Note: I didn’t have a picture of the bombardier beetle, but I think the desert spider beetle is much more interesting looking!

 Part Two:   Bombardier Beetle

 One of the most common examples of an animal with features Darwinism (macroevolution) can’t explain—and one many readers may be familiar with—is the bombardier beetle.

 What’s unique about this fascinating insect is its ingenious chemical-defense system. The bombardier beetle can literally shoot a blast of noxious gases at the boiling point of water (212 ⁰F) into a predator’s face. This is a risky business for the beetle, and it raises the question, how is it possible that such a deadly weapon could evolve without killing the insect in the process? As biochemist Michael Behe observed, “The slightest alteration in the chemical balance would result immediately in a race of exploded beetles” (Darwin’s Black Box, 33). The most plausible answer is it didn’t evolve—it was created.

 The bombardier’s “cannons” are a classic example of irreducible complexity. The various apparatus involved in its chemical defense are products of a large number of highly complex, interactive parts. No single piece of equipment would have survival value independent of the other parts, nor would any single part (or the organ as a whole) have any function until it is fully developed and operative. Biologist Dr. Gary Parker describes the components of the bombardier’s cannons:

Successful firing of the bombardier beetle’s cannons requires two chemicals (hydrogen peroxide and hydroquinone), two enzymes and enzyme blockers, pressure tanks, and a whole series of nerve and muscle attachments for aim and control. Try to imagine all those parts accumulating by time, chance, and natural selection?  (Gary E. Parker, What is Creation Science? 52)

There is no natural explanation, no evolutionary pathway, for how the bombardier beetle’s complex biochemical processes evolved step-by-step. The best explanation is that it was designed and created by God.

Next Week:  Metamorphosis