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Entomology is the study of insects, and its details leave us in overwhelming awe. The ancient Egyptians were so intrigued with insects that the beetle became their symbol for immortality. In our current abbreviated study we are indebted to the splendid new book, By Design<\/span>: Evidence for Nature\u2019s Intelligent Designer \u2013The God of the Bible<\/em><\/strong>, by Jonathan Sarfati, Ph.D. We highly recommend this work that encompasses numerous fields of scientific investigation.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Author Sarfati points out that the main mechanism for discerning the direction of a sound involves measuring the slight difference in the time of arrival of the sound at each ear, as well as the slightly greater intensity at the nearest ear.[1]<\/a> The tiny female fly, Ormia<\/em> ochracea<\/em>, is able to track a cricket\u2019s chirping in order to lay her eggs on him. To make this possible, a bridge like a flexible lever couples the fly\u2019s eardrums together. The resulting resonance<\/em><\/strong> effectively increases the time difference about 40 times, and the eardrum nearest the sound vibrates about 10 decibels more strongly. Also, the fly\u2019s flight programming links to its ear signals. Consequently, the fly can tell directions to within 20<\/sup>.[2]<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n According to conventional analysis insects generate only about one-third to one-half of the lift needed to carry their weight. Now it has been discovered that leading-edge vortex<\/em><\/strong> generates extra lift by lowering the atmospheric pressure in that specific area. In insects LEV\u2019s generate the extra lift needed because the vortex stays \u201cstuck\u201d to the leading edge of the wing long enough for propagation.[3]<\/a> Author Sarfati adds: \u201cInsect wings have a very complex motion, rotating and changing the camber. It required sophisticated pro-gramming from intelligent design.\u201d[4]<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Two Oxford university professors trained red admiral butterflies (Vanessa atalanta<\/em>) to fly freely between artificial flowers in a wind tunnel. They reported:<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026[F]ree flying butterflies use a variety of unconventional aerodynamic mechanisms<\/em><\/strong> to generate force: wake capture, two different types of leading-edge vortex, active and inactive upstrokes, in addition to the use of rotational mechanisms and the Weis-Fogh \u2018clap-and-fling\u2019 mechanism. Free-flying butterflies often use different aerodynamic mechanisms in successive strokes. There seems to be no one \u2018key\u2019 to insect flight, instead insects rely on a wide array of aerodynamic mechanisms to take off, maneuver, maintain steady flight, and for landing.\u201d[5]<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Most insects have two pairs of wings, but flies (Diptera) have only one. Instead of the other pair, they have little sticks with knobs called halteres. These beat in antiphase to the wings (in reverse direction). The base of the haltere has mechanical sensors<\/em><\/strong> called campaniform<\/em> (bell shaped) sensilla<\/em> that quickly pass on flight information to the wing-steering muscles. A team led by Michael Dickinson, of the University of California at Berkeley, found that nerves from the visual system connect to the halteres. Thus they immediately respond, and their sensilla in turn pass that information to the flight muscles.[6]<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Shortly after hatching, the spectacular Monarch butterfly flies thousands of miles, navigating unerringly to reach a place it has never seen. Remarkably, they often land on the exact tree their parents came from. They can do this even if they are taken hundreds of miles off course. For the monarch to accomplish this feat he relies on an internal clock, as well as an in-built \u201calmanac\u201d of the sun\u2019s position<\/em><\/strong> relative to a date and time. They can use this method even on a cloudy day, because they can also detect the polarization angle of any light. These butterflies also have a built-in magnetic compass, so they can sense directions from the earth\u2019s magnetic field.[7]<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ants and bees walk upside down because of masterful design. Each foot has a moist pad (arolium<\/em>) that can stick to a smooth surface like wet paper on a window. This is between two claws, shaped like a bull\u2019s horns. The claws can catch onto a rough surface, and the arolium is retracted because it is not needed. On a smooth surface the claws retract via the claw flexor tendon, which causes the arolium to rotate and extend into position<\/em><\/strong>. The tendon also connects to a plate that squeezes a reservoir of fluid, forcing the liquid into the arolium to inflate it, so it presses on the surface.[8]<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n [1]<\/a> Sarfati, Jonathan, By Design<\/em>, Creation Book Publishers (www.creationbookpublishers<\/a>) , pp. 42,43<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> Mason, A.C., et al<\/em>., Hyperacute directional hearing in a microscale auditory system, Nature<\/em>, 410<\/strong>(6829):686-690, 2001<\/p>\n [3]<\/a> On a wing and a vortex, New Scientist<\/em> 156<\/strong>(2103): 56, 2004<\/p>\n [4]<\/a> Sarfiti, op cit.<\/p>\n [5]<\/a> Srygley, R.B., and Thomas, A.L., Unconventional lift-generating mechanisms in free-flying butterflies, Nature<\/em> 420<\/strong>(6916):660-664, 2002<\/p>\n [6]<\/a> Chan, W.P., Prete, F, Dickinson, M.H., Visual input to the efficient control system of a fly\u2019s \u201cgyroscope,\u201d Science<\/em> 280<\/strong>(5361): 289-292, 1998<\/p>\n [7]<\/a> Science News<\/em>, 27 November, 1999, p. 343<\/p>\nI.\u00a0 Ingenious Fly Ear<\/h2>\n
II.\u00a0 Incredible Flight of Insects<\/h2>\n
III. Intricate Butterfly Aerodynamics<\/h2>\n
IV.\u00a0 In-built Gyroscopes<\/h2>\n
V.\u00a0 Intercontinental Migrating Monarchs<\/h2>\n
VI.\u00a0 Inverted Ants and Bees<\/h2>\n