In 2002, John Paul II addressed the Pontifical Academy of Sciences at the beginning of its plenary session with “The Cultural Values of Science.” Eighteen years later, the truth of his words still resonates:

For readers who love to gaze heavenward, the moon and the red planet Mars will put on a show over the weekend.

Charles Darwin and Gregor Mendel were contemporaries, but did they know of each other’s work? There is clear evidence that Mendel read “The Origin of Species,'' and mounting evidence that Darwin had heard of Mendel’s work.

The name of Gregor Mendel is inescapably linked to “genetics.” 

The name of Charles Darwin and the theory of evolution are so closely linked that most people are unaware of the history of the theory “before” Darwin. 

One of the exciting developments in the field of neuroscience is the use of neuroimaging to examine the precise neural pathways and brain regions involved in many cognitive activities, including learning, memory storage and retrieval, and even those involved in making voluntary choices. 

The news has featured human connectivity in seemingly endless variety lately—from discussing the negative effects of social distancing and quarantines on our mental health to the creative ways people are reaching out and staying in touch. 

One of the modern narratives is that science has knocked the human person off its pedestal. We are no longer seen as the pinnacle of creation, more important than other animals and meant to rule over the rest of creation. In fact, the idea of our being “made in the image of God” should be set aside since it has been disproved by science. 

At the turn of the last century, a little remembered but dramatic debate took place between prominent astronomers Harlow Shapely and Heber Curtis. The debate concerned essentially several key issues: the location of the sun in the Milky Way galaxy, the size of the universe, and whether spiral nebulae were other galaxies. 

Since its founding in 1972, the Templeton Prize has honored 17 scientists, 7 opinion leaders, 16 religious leaders, and 7 theologians/philosophers.