ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Now writing under the pen-name of HARUN YAHYA, he was born in

Ankara in 1956. H*ving completed his primary and secondary education in

Ankara, he studied arts at Istanbul's Mimar Sinan University and philosophy

at Istanbul University. Since the 1980s, he has published many books on po-

litical, scientific, and faith-rela*ed issues. Harun Yahya is well-known as the

author of important works disclosing the imposture of evolutionists, their in-

valid claims, and the dark liaisons between Darwinism and such bloody ide-

ologies as fascism and communism.

Harun Y*hy*'s works, translated*into 41 d*fferent l*n*uages, *onstitute

a collection for a total of more than 45,000 pages with 30,000 illustrations.

His pen-name is a composite of the names Harun (Aaron) and Yahya

(John), in memory of the two esteemed *rophets who fought against t*eir pe-

ople's lack of faith. The Prophet's seal on his books' covers is symbolic and is

linked to their contents. *t represents the Qur'an (the Final Scripture) and

Prophet Muhammad (may God bless*him and grant him peace), last of the

prophets. Under the guidance of the Qur'an and the Sunnah (teachings of the

Prophet), the author makes it his purpose to disprove each fundamental te-

net o* godle*s ideolo*ies and*t**have t*e "last word,**so as to completely si-

lence the objections raised against religion. He uses the seal of the final Prop-

het (may God bless him and grant him peace), who *ttained ultimate*wisdom

and moral perfection, as a sign of his intention to offer the last word.

All of Harun Yahya's works share one single goal: to convey the

Qur'an's message, encourage readers to consider basic faith-related issues

such as God's existence and unity and the Here-

after; and to expose godless systems' feeble

foundations and perverted ideologies.

Harun Yahya enjoys a wide rea*ers-

hip in many countries, from India to

America, England to Indonesia, Poland

to Bosnia, Spain to Brazil, Malaysia to

Italy, France to Bulgaria and Russia.

Some of his books are av*ilable in Eng-

lish, French, German, Spanish, Italian,

Portuguese, Urdu, Arabic, Albanian,

Chinese, Swahili, Hausa, Dhivehi (spo-

ken in Mauritius), Russian, Serbo-Croat (Bosnian), Polish, Malay, Uygur Tur-

kish, Indonesian, Bengali, Danish and Swedish.

Greatly appreciated all around the world, these works have been inst-

rumental in many **ople recovering f*ith in **d and gaining deeper in-

sights into their faith. His books' wisdom and sincerity, together with a dis-

tinct style that's easy to understand, directly affect anyone who reads them.

Th****w** **ri***** ***s**e* **e*e**********n**o*l**ger*a**o*a** *t**i*m

o**any**ther*perver*ed ideology o* materialistic philo*ophy, since *hese bo-

oks are characterized by *apid effectiveness, definite results, and irrefutabi-

lity. Even if they continue t* do so, it will be only a sentimental insistence,

since these books refute such ideologies *rom th*ir very foundations. All con-

temporary movements of denial are now ideologically defeated, thanks to

the books written by Harun Yahya.

This is no doubt a result of the Qur'an's wisdom and lucidity. The aut-

hor modestly intends to serve as a means in humanity's search for God's

right path. No material gain is sought in the publication of these works.

Those who encourage others to read these books, to open their minds

and hearts and guide them to become more devoted servants of God, render

an invaluable service.

Meanwhile, it would only be a waste *f time and energ* to propagate

other books that create confusion in people's minds, lead them into ideologi-

cal chaos, and that clearly have no strong and precise effects in removing the

doubts in people's hearts, as also verified from previous experience. It is im-

possible for books devised to emphasize the author's literary power rather

than the noble goal of saving people from*loss of faith, *o*hav* such a great

effect. Those who doubt this can readily see that the sole aim of Harun Yah-

ya's books is to overcome disbelief and to disseminate the Qur'an's moral va-

lues. The success and impact of this service are manifested in the readers'

conviction.

One point should be kept in mind: The main reason for the continuing

cruelty, conflict, and other ordeals endured by the vast majority of people is

the ideological prevalence of disbelief. This can be ended only with the ide-

ological defeat of disbelief and by conveying the wonders of creation and

Qur'anic morality so that people can live by it. Considering the state of the

world today, leading into a downward spiral of violence, corruption and

co*flict, clearly this service must be provided speedil* and effectively, or it

may be too late.

In this effort, the books of Harun Yahya assume a leading role. By the

will of God, these books will be a means through which people in the twen-

ty-first century will attain the peace, justice, and happiness promised in the

Qur'an.

TO THE READER

A special chapter is assigned to the collapse of the theory of evolution be-

cause this theory constitutes the basis of all anti-spiritual philosophies. Since

Darwinism rejects*the f*ct of **eat*on—a*d t*erefore, Go**s Existence*over

the last 140 years it has caused many people to abandon their faith or fall into

doubt. It is therefore an imperative service, a very important duty to show

everyone that this theory is a dece*tion. Since some readers may find the

chance*to read only o*e of our books, we t*ink it appropriate to devote a chap-

ter to summarize this subject.

A*l the author's books explain faith-related issues in light of Qur'ani* vers-

es, and invite readers to learn God's words and to live by them. All the subjects

concerning God's verses are explai*ed so as to leave no doubt or room for ques-

tions in the reader's mind. The books' sincere, plain, and fluent style ensures

that everyone of every age and from every social group can easily understand

them. Thanks to their effective, lucid narrative, they can be read at one sitting.

*ven*those who rigorou**y reject s*irituality are influenc*d b* the ***ts t*ese

books document and cannot refute the truthfulness of their contents.

This and*a** t*e o*he* bo*ks b* *he a*thor ca* b* re*d *n*i*idually, or d**-

cussed in a group. Readers eager to profit from the books wi*l find discussion

very useful, letting them relate t*eir reflections*and experiences to one *nother.

In addition, it will be a great service to Islam to contribute to the publica-

tion and reading of these books, written solely for the pleasure of God. The au-

thor's books are all extremely convincing. For this reason, to communicate true

religion to others, one of the most effective methods is encouraging them to

read these books.

We hope the reader will look through the reviews of his othe* books at the

back of this book. His rich source material on faith-related issues is very useful,

and a pleasure to read.

In these books, unlike some other books, you will not find the author's

personal views, explanations based on dubious sourc*s, styles that are unob-

servant of the respect and reverence due to sacred subjects, nor hopeless, pes-

simistic arguments*that create doubts in the mind and deviations in the heart.

BIOMIMETICS:

Technology Imitates

Nature

*ra*slat*d by C*rl **ssi*i

Edited by Tam Mossman

Published by

GLOBAL PUBLISHING

Talatpasa Mah. Emir Gazi Cad.

Ibrahim Elmas Ismerkezi A Blok Ka*.4

Okmeydani-Istanbul/Turkey

Phone: +90 212 2220088

Printed and bound by Secil Ofset in Istanbul

100. Yil Mah. MAS-SIT Matbaacilar Sitesi 4. Cadde No: 77

Bagcilar-Istanbul/Turkey

Phone: (+90 212) 6*9 06 15

All translations from the Qur'an are from The Noble Qur'an: a New Rendering

of its Meaning in English by Hajj Abdalhaqq and Aisha Bewley, published by

Bookwork, Norwich, UK. 1420 CE/1999 AH.

Abbreviation used:

(pbuh): Peace be upon him (following a reference to

the prophets)

w w w. h a r u n y a h y a . c o m

BIOMIMETICS:

Technology Imitates

Nature

HARUN YAHYA

March, 2006

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 10

CHAPTER 1.

INTELLIGENT MATERIALS 18

CHAPTER 2.

THE DESIGNS IN PLANTS AND

BIOMIMETICS 40

CHAPTER 3.

GEARBOXES AND JET ENGINES IN

NATURE 56

CHAPTER 4.

USING WAVES AND VIBRATIONS 64

CHAPTER 5.

LIVING THINGS AND FLIGHT

TECHNOLOGY 80

CHAPTER 6.

WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM ANIMALS 102

CHAPTER 7.

ORGANS SUPERIOR TO TECHNOLOGY 124

CHAPTER 8.

BIOMIMETICS AND ARCHITECTURE 142

CHAPTER 9.

ROBOTS THAT IMITATE LIVING THINGS

CHAPTER 10.

TECHNOLOGY IN NATURE 176

APPEND*X.

DECEPTION OF EVOLUTION 196

158

magine you’ve just bought an immensely detailed mod-

el airplane kit. How do you set about putting all the hun-

dreds of tiny parts together? First, no doubt, you’ll ex-

amine the illustrations on the box. Then, following the in-

structions inside shortens the whole process of putting a

model t*gether in the best way possible, making no mistakes.

Even lacking any assembly instructions, *ou can still manage the

task if you already possess a similar model airplane. The first plane’s de-

sign can serve as an important guide in assembling any later one. In the

exact same way, using a flawless design in nature as a mo*el provides

shortcuts to designing technological equipment with the same functi*ns

in the most perfect possible manner. Aware of this, most scientists and re-

search and development (R&D) experts study the examples of living

things before embarking on any new designs, and imitate the systems and

designs that already exist. In other words, they examine the designs God

has created in na*ure and, *hen inspi*ed, go o* to devel*p new technolo-

gies.

This approach has given birth to a new branch of science: biomimet-

ics, which means the imitation of living things in nature. This new study

is being spoken of more and more often in technological circles and is

opening up important new h*rizons for mankind.

As biomimetics emerges, imitating the structures of living systems, it

presents a major setback fo* those scientists who still support the theory

of evolution. From an evolutionist’s point of view, it’s entirely unaccept-

*ble**o* me*—**om th*y*regar**** the**igh**t rung ** th**evolutiona*y

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

ladder—to try to draw inspiration from (much less imitate) other living

things which, allegedly, are so much more primitive than they are.

If more advanced living things take the designs of “primitive” ones

as models, that means that we’ll be basing a large part of our future tech-

nology on the structure of those so-called lesser organisms. That, in turn,

is a fundamen*al violation of the t*eo*y of e**lutio*, who*e logic*main-

tains that living things too primitive to adapt to their environments *oon

became extinct, while the remaining “higher” ones evolved and succeed-

ed.

Biomimetics, while placing the proponents of evolution in a vicious

circle, is expanding by the day and coming to dominate scientific thought.

In the light of this, yet another new scientif*c branch has emerged: bio-

mimicry, or the science of imitating the behavior of living creatures.

This book considers the advances that biomimetics and biomimicry

have made by taking nature as their model. It examines the flawless but

hitherto, little noted systems that have existed ever s*nce *iving things

were first created. It also describes how nature’s many varied and highly

efficient mechanisms, which baffle the proponents of evolution, are all

products of our Lord’s unique creation.

What Is Biomimetics?

Biomimetics and biomimicry are both aimed at solving problems by

first examinin*, and then imitating or drawing inspiration from models in

nature.

Biomimetics is the term used to des*ribe the substances* equipment,

mechanisms and *ystems by which humans imitate natural systems and

designs, especially in the fields of defense, nanotechnology 1 , robot tech-

nology, and artificial intelligenc* (also known as AI, for short).

Th**co**ep* *f *io**mi***,***rst*pu* f**th b*****i*e *. *en*us* a

Harun Yahya

writer and scientific observer from

Montana, was later taken up and

begun to be used by a great many

others. One of their accounts de-

scribes her work and the whole de-

velopment of biomimicry:

A naturalist and author of several

f*eld guides to wildlife, she visited

Janine M. Benyus and her book Biomimicry

th**laboratori*s of*a*number of sci-

entific researcher* who are taking a

more modest approach to unravel-

ing nature’s secrets. The theme of “biomimicry” is that we have much to learn

from *he natural w*rld* as model, me*sure, a*d me*tor. W*at these researche*s

have in common is a reverence for natural designs, and the inspiration to use

them to solve human problems. 2

David Oakey is a*product strategist for Interface Inc., one of the firms

making use of nature to improve product quality and productivity. On the

subject of biomimicry, he has this to say:

Nature is my mentor for business and design, a model for the way of life.

Nature's system has worked for millions of years Biomimicry is a way of

learning from nature. 3

This rapidly expanding concept foun* favor with scientists, who

were able to accelerate their own research by drawing for inspiration on

nature’s incomparably flawless models. Scientific researchers working on

economic systems and raw materials—in t*e industrial field in particu-

lar—have now joined forces to determine how best to imitate nature.

