Roland Earnst Archives

February 26, 2026February 23, 2026

The Reason for a Multiverse Hypothesis

Science fiction writers love multiverses, and so do many scientists. In science fiction stories, characters step through a portal and emerge in a parallel or inverted world. In the minds of some physicists, multiple universes exist in what is known as the multiverse hypothesis. According to that hypothesis, an almost infinite number of universes exist, each with radically different physical laws and properties. There is no evidence for this, and it is impossible to prove or falsify. So, what is the reason for a multiverse hypothesis?

Agnostic scientists who theorize a multiverse do so not because of evidence but because they cannot explain the apparent fine-tuning of the universe. Why are the particle masses and force strengths in our universe perfectly fine-tuned for us to be here? Slight changes in any of those factors would make it impossible for life to exist and likely for a universe with stars and planets to form.

Speculation about “bubble universes” in a frothing multiverse is pure science fiction at present, so what about another option? Some have proposed an idea based on quantum mechanics. This theory of particle physics states that particles can exist in a “superposition” of possible states until someone measures the particle’s position, at which point it collapses into a single state. It’s difficult to see how this could explain alternate universes, since quantum theory deals with the very small, not entire universes. That brings us back to the reason for a multiverse hypothesis. But, wait! Isn’t there another possible explanation for the fine-tuning of our universe?

Yes, there is another possible explanation for the astonishingly fine-tuned parameters of our cosmos. However, it is one that many stubbornly refuse to accept, or even consider. What about the possibility that the universe was designed by an infinite Intelligence that exists outside of time and space? Isn’t that a more reasonable explanation for the precise design that makes our existence possible?

Quantum fluctuations can’t explain it. Even an infinite number of universes could not explain how we happen to be lucky enough to live in a universe with the right combination of all the exact factors needed for life. Luck and chance are not scientific explanations. Even if there were an almost infinite number of universes, there would still need to be an explanation of how they originated. The design we observe in the cosmos can best be explained by a Designer. Isn’t the only reason for a multiverse hypothesis the desire of skeptics to avoid the most obvious and logical explanation?

Reference: Science News magazine for February 2026, pages 62-63, and sciencenews.org

February 20, 2026February 18, 2026

Information Is Fundamental to Everything

At the core of everything is information. DNA carries information in every cell of the human body, as well as in the cells of animals and plants. Without the information in our genes, we could not exist. DNA is a physical molecule, but it contains information that is not physical. We write words with physical ink on physical paper, but the information in those words is not physical, and it is far more valuable than the paper itself. Information is fundamental.

Ancient Greek Stoic philosophers used the word “logos” (translated as “word” in English) to refer to the rational principle behind the universe. The apostle John gave that term a deeper meaning when he used it to refer to the One who created all things. John’s gospel begins with, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” He goes on to say that the Word created all things.

When you read the Genesis creation account, you find, “And God said let there be light” (verse 3). The phrase “And God said” recurs in verses 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26, and 29. Hebrews 11:3 tells us, “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” Words are not visible. Information isn’t visible. We can put information on paper by writing visible words, but the information behind those words is not visible—yet it is more important than the paper on which it is written.

Information is fundamental, immaterial, and invisible. God is spirit (4:24), meaning that He is not material. The cosmic creation event, popularly known as the Big Bang, involved the creation of matter/energy, space, and time. That means the Creator of matter/energy, space, and time must be immaterial and outside of space and time. Matter/energy cannot create itself. God’s Word created everything we see as God spoke the universe into existence. The Bible doesn’t specify when God created the universe, what physical processes He used, or how long it took. Since God is not limited by our time dimension, time means nothing to Him (2 Peter 3:8).

After the physical creation, God used information to create life, with a DNA code far more complex than any human-made computer code. There could be no life without information to guide the production of proteins necessary for forming living cells and to direct the metabolism that sustains life. Information comes only from intelligence.

The bottom line is that information is fundamental, and it’s built into every living cell. If someone says, “I will not believe unless I can see it,” they are not being honest. Everyone believes in things they cannot see. Information is fundamental, and we cannot see it. The Word created all things (John 1:3). At the right time, the Word became visible: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Those who refuse to believe in God because they can’t see Him should remember that “the things that are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (See 2 Corinthians 4:13-18.)

February 18, 2026February 11, 2026

What Troubled Darwin?

