September 29, 2009 | David F. Coppedge

Outer Limits Not Lively

One of the “cosmic coincidences” cited in the intelligent-design treatise The Privileged Planet1 is the “galactic habitable zone” – a fairly narrow region of the galaxy where planets can form and exist safely.  The outer regions of the galaxy were described as lacking the heavy elements necessary for planet formation.
    Score one for the authors.  New Scientist reported on a planet search by astronomers at the University of Tokyo who failed to find planets in the outer reaches of the galaxy.  “Astronomers have long doubted that life could exist there,” the article stated.  “Now they have solid evidence for their pessimism.”  Only 1 in 5 of 111 stars examined in some young clusters had dust disks at all, and those appear to dissipate quickly because of the scarcity of silicon, oxygen and iron that makes up the bulk of earth.  “No home in the galactic outer suburbs” was the article title.  “If the sun had been born near the edge of the galaxy, chances are neither the Earth nor life would have arisen,” the article said.  “That’s the implication of the first search for planet-forming discs on the Milky Way’s outskirts.”


1.  Guillermo Gonzalez and Jay Richards, The Privileged Planet (Regnery, 2004); see also the Illustra documentary based on the book.

The documentary version of The Privileged Planet showed animation of puzzle pieces converging to form a picture of Earth.  This is just one of the pieces, but each one is important.  The sheer number of coincidences that make our planet and our universe habitable is enough to make a reasonable person think the puzzle spells design.  Combine those astronomical evidences with the biological evidences shown in Unlocking the Mystery of Life and the paleontological evidences shown in Illustra’s newest documentary Darwin’s Dilemma and the case for intelligent design is unstoppable.

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