Designs in nature ensure the greatest productivity for the least

amount of materials and energy. They’re able to repair themselves, are en-

vironmentally friendly and wholly recyclable. They operate silently, are

pleasing in ae*t*eti* appea*ance, and offer long lives and dura*il*ty. All

these good qualities are being taken as models

to emulate. As the journal High Country News

wrote, “By using natural systems as models, we

can create technologies that are more sustainable

than those in use today.” 4

Janine M. Benyus, author of the book Biomimicry, came to believe in

the need for imitating nature by considering its perfections. Following are

some of the*examples she cites, which led her to defend such an approach:

• Hummingbirds' ability to cross the Gulf of Mexico on less than 3

grams of fuel,

• H** dragonflies*are more*maneuve*able than even the best heli-

copters,

• The heating and air conditioning systems in termite mounds—in

terms of equipment and energy consumption, far superior to those con-

structed by man,

• Bats’ high-frequency transmitter, far more efficient and sensitive

than radar systems created by huma* beings,

• How *ight-emitting algae combine different chemical substances to

give off light without heat,

• How arctic fish and temperate-zone frogs return to life after being

frozen, with the ice doing their organs no harm,

• How anole lizards and chameleons change their colors—and how

octopi and cuttlefish change both their colors

and patterns in a mom*nt—to *lend in with

their surroundings,

• Bees’, turtles’ and birds’ ability to

navigate without maps,

• Whales and penguins diving un-

derwater for long *eriods w*thout

scuba gear,

Harun Yahya

•*How the *NA hel*x stor** information in all liv*ng things,

* How, t*rough photosynthesis, leaves perform an astounding chem-

ical reaction to create 300 billion tons*of sugar every yea*.

These are just a few*examples of the natural mechanisms and designs

that create great excitement, and have the potential to*enrich a great many

areas of techn*logy. As our inf*rmation accumul*tes and technol*gical

po*sibi**ties**ncr*as** t**** **te*tial b*co*e* *ver cl**rer.

In the 19 th century, for example, nature was imitated only for its aes-

thetic values. Painters and architects of the time, influenced by the beau-

ties of the natural world, duplicated these structures’ external appearance

in***eir ow* creations. But the dee*er**ne*looks into the *ine detail, the

more astonishing nature’s immaculate order becomes. Gradually, as the

extraordinary nature of natural designs and the benefits that their imita-

tion would bring to mankind, natural mechanisms began to be studied

more closely—and finally, at the molecular level.

The emerging materials, structures and machines being developed

thr*ugh biomimetic* *an be used in new sol*r**ells, *dvanced robots and

future spacecraft. From that perspective, nature’s designs are*opening in-

credibly broad horizons.

How Will Biomimetics Change Our*Lives?

Our Lord has given us *he designs in nature as great blessings.

Imitating them, taking them as models will direct mankind toward what

is right and true. For som* reason, only recently has *he*scientific com-

munity understood that nature’s designs are an enormous resource and

that the*e need*to *e made use of in daily life.

A great many authoritative scientific publications accept that natur-

al structures represent a hu*e resource for showing mankind the way to-

ward*s*p*r*o* *es****. N*t**e **g**ine e*****s** i* *n**he** *****:

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

Yet fundamental research on the character of nature’s m*chanisms, from the ele-

phant to the protein, is sure to enrich the pool from which designers and engi-

neers can draw ideas. The scope for deepening this pool is still tremendous. 5

The correct use of this resource will certainly lead to a process of

rapid de*elopm*nt* in te*hnology. Biomimet**s expe*t Janine*M.*Benyus

has stated that imitat*ng nature will let us advance i* a great many fields,

such as food and energy production, information storage, and health. As

examples, she cites mechanisms inspired by leaves, which work on solar

energy; the production of computers that transmit signals the way cells

do; and ceramics made to resist breakage by imitating m*ther-of-pearl. 6

Therefore, it’s evident that the Biomimetic Revolution will influence

mankind profoundly and let us live in ever greater ease and comfort.

One by one, today’s developing technologies are discovering the

miracles of creation; and biomimetics is only one of the fields that’s

putting the extraordinary desi*ns of living things to use as models in the

service of mankind. A few of the scientific papers dealing with these mat-

ters include:

● "Learning from Designs in Nature" 7

● "Projects at the Centre for Biomimetics" 8

● "Science Is Imitating Nature" 9

● "Life’s Lessons in Desi*n" 10

● "Biomimicry: Secrets Hiding in Plain Sight" 11

● "Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature" 12

● "Biomimicry: Genius that Surrounds Us" 13

● "Biomimetics: Creating Materials From Nature’s Blueprints" 14

● "Engineers Ask Nature for Design Advice" 15

Perusing articles like these demonstrates how the results of this sci-

entific research are, one by one, revealing proofs of the existence of God.

Harun Yahya

INTELLIGENT DESIGN, IN OTHER

WORDS CREATION

In order to create, God has no need to design

It’s important that the word “design” be properly understood. That

God has created a flawless design does not mean that He first made a plan

and then followed it. G*d, the Lord of the Earth and the heavens, needs

no “designs” in order to create. G*d is exalted above all such deficiencies.

His plannin* and creation take place at the same instant.

W*enever God wills a thing to come about, it *s enough for Him just

to say, "Be!"

As v*rse* of the Qur’an tell us:

His command when He desires a thing is just to say to it, “Be!” and

it is. (Qur'an, 36: 82)

[God is] the Originator of the heavens and Earth. When He decides

on something, He just says to it, “Be!” and it is. (Qur'an, 2: 117)

urrently, many scientists are studying the structure

of natural materials and using them as models in

their own research, simply because these struc-

tures possess such sought-after properties as

strength, lightness and elasticity. For example, the

inner shell of the abalone is twice as resistant as the ceramics that

even advanced technology can produce. Spider silk is five times

stronger than steel, and the adhesive that mussels use to moor

themselves to rocks maintains its properties even underwater. 16

Gulgun Akbaba, a member of the Turkish Bilim ve Teknik

(Science and Technology) Magazine research and publication

group, speaks of the superior characteri*tics of natural materials

and the ways in which we can make use of them:

Traditional ceramic and glass materials have become unable to adapt

to technology, which improves almost with every passing day.

Scientists are [now] working to fill this gap. The architectural secrets

in the structures in **tu*e have slowly begun to be rev*aled…*In the

same way that a mussel shell can repair itself or a wounded shark can

repair damage to its skin, the materials used in technology will also

be able to renew them-

selves.

These materials which

are harder, stronger,

more resistant and have

super*or physical, me-

chanical, chemical and

electro*agnetic proper-

Abalone

‹lhan Aksay

Biomimetics: Technol*gy Imitates Nature

t***, *****ss*li*ht**s**a****h* *b***t**t* **th********gh

temperatures required by such vehicles as rockets, space

shuttles, and research satellites when leaving and entering

the Earth’s atmosphere. Work on the giant supersonic pas-

senger carriers planned for intercontinental travel also re-

quires light, heat-resistant materials. In medicine, the pro-

duction of artificial bone requires materials that co*bine

spongy appearance*with hard structure, and tissue as close

as possible to that found in nature. 17

To produce ceramic, used for a wide range of purposes from con-

struction to ele*tric*l equipment, temperatures greater than 1,000-1,500 o C

(1,830-2,730 o F) are generally needed.

Several*c**ami* **terials ex*st ** na*ure,*yet *u** h*gh *empe*at*r*s

are never used to create them. A mussel, for *nstance, secretes its shell in

a perfect manner at only 4 o C (39 o F). This example of nature’s superior cre-

ation drew the attention of Turkish scientist Ilhan Aksay, who turned his

thoughts to won**ring how we might produce better, st*onger, useful

and functional ceramics.

Examining the int*rnal structures of the shells of a number of sea

creatures, Aksay noticed the extraordinary prope*ties of abalone shells.

Magnified 300,000 times with an electron microscope, the shell resembled

a brick wall, with calcium carbonate “bricks” al-

ternating with a protein “mortar.” Despite

calcium carbonate’s essentially brit-

tle nature, the shell was extremely

strong due to its laminated struc-

ture and less brittle than man-made

ceramics. Aksay found that its lami-

nation helps keep cracks from

*ropa*ating* in ro*ghly the

Harun Yahya

same way that a braided rope doesn’t fail when

one single strand breaks. 18

Inspired by such models, Aksay developed

some very hard, resistant ceramic-metal compos-

ites. After being tested in various US Army labora-

tories, a boron-carbide/aluminum composite he

helped develop was used as armor plating for

tanks! 19

In order to produce biomimetic materials, to-

day’s scientists are carrying out *esearch at the mi-

croscopic level. As one example, Professor Aksay

points out that the bioceramic-type materials in

bones and teeth are formed at body temperature

with a combination of organic materials such as

Abalone shell consists

of microscopic bricks in

* laye*e* *truc*ur**that

prevents any cracks in

the shel* from spread-

ing.

proteins, and yet possess properties much superior to those of man-made

ceramics. Encouraged by Aksay’s thesis that natural materials’ superior

properties stem from connections at the nanometric level (one-millionth

of a millimeter), many companies aim-

ing to produce micro-tools at t*ese di-

mensions have embarked on bio-in-

Coral rivals the*mussel

shell’s mother-of-

pearl in terms of

solidity. Using the

calcium salts from

s e a w a t e r ,

coral forms a

hard struc-

ture capable

o******ing

through even

*tee* ships’ hulls.

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

spired materials—that is, artificial substances inspired by biological

ones. 20

All too many industrial products and byproducts, produced under

condi*i*ns of high press*res and*temperatures, contain harmful chemi-

cals. Yet nature produces similar substances under what might be de-

scribed as “life-friendly” conditions—in water-based solutions, for exam-

ple, and at room temperature. This represents a distinct advantage for

consumers and scientists alike. 21

Producers of synthetic diamonds, designers of metal alloys, polymer

scientists, fiber optic experts, producers of fine ceramic and developers of

semi-conductors all find ap*lying biomime*ic methods to be the most

practical. Natural materials, which can respond to all their needs, also dis-

play enormous variety. Therefore, research experts in various fields—

from bullet-proof vests to jet engines—imitate the originals found in na-

ture, replicating their superior properties by artificial means.

The U.S. Army subjected the substance

inspired by the abalone to various

tests and later used it as armor on

tanks.

Harun Yahya

A great many substances in na-

ture possess features that can

be used as models for modern

inventions. On a gram-for-gram

basis, for example, bone is

much stronger than iron.

Man-made materials eventually crack and shatte*. This requires re-

placement or repairs, carried out with adhesives, for instance. But some

materials in nature, such as the mussel’s shell, can be repaired by the orig-

inal organisms. Recently, in imitation, scientists have begun development

of substances such as p*lymers and polycyclates, which can renew them-

selves. 22*In*t*e s*arch to develop st*ong, self-renewing bio*inspired ma*e-

r*als, one*nat**al substance*tak** as * m*del is rhinoceros horn.*In*the 21 st

century, such research will form the basis of material science studies.

Composites

Most of the materials in nature consist of composites. Composites are

solid materials that result when two or more substances are combined to

form a new substance possessing properties that are superior to those of

*he *r*g**** ***r***e*ts**23

The artificial composite k*own as fiberglass, for instance, is used in

boat hulls, fishing rods, and sports-equipment materials such as bows

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

and arrows. Fiberglass is created by mixing fine glass fibers with a jelly-

like plastic called polymer. As the polymer hardens, the composite sub-

stance tha* emerges *s**ig*t, strong and fl*xible. Alter*ng the fibe*s or plas-

tic substance used in the mixture also changes the composite’s proper-

ties. 24

Composites consisting of graphite and carbon fibers are among the

ten best engineering discoveries of the last 25 years. With these, light-

structured composite materials are designed for new planes, space shut-

tle parts, sports equipment, Formula-1 r*cing cars and yachts, and new

discoveries are quickly being made. Yet so far, manmade composites are

**** *o*e****mit*ve*an***ra*l*th**********c**rrin* *********.

Like all the extraordinary *tructures, substances and syste*s in na-

ture, the composites touched on briefly here are each an example of God’s

extraordinary art of creation. Many verses of the Qur’an draw attention to

the unique nature and perfection of this creation. God reveals the incal-

Thanks to t*eir super**r p*operties, light composi*e materials are used in a wide num-

ber*of purposes, from space technology to sports equipment.

Harun Yahya

culable number blessings imparted to

mankind as a result of His incomparable

creation:

If you tried to number God’s

bl*ssings, you could never count

them. God is Ever-Forgiving, Most

Merciful. (Qur’an, 16: 1*)

Fiberglass Technology in Crocodile Skin

The fiberglass technology that began to be used in the 20 th century

has existed in living things since the day of their creation. A crocodile’s

skin, for example, has much the same structure as *iberglass.