In 1831, Charles Darwin, a recent Cambridge University graduate, helped experienced geologist Adam Sedgwick excavate rock layers in northern Wales. They discovered fossils in shale rocks dating to the Cambrian period of Earth’s history. At age 22, Darwin didn’t realize how significant their findings were. It wasn’t until many years later, when he published his book On the Origin of Species, that he was troubled by the “explosion” of Cambrian fossils. What exactly troubled Darwin about these fossils?

Scientists call the sudden appearance of Cambrian fossils the “Cambrian explosion.” These fossils come from a time when Earth’s first major animal groups appeared abruptly, with no clear predecessors. This challenges the idea of gradual evolution. That’s what troubled Darwin. The Cambrian explosion was a rapid appearance of most of the major animal groups that ever lived on Earth.

Darwin published his famous book On the Origin of Species in 1859, twenty-eight years after helping find the first Cambrian fossils. He believed life’s history would look like a branching tree, starting with single-celled organisms and each branch gradually becoming more complex. He thought that life evolved in small steps over long periods through natural selection. What troubled Darwin was the sudden appearance of Cambrian fossils without ancestors, but he expected future fossil discoveries to show gradual evolutionary changes.

However, things didn’t go as Darwin expected. In 1886, during the construction of the Canadian Pacific railroad across Canada, new Cambrian fossils were found in the Rocky Mountains. In 1909, Charles Walcott discovered fossils of soft-bodied Cambrian animals without predecessors in the Burgess Shale of British Columbia. These new animal forms were more complex than the ones Darwin knew, yet they still appeared suddenly without showing gradual evolution.

In 2014, another site in British Columbia, called Marble Canyon, revealed more troublesome fossils. In 1988, paleontologists uncovered exceptionally well-preserved specimens in Chengjiang, China. Now, another site in Huayuan, China, has revealed even more soft-bodied fossils with remarkable soft tissue preservation. Researchers have collected over 50,000 fossils and identified 153 animal species, 59% of which were previously unknown. These fossils span 16 animal phyla.

Some evolutionists suggest that missing links are hard to find because soft animal tissues don’t fossilize well. But this new discovery at Huayuan preserved delicate soft tissues in detail, from worms to jellyfish, showing gills, guts, and even nerves. They were preserved because they were buried quickly in a muddy slurry that turned into shale.

The key point is that many animals from the Cambrian period appear suddenly on opposite sides of the planet, with no signs of gradual change. They show no clear evolution over time. Darwinism cannot fully explain this puzzle, but those who believe in an intelligent divine Creator see these discoveries as making perfect sense. What troubled Darwin in 1859 would trouble him even more today.

Reference: scienceandculture.com

February 17, 2026February 11, 2026

Organ Harvesting of Assisted Suicide Victims

Today, in the Netherlands and Belgium, medically assisted euthanasia is legal, and anyone opting for assisted suicide may be contacted by an organ procurement organization. The same is happening in Canada, and some groups want to bring it to the United States. When medically assisted suicide becomes legal, it seems inevitable that it will lead to organ harvesting of assisted suicide victims.

Assisted suicide advocates suggest that if someone wants to die, their organs could be used to help others. Since they are going to die anyway, why not use their parts? When a country or state allows medically assisted suicide, it’s likely that organ harvesters will follow. When lethal injections are legalized, what stops someone from exploiting the mentally ill or disturbed, especially if there are benefits involved? What prevents abuse of the poor or vulnerable? “We will pay for medical technicians to end your life if you agree to sign your organs over to us. You won’t need them, and you won’t have any final expenses.”

So far, the trend of linking assisted suicide to organ harvesting has not gained wide acceptance in the United States, but it’s not certain that it won’t. Bioethics scholar Thaddeus Mason Pope has advocated for organ procurement organizations (OPOs) to be more aggressive in obtaining organs from patients seeking medical assistance in dying (MAiD). The thought is that people who are seeking MAiD but are not terminally ill might have better organs. Instead of letting people commit suicide on their own, do it in a hospital where the organs could be harvested immediately.

The Christian belief is that every life is sacred, and we do everything possible to save lives. When society begins to treat some human lives as worthless and human bodies as commodities to be traded, where does it end? Organ harvesting from assisted suicide victims is adding grease to a slippery slope with no bottom. The consequences are disastrous for a civilized society. Do we want to live in that kind of world?

