The bombardier beetle uses an incredible series of complex chemicals to protect itself.ong> Biologists have discovered that inside the beetle's body are two separate chambers that make two special chemicals, hydrogen peroxide and hydroquinone. When these chemicals are mixed and ejected through a tube in the rear of the beetle's body, they explode at 100 degrees C (212 F) in the face of would-be attackers. The beetle also produces a third chemical, called an “inhibitor,” which keeps the chemicals from reacting too soon. A final chemical, an enzyme catalyst, sets off the violent reaction that protects the beetle by scalding its attacker.
How could this extremely complex defense system have evolved piece by piece into a functioning apparatus? It had to be fully functional the very first time it was used. If the chemicals were not just the right strength or in the right place, the beetle would have been killed by its predators, because it couldn't have protected itself. If the inner chambers or tubes weren't perfectly designed and placed from the onset or if the inhibitor technology wasn't quite ready in time, the beetle would have blown itself to pieces. A multitude of precise details had to be working perfectly from the start. This insect is truly a testimony to our Creator.
From A Closer Look at the Evidence by Kleiss, November 5.