Until recently, scientists were baffled as to why crocodile skin was

impervious to arrows, knives and sometimes, even bullets. Research came

up with surprising results: The substance that gives crocodile skin its spe-

cial strength is the collagen protein fibers it contains. These fibers have the

B*omimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

property of strengthening a tissue when added to it. No doubt collagen

didn’t come to possess such detailed characteristics as the result of a long,

random *rocess, as evolutionists would have us believe. Rather, it

emerged perfect and complete, with all its properties, at the first moment

of its creation.

Steel-Cable Technology in Muscles

Another example of natural composites are ten-

dons. These tissues, which connect muscles to the

bones, have a very firm yet pliant structure, thanks

to the collagen-based fibers that make them up.

Another feature of tendons is the way their

fibers are woven together.

Ms. Benyus is a member of the teach-

ing faculty at America’s Rutgers

University. In her book Biomimicry,

she states that the tendons in

our muscles are constructed

according to a very spe-

Bunch of cables

The load-bearing cables

in suspension bridges are

composed of bundles

of strands, just like

our muscles.

Cable

wire

Load bearing

cable

Muscle

Muscle fiber

Harun Yahya

cial method and goes on to say:

The tendon in your forearm is a twisted bundle of cables, like the cables u*ed in

a suspensio**bridge. Each individual cable is itself a twisted bundle of thinner

cables. Each of these thinner cables is it*elf a twisted bundle of molecules, which

are, of course* twisted, helical bundles of atoms. Again and again a mathemati-

cal beauty u*folds, a self-referential, fractal k*leidoscope*of engineering bril-

liance. 25

In fact, the steel-cable technology used in present-day suspension

bridges*was inspired by the structure of tendons in the human body. The

tendons’ incomparable design is only one of the countless proofs of God’s

superior design *n* in*inite kn*wled*e.

Multi-Purpose Whale Blubber

A layer of fat covers the bodies of dolphins and whales, serving as a

natural flotation mechanism that allows whales to rise to the surface to

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

Whale blubber

breathe. At the same time, it protects

th*se warm-blooded mammals from

the cold waters of the ocean

depths. Another property o* whale

blubber is that when metabolized,

it pro*ides**wo to *hree*ti*es *s

much energy as sugar or protein.

During a whale’s nonfeeding mi-

gration of thousands*of kilometers,

when it is unable to find sufficient

food, it obtains the *eeded energy from

this fat in its body.

Alongside this, whale blubber is a very flexible rubberlike material.

Every time it beats its tail in the water, the elastic recoil of blubbe* is com-

pressed and stret*hed. This not only provides the whale with extra speed,

but also allows a 20% energy saving on long journeys. With all these prop-

erties, whale blubber is regarde* as a substance with the very *idest

range of f*nctio*s.

Whales have had their coating of blubber for thousands of years, yet

only recently has it been discovered to consist of a complex mesh of col-

*agen fibe*s.*Sc*entists *re s*i*l working *o fully und*rsta*d the fu*ctions

of this fat-composite mix, but they believe that it is yet another miracle

product that would have many useful applications if produced syntheti-

cally. 26

Mother-of-Pearl’s Special Damage-Limiting Structure

The nacre structure making *p the inner*layers of a mollusk shell has

been imitated in the development of materials for use in super-tough jet

engine blades. Some 95% of the mother-of-pearl consists of chalk, yet

thanks to its composite structure it is 3,000 times tougher than bulk chalk.

Harun Yahya

Platelets

Calcium carbonate

Organic mortar

“******”

The internal structure of mother-of-pearl resem-

*les*a bri*k*wal* an* consists of *late*et* held**o-

gether with organic mortar. Cracks caused by im-

pacts change direction as they attempt to pass

through this mortar, which stops them in their

tracks. (Julian Vincent, “Trick* of Nature,” New

Scientist, 40.)

When examined under the mi-

croscope, microscopic platelets

8 micrometers across and 0.5

micrometers thick can be

seen, arranged in layers (1

micrometer = 10 -6 meter).

These platelets are com-

posed of a dense and crys-

talline form of calcium car-

bonate, yet they can be

joined together, thanks to a

s*icky silk-like prot*in. 27

This combination pro-

vides toughness in two

ways. When mother-of-pearl

is stressed by a heavy load,

any cracks that form begin to

spread, but change direction

as they attempt to pass

through the protein layers.

*his di**erses the force im-

posed, thus preventing frac-

tures. A second strengthening

factor is that whenever a

crack does form, the protein layers stretch out into strands across the frac-

ture, absorbing the energy that would permit the cracks to continue. 28

The structure that reduces damage to mother-o*-pearl has become a

subject of study by a great many scient*sts. That the resistance *n nature’s

materials is based on such logical, rational methods doubtlessly indicates

the presence of a superior intelligence. As this example shows, God clear-

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

ly reveals evidence *f His existence and the superior might *nd power of

His creation by means of His infinite knowledge and wisdom. As He

states in one verse:

Everything in the heavens and everything in*the earth belongs to

Him. God*is the Rich Beyond Need, the Praiseworthy. (Q*r’an, 22:

64)

The Hardness of Wood Is Hidden in Its Design

In contrast to the substances in other living things, vegetable com-

posites con*ist more of cellulose fibers*than coll*gen. Wood’s hard, *esis-

tant structure derives fro* producing this cellulose—a hard material that

is not soluble i* water. This property of cellulose makes wood so versatile

Harun Yahya

in construction. Thanks to cellulose, timber structures keep standing for

hundreds of years. D*scribed as tension-bearing and matchless, cellulose

i* ***d***** m*r***xte**iv**y *ha***the* bu****ng*m*t****l*********d*ng*,

bridges, furniture and any number of items.

Because wood absorbs the energy from low-velocity impacts, it’s

highly effective at restricting damage to one specific location. In particu-

lar, damage is reduced the most when the impact occurs at right angles to

the direction of the grain. Diagnostic research has shown that different

types of wood exhibit different levels of resistance. One of the factors is

density, since denser woods absorb more energy during impact. The num-

ber of vessels in the wood, their size and distribution, are also important

factors in reducing impact deformation. 29

Right: Wood consists of tube-like

fibers which give wood its resistant

properties.

Below right: Wood’s raw material,

known as cellulose, possesses a com-

plicated chemical structure. If the

chemical bonds or atoms comprising

cellulose were different, then wood

w*uldn’t be so strong and flexible.

c: Fiber axis

Molecule (<10Å)

Monoclinic

unit cell

(10Å)

Micro fibers (20-200Å)

Crystalline package with

irregular interface

Plant cell walls

Left: A structure mode*ed on wood for the mak-

in* *f bullet-proof clothing. If wood had a differ-

ent structure, it could not possess such resilient

hardness.

1. Carefully placed fibers to imitate the spiral

winding of the tube walls in wood.

2. Resin reinforced with glass fibers.

3. Corrugated layer between flat plates.

4. Layers arr*nged to imitate the tube structure of

wood.

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

******m*t*r*a**, *****ed on*t*e*s****-

ture of wood, are believed to be suffi-

ciently strong to be used in bullet-proof

vests. (Julian Vincent, “Tricks of

Nature,” New Scientist, 40.)

The Second World War's

Mosquito aircraft, which so far have

shown the greatest tolerance to dam-

age, were made by gluing dense ply-

wood layers between lighter strips of

balsa wood. The hardness of wood

makes it a most reliable material.

When it does break, the cracking takes

place so slowly that one can watch it

happen with the naked eye,*thus giv-

ing time to take preca*tions. 30

Wood consists of parallel

columns of long, hollow cells placed

end to end, and surrounded by spirals

of cellulose fibers. Moreover, these

cells are encl*sed in a complex poly-

mer structure made of resin. Wound

in a spiral, these layers form 80% of

the tota* thickness of the cell wall and, together, bear the main weight.

When a wood cell collapses in on itself, it absorbs the energy of impact by

breaking away from the surrounding cells. Even if the crack runs between

the fibers, still the wood is not deformed. Broken wood is nevertheless

strong enough to support a significant load.

Ma*erial made by imitating wood’s design is 50 times more durable

than other synthetic materials*in use today. 31 Wood is currently imitated

in materials being developed for protection against high-velocity parti-

cles, such as shrapnel from bombs*or bullets.

As these *ew examples sh*w, natu*al substance* pos*es* a most in-

telligent design. The structures and resistance of mother-of-pearl and

wood are no coincidence. There is evident, conscious design in these ma-

Harun Yahya

terials. Every detail of their flawless design—from the fineness of the lay-

ers to their density and the number of vessels—has been carefully

planned and created to bring about resistance. *n one verse, *od reveals

that He has created everything around us:

What is in the heavens and in the earth belongs to God. God en-

compasses all things. (Qur’an, 4: 126)

Spider Silk Is Stronger Than Steel

A great many insects—moths and butterflies, for example—produce

silk, although there are considerable differences between these substances

and spider silk.

A*cording to scientists, spider thread is o*e of the strong*st materi-

als known. If we set down all of a spider web’s characteri*tics, the result-

in* li*t will be*a*very long one. Yet even just a few examples of the prop-

erties of spider silk are enough to make the point: 32

• The *il* thread spun by spiders, measuring just*one-thousandth of

a millimeter across, is five times st*onger than steel of the same thickness.

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

• It can st*etch up to four

times its own length.

• I* is also so light that

enough thread to stretch clear

around the planet w**ld

*eigh o*l* 320 grams.

These individual charac-

teristics may be found in var-

ious other materials, but it is a

most exceptional situation for

them all to come together at

once. It’s not easy to find a

material that’s both strong

and elastic. Strong steel cable,

for ins*an*e* is *ot a* elastic

as rubber and can deform

over time. And while rubber

cables don’t easily deform,

they aren’t strong enough to

be*r heavy loads.

How can the thread

spun by such a tiny creature have properties vastly superior to rubber and

steel, product of centuries of accumulated human knowledge?

Spider silk’s superiority is hidden in its chemical structure. Its raw

material is a protein called keratin, which consists of helical chains of

amino acids cross-linked to one another. Keratin is the building block for

such widely different natural substances as hair, nails, feathers and skin.

In all the substances it compr*ses, its protective property is especially im-

portant. Furthermore, that keratin consists of amino acids bound by loose

hydrogen links makes it very elastic, as described in the American maga-

Spider silk, possessing an exceedingly complex

structure, is but one example of God’s incom-

parable art *nd infinite wisdom.

Harun Yahya

Silk produc-

tion region

Silk glands

Spigots

Threads

zine Science News: “On the human scale, a web resembling a fishing net could

catch a passenger plane.” 33

On the underside of the tip of the spider's abdomen are three pairs of

spinnerets. Each of these spinnerets is studded with many hairlike tubes

called spigots. Th* spigots lead to silk glands inside the abdomen, each of

which produces a different type of silk. As a result of the harmony be-

tween them, a variety of silk threads *re produced. Inside the spider’s

body, pumps, valves and pressure systems with exceptionally developed

properties are employed during the production of the raw silk, which is

then drawn out*through the spigots. 34

Most importantly, the spider can alter the pressure in the spigots at

will, which also changes the structure of molecules making up the liquid

keratin. The valves’ control mechanism, the diameter, resistance and elas-

ticity of the thread can all be altered, thus making t*e thread assume de-

*ired characteristics witho*t alte*ing its chemical st*ucture. If deeper

changes in the silk are desired, then another gland must be brou*ht into

operation. And finally, thanks to the perfect use of its back legs, the spider

can put the thread on the desired track.

Biomimetics: Technology Im*tates Nature

Once the spider’s chemical miracle

can be replicated fully, then a great many

useful materials can be produced: safety

belts with the*requisite elasticity, very

strong surgical sutures that leave no

scars, and bulletproof fabrics. Moreover,

no harmful or poisonous substances

need to be used in their production.

Spiders’ silk possesses the most ex-

traordinary properties. On account of its

high resistance to tension, ten times

more energy is required to break spider

silk than other, similar biological materi-

als. 35

As a result, much more energy needs to be expended in order to

break a piece of spider silk of the sa*e size as a nylon thread. One main

reason why spiders are able to produce such strong silk is that they man-

age to add assisting compounds with a regular structure by controlling

the cry*tallization and folding of the basic protein compounds. Since the

weaving material consists of liquid crystal, spiders expend a minimum of

energy while doing this.

The thread produced by spiders is much stronger than the known

natural or synthetic fibers. But the thread they produce *annot be collect-

ed and used directly, as can the silks of many other insects. For that*rea-

son, the only current alternative is artificial production.

