We are Children of Light and Water: Dr. Michael Denton

Intelligent Design the Future

Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture

Science, Philosophy, Astronomy, Society & Culture, Life Sciences

4 • 993 Ratings

🗓️ 1 August 2025

⏱️ 13 minutes

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Summary

On this episode of ID the Future from the vault, biochemist and medical doctor Michael Denton continues his conversation with host Sarah Chaffee about his book Children of Light: The Astonishing Properties of Sunlight That Make Life Possible, part of his Privileged Species book series that also includes The Miracle of Man, The Miracle of the Cell, The Wonder of Water, and Fire-Maker. Here, Dr. Denton speaks of the properties of both light and water. From photosynthesis to metabolism to circulation, and even from plate tectonics to the hydrologic cycle, both have exactly what it takes — in “amazingly fortuitous” ways — to make complex organic life possible. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Source

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to ID the Future, a podcast about intelligent design and evolution.
0:13.6	Welcome to ID the Future. My name is Sarah Chaffee.
0:17.5	We're talking about a new book, Children of Light, the astonishing properties of sunlight that make us possible by Michael Denton.
0:25.6	Dr. Denton is a senior fellow with Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture.
0:30.8	He holds an MD from Bristol University and a PhD in biochemistry from King's College in London. Dr. Denton has published his work in journals
0:40.5	such as Nature, Biochemical Journal, Nature Genetics, Biosystems, Human Genetics, Clinical Genetics,
0:48.2	the Journal of Theoretical Biology and Biology and Philosophy. His previous books include evolution, a theory and crisis.
0:56.8	Nature's destiny, have laws of biology reveal purpose in the universe,
1:01.0	and evolution still a theory in crisis.
1:04.3	In his new book, Children of Light, Denton elucidates the miraculous convergence of properties
1:09.5	on the tiny band of the electromagnetic spectrum that
1:12.5	allows intelligent life to flourish on Earth. Let's explore how light is part of the epic story of our
1:18.6	fine-tuned universe for us to thrive here and to come to understand it. Today we have Dr. Denton
1:24.7	on the show to discuss his book. Welcome.
1:28.6	Pleasure to be here.
1:35.7	In Children of Light, you use William Broad's phrase to describe humans, light eaters.
1:37.7	Why did you choose this expression?
1:46.4	Well, it's a wonderful expression, and we are light eaters, because we get energy by oxidizing reduced carbons, things like sugars and starches in the diet. And we get the oxygen and we get the reduced
1:52.5	carbons, sugars and things, we get that from the process of photosynthesis. And the process of
1:58.4	photosynthesis is entirely dependent on the light of the sun.
2:01.6	Photosynthesis gives us oxygen and it gives us the reduced carbons that we burn with the oxygen
2:08.6	by using the energy of sunlight to make these different key compounds, without which we wouldn't be here.
	...

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