Why Physiology Is a Major Challenge to Evolution

Join biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Dr. Uditha Jayatunga, senior consultant in rehabilitation medicine at Royal Derby Hospital, UK, as they discuss discoveries with theological and philosophical implications that point to the reality of God’s existence.

Discussions of evolution often focus on visible traits like wings, beaks, and eyes, but many essential mechanisms are unseen. Physiological systems—complex, dynamic, and interconnected—are vital for life and may not fit neatly into explanations based on gradual change.

Homeostasis, the body’s ability to maintain stable internal conditions, highlights this complexity. Certain life stages—such as pregnancy, birth, and puberty—trigger rapid, hormone-driven changes across multiple systems. Some mechanisms may lie dormant for generations yet remain inheritable.

In this episode, Fuz and Uditha discuss several remarkable physiological characteristics in animals and humans that defy common evolutionary mechanics.

LINKS & RESOURCES: 

• Homeostasis and Feedback Loops
• Physiology, Stress Reaction
• Comparison of the Gastrointestinal Anatomy, Physiology, and Biochemistry of Humans and Commonly Used Laboratory Animals
• The Gut Microbiome
• Hibernation Physiology, Freezing Adaptation and Extreme Freeze Tolerance in a Northern Population of the Wood Frog
• The Secret to an Elephant’s Trunk Is Skin Deep