Bombardier Beetle
The Bombardier Beetle is just a little 1/2 inch bug. They actually shoot their enemies. If a frog or a spider or hop-toad gets close to them, they are going to shoot them with fiery hot acid. They do this by mixing some chemicals.
As a matter of fact, when the bombardier beetle first mixes these chemicals the chemicals won't do anything, like they are in neutral. That would mean the beetle doesn't have a defense mechanism, and if evolution is true and the beetle was trying to evolve alongside all of the spiders that would eat it, it wouldn't have survived long enough to be here. But, the bombardier beetle has another little chemical factory down inside itself that makes exactly and precisely the right chemical catalyst so that when it squirts that into this solution you get this violent reaction.
As a matter of fact, when the bombardier beetle first mixes these chemicals the chemicals won't do anything, like they are in neutral. That would mean the beetle doesn't have a defense mechanism, and if evolution is true and the beetle was trying to evolve alongside all of the spiders that would eat it, it wouldn't have survived long enough to be here. But, the bombardier beetle has another little chemical factory down inside itself that makes exactly and precisely the right chemical catalyst so that when it squirts that into this solution you get this violent reaction.
Now, if the bombardier beetle didn't have even more equipment, well he'd just splattered himself, and of course splattered bug pieces cannot evolve. That would be the end of the bombardier beetle. But, we have him because he has an asbestos-like lined firing chamber. Even if he had that — boom! — he is gone if he doesn't have somewhere for the explosion to go. The bombardier beetle does has twin tail tubes which he can aim those tubes out the back, out the side, and out the front.
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When you hear the bombardier beetle shoot it makes like a pop sound. But, that isn't exactly what it is. The pop was put in slow motion and it really is sequential booms. Why the sequence was also figured out. The beetle has these tiny little feet, and if he shoots let's say out the side and he goes bang and it isn't small bangs like that, his feet couldn't hold on and he would blow himself right out of the picture.
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These mechanisms in the bombardier beetle defy evolution because there is no way he could evolve little bits and pieces at a time. He would be dead every time. He is irreducibly complex. He needs all of his parts. They all have to work together and they all have to be fully functional. And, he couldn't develop this complex mechanism over millions of years, because he would have been eaten into extinction long before then, or he would have blow himself up. So, either way, there is no way he could evolve. In that sense, I think it most certainly defies evolution.
Giraffe
A bull giraffe can be 18 feet tall! It has a huge heart to pump the blood up that long skinny neck against gravity. The heart of a bull giraffe can weigh up to 25 pounds. It can be almost 2 1/2 feet long. It is a powerful pump and when it squeezes it shoots that blood up that long skinny neck against gravity. The giraffe has got a problem when he bends his head down to get a drink of water. With all that blood the heart squeezes, well, the blood goes zoom and blows his brains out through his ears. He is now dead. And, so, he must be thinking, "I've got a problem. When I get a drink of water I blow my brains out. Okay, I better evolve something here to fix this." Well, of course, dead animals don't evolve.
But anyway, it doesn't blow his brains out. Why? Because, as the blood comes down there is like little spigot — little valves — in the artery that goes up the neck which close. When the giraffe's head is down, there is also a sponge under the brain and it gently expands to protect the brain so it doesn't blow out. Now, the giraffe is getting his drink of water and he sees a lion coming up. "I've got to get out of here, he is going to eat me." The giraffe jumps up, runs about three steps, and passes out — not enough oxygen to the brain. The lion eats him. He says, "I have another problem. I pass out when I get up too fast and so the lion eats me." Well, dead animals don't evolve. They can't fix it.
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But, the giraffe doesn't pass out, because as he raises his head up our Creator the Lord Jesus has made it so those valves open up and the sponge under the brain gently squeezes that last pump of oxygenated blood up into his brain and he is doing just fine. Only God could create that.
What we have here is irreducible complexity. It's like when we reduce fractions down and you can't reduce them down anymore. Complexity requires all the different parts that are needed working together perfectly, so they are irreducible. You can't take them down anymore. They need all these parts, and all the parts have to be fully functional. You can't have a partially formed heart, or a partially formed valve, or a partially formed sponge. They have to all be there. They have to all be fully functional, or you don't have a giraffe. |
Woodpecker
The woodpecker is a very special little bird. The beak of a woodpecker is like industrial strength, it is stronger than other birds’ beaks. He has special feet; most birds have three toes out the front and one toe out the back, the woodpecker has two toes out the front and two toes out the back and that’s so he can climb around a vertical tree trunk right side up, upside down, sideways, he can climb anyway he wants to. He has special tail feathers; his tail feathers are different from other birds, they are more resilient, they are spongy, and they are very strong and tough because he tripods himself with his two feet and his tail feathers. He grabs hold of a tree fans out his tail feathers and then bangs his head into the tree.
The woodpecker’s beak is unlike that of other birds. It is designed to hammer its way into the hardest of trees. If the woodpecker evolved, how would it develop its thick, tough beak? Let’s suppose some bird decided that there must be all kinds of little critters, which would be good for lunch, hidden beneath the bark of trees. This bird decided to peck through the bark and into the hardwood tree. On first peck, this bird discovered problems with the way it was put together. Its beak shattered when it slammed against the tree, its tail feathers broke, and it developed a migraine-strength headache.