Reference: medicalfutility.blogspot.com

February 16, 2026February 11, 2026

Milankovitch Cycles and Life on Earth

It should come as no surprise that the amount of sunlight reaching our planet influences our climate. Serbian mathematician and astronomer Milutin Milankovitch theorized that fluctuations in Earth’s climate are caused by changes in the amount of sunlight the planet receives, and that these changes follow specific cycles. Milankovitch calculated these cycles over the last 600,000 years and suggested they are responsible for ice ages and subsequent warmer interglacial periods. Geologists examining sediment layers in areas that were once ancient ocean beds confirmed the existence of Milankovitch cycles.

The amount of sunlight reaching Earth depends on three parameters that change over long time scales: the tilt of Earth’s axis, the eccentricity of its orbit, and the precession (wobble) of its axis. Because of the tilt of Earth’s axis, we experience seasons. Earth’s orbit is nearly circular but slightly elliptical, so its distance from the Sun varies. The precession of Earth’s axis is a slight wobble over time, similar to the wobbling of a spinning top.

Earth’s orbit is more circular than those of any other planet in our solar system. Because of this, the length of our seasons is approximately equal, but over long periods, these can change. The tilt of our planet’s axis is 23.4°, but it has varied in past ages from 22.1° to 24.5°. The precession of Earth’s axis also shifts over extended timescales. All three factors influence Earth’s climate because they alter the amount of sunlight reaching its surface.

The climate changes driven by these three factors are known as Milankovitch Cycles. The mathematician/astronomer calculated these cycles, and geologists have confirmed his calculations through examination of sediment layers from ancient ocean beds. The last Ice Age occurred about 20,000 years ago, when woolly mammoths roamed on ice sheets covering much of North America, Europe, and Asia. Over the past 10,000 years, the climate has remained remarkably stable, enabling the development of advanced civilizations.

As scientists study exoplanets beyond our solar system, they seek to determine their Milankovitch cycles because these cycles are another critical factor in assessing whether a planet can support advanced life. Mars has Milankovitch cycles that are far more extreme than Earth’s, which limits its potential to sustain life. Without the stabilizing influence of our relatively large Moon, Earth’s axis could oscillate up to 30°, leading to severe climate fluctuations. The more we learn about our unique planet, the more evident it becomes that God has finely tuned it to meet all our needs.

Reference: space.com

February 13, 2026February 9, 2026

Nonsense About a Created God

You’ve probably heard this question before. Someone says God created the universe, and then another person asks, “So who created God?” As silly as this question seems, it is often used as an argument against God’s existence by leading atheist Richard Dawkins. His best-selling book from a few years ago, The God Delusion, revolves around this very question. Asking “Who created God?” only makes sense if you are assuming a God who was created. But that’s not the God described in the Bible. It’s not the God that Christians, Jews, or even Muslims believe in. Let’s stop the nonsense about a created god.

When we talk about God, what do we mean? Are we thinking of the God described in the Bible who is eternal, uncreated, and exists before all things? “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth” (Genesis 1:1). Not only did God create everything, but He also sustains the universe (Colossians 1:17 and James 1:17). Richard Dawkins makes it clear he does not believe in God, but the god he does not believe in is not the God described in the Bible. I also do not believe in the god that Dawkins does not believe in. The God who created and sustains the universe is eternal, which voids the nonsense about a created god.

The ancient Greeks believed that matter had always existed, and that some god or gods emerged from the matter. Various gods, filled with human passions and sins, fought for control, bringing about a chaotic world. In other words, matter existed forever, but gods arose and kept things in chaos. Because of this misunderstanding of creation, the Greeks didn’t make much progress in what we now call science. If you don’t believe there is order in the universe, you can’t really study and find order within it.

Long before the Greek philosophers, the ancient Hebrews knew about the eternal God, the Creator of the universe. When the apostle Paul addressed the philosophers on the Areopagus in Athens, he pointed out how inadequate understanding of God. In Athens, Paul saw many idols honoring various gods. Just in case they missed one, he saw an inscription “to an unknown God.” Paul told them that even their own poets acknowledged that humans are God’s offspring, and if that’s true, God cannot be made of silver, gold, or stone—carved by human hands.

