In the Privileged Planet DVD, Paul Davies, an astrobiologist who almost joined UCI's Physics department, makes some interesting comments about the nature of the universe:

"Many scientists take it for granted that the universe is both ordered and intelligible. And the intelligible part is what I find really extraordinary."

"We have certain skills. For example we can jump streams and catch falling apples and so on, which is necessary to getting by in the world. Why is it that we also have the ability to discern, for example, what is going on inside atoms or inside black holes? These are completely outside the domain of everyday experience, totally surplus to requirements, not at all necessary for good Darwinian survival."

So how can any naturalistic framework provide for this intelligibility within the universe? My intuition tells me that intelligible design inevitably implies intelligent design.

From an article I wrote before:

"Don't forget to thank God for all of the blessings you have: for living in America (in abundance), for having a family, and for achieving a college degree from a respectable university. Ninety percent of the people in this world would do anything to trade places with you."

Did the title get your attention? It was only a trick; ID in this case means interdisciplinary . According to a press release from Today, UCI will integrate Bio Sci, Engineering, ICS, Medicine, and Phy Sci in creating a doctoral program in mathematical, computational and systems biology (MCSB). Here's a great quote from the press release:

According to Lander, biologists have traditionally focused on identifying and defining the roles of the individual components of life, such as cells, proteins and genes. The new field of systems biology, however, takes a more holistic approach, viewing life as composed of complex, engineered systems refined by evolution to carry out specific, difficult tasks. “Systems biologists want to know not just how living things are built, but why they are built that way. ‘What design principles control embryonic development so that it is extremely accurate, exploit rapid cell growth to repair and regenerate tissues but restrain it from becoming cancer, or regulate metabolism so that energy is consumed when it is needed and stored when it is not?’ These are basically engineering questions within the context of biology. And, as with many engineering questions, one needs mathematics to frame them, and computer power to investigate them.” [emphasis added]

Very interesting questions indeed. So interesting that I momentarily have a desire to apply for this program. Maybe the title of this post wasn't so misleading after all?

Of course, to be fair, most scientists believe that this "design" was stochastically produced through the search process known as Darwinian evolution. But that paradigm might be shifting soon.

... is the concluding phrase of a National Geographic article about the natural LEDs found in some butterflies (hat tip to Design Watch, again). These butterflies have mirrors and photonic crystals in their wings that amplify their fluorescence. The physicists in the article are surprised that this technique has been found in nature, since this is the same technique used to create highly efficient LEDs. Here's what a physicist in the U.K. says:

"Nature has had to come up with very elegant and ingenious design protocols in order to achieve a significant control over the flow of light," Vukusic said. "Those are design protocols which may point the way to newer, better, more efficient systems."

Protocols are artifacts of thought -- maybe that is why the physicist had to personify "Nature"? Also, keep in mind that "ingenious design" is semantically equivalent to "intelligent design."

Here's a link to an interesting biomimcry database (HT: Design Watch). It could just as well be named the "intelligent design database," since the site describes many creatures that exhibit amazing functionality. Here's a sampling of some of the creatures:

Ant - "An insect that displays collectively intelligent behavior (swarm intelligence) when foraging for food, fighting off predators, or constructing a nest."

Elephant seal - "A marine mammal that employs a countercurrent heat exchange system for thermoregulatory and water conservation purposes."

Orb weaver spider - "An arachnid that employs four major adhesive solutions to fulfill different functions. In addition, its metallic coloring has a thermoregulatory function."

The pope has recently made comments suggesting that this world is part of an "intelligent plan" (see Washington Post, Uncommon Descent, and Evolution News). Some evolutionists had asked the pope to clarify the Catholic Church's position on intelligent design after Cardinal Schonborn wrote a pro-ID article in the New York Times. It seems like the pope just gave the official answer.

This is significant.

[11-12 Update]: Post-Darwinist claims that "intelligent plan" may be a faulty German translation and that the pope may have actually said "intelligent design." In any case, Schonborn claims that the pope is fully behind him.

... is the caption of a picture on the NSF main page, which leads to a press release about a mechanical cochlea that tries to mimic the human ear. Here's what a researcher at the University of Michigan says:

"When someone builds a microphone, they don't do it the same way the ear does," says White. "And yet, the ear is an extremely successful design. We were interested in seeing whether we could duplicate that success."

I've blogged before about Cardinal Schonborn's NYT article which seemed to reject the idea of unguided Darwinian evolution. Post-Darwinist claims that he is not backing down.

Some evolutionists have suggested that Schonborn has retracted some of his statements. Can anybody substantiate this claim by providing a credible link in the comments section?