This chapter rehearses the argument made throughout the book: the natural world, though full of suffering and violence, is not fallen. Instead, the evolutionary process is the result of God, in love, allowing the creation to “selve” even in ways that bring harm. God does not leave the creation in this state, but accompanies and works with creatures and events to redeem suffering in both this-worldly and other-worldly ways.

The title question was raised by Philip Hefner in an editorial in the March 2007 issue of Zygon, and answered in various ways in sixteen guest editorials in the June, September, and December 2007 issues. In this article, after defining some pertinent concepts, I comment on these essays. I review critical statements made by the guest editorialists and survey their proposals for further dialogue topics. I conclude with my own views on the future of the dialogue and the role of Zygon therein.

The theology of the Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, is not only a rather neglected but also a very diffuse subject. The neglect stems from the priority that was given in the early centuries to Christology. The diffuseness of pneumatology may well be a result of the bewildering variety of ways in which "spirit" or "Spirit" (Hebrew ruach, Greek pneuma) appears in the Bible. I attempt to bring the various activities ascribed to the Spirit under one heading, transmission of information, and then to see what can be learned from modern science about the role of the Spirit in creation. I suggest a distinct role of the Spirit in creation, jointly with but different from that of the Logos. Other occasions of a concerted action of Spirit and Logos are seen in the birth of Christ and the eschatological event. All of this leads to a trinitarian definition of creation.

Bible and tradition remain silent on intelligent extraterrestrial life, and few modern theologians have expressed themselves on this topic. Scientific insight suggests the possibility, even likelihood, of the development of life on extrasolar earthlike planets. It is argued that such life forms would resemble earthly life (biochemistry, genetic system, neuronal processes) and also develop a religious and moral life. As creatures with free will they would be prone to sin and in need of salvation. It is argued that this would not require multiple incarnations, since Jesus is the cosmic Christ.

Comparison of the concepts of creation from chaos and creation out of nothing (creatio ex nihilo) leads me to reject the latter for several reasons: it is not the biblical concept, and it presents serious conceptual, scientific, and theological problems. Chaos theology is outlined under the headings creation from chaos; chaos and contingency; chaos, evil, and creativity; chaos and incarnation; chaos and eschatology. It is shown to be well suited for the science‐theology dialogue by some examples of its application to aspects of cosmic and biological evolution: initial mystery, separation and ordering; chaos and entropy; contingency and fine‐tuning of the universe; purpose and progressiveness in evolution; and complexity theory and chaos events.

There will be a need for a wide array of chemical sensors for biomedical experimentation and for the monitoring of water and air recycling processes on Space Station Freedom. The infrequent logistics flights of the Space Shuttle will necessitate onboard analysis. The advantages of biosensors and chemical sensors over conventional analysis onboard spacecraft are manifold. They require less crew time, space, and power. Sample treatment is not needed. Real time or near-real time monitoring is possible, in some cases on a continuous basis. Sensor signals in digitized form can be transmitted to the ground. Types and requirements for chemical sensors to be used in biomedical experimentation and monitoring of water recycling during long-term space missions are discussed.

There will be a great need for a wide variety of chemical analyses, both for biomedical experimentation and for the monitoring of water and air recycling processes on Space Station Freedom and later long-term space missions. The infrequent logistics flights of the Space Shuttle will necessitate onboard analysis. Chemical sensors offer several advantages over conventional analysis onboard a spacecraft. They require less crew time, space, and power. A chemical sensor consists of a selector which selectively interacts with the analyte present in a mixture of substances, and a transducer which produces an electric signal in response to the interaction of analyte and selector. The transducer signal thus provides a quantitative and selective measurement of the analyte. Types and requirements for chemical sensors to be used in biomedical experimentation and monitoring of water recycling during long-term space missions are discussed. With chemical sensors, a wide variety of analytes can be determined selectively without separation steps. In principle, chemical sensors can provide (near) real-time monitoring of many important analytes. In some cases they can even provide continuous monitoring of such analytes. The sensors, and even the ancillary instruments, are small compared to conventional analytical instruments. Their power consumption is low. Sensor measurements do not require extensive sample treatment before analysis. In most cases a sensor can simply be inserted in, or be attached to, the organism; or be placed in the water flowing through the water recycling system. Since the sensor signal can usually be provided in digitized form, rapid transmission to the ground is possible. The use of sensors thus provides an efficient use of the scarce resources of crew time, pressurized volume, and power.

This chapter sketches the development of animal habitats from the early ballistic and orbital flights to the long-term missions aimed at more detailed scientific studies of the effects of space conditions on the vertebrate organisms. Animal habitats flown to date have demonstrated that it is feasible to maintain vertebrate animals in a healthy state in the microgravity environment and to study the effects of this environment on various physiological systems. Animal habitats are now becoming more elaborate, requiring systems for environmental control, waste management, and physiological monitoring, as well as ancillary facilities such as a 1-G control centrifuge and a glovebox. Habitats in use or to be used in various types of manned and unmanned spacecraft, and particularly those planned for Space Station Freedom, are mentioned in the chapter. The characteristics of the habitats are compared with each other and with current standards for animal holding facilities on the ground. With the advent of Space Station Freedom, the availability of advanced animal habitats with suitable support facilities will greatly increase the range and depth of animal research in space. The presence of a large centrifuge will allow discernment between effects of prolonged weightlessness and other effects of the space environment and will permit experiments on the effects of varying the gravity level. It will also be possible to manipulate the animals in the orbit for experimental purposes and to apply normal husbandry practices for the reproduction and development of animals in space.

The facilities being planned for animal research on Space Station Freedom are considered in the context of the development of animal habitats from early ballistic and orbital flights to long-term missions aimed at more detailed scientific studies of the effects of space conditions on the vertebrate organism. Animal habitats are becoming more elaborate, requiring systems for environmental control, waste management, physiological monitoring, as well as ancillary facilities such as a 1-G control centrifuge and a glovebox. Habitats in use or to be used in various types of manned and unmanned spacecraft, and particularly those planned for Space Station Freedom, are described. The characteristics of the habitats are compared with each other and with current standards for animal holding facilities on the ground.