There is the problem, however, of how to study miracles. What can one say in a scientific sense about non-repeatable phenomena? We can obtain a partial solution by observing that miracles generally leave traces of their occurrence. If life was created, then we might expect to find its appearance abruptly in the fossil record. We might expect to find a lack of transitions between the various life forms. If the universe was created, we might expect to find evidence that it did not exist forever (such as the second law of thermodynamics, or its expansion). In this way, the methods of science can point to phenomena which are beyond its ability fully to explain.