The Truth Project

Carl Sagan, host of Cosmos, was confident that evolution was a done deal. He pointed to fossils and the emerging field of molecular biology as slam-dunk evidence. But Tackett isn’t buying it. In Tour 5b, he flips the script, suggesting that the very science Sagan celebrates—molecular biology—might actually point us in a different direction: toward design, not chance. Tackett starts by pulling us into the microscopic world of the cell. If you’ve seen The Truth Project, you’ve likely marveled at those stunning animations of cellular processes—DNA unwinding, RNA zipping along, ribosomes churning out proteins like a high-tech assembly line. It’s mesmerizing stuff. But for Tackett, it’s more than just cool visuals. It’s Exhibit A in his case against evolution.

At the heart of his argument is how cells make proteins—the building blocks of life—using instructions encoded in DNA. Here’s the gist: DNA holds the genetic blueprints, which get transcribed into messenger RNA (mRNA) by an enzyme called RNA polymerase. That mRNA then travels to the ribosome—a molecular machine—where it’s translated into a protein with help from transfer RNA (tRNA) and a host of other enzymes. Every step is precise, every part essential. Mess up one piece, and the whole system crashes. Tackett asks: How could something this intricate evolve step-by-step? This is where he brings in irreducible complexity, a concept championed by intelligent design advocate Michael Behe. Picture a mousetrap—springs, lever, base—all working together to catch that pesky rodent. Take away any one part, and it’s just a pile of junk. The cell’s protein-making machinery, Tackett argues, is like that mousetrap on steroids. DNA needs enzymes to read it, enzymes need DNA to exist, and ribosomes need both to do their job. It’s a chicken-and-egg puzzle that evolution, he says, can’t solve.

To drive the point home, Tackett quotes Charles Darwin himself from On the Origin of Species: “If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed, which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down.” For Tackett, the protein synthesis system is that dealbreaker. How do you evolve a system where every part depends on every other part? Half a ribosome doesn’t make half a protein—it makes nothing. Evolution, he suggests, hits a wall here.

This isn’t just a science lesson for Tackett—it’s a worldview showdown. Sagan’s claim assumes a universe where life bootstraps itself from chaos to complexity with no guiding hand. Tackett counters that the cell’s molecular ballet looks more like the work of a master engineer than a cosmic accident. He’s not subtle about where he’s pointing: if it’s designed, there’s a Designer.

Tackett’s critique in Tour 5b is bold and compelling, especially if you’re open to questioning the evolutionary narrative. He’s saying: Look closer at the science—really look—and you might see something more than blind chance. The cell’s protein-making machinery, with its irreducible complexity, becomes his mic-drop moment against Sagan’s confidence.