CHICAGO — What does a 17th-century anatomist-turned-bishop have to do with the future of Catholic science? Quite a lot, according to Nuno Castel-Branco of All Souls College, Oxford, who was one of the presenters at the ninth annual Society of Catholic Scientists conference held June 5–7 at Mundelein Seminary in Illinois.
About 130 scientists gathered for this yearʼs conference for talks that touched on the deeply Catholic history of science, the moral dilemma of identical twins, how science and faith are one in their pursuit of truth, how AI fits into the grand scheme of things, and how key mathematical discoveries reveal God’s beauty and infinity.
The Society of Catholic Scientists (SCS) exists to correct the false characterization of faith and science as opposed, and how to combat this myth was a constant topic in both formal presentations and informal conversations. All presentations can be seen on the recorded livestream.
Castel-Branco told the story in his Saturday morning talk of St. Nicolas Steno, a revolutionary scientist who is considered the father of geology and