With a shattered beak, the little bird was unable to eat and so it died. Now this bird began to think, “I must evolve a thicker beak and stronger tail feathers and something to help prevent headaches.” Of course not! Dead animals cannot evolve anything. Yet the woodpecker not only has an industrial-strength beak, it also has a special cartilage between its head and beak to absorb some of the shock from the continuous drumming. Woodpeckers go home at night without a headache.
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Now that the woodpecker has the absorber, it still needs a way to get the food out of the tree. This is when the tongue comes into play. Its tongue is long and slender and is used to probe these tunnels for insects. The tip is like a spearhead with a number of barbs or hairs pointing rearward. This facilitates securing the insect while transporting it to the beak. A stickyglue-like substance coats the tongue to aid in this process as well. When he brings the bug into his mouth, there is a little factory that produces solvent to dissolve the glue so that he doesn’t swallow the bug with his tongue.
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The animal kingdom displays no other tongues quite like that of the woodpecker. The tongue of some woodpeckers does not come from its throat up into its mouth like other creatures. For example, the European Green woodpecker’s tongue goes down the throat, out the back of the neck around the back of the skull beneath the skin, and over the top between the eyes, terminating usually just below the eye socket. How would this evolve? And from what ancestor did the woodpecker inherit its special beak, feet, tail feathers, shock absorbing cartilage, thicker skull and unique tongue?
In between each rapid-fire peck the little bird opens its eyes, focuses, aims its beak, closes its eyes and then hits the tree with its pointed beak. Not only does the woodpecker close its eyes to keep the wood chips out, but also for another very important reason. Scientists have measured the force of the impact of the bird’s head against the hardwood tree. The force is so powerful that if the bird did not close its eyes it would pop its eyeballs out!
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Australian Incubator Bird
The incubator bird of Australia is unique among birds. This three to four pound bird resembles a chicken or a small turkey. Some native Australians call it the brush turkey. The incubator birds are unlike all other birds. So, if they evolved, from what did they evolve? Or what are they evolving into?
All birds use body heat to incubate their eggs except the incubator bird. Instead of using its own body heat to incubate its eggs (as does the chicken who sits on her eggs), the incubator bird uses fermentation heat and some use solar heat and others the heat produced by volcanic action.
All birds use body heat to incubate their eggs except the incubator bird. Instead of using its own body heat to incubate its eggs (as does the chicken who sits on her eggs), the incubator bird uses fermentation heat and some use solar heat and others the heat produced by volcanic action.
The female is responsible for two activities. First, she must test the nest to be sure it is adequate for incubating her eggs. What explanation can evolution offer for the ability of the hen to evaluate the suitability of a nest that may be dug three feet into the ground and extend 15 feet or more above ground and up to 50 feet across? And what would motivate a little three and one-half pound male bird to get busy constructing monstrous nest number two, should the hen reject his first effort?
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After accepting the nest, the second responsibility of the female is performed. She lays 20 to 35 eggs at the rate of one egg every three days for up to seven months. Each egg weighs about a half a pound and is as large as an ostrich egg. Upon completion of her laying task, she leaves the nest, never to return. She takes no part in the incubation and raising of her chicks.
At this point, the male begins to perform his job of managing the incubation of the deeply buried eggs. For this species of incubator bird chicks to survive, they demand a precise temperature of 91°F. If the male bird wants the chicks to survive, he will not let the temperature vary more than one or two degrees on either side of 91ºF! How does the daddy bird maintain a consistent temperature of 91ºF in a mound of decaying plants and dirt?
Scientists differ on the mechanism they think the bird uses to measure the temperature. Some think the bird’s thermometer is in its beak. Others believe the tongue can distinguish 91ºF and a few tenths of a percent above and below 91ºF. How could a bird evolve the ability to precisely measure temperatures with its beak or tongue?
How does this bird keep those eggs at 91ºF? The male digs down into the nest and checks the temperature. On hot days, he may pile extra sand on top of the nest to shield it from the sun. He may even rearrange the entire pile of rotting leaves and grasses several times a day. On cooler days, he will push material off the top of the nest to permit more sunlight to penetrate the decaying organic material. Or, to keep the humidity at 99.5% around the eggs, he may dig conical holes toward the eggs to get more moisture deeper into the nest. Keeping temperature and humidity just right is a big job.
At this point, the male begins to perform his job of managing the incubation of the deeply buried eggs. For this species of incubator bird chicks to survive, they demand a precise temperature of 91°F. If the male bird wants the chicks to survive, he will not let the temperature vary more than one or two degrees on either side of 91ºF! How does the daddy bird maintain a consistent temperature of 91ºF in a mound of decaying plants and dirt?
Scientists differ on the mechanism they think the bird uses to measure the temperature. Some think the bird’s thermometer is in its beak. Others believe the tongue can distinguish 91ºF and a few tenths of a percent above and below 91ºF. How could a bird evolve the ability to precisely measure temperatures with its beak or tongue?