Researchers are engaged in wide-ranging studies on how spiders

produce their silk. Dr. Fritz Vollrath, a zoologist at the university of

Aarhus in Denmark, studied the garden spider Araneus diadematus and

succeeded in uncovering a large part of the process. He found that spiders

harden their silk by acidifying it. In particular, he examined the duct

through which the silk passes before exiting the spider's body. Before en-

A detailed view of the spigots.

Harun Yahya

tering the duct, the silk con*ists of liquid proteins. In the duct, specialized

cells apparently draw water away from the silk proteins. Hydrogen atoms

taken from the water are pumped into another part of the duct, creating

an acid bath. As the silk proteins make contact with the acid, they fold and

f*rm bridges with one another* hardening the silk, which is "stronger and

more elast*c than Kevlar .] the strongest man-made fiber," as Vollrath puts

it. 36

Kevlar, a reinforcing material used in bulletproof vests and tires, and

made *hr*ugh advan*ed te*hnology, is the st*ong*st man*ade syntheti*.

Yet spider thread possesses properties that are far superior to Kevlar. As

well as its being very strong, spider silk can also be *e-processed and re-

used by the spider who spun it.

If scientists manage to replicate the internal processes taking place

To catch their prey, spiders construct exceedingly high-quality webs that stop a fly mov-

ing through the air by absorbing its energy. The taut cable used on aircraft carriers to

halt jets when they land resembles the syste* that spiders empl*y. Operating in exact-

ly the same way as the spider’s web, these cables halt a jet weighin* several tons, mov-

ing at 250 kmph, by absorbing its kinetic energy.

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

This example alone is enough to demonstrate the great wisdom of God, the Creator all

things *n nature: Spiders produce a thread five time* strong*r than steel* Kevlar, t*e

product of our most advanced technology, is made at high temperatures, using petro-

leum-derived materials and sulfuric acid. The energy this process requires is very high,

and its byproducts are exceedingly toxic. Ye* from*the point of view of strength, Kevlar

is much weaker than spider silk. (“Biomimicry,” Your Planet Earth; http://www.your-

pla*etearth.org/terms/details.php3?term=Biomimic*y)

inside the spider—if protein folding can be made flawless and the weav-

ing material's genetic information added, then it will be possible to in-

dustrially produce silk-based threads with a great many special proper-

ties. It is therefore thought that if the spider thread weaving process can

*e understood, the leve* of success in the manufacture of man-made ma-

ter*als will be **p*ove*.

This thread, which scientists are only now joining forces to investi-

gate, has been produced flawlessly by spiders for at least 380 million

years. 37 This, no doubt, is one of the proofs of God’s perfect creation.

Neither is there any doubt that all of th*se extraordinary phenomena are

under His control, taking place by His will. As one verse states, “There is

no creature He does not hold by the forelock” (Qur’an, 11: 56).

Harun Yahya

The Mechanism for Producing Spider Thread Is Superior to Any

Textile Machine

Spiders produce silks with

different characteristics for dif-

ferent purposes. Diatematus, for

instance, can use its silk glands to

produce seven different types of

silk—similar to production tech-

niques employed in modern tex-

tile machines. Yet those ma-

chines’ enormous size can’t be

compared with the spider’s few

cubic millimeters silk-producing

organ. Another superior feature

of its silk is the way that the spi-

der can recycle it, able to produce

new thread by consuming its

damaged web.

iber-optic technology, which has recently be-

gun to be employed,*uses ca*les capable of

transmitting light and high-capacity informa-

tion. What if someone were to tell you that

living things have been using this technology

for millions of years? These are organisms you know very well,

but whose superior design a great many people never even con-

sider—plants.

Because so many look at their world around them in a*su-

perficial way, out of famil*arity, they never see the examples of

superior design in the living things

that God has created. Bu* in fact, all

living things are full of secrets. Asking

why and how is enough

t* let you raise this

curtain of familiarity.

Anyone who thinks

ab*ut th*se quest*ons

will r*alize that

everything we see

around *s is the

work of a Creator pos-

sessed of reason and

knowledge—our

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

All-Powerful Lord. As an example, take the photosynthesis that plants

carry out—a miracle of creation, whose mysteries have not yet been un-

covered.

Photosynthesis is the process whereby green plants turn light into

carbohydrates that*human beings and animals*can consume. Perhaps *t

*irst sight, this description might not*seem too remarkable, yet bi*-

chemists believe that artificial photosynthesis could easily change the

whole world.

Plants carry out photosynthesis by means of a complex string of

events. The exact nature of these processes is still unclear. Just this feature

*lone is enough to silence the proponents of the theory of evolution.

Professor Ali Demirsoy describes very well the dilemma that photosyn-

thesis represents for evo*utionist scientists:

Photosynthesis is a rather co*plicated event and appears impossible to emerge

in the organe*les within the cell. That is be*ause it is i**os*ible*for all the stages

to come about at once, and meaningless for them to do so separately. 38

Plants trap sunlight in natural solar cell parts known as chloroplasts.

In the same way, we store in batteries the energy w* ob*ain from artificial

solar panels, which turn light into electrical energy.

A plant cell’s low power output necessitates the use of a great many

“panels,” in the form of leaves. It’s enough for leaves, like solar panels, to

face the sun in order to meet human beings’ energy needs. When the

chloroplasts’ functions are fully replicated, tiny solar batteries will be able

to operate equipment requiring a great deal of energy. Spacecraft and ar-

tificial satellites will be able to operate using solar energy alone, with no

need for any other energy source.

Plants, which possess such superior capabilities and astound the sci-

entists who try to imitate them, bow their heads to God,*like all other liv-

ing things. This is revealed in a verse:

Shrubs*and trees both bend*in worship. (Qur’an, 55: 6)

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

What mankind has to lea*n from plants isn't limited to solar cells. Plants are opening up

many new horizons, from construction to the perfume industry. Chemical engineers pro-

ducing deodorants and soaps are now trying to produce beautiful fragrances in the lab-

oratory by imitating the scents of flowers. The scents produced by many*famous*hou*-

es, such as Christian Dior, Jacques Fath, Pierre Balmain, contain floral essences found in

nature. (“The History of Parfume;”*http://*ww.pa*f*ms*affy.com/histor*.html)

Protected Surfaces

Any surface can be damaged by dirt, or even by bright light. That is

why scientists have developed furniture and car polishes, and liquids to

Haru* Yahya

block ultraviolet rays and protect against any possible wear and tear. In

nature also, animals and plants produce in their own cells a variety of

su*stances to pr*tect*th*ir outer sur*aces against external damage. The

complex chemical compounds produced by the bodies of living things as-

t*und scientists, and des*gners seek to imitate many examples.

Coating wooden surfaces is important to protect them from dirt and

wear and tear, particularly against water, which can enter and rot soft tim-

The external *urf*ces of leaves are covered with a thin, polis*ed coating that wate*-

proofs the plant. This protection is essential because carbon dioxide, which plants ab-

sorb from the*air and is essential to their survival, is found between the leaf cells. If

these spaces between the cells filled with rainwater, the carbon dioxide level would fall

and the proces* of *hotosynthesis, essential to plants’ survival, wou*d slow down. But

thanks to this thin coati*g on their leaves’ surface, plants are able to carry on photo-

synthesis with no difficulty.

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

ber. But did you know that the first wood coatings were made from nat-

ural oils and insect secretions?

Many protective substances *sed in our daily lives were actually

used long before in nature by living things. Wood polish is just one ex-

amp*e. The hard*shells of insec*s also *rotect them*aga*nst water and

damage from the outside.

Insects’ shells and exoskeletons are *einforced by a protein called

sclerotin, making them among the hardest surfaces in the natural world.

Furthermore, an insect’s protective chitin covering never

loses its color and brightness. 39

Clearly, considering all this, the systems con-

struction firms use to cover and protect external sur-

faces will be m*ch more effective if they have a com-

position similar to those found in insects.

Harun Yahya

The Constantly Self-Cleaning Lotus

The lotus plant (a white *ater lily) grows in the dirty, muddy bottom

of lakes and ponds, yet despite this, its leaves are always clean. That is be-

cause whenever the smallest particle of dust lands on the plant, it imme-

diately waves the leaf, directing t*e dust particles to one particular spot.

Raindrops falling on the leaves are sent to that same place, to thus wash

the dirt away.

This property of the lotus led researchers to design a new house

paint. Researchers began working on how to develop paints that wash

clean in the rain, i* much the same w*y as lotu* leaves do. As a resu*t*of

this inves*i*ation, a German company called ISPO produced a house

paint brand-named Lotusan. On the market in Europe and Asia, the

product even came with a guarantee that it would stay clean for five years

without detergents or sandblasting. 40

Of necessity, many living things possess natural features that protect

their external surfaces. There is no doubt, however, that neither the lotus’s

external structure nor insects’ chitin layer came about by themselves.

These living things are unaware of the superior properties they possess. It

is God Who creates them, together with all their features. One verse

describes God’s art of cre-

ation in these terms:

He is God—the

Creator, the Maker,

the Giver of Form. To

Him belong the Most

Beautiful Names.

Everything in the heavens

and earth glorifies Him. He

is the Almighty, the All-

Wise. (Qur’an, 59: 24)

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

A lotus leaf with water on it

During his microscopic research, Dr. Wilhelm Barthlott at the University of

Bonn reali*ed th*t leaves *h*t r*qui**d the least*c*ea*ing we*e those

with the roughest surfaces. On the surface of the lotus leaf, the

very cleanest of these, Dr. Barthlott found tiny

points, like a bed of nails. When a Speck of

dust or dirt falls onto the leaf, it teeters pre-

cariously on these points. When a droplet of

water rolls across these tiny points, it picks up the

speck, which is only poorly attached, and carries it

away. In other words, the lotus has a self-cleaning

leaf. This feature has inspired researchers to pro-

duce a house paint called LOTUSAN, guaranteed to

stay clean for five years. (Jim Robbins, “Engineers Ask Nature for Design

Advice,” Ne**York Times, December 11, *001.)

How a raindrop cle*ns a

lotus leaf

The effect of a raindrop

on a normal surface

The effect of raindrops on

a building e*teri*r c*vered

with Lo*usan.

Harun Yahya

Plants and New Car Design

When designing its new ZIC (Zero Impact Car)

model, the Fiat motor company copied the way trees

and shrubs divide themselves into branches.

Designers built a small channel along the middle of

the car, in a similar way as in a plant's ste*, and

placed in that channel batteries to provide the car with

the energy it requires. The car seats were inspired by the plant

in the illustration and, just as in that original plant, the seats

wer* at*ached direc*ly to the channel. The car’s roof

featured a honeycomb structure similar to that in

seaweed. This structure made the ZIC both light

and strong. 41

In a field like automobile technology that

freely displays the very latest innovations, a sim-

ple plant, living in nature since the very first day it

came into being thousands of years ago, provided

engineers and designers with a source of inspira-

tion. Evo*utionists—who maintain that life came

about by chance and whose forms developed*over

time* always moving in the direction of improve-

ment—find this and similar events difficult to

accept.

How can human beings, possessed

of consciousness and reason, learn

from plants—devoid of any intelli-

gence or knowledge, which can-

not even move—and imple-

ment what they learn to

achieve ever more practical

results? The features that

Seaweed

B**m***tics: Technolog* Imi*a*es *ature

plants and other organisms display cannot, of course, be explained away

as coincidences. As proofs of creation, they represent a serious quandary

for evolutionists.

*lants that Give *ff Alarm Signals

Nearly everyone imagines that plants are unable to combat danger,

which is why they easily become fodder for insects, herbivores, and oth-

er animals. Yet research has shown that on the contrary, plants use amaz-

ing tactics to repel, even overcom* their enemies.

To keep leaf-chewing insects at bay, for example, plants sometimes

produce noxious chemicals and in a few cases, chemicals to attract other

predators to prey on those first ones. Both tactics are no doubt very clever.

In the field of agriculture, in fact, efforts*are going on to imitate this very

useful defense strategy. Jonathan Gershenzon, researching the genetics of

plant defenses at Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology,

believ*s that if this intelligent strategy can be imitated properly, then*in

the future, non-toxic forms of agricultural pest control could be provid-

ed. 42

When attacked by pests, some plants release volatile organic chemi-

*als tha* attract p*edators an* parasitoi*s, whi*h lay *heir eggs inside the

living body of pests. The larvae which hatch out inside the pest grow by

feeding on the pest from within.*This indirect strategy thus eliminates

harmful organisms that might damage the *rop.

