October 9, 2026: Will science save the world?

Will science save the world?

No, of course not. Science is limited in scope, and our greatest problems are fundamentally based in the sinful human condition – a problem that science can’t solve.

Maybe AI will save the world?

Yesterday I attended a conference at Calvin University focused on AI in the context of Christian belief. Some presenters shared that much of the discussion around AI is currently focused on eschatology – the end of the world. The ‘doomers’ think that AI will bring the end of the world. Others think that AI will lead us to utopia, saving us from pain and drudgery. Amid all this, we Christians have a better message of the end of the world, neither a meaningless doomsday nor an empty utopia, but one that provides hope.

Reminds me of a famous quote:

"For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries."– Robert Jastrow, God and the Astronomers.

However, it is true – science can do some amazing things. This week was an exciting one for scientists: Nobel Prize Week!

• Monday led with a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to a trio of scientists, Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel, “for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics,” providing hope for a better understanding of nervous systems and mental illness. Yes, the brain is truly one of the last frontiers.
• Tuesday followed with a Nobel Prize in Physics to Francis Halzen. “for decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin”. Physicists really know how to go big – this guy designed a cubic kilometer of ice to capture neutrinos!
• Wednesday gave us the Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai “for the discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis”. That means they developed chemical means to make and isolate mirror image molecules, with potential for drug development and, not discussed in these news headlines, I suspect implications for the development of synthetic ‘mirror life’. That’s a can of worms I can’t get into now. Maybe another time.

Here at Andrews University, the next week+ has much to offer those of us interested in scientific discovery. Not a Nobel Prize Week, but a Research Week. You can find more information here. For now, let me point out to you some biology-relevant presentations - they are sure to be interesting:

• Next Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 7pm in Newbold Auditorium, Roderick Pernites will share how he is “Engineering materials patterned from nature-inspired intelligent designs.” Biology-based engineering!
• Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 11:30am in the Math/Physics amphitheater, Dr. Gina Leinninger from Michigan State University will be speaking about the neurophysiology of appetite and obesity. “No Gain, No Pain,” her title says… whatever that means…
• Friday, October 23 at 2pm, students and faculty will be sharing their research via poster in the hallways of Buller Hall. Interested in what is happening in labs around our school? Stop by and check it out.

And now, Fall Break officially begins! I pray that you can catch up on needed rest, complete that late assignment, visit with friends or family, and generally recharge for the second act of the semester. We are halfway through.