this DNA reflects the purposeful design of an intelligent force.

We don't necessarily need religion in the picture to conclude that ID is in effect, he said, but of the two theories of who the designer is-- extraterrestrials or a God being, Meyer favors the latter explanation. Evidence of design is in the very fabric of the universe itself, he commented.

Materialism is the view that everything in the universe can ultimately be explained in physical terms, yet matter is a bad candidate to be primordial reality, Meyer stated. Biological systems contain intricate informational structures and their origin cannot be explained by just physical forces, he said.

Jupiter's Impact

First hour guest, planetary scientist Dan Durda talked about the recent impact on Jupiter, and the likelihood of such an occurrence on Earth. Because of Jupiter's huge size (1,000 Earths could fit into its mass), it acts like a "cosmic vacuum cleaner," grabbing a lot of stray objects in the outer solar system that otherwise might come our way, he noted. Yet, events such as the 1908 impact over Tunguska might happen as often as every 300 years, he added.