Again, it is by che*ical means that the plant realizes that a pest is

eating its leaves. The *lant gives off such an ala*m s*gnal not because it

“knows” it’s losing its leaves, but rather as a response to chemicals in the

pest species’ saliva. Although superficially, this phenomenon appears to

be quite simple, actually quite a number of points need to be considered:

1) How does the plant perceive chemicals in the pest's saliva?

Harun Yahya

The manduca moth and

the tobacco plant

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

*) How *oes *he plant know that it will be free* from the pest's rav-

ages when it gives off the alarm signal?

3) How does it know that the signal it gives off will attract preda-

tors?

4) What causes the plant to send its signal to insects that feed on its

assailants?

5) **** s**na**t*e pl*** g*ve**off****c*e*ic**, rat*** **** ***itory.

The chemicals employed by insects have a most complex structure. The

slightest deficiency or error in the formula, and the signal may lose *ts ef-

ficacy. How is the plant thus able to fine-tune this chemical signal?

No doubt it is impossible for a plant, lacking a brain, to arrive at a so-

lution to danger, to analyze chemicals like a scientist, even to produce

such a *ompound and carry *ut a planned strategy* Very **finitely,*indi-

rectly overcoming an enemy is the*work of a superior intelligence. That

intelligence’s possessor is God, Creator of the plants with all their flaw-

less characteristics and Who inspires them to do what they can to protect

themselves.

Therefore, current biomimetic research is mak-

Geocoris

Manduca moth caterpillar

ing a great effort to imitate the astonishing intelli-

gence that God displays in*all livin* things.

One group of researchers, from both the

International Centre of Insect Physiology and

Ecology in Nairobi, Kenya and Britain's Institute of

Arable*Crops Research, carried out a study on this

subject. To remove

pests among maize

and*s*rghum, their

team planted species

that the stem-borers

like to eat, pulling the

Harun Yahya

pests from the crop. Among the crops, they growed species that repel

stem-borers *nd attract parasitoids. In*such f*elds, they found, the num-

ber of plants infeste* with stem-borers dropped by more than 80%.

Further applications of this incomparable solution observed in plants will

make for still further advances. 43

Wild tobacco plants in Utah are subject to attack by caterpillars of the

moth Manduca quinquemaculata, the eggs of which are a favorite food of

the bug Geocoris pallens. Thanks to volatile chemicals that the tobacco

plant releases, the G. pallens is attracted, and number of M. quinquemacu-

lata caterpillars is reduced. 44

Fiber Optic Design in the Ocean Depths

Rossella racovitzae, a species of marine sponge, possesses spicules

guiding light as optic fibers do, which of course is employed in the very

latest technology. The optical fibers can instantly transport vast amounts

of information encoded as light pulses across tremendous distances.

Transm**tin* *a**r l*g*t down a***b*r-****c *a*le ma*es***ss*b*e co*m*-

nications unimaginably greater than with cables made of ordinary mate-

rials. In fact, a str*nd no thicker than a hair, containing 100 optical fibers,

can transmit 40,000 diff*rent*sound channels.

This species of sponge which lives in the cold, dark depths of

Antarctic seas is easily able to collect the light it requires for photosyn-

thesis thanks to its thorn-shaped protrusions of optical fibers, and is a

source of light for its surroundings. This enables both the sponge itself

and other living things that benefit from its ability to collect and transmit

light to survive. Single-celled algae attach themselves to the sponge and

obtain from it the light they need to survive.

Fiber optics ** on* of the most advanced technologies of recent years.

Japanese engineers use this technology to transmit solar rays to those

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

parts of skyscrapers that receive no direct light. Giant lens*s sited in a sky-

scraper’s roof focus the sun’s rays on the ends of fiber optic transmitters,

which then send light to even the very darkest parts of the buildings.

This sponge lives at some 100 to 200 meters depth, off the shores of

the Antarctic Ocean, under icebergs in what is virtually total darkness.

Sunlight is of the*greatest importance to its survival. The creature man-

ages to solve this problem by means of optical fibers that collect solar light

in a most effective manner.

Scientists are amazed that a living thing should have used the fiber

optic principle, utilized by high-tech industries, in such an environment

for the past 600 million years. Ann M. Mescher, a mechanical engineer and

*olymer fiber specialist at the University of Washington, expresses it in

these terms:

It’s fascinating that there’s a creature that produces these fibers at low temper-

ature with these unique mechanical properties and fairly good optical proper-

ties. 45

Brian D. Flinn, University of Washington materials scientist, de-

scribes the superior structure in this sponge:

It’s not something they’re going to put into telecommunications*in the next two

o* three years. It’s something th*t might be 20 yea*s off* 46

This all demonstrates that the living things within nature harbor a

great many models for human beings. God, Who ha* designed everything

down to the finest detail, has created these designs for mankind to learn

from and think upon. This is revealed in the verses:

In the creation of the heavens and the Earth, and the alternation of

night and day, there are signs for people with intelligence: those

who remember God, standing, sitting and lying on their sides, and

reflect on the creation of the heavens and the Earth: “Our Lord, You

have not created this for nothing. Glory be to You! So safeguard us

*rom the punishment of the Fire.” (Qur’an, 3: 190-191)

Optical fibers

Rossella racovitzae

ust about everyone interested in motor vehi-

cles knows the importance of gearboxes and jet

engines. Few, however, are aware that there are

gearboxes and jet engines in nature, which

possess designs far superior to those employed

by man.

Gearboxes allow you to change gears in the vehicle so that

the motor is used most efficiently. Natural gearboxes work along

the same principles as those in cars. Flies, for example, us* a nat-

u*al *e********at*p*o****s***r*e-speed*gea***if**c***e*ted to i*s

wings. Thanks to this system, a fly can instantaneously accelerate

or slow down by flapping its wings at the desired speed while in

the air. 47

In cars, at least four gears are used to transmit the power

from the engine to the wheels. It is possible to drive smoothly on-

ly when the gears are used in succession, from low gear to high,

and back again. Instead of gears in cars, which are

heavy and take up a lot of room, fl*es have a

mechan*sm that ta*es *p o*ly a f*w cubic mil-

l*meters. Thanks to their far more functional

mechanism, flies can beat their wings with ease.

The squid, octopus and nautilus employ a

*ropella*t f*r*e similar*to the princ**le use* by

jet engines. To understand just how effective

this force is, consider that the

spe*i*s*o* ****d know* *s

Loligo vulgaris can travel

in the water at speeds up

to 32 kilometers [20

A jet engine takes in air from one

end and expels it from the other at

a much greater speed. The jet en-

gines *n *e*t*ca* ta*e-o***airc*aft

like the Harrier have nozzles to di-

rect the exhaust down. Thanks to

this system, the Harrier can land

and take off vertically. After take-

off, the nozzles are pointed back-

wards, so that the aircraft flies for-

wards.

The squid use a form of prop*lsion

system similar to jet planes. A

squid's body contains two open

spaces like pockets. Water taken in

from them is drawn into a power-

ful elas*ic bag o* contra*ting mus-

cles. In this bag is a backward-

pointing nozzle. The muscles con-

tract, expelling water out of that

nozzle at high speed. The animal

can reach speeds of up to 32 km (20

miles) an hour to flee predators,

sometimes even leaping out of the

water and onto the decks of ships.

(Phil Gates, Wild Technology, 38.)

Harun Yahya

Known by its scientific name of Ecballium ela-

terium, the squirting cucumbe* disperses its

fruit’s seeds in a sudden explosion. As the fruit

ripens, it fills with a slimy juice, which gradual-

ly creates pressure. Through the buildup of in-

ternal pressure, it t*en propels its seeds with

an initial velocity of 56 km (35 miles) per hour.

(Helmut Tributsch, How Life Learned to Live,

Cambridge: MIT Press, 1982, 59.)

Wh*n**hreatened by a starf*sh**t*e

scallop suddenly closes the two

halves of its shell. It thus expels a

quantity of water in such a way as to

set up jet propulsion and forces itself

forward.

miles] an hour. 48

The nautilus, an incompa-

rable example in this regard,

resembles an octopus and may

be compared to a ship with a

jet engine. It takes *ater in

through a tube beneath its

head and then shoots the water

out. While the water travels in

one direction, the nautilus is

propelled in the other.

Another feature makes

scientists envious of these crea-

tures: Their na*ural jet engines

remain impervious to the high

pressure of the deep sea.

Moreover, the systems that let

them move are both silent and

extremely li*ht. In fact, the

nautilus’ superior design

served as a model for sub-

marines.

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

100-Million-Year-Old Technolog* Under the Sea

Nautilus

When a subm*rine fills its ballast tanks with water, the ship becomes

heavier than water and sinks toward the bottom. If water in the tanks is

emptied out by means of compressed air, then the submarine surfaces.

The nautilus employs the same technique. In its body there is a 19-cm

(7.48 in) spiral organ rather like a snail’s shell, inside which are 38 inter-

connected “diving” chambers. To empty out the water; it also needs com-

pressed air—but where does the nautilus find the air it needs?

By biochemical means, the nautilus produces a special gas in its body

and transfers this gas to the chambers, expelling water from them to reg-

ulate its buoyancy. This allows the nautilus *o dive or surface when hunt-

ing or chased by predators.

A submarine can only

venture safely to a depth of

about 400 meters (1,310 feet),

whereas the nautilus can eas-

ily descend to a depth of 450

meters (1,500 feet). 49

In order to dive or

surfac*, submarines

employ special com-

partments that serve

the same purpose as

those in the nautilus.

When these compartments (tanks) are

filled with air, the submarine floats. When

the*air is r*placed*wi*h wa*er, it s*nks* The

number of tanks that are filled with water

determines the underwater depth at

which the submarine runs.

Harun Yahya

Submarines’ diving techniques resemble

those of fish, which are able to control

their rela*iv**de**ity in o*d*r to r*s**or

dive in the water. In their bodies, bony

fish have a swim bl*dder that gives them

their buoyancy. When air is added to the

swim bladder, by diffusion through the

blood vessels in the bla*der walls, the

fish becomes less dense over*ll; when air

is removed the fish becomes more dense.

By changing the volume of air in the

bladder, the fish’s density can be made

equal to that of the surrounding water at

a given depth.

Such*a d*pth is very dangerou* to many l*vin* things* But desp*te

this, the nautilus remains unaffected, its shell is not crushed by the pres-

sure and its body suffers no harm.

Another very important point needs to be considered here. The nau-

tilus has possessed this system, which can withstand the pressure at some

450 meters, since the day it was created. How c*n it have designed this

special structure all by itself? On its own, could the nautilus have devel-

oped the gas to obtain the necessary compressed air to empty out the wa-

ter in its shell? It is definitely imp*ssible for the creature to know how to

create the chemical reaction to produce gas, much less build the structures

in its body necessary to bring that chemical reaction about, nor to struc-

ture a shell capable of*withstanding tons of water pressure.

This superior design is the work of God, Who flawlessly created

everything, with no prior models. God’s title of al-Badi’ (the Innovative

Creator), is revealed in the Qur’an:

He is the Originator of the heavens and the Earth (Qur'an, 6: 101)

The depth of a submarine in water

is adjusted by special command

systems, the product of human in-

telligence, after many years of en-

gineeri*g research. No ra*i*nal

person can claim that these devices

came about by chance.

Evolutionists, however, make the

unrealistic claim that although the

nautilus can do exactly what a sub-

marine does, it is actually the prod-

uct of blind chance.

This 100-million-year-old nautilus fossil is proof that the animal never un-

derwent evolution. God created the creature in an instant, and with all its

flawless design.

ound moves through air and water in the

*orm *f wa*es* wh**h*b**nce back i* they

strike an object. If you possess the necessary

technology and knowledge, these rebounding

waves can provide a great deal of information

about the body they encountered, such as its distance from the

source, its size, and the direction and speed of its motion.

This tech*ology to locate objects by means of sound and

pressure waves was developed in the 20 th centu*y, actually for

military purposes. But today, it is also used to locate sunken

ships and for m*pping the*ocean floor. However, millions of

year* ago* long before man discovered this technology, living

*hings *n n*ture were u*ing the soun* waves*they spre*d

around them in order to survive.

Dolphins,*bats, f*sh an* moths have all posse*sed this sys-

tem, known as sonar, ever since they were created. What is

more, their systems are much more sen*itive and functional

than those employed by human beings today.

Bats’ Sonar Goes Far Beyond the Bounds of Human

Technology

The U.S. Defense Department set out to implement princi-

ples of bat sonar in its own system of sonar, an indispensable

method for locating submarines under the surface of the sea.

According to a report in Science, one of America’s best-known

magazines, the Defense Department set aside a special alloca-

tion to pay for this project.

