Find Out About the Future of Science

Science magazine writer Charles Seife has written a new book, Alpha and Omega: The Search for the Beginning and End of the Universe. According to Publishers Weekly, Charles claims, "Scientists...now know how the universe will end and are on the brink of understanding its beginning. Their findings will be among the greatest triumphs of science, even towering above the deciphering of the human genome." A brave statement! Charles is happy to answer your questions about ongoing research that is busily revealing the basic nature of life, the universe, and everything in a serious (as opposed to humorous) sense, so ask away. One question per post, please. We'll post the answers as soon as we get them beck.

Comments

You think you have a soul eh?

[forkboy]

I believe a soul exists

So tell me...

At what point in the human reproductive process does the soul come into being? Is it formed at the moment of fertilization? If so, where was it before? What did it come from, what are it's origins? Does God stick a new soul in every new person or is it an automated process?

Or do you think there are little "half souls" in every sperm cell and egg. If so, is it murder every time you spill seed or menstruate and do not form a child? What about cloning or out-of-body fertilization? Do those people have souls, too?

Where is the soul "stored" in the body? The heart? The brain? The spleen? We can grow most organs from stem cells now...if we grow one of every organ from the same set of stem cells, is that a person? Is there a fraction of a soul in there?

Follow the logical spiritual conclusions from there.

There is no such thing as a "logical spiritual conclusion." That phrase should should go down in the record books with military intelligence and jumbo shrimp.

As for science proving or disproving the existance of "God", of course it's not possible. The concept of deities are that they are based on faith. You can't prove faith. It's like me trying to prove that my neice's imaginary friend does or does not exist. He might not exist for ME, but she sure thinks he does.

I'm glad you Christians have your faith and all. I'll never be the guy to say you can't believe what you want to, but you need to get over this superiority complex that so many of you have. Your belief that you are sitting in judgement before a great being in the sky does not make you any better than the guy who thinks we came from apes. (My beliefs are somewhere between the two)