Stars, Cells, and God | Synthetic Embryos and Alien Spacecraft?

Join Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Hugh Ross as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Synthetic Embryos A research team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences recently reported on the first-ever production of synthetic embryos from monkey embryonic stem cells. This work follows on the heels of other research that demonstrates how (1) synthetic embryos can be produced from human embryonic stem cells, and (2) synthetic mice embryos made from embryonic stem cells can develop in a bioreactor beyond the earliest stage to display the beginning of organ formation. In this episode, biochemist Fuz Rana addresses questions such as: What is a synthetic embryo? Why are scientists interested in creating synthetic embryos? What are the most salient ethical issues to consider with this work? What should the Christian response be to the production of synthetic embryos? References: Cynomolgus Monkey Embryo Model Captures Gastrulation and Early Pregnancy Additional Resources: A Theology for Synthetic Biology, Part 1 A Theology for Synthetic Biology, Part 2 Alien Spacecraft? Dozens of news stories have come out claiming that the US government has admitted to possessing physical evidence of alien spacecraft. Since we claimed in our book, Lights in the Sky & Little Green Men, that no such evidence exists, we have been asked to respond to these new claims. There are a few reasons we stand by the claims we made two decades ago. First, the US government and military security are not capable of hiding such physical evidence from the public for several decades. Second, no one has ever produced a single physical artifact from an alien craft. The third, and most definitive reason, is that physical spacecraft larger than 10 centimeters across cannot traverse interstellar space. The required travel velocities and the laws of physics guarantee that such spacecraft would be destroyed long before they reach Earth. In this episode, we’ll expound on these and give examples that support our reasoning. References: Lights in the Sky & Little Green Men: A Rational Christian Look at UFOs and Extraterrestrials