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

It has long been known that bats*use their sonar syste* to find *heir

way around in the pitch dark. Recently, researchers have uncovered new

secrets of how they do it. According to their research, the brown insectiv-

orous bat, Eptesicus fuscus, can process two million overlapping echoes a

second. Furthermore, it can perceive these echoes with a resolution of on-

ly 0.3 millimeters (1/80 th of an inch). According to these figures, bat's

sonar is three times more sensitive than its man-made equivalent. 50

Bats' sonar navigational skills teach us a great deal about flying in

the dark. Research carried out with infrared thermal imaging cameras and

u*tra**und detectors af*ord** cons*de*a**e *nformati*n **out how bats

fly in search of prey at night.

Bats can seize an insect from mi*-air as the insect rises from the

grass. Some bats even plunge into bushes to capture their prey. It’s no

easy task to seize an insect buzzing in the air using only reflected sound

waves. But if you consider that the insect is among the bushes, and sound

waves bounce back from all the leaves surrounding it, you will grasp

what an impressive task the bat actually performs.

In a situation like that, bats reduce their sonar squeals, to prevent

their becoming confused by echoes from the surrounding vegetation. Yet

by itself, this tactic isn’t enough to enabl* bats to perceive the objects in-

dividually, because they also need to distinguish the arrival time and di-

rection of the overlapping echoes. 51

Bats also use their sonar when flying over water to drink, and in

some cases, to capture prey from the ground. Their expert maneuverabil-

ity can best be seen when one bat chases another. Understanding how

th*y can do this will let us produce a wide range of technological prod-

ucts, especially equipment for sonar navigation and detection. Moreover,

bats’ broad-band sonar system is also imitated today in mine-sweeping

technology. 52

Harun Yahya

As we have seen, the properties of living things benefit us in a very

large number of ways. In one verse, God draws attention to the uses in an-

imals:

And there is certainly a lesson for you in your livestock. We give

you to drink from what is in their bellies and there are many ways

in which you benefit from them (Qur’an, 23: 21)

With their highly developed radar equipment, the AWACS (Airborne Warning And

Control System) in Boeing 767 jets is used for early war*ing and target control purpos-

es. AWACS, effective in the air and on land, can*identify ships on the surface only and

fails when it c*mes to submarines under the water (which are invisible to AWACS).

(Bezen Çetin, "Hava Savunma Sistemleri," (Air Defense Systems) Bilim ve Teknik, Jan.

1995, 33.)

In identifying under-

**t** t**g*t*****e

Greater Bulldog Bat (Noctilio

leporinusi) is far superior to

AWACS. This bat’s sonar system en-

ables it to hunt fish. It’s no exaggera-

tion to think of the bat as a kind of ad-

vanced warplane with early warning capa-

bilities. When it locates a fish near the surface

of the water, it goes into a dive. On the large feet of the bat, which are ideally de-

signed for *eizing fish, there are sup*r*sharp, powerful *laws. As it approache* its prey,

the bat drops its feet below the water, where its thin claws meet no water resistance.

These large, sharp and pointed claws give the bat a great advantage when it comes to

gripping its prey. (*More about bat e*holocation;” http://www.szgdocent.org/re-

source/ff/f-bateco.htm)

Some moth species are able to confuse the bats’ detection system by means of the

high-pitched squeaks they emit. If the bat can't locate the moth, it’s*unable to catch it.

(Phil Gates, Wi*d *echno*ogy, 53.) *he EA-6B P*owler a*rc*a*t curr*ntly used by the U.S.

military imit*te these moths’ tactics. It monitors the electromagnetic spectrum and ac-

tively denies an adversary the use of radar and communications. (“EA-6B Prowler;”

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/ea-6.htm)

EA-6B Prowler

*a*u* Yahya

Dolphin Sound Waves and Sonar Technology

From a spe**al organ*known as the*melon i* its *ead, a*dolph*n can

sometimes produce as many as 1,200 clicks a second. Simply by moving

its h*ad, this *reatu*e *s able to transmit*the waves in the directi** i* wish-

es. **e* **e*sound wav*s s**ike an obj*ct, they are ref*ect*d*and retu*n

to the dolphin. The echoes reflected from the object pass through the dol-

phin's*lowe***aw to t*e middle ear, and *rom th*re to the bra*n. *hanks to

the enormous spe*d a* which these data are interpreted, very accurate

and sensitive information is obtained. The echoes let the dolphin deter-

mine the direction *f movement, speed**nd size of th* object that reflects

them. 53

The *olphin sonar is so sensitive that it can even*identify *ne single

fish from among an entire shoal. 54 It can also distinguish between two

separate metal coins, three kilometers away in the pitch dark. 55

In the pre*ent day, the instrument known as SONAR*56 is used to

identify targets and their directions for ships and su*marines. Sonar

works on exactly the same principle as that employed by the dolphin.

At Yale University, a robot was developed to be used for exploring

Harun Yahya

Scientists and engineers have built

several robots based on the sonar de-

signs in nature. One of these, the ro-

bot named “koala,”*constructed by the

K-Team Company, has six sonar units

and was designed for remote-control

exploration purposes.

Roman Kuc

new environments. An

electrical engi*eering pro-

fessor Roman Kuc

equipped the robot with a

sonar system imitating the

one used by dolphins.

Professor Kuc, who spent

10 years working on ultra-

sound sensors and robot-

ics research, admitted, “We decided to take a c*oser look a* how echolocation is

used in nature to see if we might be missing something.” 57

Imagine that someone told you that under the sea, sound waves

travel at 1,500 mete*s a second; then asked you to calculate, i* your s*b-

marine sent out sound waves that came back in four seconds’ time, how

far away was the object that reflected them.

You would calculate that you were three kilomet*rs away. Dolphins

are also capable of comfortably performing similar calculations, but they

know neither t*e speed at which their sound waves travel through the

water**nor how to multiply*an**divide* The* *o**t carry *** *ny of these

functions; all the animals do is behave the way God inspires them.

Evolutionists claim that dolphins’

sonar emerged as the result of a series

of changes caused by different factors.

(“National Geographic TV’s Undersea

Fairy Tales;” www.darwinism-

watch.com/nat_geo_tv_undersea_tale

s.php) This is as senseless and mean-

ingless as claiming that wind or earth

tremors brought together thousands

of pieces of electrical equipment on a

shelf and formed a sonar*circuit.

Part of a sonar circuit

Operators trained

to interpret the da-

ta sit at the consoles

of the most devel-

oped sonar systems.

Yet dolphins, which

evolutionists main-

tain are more primi-

tive tha* man, *ave

no need of such op-

erators.

Harun Yahya

Sonar Helps the Visually Impaired

As scientific research advances, we are discovering astonishing abil-

itie**in living things that offer solutions to problems in*many areas of dai-

ly lif*, fr*m the workplace to our hospitals. Darcy *inslow, General

Manager of Environmental Business Opportunities for Nike, expresses

this truth:

The *xtent to which the natural world can provide technological solutions for

the types of product performance characteristics we must provide are virtually

unlimited. Biomimicry still requires exploration, innovation and creativity, but

by thinking like or working with a biologist, we must learn to ask a different set

of questions and look to nature for inspiration and learning opportunities. 58

Many firms are now following a strategy that parallels the one that

Winslow set out. It is now possible to see electronic and mechanical engi-

neers working together with biologists.

Already, engineers influenced by bat's sonar have mounted a small

sonar unit onto a pair of glasses. After a period of familiarization with the

glasses, visually handicapped people are now able to avoid obstacles and

even ride bicycles. Still, the system’s designers stress that it will never re-

place human vision eye or be *s functional as that of the bat.

It’s of course impossible for flawless features like this, which even

experts have difficulties in replicating, to have appeared by chance. We

must not forget that what we refer to here as “features” are actually com-

plex, interconne*ted systems. The*absence or breakdown of only one com-

ponent means that the whole syste* fails to *ork. For example, if bats

sent out sound waves but couldn’t interpret the echoes reflected back,

they would in fact have no echolocation system at all.

In scientific liter*ture, the flawless and complete design that living

things display is known*as “irreducible complexity.” In other w*rds, cer-

tain designs become meaningless and functionless if reduced down to a

*impler *orm. Irreducible complex*ty in *l* org*nism* and*t*ei* sys*e*s

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

demolishes the funda-

mental idea of the theory

of evolution, according to

which organisms ad-

vance gradually, from the

simple towards the c*m-

plex. If a system can serve

no purpose before it

reaches its final form,

there is no logical reason

for it to maintain its exis-

tence over millions of

ye*rs, while it refin*s and

completes itself. A species

can survive down the

generations only if all its

systems are present. No

components of a system

can afford the luxury of

hoping to complete their

alleged evolution over

time. This clearly proves that when living things first appeared on Earth,

they were created with all their structures developed and fu*ly formed, as

they are today.

God brought animals an* all **her living things into being *hrough

His superior creation. News of this creation is given in a verse:

And He created livestock. There is warmth for you in them, and

various uses and some you eat. (Qur’an, 16: 5)

Harun Yahya

The Superior Design in the Bat Is Showing Us to Make Our

Roads Safer

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh developed a robot that

used its smart ears to find its way by means of ec**location, just like a bat.

Jose Carmena, *f the univ*rsity’s department of informatics, and his col-

leagues named this invention “RoBat.” The RoBat was equipped with a

central sound source, serving the same function as a bat’s mouth, and two

fixed receivers at a dista*ce apart comparable to a bat's ears.

In order*to make the best use of echo*s, other features of the bat were

al*o*borne in mi*d when designing the*Ro*at* B*ts move their ears*to d*-

tect interference patterns in the echoes and thus, can easily avoid obsta-

cles in front of them, navigate and hunt down preys. Like bats, the RoBat

was also equipped with smart acoustic sensors to make*its mechanism as

flawless as possible.

Thanks to such nature-inspired sound sensors, it is hoped that one

day our roads will be much s*fer.

In fact, such car manufacturers as Mercedes and BMW already use

ultrasonic sensors to hel* drivers reverse. Thanks to them, the driver is

alerted to how close he is to a car or other obstruction behind him. 59

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

A Fish’s Detector Against Pollution

The West African

elephant nose fish

(Gnathonemus petersii)

lives in 27 o C (80 o F)

muddy waters of

Nigeria. This 10 cm (3.9

in) fish uses its eyes

**ry l*t*le****the muddy

water. It finds*its way

*y*means of**he e*ectri-

cal **gnals con*t*ntly

given off by muscles in

its tail. Under normal

circumstances, it emits

30*-5*0 signals a minute. As the pollution levels rise, however, the num-

be* of signals emitted per minute can exceed 1,000.

D*tectors that make use of elephant nose fis* are used to measure

pollution levels in the British city of Bournemouth. A water company in

the city gave specimens of water from the River Stour to be checked by 20

elephant nose fish. Each fish lives in an aquarium filled with water from

*h***iver. *he **c*pt** si*n*ls

in the aquarium are forward-

ed to computers to which

they are linked. If the water is

polluted the increased num-

bers of signals emitted by the

fish are identified, and the

alarm signal is given by

means of the computer. 60

Harun Yahya

An electric eel

The electric eel Electrophorus electricus lives in*the

Amazon. Two-thirds of its two-meter long body is

covered in 5,000 to 6,000 electricity-producing disc-

like plates that produce 550 V / 2 A of electricity. The

shock is sufficient to stun fish up to two meters

away. (“Iste Doga,” Bilim ve Teknik, Nov. 1985, 11.)

Scientists imitate the electric eel’s defense mecha-

nism, using the same principle as it employs today.

That the eel can release such a strong discharge *f

electricity is truly a miracle of creation. It’s out of the

question for this exceedingly complex system in-

volved to have come about in stages: If the fish’s

electricity production fails to function completely, it

will give it no*advantage. In other words, every*part

of the system must have been created flawlessly and

at the same time.

An electric

stun gun

You can use electrical signals to locate an object or for

communications, but need to have accumulated scientif-

ic technology to do so. Even today, very

few countries have reached that level.

Yet some electric eels possess organic

radar around their bodies that give off elec-

trical signals that bounce back from its surroundings,

letting the animal obtain information about the size,

speed and motion of the objects around it.

The eel can also obtain information

about the gender and maturity of an-

other electric eel, and then invite it to

mate or frighten it off. (W. M. Westby,

"Les poissons électriques se parlent par décharges,"

Science et Vie, no. 798, Mar. 1984) Considering the com-

plicated*nature of our radar and

communications s*stems, we can

better understand the marvelous

creation within the eel’s body.

