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The Amazing Bombardier Beetle

by Anonymous

The Bombardier beetle is an amazing little creature that challenges traditional evolutionary thinking. Its unique chemical defense system is powerful evidence of design by an intelligent Creator.

When frightened, the Bombardier Beetle fires poisonous gas at boiling water temperature with machine-gun rapidity. The explosion is accompanied by a flash of light, an audible noise, and a cloud of vapor. By revolving the tip of Its abdomen, the beetle can aim accurately no matter how Its enemy attacks. The Irritating, odorous gas Is effective against ants, preying mantids, other beetles, frogs, mice, and even people.

Scientists have studied these interesting little beetles to determine how this amazing system works. Their findings show a highly integrated, well-designed system. The Bombardier Beetle has special glands to produce two chemicals, hydrogen peroxide and hydroqulnone. These are stored in special storage compartments with a chemical inhibitor which prevents a reaction that would kill the beetle. When the beetle is disturbed, muscles contract, forcing. the chemicals through a reaction chamber where an anti-inhibitor is added to deactivate the inhibitor. The resulting explosion is enough to discourage most would-be predators!

The question arises as you study this highly integrated system, "How could it have evolved?" Remember, evolution supposedly occurs by random mutation and natural selection. Each step must be selectively advantageous (or at least not harmful) to be preserved. How, by accidental combinations of these chemicals, would it be possible to get anything but an exploded beetle? There Is absolutely no selective advantage in being dead! Even If some "lucky" beetle gets all the right chemicals, It stili needs the reaction chamber, the proper firing mechanism, and the many neurological developments to aim accurately and distinguish between friends and foes.

In this system, all the parts had to be complete and functioning at the same Ume before any of It makes sense. The chemicals don't make sense without the Inhibitor, but the Inhibitor Is useless without the chemicals. The anti-Inhibitor Is useless without the inhibitor. The storage chambers and reaction chambers make no sense at all without all these chemicals, and the firing devise Is useless without all the rest. Evolution, based on random mutations and natural selection, would never produce this kind of highly integrated system. Either the entire system evolved by a lucky gigantic genetic leap (which contradicts known genetic processes and Is absurd), or It was designed by an intelligent Designer who knew exactly what was needed from the start. Creation by an intelligent Designer is the only reasonable explanation.

Source: Alpha Omega Institute