Therefore, we don’t need the nonsense about a created god. It’s meaningless. God is not a created being. We are His creation, meant to serve Him. Only by establishing a relationship with God can our lives be truly fulfilled, and this is possible because He seeks that relationship with us. He went so far as to send His only begotten Son to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins and to open the way for us to be restored to the eternal God who created, sustains, and loves us.

February 11, 2026February 9, 2026

Using Mosquitoes for 3D Printing

3D printing has become an invaluable tool in many fields, including industrial manufacturing, medical device development, and even hobbyist projects. These applications often demand nanometer-scale precision, which requires very small nozzles. Printing nozzles can be made from metal, plastic, glass, or even mosquito proboscises. Wait a moment! Did I read that correctly? Can a 3D printing nozzle actually be made from the tube a mosquito uses to pierce your skin and suck your blood? Yes, there is a way of using mosquitoes for 3D printing.

Scientists are experimenting with a new type of biohybrid printing that employs a female mosquito’s proboscis as a 3D printing nozzle. As you may know, female mosquitoes are the ones that feed on blood, and this approach offers a more useful way to utilize their blood-sucking appendage. It could be highly useful in advanced manufacturing, microengineering, and medical applications.

Many times, people have discovered more efficient processes or created new products from observing plants or animals. We call it biomimicry. Examples include the Velcro hook-and-loop fastening system inspired by burdock plants, self-cleaning surfaces modeled after lotus leaves, and humans learning to fly by studying bird wings. We also use natural materials from plants and animals, such as skin to make leather or wood for building homes. So, why not try using mosquitoes for 3D printing?

Traditional bioprinting tips are made of non-biodegradable materials. The finest metal tips are 35 micrometers in diameter and cost over $80 each. The smallest plastic tips are 150 micrometers in diameter, while a mosquito’s proboscis has an inner diameter of only 20 to 25 micrometers—smaller than a human hair. Lab-raised, infection-free mosquitoes cost around 2 cents each, and their proboscises are biodegradable after use. Glass tips can match the size but are more expensive and fragile.

The precision tip of a mosquito proboscis can enable high-resolution drug delivery at a significantly lower cost than other options. God has blessed us with abundant resources to advance manufacturing and medicine while safeguarding the environment. He also gave us curiosity—the drive to explore and learn new things, like using mosquitoes for 3D printing.

References: Science News for February 2026, page 27, and Science Advances

February 9, 2026March 11, 2026

Microevolution Does Not Confirm Macroevolution

Evolution, simply stated, is “change over time.” When we apply this to living organisms, we see two levels: microevolution and macroevolution. The difference between these can be simply stated. Microevolution involves changes below the species level, while macroevolution involves changes above the species level. For instance, transforming a sea creature into a land animal would be an example of macroevolution. Conversely, a bacterium developing resistance to antibiotics illustrates microevolution. The organism remains a bacterium. Microevolution does not confirm macroevolution.

We observe microevolution. Besides bacteria, we see human-directed evolution in dogs, cows, and roses. In each case, they are still dogs, cows, and roses, but with different traits. When Charles Darwin published On The Origin of Species in 1859, he speculated that if his theory was correct, the “number of intermediate varieties” of living things should show up in an “enormous” number of fossils. He acknowledged that, in his time, “Geology assuredly does not reveal any such graduated organic chain; and this, perhaps, is the most obvious and greatest objection which can be urged against my theory.” However, he predicted that over time, those missing-link fossils would be discovered.

Paleontologists, scientists who study fossils, were some of Darwin’s strongest critics at the time. How is the situation today? The bottom line is that the missing links are still missing. The Field Museum of Natural History has one of the largest fossil collections in the world. In 1979, paleontologist David Raup, in the museum’s bulletin, stated, “We now have a quarter of a million fossil species, but the situation hasn’t changed much” since Darwin’s time. Famed paleontologist Niles Eldridge of the American Museum of Natural History wrote in 1985, “We paleontologists have said that the history of life supports (the Darwinian theory of gradual change), knowing all the while it does not.”

Now, more than 165 years after Darwin, the missing links are still missing, while the average person believes the fossil record proves Darwinian evolution because that is what we have been told. Microevolution does not confirm macroevolution, nor does the fossil record.

