The following article was originally published as an Impact article in the June 1985 Acts & Facts. Dr. Bergman provides the following update based on what is currently known about the earth and the universe, as of February 2008. To see the previous article, click here.

Secularists like to consider earth as just one of many millions of planets, occupying an obscure place in an insignificant galaxy in a sea of nothingness. Conversely, the Bible teaches that earth is very special to the Creator, performing a crucial role in the universe today, and prepared for an unending role in the cosmic saga.

When speculating about life in the universe, scientists need to be more realistic than Hollywood. In Star Trek, no matter where the actors land, they can walk around and breathe the air. That may be easier on directors, but for a surface to be habitable, there are physical requirements.

"Astrobiology" is a curious science. Like its predecessor "exobiology" it is, as George Gaylord Simpson once quipped, "a science without a subject." We know about astrophysics and astrochemistry, but where is the biology in astronomy? So far, it's only in the imaginations of evolutionists, who think the recipe for life is as simple as "just add water."

There has been much excitement recently regarding the stunning successes of America's two Mars Exploration Rovers (MERs). Landing on opposite sides of the Red Planet, Spirit and Opportunity have functioned almost flawlessly. Now it looks like they have found signs of past water activity, sulfate minerals, and salts in some rock samples.