How does this bird keep those eggs at 91ºF? The male digs down into the nest and checks the temperature. On hot days, he may pile extra sand on top of the nest to shield it from the sun. He may even rearrange the entire pile of rotting leaves and grasses several times a day. On cooler days, he will push material off the top of the nest to permit more sunlight to penetrate the decaying organic material. Or, to keep the humidity at 99.5% around the eggs, he may dig conical holes toward the eggs to get more moisture deeper into the nest. Keeping temperature and humidity just right is a big job.
Not only must the eggs be kept at 91ºF and 99.5% humidity, but the chick must get enough air to breathe. The father provides the fresh air for the chicks as he daily digs down to the eggs. But the chick must get the air inside the shell. The means to get air inside the shell was provided by the hen as she formed the shell. It has thousands of tiny holes (called pores) in it. These holes in the thick shell are shaped like conical ice cream cones with the narrowest part of the cone toward the chick. As the chick grows, it cannot get enough air through the bottom of the cone so it begins to remove the inside layer of the shell. As it thins out the shell, the holes get bigger (moving up the cone) and the chick can get more air.
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Unlike other birds, they are ready to fly with full feathers as soon as they break out of the egg. Only once they hatch, it takes up to three days for them to dig their way up out of the mound. How do they know they must dig their way out or else they die? How do they know which way to dig? They have not been instructed by either parent. Even so, they lie on their backs and dig up until they break out.
Once the chicks dig out of the nest, they are on their own. They are not fed or cared for by either parent. When they are mature, the male will build a huge nest as an incubator for his mate’s eggs. He will build this huge, precise mound without any instruction from his parents. This is not learned behavior! How does it know the importance of 91ºF?
Once the chicks dig out of the nest, they are on their own. They are not fed or cared for by either parent. When they are mature, the male will build a huge nest as an incubator for his mate’s eggs. He will build this huge, precise mound without any instruction from his parents. This is not learned behavior! How does it know the importance of 91ºF?
The Chicken Egg
A fertilized chicken egg is a very special creation. Before even thinking about a chick developing in an egg, it is interesting to ponder how the chicken manages to get a shell around that slippery, raw, fertilized egg. It is a rare sight on the farm to see raw egg smeared on the outside of the shell. Have you ever attempted to put an egg back into its shell after it rolled off the counter?
The shell itself is highly specialized. Each chicken egg shell has about 10,000 tiny holes or pores. How does that chicken form a shell around a soft, messy egg and design the shell to have porosity? Put a raw egg in warm water and soon you will see tiny bubbles floating up. These bubbles are escaping through the pores in the shell. The developing chick needs these pores to breathe. How does a chicken know it needs to make a shell with porosity, and how would mindless evolution manufacture such a shell? The chick does not know it needs the holes in the shell to breathe until it dies for lack of air. Of course, dead chicks cannot evolve.
The shell itself is highly specialized. Each chicken egg shell has about 10,000 tiny holes or pores. How does that chicken form a shell around a soft, messy egg and design the shell to have porosity? Put a raw egg in warm water and soon you will see tiny bubbles floating up. These bubbles are escaping through the pores in the shell. The developing chick needs these pores to breathe. How does a chicken know it needs to make a shell with porosity, and how would mindless evolution manufacture such a shell? The chick does not know it needs the holes in the shell to breathe until it dies for lack of air. Of course, dead chicks cannot evolve.
Within the first few days after the egg is laid, blood vessels begin to grow out of the developing chick. Two of these attach to the membrane under the eggshell and two attach to the yolk. By the fifth day, the tiny heart is pumping blood through the vessels. What makes those blood vessels grow out of the chick, and how do they know where to go and to what to attach? The chick feeds from the yolk with the yolk vessels and breathes through the membrane vessels. If any of these vessels do not grow out of the chick or attach to the correct place, the chick will die.
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The chick gives off carbon dioxide and water vapor as it metabolizes the yolk. If it does not get rid of the carbon dioxide and water vapor, it will die of gaseous poisoning or drown in its own wastewater. These waste products are picked up by the blood vessels and leave through the pores in the eggshell. What evolutionary chance happening provided for all of these crucial advancements?
By the nineteenth day, the chick is too big to get enough oxygen through the pores in the shell. It must do something or die. How does it know what to do next? By this time, a small tooth called the “egg-tooth” has grown onto its beak. It uses this little tooth to peck a hole into the air sack at the flat end of the egg.
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When you peel a hard-boiled egg you notice the thin membrane under the shell and the flattened end of the egg. This flattened end, which looks like the hen did not quite fill up her egg shell, is the air sack. The air sack provides only six hours of air for the chick to breathe. Instead of relaxing and breathing deeply, with this new-found supply of air, the chick keeps pecking until it breaks a small hole through the shell to gain access to outside air in adequate amounts.
On the twenty-first day, the chick breaks out of the shell. If one step in the development of the chick is missing or out of order, the chick dies. Timing is absolutely crucial!
On the twenty-first day, the chick breaks out of the shell. If one step in the development of the chick is missing or out of order, the chick dies. Timing is absolutely crucial!