Stars, Cells, and God | Xenotransplant Success and “Big Ring” of Galaxies Found

Reasons to Believe Podcast

*Unfortunately we encountered audio problems at the time this episode was recorded*

Join Hugh Ross and Jeff Zweerink as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence.

Xenotransplant Success

Worldwide, millions of people need organ transplants and many die while waiting. It is impossible to scale up human organ donation rates to meet the demand. However, recent success in xenotransplantation may solve the shortfall. Surgical transplants of pig hearts, livers, and kidneys all show promise of (at least temporary) function and no signs of organ rejection. Xenotransplantation provides yet more evidence that God designed the higher animals to enhance human health and well-being.

References:

PODCAST LINKS:

First Pig Kidney Transplant in a Person: What It Means for the Future

First Pig Liver Transplanted into a Person Lasts for 10 Days

First Pig-to-Human Heart Transplant: What Can Scientists Learn?

Monkey Survives for Two Years after Gene-Edited Pig-Kidney Transplant

YOUTUBE LINKS:

Smriti Mallapaty and Max Kozlov, “First Pig Kidney Transplant in a Person: What It Means for the Future,” https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00879-y

Smriti Mallapaty, “First Pig Liver Transplanted into a Person Lasts for 10 Days,” https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00853-8

Sara Reardon, “First Pig-to-Human Heart Transplant: What Can Scientists Learn?,” https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00111-9

Max Kozlov, “Monkey Survives for Two Years after Gene-Edited Pig-Kidney Transplant,” https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03176-2

“Big Ring” of Galaxies Found

Astronomers recently announced the discovery of a “Big Ring” of galaxy clusters. According to calculations based on scientists’ best understanding of the universe, the size of this ring exceeds the largest size structure that could possibly form, and it joins a class of about 10 structures that are “too big.” While some people might take this find as evidence that our current understanding of the universe (size, age, composition, etc.) is wrong, the discovery highlights how well we comprehend the universe and provides insight that will direct us into a deeper understanding. It also affirms the biblical prediction that we live in an orderly, reliable, and understandable creation.

References:

PODCAST LINKS:

An Impossibly Huge Ring of Galaxies Might Lead Us to New Physics. Here’s How

Giant Ring? Giant Arc? These “Structures” May Not Even Be Real

YOUTUBE LINKS:

Keith Cooper, “An Impossibly Huge Ring of Galaxies Might Lead Us to New Physics. Here’s How,” https://www.space.com/big-ring-galactic-superstructure-celestial-anomaly

Ethan Siegel, “Giant Ring? Giant Arc? These “Structures” May Not Even Be Real,” https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/giant-ring-arc-structures-not-real/