Stars, Cells, and God | Earliest Rope Making and Gullies on Mars

Join Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Jeff Zweerink 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. Earliest Rope Making When did humans first begin deploying fiber technology? This question is important because fiber technology makes composite technology possible, such as textiles, ropes, baskets, nets, weapons, housing, and boats. It also reflects the capacity for advanced cognition. An international team from the Philippines, France, and Germany recently published evidence that humans in the Philippines possessed fiber technology around 40,000 years ago. In this episode, biochemist Fuz Rana discusses the scientific and theological implications of this discovery. What does this advance mean for RTB’s creation model for human origins and the scientific case for the image of God? Rana will also discuss the ramifications of this discovery for recent claims that Neanderthals invented fiber technology. References: The Invisible Plant Technology of Prehistoric Southeast Asia: Indirect Evidence for Basket and Rope Making at Tabon Cave, Philippines, 39–33,000 Years Ago Direct Evidence of Neanderthal Fibre Technology and Its Cognitive and Behavioral Implications Additional Resource: Did Neanderthals Invent String? Gullies on Mars Observations of Mars reveal formations that strongly point to the presence of liquid water. While astronomers know that Mars had liquid water in the distant past, these features occasionally make the news cycle as indicating the presence of liquid water more recently. A new study of Martian gullies shows that the water needed for formation indicates a highly disruptive environment for life. These results further highlight Earth’s remarkable ability to host life. References: Gullies on Mars Could Have Formed by Melting of Water Ice during Periods of High Obliquity