Podcasts

Podcasts

Discovery Institute Podcast

An Oncologist’s Journey Out of Scientific Atheism

Stephen J. Iacoboni
August 17, 2026
Can a blind, evolutionary process account for who we are and why we’re here? Is there anything beyond this life? On this ID The Future, enjoy a conversation with veteran oncologist, author, and speaker Dr. Stephen Iacoboni. Iacoboni has wrestled with these questions for more than forty years as a medical oncologist. For many years he was a committed scientific atheist, content that science could answer all the big questions. But through the experiences of his patients and after noticing the growing cracks in naturalistic explanations, Dr. Iacoboni rejected his atheism for belief in God. In this conversation, originally aired on the Ex-Skeptic podcast and hosted by Jana Harmon, Dr. Iacoboni shares his journey from childhood faith to scientific atheism and back to theistic …

Sleeping and Waking, By Design

Eric Hedin
August 14, 2026
Are we to credit an unguided evolutionary process for the gift of sleeping and waking? Or are these intricate systems further evidence of design? On this ID The Future selected out of the archive, host Andrew McDiarmid concludes his conversation with Dr. Eric Hedin on the intelligent design of sleep. In Part 2, the pair dig deeper into the purpose of sleep and why it’s so essential to living organisms. They also look at why it’s unlikely that a gradual Darwinian process can be credited for the origin of sleeping and waking, and why intelligent design is a better explanation. In an effort to pierce the mystery, some scientists have posited that organisms came prepackaged to sleep, and that we only needed to evolve wakefulness. But Hedin thinks the process of waking up is an even …

The Biochemical Challenge to Darwinian Evolution Turns 30

Michael J. Behe
August 12, 2026
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 …

Mind Matters

How Cognitive Principles Can Inform Better Technological Design

392
Robert J. Marks
July 17, 2026
The age of AI is upon us and is already changing the way we conduct our lives. What is the optimal division of tasks between humans and machines? On this episode of Mind Matters News, host Robert J. Marks welcomes psychologist Dr. Joe McDonald to the podcast to explore the relationship between cognitive psychology and artificial intelligence (AI). Dr. McDonald is an expert in cognitive psychology and human factors research. He is the CEO and Principal at Jumpseat Research, a firm that applies cognitive science principles to improve technology design and user experiences. Dr. McDonald has over 15 years of experience in this field, holds a PhD in Human Factors from Georgia Tech, and is passionate about empowering people through technology.

Beyond the Written Word: AI’s Role in Reaching Oral Cultures

391
Robert J. Marks
July 1, 2026
AI is having impact everywhere. But what about global outreach initiatives? And specifically Christian missions? How are those in the mission field using artificial intelligence? On this episode of Mind Matters News, host Robert J. Marks and co-host Jonathan Swindell welcome Dr. Don Barger to the show. Barger is the Director of Innovation and Artificial Intelligence at the International Mission Board. Don works with new technology, especially AI, and helps people use it in smart and responsible ways. He thinks a lot about how AI can help in real-life situations, especially in global missions. He also understands the limits of AI and what it cannot do. In this conversation, we’ll discuss how AI is changing the world, how AI should be used responsibly in global outreach initiatives to other cultures and peoples, and what it all means for the future. 

ID the Future

Race Against the Clock: Geoff Simmons Reads From Oppenheimer’s Demon

2254
Geoffrey Simmons
August 19, 2026
There are many books written by intelligent design scientists and scholars that explore the scientific evidence for intelligent design and the debate over evolution. But a new book published by Discovery Institute Press manages to be concerned with “both the origin and the end of man” in the same book! On this ID The Future, distinguished physician, successful novelist, and disaster preparedness expert Geoffrey Simmons is going to read to us a few scenes from his new thriller novel Oppenheimer’s Demon.

An Oncologist’s Journey Out of Scientific Atheism

2253
Stephen Iacoboni
August 17, 2026
Can a blind, evolutionary process account for who we are and why we’re here? Is there anything beyond this life? On this ID The Future, enjoy a conversation with veteran oncologist, author, and speaker Dr. Stephen Iacobini. In this conversation, originally aired on the Ex-Skeptic podcast and hosted by Jana Harmon, Dr. Iacoboni shares his journey from childhood faith to scientific atheism and back to theistic belief. Along the way, he examines the failures of naturalism, the role of science, and the undeniable human longing for meaning that points to something beyond life itself.

Sleeping and Waking, By Design

2252
Eric Hedin
August 14, 2026
Are we to credit an unguided evolutionary process for the gift of sleeping and waking? Or are these intricate systems further evidence of design? On this ID The Future selected out of the archive, host Andrew McDiarmid concludes his conversation with Dr. Eric Hedin on the intelligent design of sleep. In Part 2, the pair dig deeper into the purpose of sleep and why it’s so essential to living organisms. They also look at why it’s unlikely that a gradual Darwinian process can be credited for the origin of sleeping and waking, and why intelligent design is a better explanation.

Humanize

Robert J. Marks II on the Benefits and Potential Perils of Artificial Intelligence

16
Robert J. Marks II
August 10, 2026
We are in the age of artificial intelligence. But what does that mean for the human future? Some claim that AI is merely a very sophisticated tool that will lead to stunning societal improvements such as miraculous medical breakthroughs, greater economic efficiency, and an exponential increase in human knowledge. But others worry that an out-of-human-control AI could destroy liberty, create immeasurable societal destruction, and perhaps, even unleash a technological Armageddon that brings about the end of the human race. Which is it? Or are both potential possibilities? To sort it all out for us, on this special summer edition of Humanize, Wesley asked Discovery Institute’s Robert J. Marks II to return for his third appearance. An electrical engineer by education and …

Stephen C. Meyer on “The Story of Everything”

15
Stephen C. Meyer
June 15, 2026
In 50 BC, the great Roman statesman Cicero expressed a thought that has been echoed by thinkers down the generations: “The celestial order and beauty of the universe compel me to admit that there is some excellent and eternal Being who deserves the respect and homage of men.” But in our own day, the evolutionary biologist and atheism proselytizer Richard Dawkins has claimed, “The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference.” Dawkins believes that complex life and the cosmos arose through gradual, evolutionary mechanisms, not through any influence of a creator or purposeful creation. But which worldview does the scientific evidence …

Timothy S. Goeglein on Restoring a Legacy of Faith, Freedom, and Family

Timothy S. Goeglein
May 18, 2026
The United States is in a cultural crisis. Our young are experiencing unprecedented levels of mental illness. Family structures are crumbling with out-of-wedlock births increasing while, at the same time, the number of children being born is decreasing. Some worry about masculinity under attack while others believe that “toxic masculinity” is the cause of most problems. Many are even worried that democracy itself is in real and present danger. It’s all a big mess. How do we restore societal equilibrium? In a new compendium of his many columns on cultural issues, What Really Matters, Timothy S. Goeglein offers readers what he calls a “blueprint” to encourage us “to reevaluate the road we currently travel” and get back to the basics of …