Harun Yahya

The glass knife fish (Eigenmannia virescens) locates objects in much the same way as hu-

mans calculate distance. We calculate distance according to the distance between sound

waves a*d the time w*ves from *he object take to rea*h our ear. This takes pla*e in a

little as 1/15,000 second. Instead of the sound waves, however, the glass knife fish emits

electrical signals and detects perturbations in the self-generated electric field due to

nearby*o*jects. As California University researchers G. Rose and W. Heilingenberg dis-

covered, the fish can perform these calculations in 400 billionths of a second, like a su-

per-computer. (“Harika Balik,” (Wonderful Fish), Hakan Durmus, Bilim ve Teknik, Mar.

1991, 43)

hich is the*most flawless, efficient flying ma-

chine? A Skorsky helicopter, a Boeing 747 pas-

senger jet, or an F-16 fighter?

The words, beginning a scientific article

about birds in Reader's Digest, provide an an-

swer to that question, stating that compared to birds, a marvel of

aerodynam**s, eve* t*e most *dva*ced aircr*ft are n*thing more

than crude copies. 61

Birds are perfect flying

machines. Any vehicle needs

to be fairly light in order to fly. This

applies right down t* the screws and

bolts used to attach the wings. This

ex*lains w*y airplane manufactur-

ers always try to use special materials

that are light but also strong and*resistant to

blows. But despite all the efforts expended toward this goal, we

humans are nowhere near birds in this field. Have you ever seen

a bird explode or fall apart in mid-air? Or a bird lose a wing be-

cause the connectio*s to its body have become weakened?

The fl*wless designs in birds have an enormous in-

fluence on the developm*nt of aviation. Indeed, the

Wright brothers, regarded as the inventors of

the airplane, used the vulture wing as a

model when building the wings of

their Kitty Hawk plane. 62

Planes fly much faster than

birds, but give off a lot of

heat during*flight. In a

bird's body, however, the

air circulation works just

like a cooling system. It is

therefore impossible to hit

a bird with a heat-seeking

missile as one can with a

plane.

In terms of flexibility and maneuverability, birds are far superior to planes. A bird’s neck allows

its beak to reach any part of the body, so that the bird is easily able to maintain its feathers,

the most important component of its flight. During flight, the neck also establishes balance, as

is the case with the flamingo. Progress made in aeronautics over the past century led to the

nose of Concorde, which was able to swivel up and down—a

design actually copied from dolphins.

The flap of a plane (the movable surface attached to the rear edge of the wing that is used to

create lift or drag) can't repair itself when damaged or even replace itself. Feathers, however,

which serve the same function for birds, can do so, thanks to the impeccable system God gave

them.

Harun Yahya

Try to tear a feather apart, and you’ll meet con-

siderable resistance, because filaments of the

feathers are closely bound together by small

hooks known as barbicels. A split feather even has

the power to repair itself. Just rubbing a feather a

few times “with the grain” lets these tiny hooks grip

themselves together once again.

Hollow bones, powerful chest muscles to move those bones, feathers

with properties that enable them to*remain in the air, aerodynamic wings,

a metabolism that meets high energy needs… All these features, which

clearly show that birds are the product of design, also give them extraor-

dinary abilities in the air.

*irds are mo*e advanced than planes in a great many other regards.

Birds such as the raven and dove can turn somersaults in the air, and

hummingbirds can remain suspended in flight. They can change their

minds in flight and suddenly alight on a branch. No airplane can perform

such maneuvers.

*h******* m*n**v** p*r-

formed by Russian pilot Victor

Pougat*hev in his Su-27 jet has

gone *o*n in **e *istor* *f

aviation. The maneuver al-

lowed Pougatchev to halt his

plane in the air for a moment,

causing an enemy plane to

pass un*erneath. ("Yeni Avc›

U ç a k l a r › : P*o u g a t c h e v ' i n

Kobralar›," (New Hunter

Planes: Pougatchev's Cobras)

Asst. Prof. Selcuk Aslan, Bilim

ve Teknik, Mar. 1990, 57-58.)

Yet Pougatchev’s maneuver is

as nothing compared to what

the hummingbird does.

*arun Y*hya

Even before the airplane had been discovered, the flawless design

employed by birds in order to fly influenced a great many inventors. As

is recorded in early silent movies, in the 19th century some individuals ac-

tually tied homemade wings onto their arm* and hurled themselves into

space, trying to imitate the movements of birds. Predictably, it did not

take them long to realize that wings alone were not enough to permit

them to fly.

Since then, mankind has made considerable progress in terms of sci-

entific techniques, and research and development. Yet some are still mak-

ing claims at least as hollow and irrational as those early inventors. In

their view, reptiles turned into birds gradually, stage by stage. This imag-

inary mechanism of gradual evolution has no foundation to support it.

Birds possess a*totally different structure from land-dwelling creatures.

Their bone and muscle structure, feathers, aerodynamic wings and me-

tabolisms bear not the slightest similarity to those of reptiles, 63 and the al-

leged gradual evolution model cannot account for even one of their bod-

ily mechanisms.

Birds’ bodies are specially de-

signed for flight. A glance at a

bird’s neck is sufficient to illus-

trate this. A sparrow’s consists

of 14 vertebrae, the same

number as in the giraffe. This

allows the bird to easily main-

tain its balance in the air, to

hunt, and to care for its feath-

ers.

Biomimetics: Technology I*itates Nature

T*e New Objective in Aeronautic*: A Wing that Changes

Shape According to Prevailing Conditions

As they fly, birds can use their wings in the most efficient way possi-

b**,*au*o*at**al** ****g*** ** *ea* w*** *ac**** l**e*t*m*e*a***e *nd

wind. Currently, companies engaged in airplane technology are actively

seeking to develop designs that make use of these features.

NASA, *oeing and the U.S. Air Force have designed a flexible wing,

made of glass fi*ers, that can change its shape according to data from a

computer inside the plane. This computer will also be able to process da-

ta from measuring equipment regarding flight conditions such as tem-

perature, wind force, etc. 64

Airbus, another firm working in this field, is trying to build adaptive

wings that can change shape according to prevailing

conditions, in order to reduce fuel con-

sumption as much as possible. 65

In short, birds’ wing struc-

tures are literally a marvel

of design. For many

years, their match-

less ability in fly-

ing has been a

source of

Birds’ wing struc-

tures are a marvel of de-

sign. By their masterful use of

the exact same wing structure, a

bird can manage to fly in heat or cold, in

windy or still conditions. This feature attracted

scientists’ attention and led them to try to produce

a wing that could change shape according to changing

conditions. The picture shows a cross-section of a wing

designed with that purpose in mind.

***un Y*hya

inspiration for engineers. God has equipped these creatures in the *est

possible ma*ner for flight. He draws attention to them in the following

verse:

Haven't they looked at the birds above them, with wings out-

spread and folded back? Nothing holds them up but the All-

Merciful. He sees all things.

(Qur’an, 67: 19)

Owls silently glide at night to catch their prey unawares, then suddenly swoop

dow*. According to the findings of r*searchers at NASA’s Langley Research

Center in Virginia, an owl’s flight feathers—unlike most birds, the flight feath-

ers of whose have a sharp, clean edge—have soft*fringes that decrease the tur-

bulence, and thus the noise* of air as it flows over wing. Military designers

hope that stealth airplanes can be made even stealthier by imitating the owl’s

wings. It is hoped that planes now invisible to radar will be completely silent.

(R*bi* Meadows, "Designs from Life,* Zooger, July/Au*ust 1999.)

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

How Birds’ Wings Are Shaping Flight Technology

The shape of birds’ wings is the determining factor in their abil-

ity to fly. *ings of fast-flying bir*s *i*e the falcon, hawk, and

swallow are long, narrow and pointed—features that have

served as a guide to flight engineers. ("Kusursuz Ucus

Makineleri" (Perfect Flight Machines), Bilim ve Teknik, 23.)

The study of bird flight has led to impo*tant chan*es in the structure

of airplane wings.

One of the first planes to make use of these changes was

the American F-111 fighter. F-111 did not have control sur-

faces such as ailerons and flaps, which are used to con-

t*ol movements of the aircraft. In*te*d, just as bir*s

d*, the *ight*r could sweep *ts*win*** T*is*al-

lowed it to remain balanced even while

turning. 66

For high-speed flight,

the most advantageous

wing shape is one swept

back. On the other hand,

straight wings allow

greater lift, important

for takeoff and landing.

The only way of benefit-

ing from both these fea-

tures is to construct vari-

able-sweep wings, capa-

ble of moving backward

and forward. (Clive

Gifford, Her Yonuyle

Ucaklar, (Cutaway

Planes) TUBITAK, 4 th

ed., January 1999, 24.)

Fighters such as the

*ornado and F-111 have

just such wings, the

sweep of which can be

changed in fligh*. This

design, the result of long

study, has been present

in birds since the mo-

ment of their creation.

Inspired by bird bones—which are hollow, making them very

light—the wings of modern planes are designed to be hollow

also.

The albatross has long wings with a large surface area, allowing the

bird to fly long distances without flapping its wings. Gliders de-

signed along the lines of the albatross wing are thus able

to remain in the air for long periods of time without

the need for a propeller.

During takeoff and landing, birds prefer

to face into the wind so that they expend

less energy. Airport runways are also sit-

ed to face prevailing winds, so that

planes expend less energy during take-

*f*.

Biomimetics: Technology Im*t*tes Nature

In Aviation Research, the Vulture’s Feathers Show the Way

During a plane’s flight, pressure changes at the wing’s edge can

form small vortexes—air currents at the edges of the wings

that can impede flight perfor-

mance.

Aviation research

studies have revealed

that when vultures fly,

they open their quill feath-

ers—the large feathers at the edge of the wing—like the fingers of a hand.

From this observation, researchers thought of taking it as a model to make

small metal ailerons and test them in flight. Using these, they hoped it

would be possible to reduce the vortexes’ unwelcome effects on a plane

by setting up a series of smaller vortexes to re-

place the large ones that had previously been

causing problems. Experiments proved this

idea to be correct* and they are now seeking

to implement it in real aircraft.

Harun Yahya

20th-Century Science Failed to Unravel the Aerodynamic

Technique* That Insects Use to Fly

As an insect flies, it beats its wings an average of several hundred

times a second. Some insects can even flap and rotate their wings 600

times a second. 67

So many movements are carried out with such extraordinary rapidi-

ty that this design can’t possibly be re*roduced technologically. In order

to reveal the flight techniques of fruit flies, Michael Dickinson, a professor

in the department of integrative biology at the University of California,

Berkeley, and his colleagues constructed a robot, called Robofly. Robofly

imitates the insect's flapping motion, but on a 100-fold larger scale and at

only a 1,000 th of the fly’s speed. It can flap its wings once every five sec-

onds, driven by six computer-controlled motors. 68

For years, many scientists like Professor D*ckinso* have been carry-

ing out experiments hoping to discover the details of how insects flap

their wings back and forth. During his ex-

periments on fruit flies, Dickinson discov-

ered that insect wings do not merely oscil-

late up *nd down, as *f attached by a sim-

ple hinge, but actually use the most com-

plex aerodynamic techniques. Moreover,

the wings change orientation during each

flap: The wing’s top surface faces up as the

wing moves downwards, but then the

wing rotates on its axis so that the under-

side faces up as the wing rises. Scientists

trying to analyze these complex motions

say that the conventional steady-state aero-

dynamics, the approach that works for air-

Michael Dickinson

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

Scientists agree that considerable

progress has been made in aviation

technology. When it comes to micro-

**apping f*ight, however, they admit

that they are still at the same stage that

the Wright Brothers were in 1903.

Above: A micro-flight system modeled

on insect wings. Right: The Wright

Brothers’ first plane.

plane wings, is insufficient.

Fruit flies actually make use of more than one aerodynamic feature.

For example, when they flap their wings, they leave behind them a com-

plicated whirlpool of air currents, rather like the wake of a ship. As the

wing reverses direction, it passes back throu*h this churning air, recover-

ing some of the energy lost beforehand. The muscles that allow the fruit

fly's only 2.5 mm wings t* flap 200 times a*second a*e consi*ered*as*the

most powerful of all insects’ flight muscles. 69

Many other details in addition to their wings, the flies’ sharp eyes,

100

Harun Yahya

their small rear wings (known as halteres) aiding balance, and the sensors

organizing the timing of the flapping motion, all testify to the perfection

of their design.

Flies have been using these aerodynamic rules for millions of years.

That today’s scientists, equipped with the most advanced technology,

can’t fully account for inse*ts’ flying techniques is one of the evident

*roofs of creation. For those who are able to think, God reveals the in-

comparable nature of His wisdom and knowledge in the *iny fly. In one

verse, He reveals:

Humanity! An example has been made, so listen to it carefully.