References: “Conflicts Between Darwin and Palaeontology,” Field Museum of Natural History bulletin, January 1979, p. 25; Time Frames: The Evolution of Punctuated Equilibria, Princeton University Press, 1985, pp. 144-45, and God’s Undertaker by John C. Lennox, Lion Hudson, 2009, pp. 113-14.

February 6, 2026January 31, 2026

The Energy Efficiency of the Human Brain

There is significant concern about the large amount of energy needed for Artificial Intelligence. AI and the computer processing power required to imitate human intelligence will require constructing new power plants to supply more energy. Compared to this, the energy efficiency of the human brain uses only 17 watts of power while performing functions that AI has not yet mastered. At the same time, the brain makes up only 2% of the body’s mass but consumes 20% of its energy.

The continuous flow of chemical reactions that keep the brain working is called metabolism. For brain cells to function, they need a constant supply of glucose that passes through the blood-brain barrier. If a person fasts for a long time or follows a ketogenic diet, the brain must switch to an alternative fuel source, which is ketones produced by the liver. As a secondary backup, the brain can also operate on lactate.

The brain transforms these energy sources into ATP (adenosine triphosphate). Neurons use ATP to generate electrical signals, which account for most of the brain’s energy use. Glial cells support neurons in various ways, such as breaking down glucose to provide energy.

During deep sleep, the brain’s metabolic rate decreases, but not as much as you might expect. When you are deeply engaged in complex tasks, your brain only uses about 5% more energy. The small difference exists because the brain is constantly performing “housekeeping” tasks, managing your body, and maintaining the functions of various organs and tissues. It continuously monitors your environment, pays attention to sights and sounds, and alerts you to issues that need attention.

After performing mentally demanding tasks, you might feel exhausted, but it could be due to tension. Your brain maintains a delicate energy balance across different neural regions, directing energy where it is needed. The energy efficiency of the human brain allows it to do everything with just 17 watts, while a supercomputer would need megawatts to perform the same tasks. It keeps your lungs breathing and your heart beating while you solve differential equations and think about what’s for dinner.

Artificial Intelligence can’t match the energy efficiency of the human brain. Your brain shows evidence of a designer God.

References: biologyinsights.com and zmescience.com

February 3, 2026January 31, 2026

Habitable Worlds Observatory

In a quest to detect life on a planet outside of our solar system, NASA has awarded three-year contracts to seven different companies to address the engineering challenges of a new precision space telescope. Since 2022, the James Webb Space Telescope has been capturing images of the universe in infrared light. Prior to that, the Hubble Space Telescope provided us with a deeper understanding of the secrets of space in the visible-light spectrum. The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) is designed to pursue a different goal.

The HWO will be NASA’s most powerful space telescope, aiming to find signs of life in the universe. It will analyze light passing through the atmospheres of distant planets orbiting stars hundreds or even thousands of light-years away. Doing this will require a coronagraph thousands of times more powerful than any built before. A coronagraph is an instrument that blocks out the light from the Sun or other stars to reveal the faint atmospheres of exoplanets. It must also be repairable in space if any stray micrometeoroids impact its surface. The optical system must be stable within the width of a single atom. The precision required for the Habitable Worlds Observatory telescope surpasses any current technology.

This telescope must be far more advanced than the Webb Space Telescope, and you may recall the challenges and costs associated with that project. The goal is to have the Habitable Worlds Observatory ready for launch by the late 2030s or early 2040s. Jared Isaacman, the NASA administrator, stated that this is “exactly the kind of bold, forward-leaning science that only NASA can undertake.”

If the project succeeds in demonstrating that life could potentially exist on a planet outside our solar system, what then? If the planet is thousands of light-years away, we would be observing what it was like thousands of years ago. It will also take that long for us to beam a message to it, and if there are intelligent beings there, it will take an equal amount of time for them to respond. Traveling to such a planet would take humans many times longer, since it’s impossible to travel faster than a small fraction of light speed. Furthermore, even if we see signs that life could exist on a distant planet, we still won’t know for sure if life actually does.

One thing we can be certain of is that the project will take a lot of time and cost a lot of money. However, Isaacman says, “We intend to move with urgency.” In other words, there is an “urgent” desire to find out if there is life or any sentient beings beyond our planet. The truth is, there is a Being out there who has communicated with us, and He has even come to our planet to show us how to live and to redeem us from our sins. Perhaps the greatest urgency is for us to communicate with and come into a right relationship with Him.

References: space.com and youtube.com