The Acorn Weevil's Boring Mechanism

A person needs tools to hole in acorn, and yet there is one tiny insect that spends its whole life doing just that without any difficulty. The acorn weevil, which has a tube on its head that is longer than its abdomen, lives on valonia, the woody fruit of an oak tree. At the edge of this tube is a minute but very sharp saw tooth.

In normal times, this insect keeps its tube at the same angle as its body so that it can walk. When it climbs an oak tree, it lowers the tube toward it in order to rest the tube's saw-like edge on the acorn. Moving the tube by turning its head to the left and right, it begins to bore a hole in the acorn. The insect's head, which is ideally designed for this purpose, exhibits an extraordinary freedom of movement.

As the insect conducts its drilling, it also feeds itself by eating the fruit inside the acorn. However, it does not touch the larger part of the fruit, but rather keeps it for its as-yet unborn young. When the drilling process is completed, the insect deposits an egg in the channel opened in the acorn. The egg gradually turns into a larva, which starts to eat the acorn. The more it eats, the more it grows, and the more it grows, the more it eats. Thus, it continues to make enough room for itself within the acorn.

This continues until the acorn falls from the branch. The noise and violent motion it makes as it falls tell the larva that the time has come for it to emerge. Thanks to its strong teeth, it enlarges the hole and emerges through it. The first thing it does after this is to bury itself some 25-30 cm (12 inches) underground. Here, it will undergo the pupa stage and wait for between one and five years. When it emerges as a fully formed adult weevil, it begins drilling acorns. The variation in the pupa stage depends on the maturation of new acorns.

This insect's interesting life is just one of the proofs that invalidates the theory of evolution and shows the flawless design with which God created living things. Close inspection reveals that all of the insect's mechanisms were constructed according to a specific plan. The drilling tube, the sharp teeth at its end, and the flexible head structure that allows the tube to be used cannot be accounted for by chance or natural selection. If the drilling process were not carried out flawlessly, then the drilling tube would be an impediment, and hence a disadvantage. Therefore, it cannot be claimed that this tool developed in stages.

The larva has to have teeth powerful enough to pierce the acorn's skin, has to "know" that it needs to burrow into the ground the moment it emerges from the acorn, and has to have the "patience" to wait there. Otherwise, it would die and the species would become extinct. These realities cannot be explained in terms of chance, but rather reveal that this tiny creature was created by a superior intelligence. God created this tiny creature, with all of its flawless organs and flawless instincts, because He is "the Maker." (Qur'an, 2:54)

Sharks' Unique Heating Systems

White sharks, which catch their prey by following it with their eyes, experience no difficulty when swimming off hot coral shores. In cold ocean waters, however, their vision should be impaired by the cold.

Under normal conditions, their eyes should find it difficult to follow their prey, since chemical reactions slow them down under the influence of the cold water. Yet white sharks never encounter such difficulties, for while they are cold-blooded, the heat from their body's muscles is directed straight to the eyes. Thus, they can catch the fastest swimming fish and even seals. Yet how do other shark species, whose vision is too weak in cold waters to follow their prey, manage to find food?

The answer to this question introduces us to the perfect design in sharks.

Sharks Are Sensitive to Electrical Currents

All living things give off electricity and heat. Those creatures that live in darkness find it hard to perceive these currents, because the air serves as an insulator. However, water is a natural conductor of electricity, which means that animals that can sense that electricity have a most effective sense perception. Sharks have this advantage to such an extent that they can perceive all vibrations in the water, changes in water temperature and salinity levels, and especially minute changes in electrical currents given off by moving creatures.

A shark's body contains a large number of gel-filled grooves. These grooves are particularly concentrated at the head, from where they extend right through the animals' bodies. Known as the "ampullae of Lorenzini," these magnificent electrical receivers are used by both sharks and skates to find their prey. These organs are connected to stoma (pores) in the animal's head and snout. As electro-receptors, these are so sensitive that they can perceive currents as small as 20 billionths of a volt.

Resim altı yazısı: The systems that allow sharks to live in the sea are more signs leading to faith. The fact that both "prehistoric" (right) and contemporary sharks have the same features is yet another sign leading to faith, for this proves that this species emerged suddenly and therefore is not the product of a long process of evolution. This shows that God, the Creator of all living and inanimate entities, created sharks.

This is an extraordinary ability. Think of the batteries in your home. Sharks can detect the current given off by one of these 1.5 volt batteries from a distance of 3,000 kilometres (1,800 miles).

The information provided so far shows that sharks possess extraordinarily complex bodily systems. Most of their systems and organs function together to such an extent that the others could not function if one were absent. For example, the lack or disablement of even one of the components of this electro-receptor system would mean that the ampullae of Lorenzini could not function as intended.

Despite this manifest truth, the theory of evolution would have us believe that "primitive sharks" did not possess these electro-receptors in the way their modern-day counterparts do, and that this perfect system only developed gradually over time. However, the illogical nature of this assumption is evident, for sharks could not survive without this system. Moreover, such a perfect system could not have developed over time, for the body muscles that transfer heat directly to the eyes, as well as the systems that perceive electrical waves with such extraordinary sensitivity, must have emerged as a whole.

Thus, this system could not have come about in stages, as evolutionists maintain, for the intermediate stages would serve no purpose. The fossil record indeed confirms this: There is absolutely no difference between shark fossils dating back millions of years and present-day specimens.

In addition to the ampullae of Lorenzini, the sharks' respiratory systems, which function as the magnetic receptors that allow them to find their way, and their ability to swim at high speeds are all miracles of creation. As with all other living things, God has created sharks in an absolutely flawless form.

Such facts are all means that encourage people to think deeply about the beauties created by God. There are lessons to be learned from animals, for as the Qur'an states:

A New Objective: The Soundless Flight of Owls

The research carried out by American Air Force scientists to develop the stealth bomber airplane is based upon the matchless design found in an owl's wings. Owls can approach their prey at the dead of night without being detected due to the special design of their wings. Other bird species have rather sharp-edged wings; however, an owl's feathers have a very fine-but not at all sharp-design. This allows these nocturnal hunters to fly without making a sound.

According to statements from the NASA's Langley Research Center, an owl's soft-fringed wings prevent air turbulence, which laypeople call noise. Military designers have imitated owl wings in their quest for devising even more silent and secretive stealth bombers. Each of these designs is a sign leading to faith, for it reveals the matchless artistry of God's creation.