The Biochemical Challenge to Darwinian Evolution Turns 30

In 2026, one of the most influential books on science in our lifetime turns 30 years old. It’s Darwin’s Black Box, written by biochemist and professor Michael J. Behe. On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid concludes his conversation with Dr. Behe as we celebrate the milestone, revisit the book’s major insights, and examine its staying power over the last three decades.

Another thing Darwin’s Black Box introduced to readers is the concept of irreducible complexity, an idea that, in Behe’s own words, can give us confidence that Darwin’s own criterion of failure has been met. In this segment, Behe discusses why irreducible complexity is crucial to the design of living things. He explains that the concept still stands strong today, despite multiple attempts to undermine it in the last few decades.

Since 1996, we’ve learned an enormous amount about the cell. Has this new knowledge strengthened or weakened the central case of Darwin’s Black Box? Behe weighs in on that. He also explains how his follow-up books, The Edge of Evolution and Darwin Devolves, add to and expand the case he presented in his first book. Behe also shares a few details on his current projects, including one aimed at bringing his important ideas to a level that children can easily grasp.

This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Look for Part 1 in a separate episode.

Dig Deeper

• Haven’t read Darwin’s Black Box? Order your copy at Dr. Behe’s website.
• MORE: Dr. Behe explains why Darwinism will eventually collapse.