Those whom you call *pon besides God*are not even able to create

a single fly, even if they were to join

together to do it. And if a fly

steals something from them,

they cannot get it back. How

feeble are both the seeker

and the sought! (Qur’an,

22: 73)

La**e* ***t *in******e

insects a flight advan-

tage, but also a higher

risk of the wings being

damaged. They need to

be foldable, therefore—

yet the wings’ size makes

folding difficult* Bees solve this

problem by means of a ser*es of hooks

known as the hamuli, which join the front

and hind wings together in flight. When

the bee lands, the hooks separate, and the

wings can be comfortably folded away.

101

very single animal possesses many astonishing

f*at*res giv*n t**it at creation. Some enjoy the

ideal hydrodynamic form to allow them to

move through water; others use *ather out-

landish sensory devices. Most of these are de-

vice* that mankind has encountered for the*first time, or has

jus* b*gun to*g*asp. Thanks to *h* s*ien*e**f bio*im**ry**prod-

ucts emerging from the imitation of these ex-

traordinary discoveries will no doubt be

employed frequently in our future.

Surface Drag and Swimsuits

Inspired by Shark Skin

In Olympic swimming competi-

tions, 1/100th of a second can make the

difference between winning and losing.

Because the resis*ive drag opposing *he mo-

tio* of swimmers’ bodies is of g*eat impor-

tance, many swimmers choose newly-de-

signed swimsuits that reduce t*e drag.

Thes* tightly fitti*g **it*, covering a rather

large area of the body, are made out of a fab-

r*c which was designed to mi*ic the p*operties

of a shark's skin by superimposin* vertical resin

stripes.

Scanning electron microscope studies

have revealed that tiny "teeth" (riblets) cover

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

the surface of a sharks’ skin that produce*vertical vortices or spirals of wa-

ter, keeping the water closer to the *hark’s body and thus*reducing*drag.

This phenomenon is known as the Riblet Effect, and researc* in*o shark

skin is ongoing at NASA Langley Research Center.

Swimsuits made with new fibers and weaving techniques are pro-

duced to cling tightly to the swimmer’s body and r*duce drag as much as

possible. Research has shown that such garments can reduce drag by 8%

*****or**nar* *wimsu**s. 70

The U-shaped channels on a shark's ski* generate tin* vorte*es, bringing the water clos-

er to the***dy and*r*ducing drag. T*e l***e pic*ure *bove shows * *canning electron **-

croscope image of shark*skin. (“Fizik, Teknoloji ve Olimpiyatl*r”*(Physics, Technology

and Olympics), Bilim ve Teknik, 77.) At the Sydney Olympics, all gold-medal-winning

swimmers like the Australian Ian Thorpe, wore swimsuits with the same properties as

shark skin. This important development led to a new sphere of business activity. Firms

such as Speedo, Nike and Adidas, well known bathing suit manufacturers, hired many

experts in the fields of biomechanics and h*drodynamics.

104

Harun Yahya

USA Takes the Viper as a Model in Its Defense

Dr. John Pearce, of the University of Texas Electrical and Computer

Engineering Department, has studied Crotalines, better known as pit

vipers.

Hi* research focused on the pit organs of these sn*kes. *n front of the

snake’s eye is a tiny nerve-rich depression, called the pit, which is used in

locating w*rm-bloo*e* prey. It contains a soph*sticated heat-sensing sys-

tem—so sensitive,*in *act, that the snake can*detect a mo*se several me-

ters away in pitch darkness. 71

The researchers stated that when they unravel the secrets of the pit

vipe**s search-and-destro* mechanism, the methods the snake employs

can**e *d*pt*d more widel**t* pr*t*ct t*e coun*r* from e*e*y missi*es.

They hope to develop systems that will help pilots flying dangerous mis-

sions avoid enemy weapo*ry. D*. Pearce says, “The Air Force wants to see

if they can mimic the biologi-

cal system and get a better

missile detector.” 72 But so

far, he explains that stud-

ies carried out to that end

have found it difficult to

match the snake’s sensi-

tivity:

We’re basically modeling

the sensitivity of the

*n*ke or*an. Yo* can

measure nerve impulses,

but the question is, what

do those impulses mean?

** us* a *umerical

105

model to tell us: there’* this much infrared hitting the organ, and that means

this many nerve pulses. 73

The snake’s pit is a thin membrane rich in blood vessels and nerve

bundles. The membrane is so sensitive, and the variations in the respons-

es so minute and subtle that to catch and study these signals has proved

exceedingly difficult. To understand the functioning of the p*t organ, it is

necessary to work with delicate measurements and photomicrographs.

As this example shows, living things in nature display a superior in-

telligence and technology. Researchers investigating natural designs as

*h*i* m**e***th** ******e *****r*tion f****r**e*t**t*a*****h* ********e

last years and bring them to a conclusion in a much shorter time.

106

Harun Yahya

Chameleons and Clothes that Change Color

The impressive ability *hat chameleons have to change colors to

match their surroundings is both astoni*hing and aesth*tically pleasing.

The chameleon can camouflage itself at a speed that quite amazes people.

With great expertise, the chameleon uses its cells called chro-

matophores which contain basic yellow and red pigments, the reflective

layer reflecting blue a*d whit* light, and the melanophores containing the

black to dark brown pigment melanin, which da*kens its color. 74

For instance, place a chameleon into a bright yellow environment,

and it quickly turns yellow. In addition, the chameleon can match not on-

ly one si**le color, but a mixture**f hues. The*secret behind this lies in the

way *igme*t-*on*a*ning c*ll* ***** t**s m*ste* *f*c*mouf*ag*’s skin *x-

pand or contract to *atch their surroundings.

Current research under way at Massa*husetts Institute of

Technology, USA, is aimed at

making clothes, bags and

shoes able to change colors the

same way as the chameleon

does. Researchers envision

clothing made from the newly

developed fiber, which can re-

flect al* the light that hits it,

and equipped with a tiny bat-

tery pack. This technology will

allow the clothing to change

colors and patterns in seconds

by means of a switch on the

pack. 75 Yet this technology is

still very expensive. For in-

st*nce* t** cost of * color-

The technology in color-changing clothes and

the cham*leon’s ability *o change colo* may

appear similar, but are in fact very different.

Even if this technology can change color, still it

entirely lacks the chameleon’s camouflage abil-

ity that lets it match its surroundings in mo-

ments.

107

God has created the chameleon’s body with a sy*tem

that lets it change color to match its surroundings, en-

dowing it with a considerable advantage. Yet the rep-

tile*itself is *nawa*e of this ab*lity.

Haru* Yahya

**ang*ng ma*’s jacket is around $10,000.

What would you think if someone showed you a jacket and claimed,

“This can change color. Yet nobody prepared the jacket, nor its*ability to

change color. It all just happened by itself.” Probably you’d imagine that

person to be mad or else very ignorant. Quite clearly, there must have

been a tailor to put it together, and even before that, engineers to create its

ability to change color.

So, how can the chameleon carry out these impeccable changes? Did

it design the systems that permit the change, install them inside its own

body, and carry out the processes all by itself? Of course it would be most

irrat*onal to claim that the chameleon did this all of its own free will. Since

even human beings find it definitely impossible to bring about such a

change, how can a reptile install a system capable of changing its own

body’s appearance? To claim that such a superior ability came about by

chance is nonsensical and invalid.

No natural mechanism has the power to form such impeccable abil-

ities and bestow them on the living things that need*it. A superior power

rules the atoms, molecules, and cells in the creature’s body and arranges

them as*it wishes. God, Wh* crea*ed the *hameleons, *eveals to us the i*-

co*parab** natu*e*of His *reation i**such*ex*mple*. As is**ev**led in the

Qur’an, Go* is All-Powe*ful:

Everything in the heavens and the earth glorifies God. He is the

Almighty, the All-Wise. The kingdom of the hea*ens and the Earth

belongs to Him. He gives life and causes to die. He has power over

all things. (Qur’an, 57: 1-2)

109

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

515-Million-Year-Old Optic Design

In an article published in American Scientist, the well-known US sci-

entific magazine, Andrew R. Parker states that he and his colleagues ex-

amined a mummified fly preserved in amber resin for 45 million yea*s.

There was a periodic grating structure on the curved surfaces of the fly

o*m*ti*ia ***d***du*l visu*l**rg*ns compo*ing*t*e fl*'s comp*u***e**).

Analyzing the reflective properties of this structure, they realized that the

fly-eye structure was a very efficient antireflector, particularly at high an-

gle* o* incidence. This hypothesis was indeed confirmed in later studies.

Thanks to these findings and others, today’s scientists have deter-

mined how to greatly increase the efficiency of solar absorbers and solar

panels used to provide energy for satellites. Work is currently under way

110

Harun Yahya

to reduce the angular reflection of

infrared (heat) and other light waves

by mimicking the fly-eye structure.

Most suitable for use in solar panel

surfaces, the fly-eye grating has also

done away with the necessity for ex-

pensive equipment to ensure that

th**e panels a*e always directly fac-

ing the Sun* 76

Only recently have space tech-

nologists discovered and imitated

this design, but flies have possessed

it for millions of years. Similar struc-

tures have recently been discovered

also on some Burgess Shale fossils,

515 million years old. Permitting

very acute and color vision, this de-

sign shows just what a superior

product of creation it really is. But

*uch evidence can be com*rehend-

ed only by believers—those who

can use their reason to comprehend

that everything t*at*e*ists is under Go*’s control.

One verse describes how similar proofs mean nothing to those who

deny God:

God is not ashamed to use the example of a mosquito or of an even

smaller thing. As for those who believe, they know it is the truth

from their Lord. But as for those who do not believe, they say,

“What does God mean by this example?” He misguides many by it

and guides many by it. But He only misguides the deviators.

(Qur’an, 2: 26)

111

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

Stenocara: A Fully-Fledged Water Capturing Unit

In the desert, where few living things are to be found, some species

possess the most astonishing designs. One of these is the tenebrinoid bee-

tle S*enocara, which lives in the Namib Desert, in Southern Africa. A report

in the November 1, 2001, edition of Nature descr*bes how this beetle col-

lects the *ater so vital to its survival.

Stenocara’s water capture system basically depends on a special fea-

ture of its back, whose surface is covered with tiny bumps. The surface of

the re**o*s betwee* these bu*ps is ***-*oated, though**** peaks of the

bumps are wax-free. This allows the beetle to collect in a more productive

manner.

Stenocara extracts from the air the water vapor that occurs only rarely

in its desert environment. What is rem*rkable is how it*separates out the

water fro* the desert air, where tiny water droplets evaporate very quick-

ly due to heat and wind. Such droplets, weighing almost nothing, are

borne along parallel to the ground by the wind. The beetle, behaving as if

it knew this, tilts its body for-

wards into the wind. Thanks to

its unique design, droplets

form on the wings and roll

down the beetle's surface to its

mouthparts. 77

The article about Stenocara

included the following com-

ment: “The mechanism by which

water is extracted from the air and

formed into large droplets has so

far not been explained, despite its

biomimetic potential.” 78

112

Harun Yahya

*xaminin* t*e**eat*res of th** beetle’* ba*k**nder an elect****mi*r*-

scope, scientists established that it’s a perfect model for water-trapping

tent and building coverings, or water condensers and engines. Designs of

such a complex nat*re cannot come about just by themselves or through

natural events. Also, it’s impossible for a tiny beetle to have “inv*nted”

any system of such extraordinary design. Just Stenocara alone is sufficient

to prove that our Creator designed everything that exists.

100% Efficient Light-Generating Fireflies

From the tip of their abdomens, fireflies produce greeny-yellow

light. This light is*produced in cells containing a chemical called luciferin,

wh*ch rea*ts with oxy*en and an enzyme known as luciferase. The beetle

can turn the light on and off

by varying the amount of air

entering its cells from its

breat*in* tubes.*A normal

household bulb has a produc-

tivity level of 10%, the other

90% of the energy being wast-

ed as heat. But in a firefly, al-

most 100% of the energy pro-

duced is light, representing

with this very efficient

process, a target for scientists

to aim for. 79

What force allows fire-

flies to engage in such a high

level of efficiency? According

to *volutionist*,*the*answer

113

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

lies in unconscious atoms, hap-

penstance, or other external fac-

tors with no propulsive force; none

of which can possess the power to

actually initiate such productive activi-

ty. God’* art is infinite and incompara-

ble. In many verses of the Qur’an, God

speaks of the need for people to use rea-

son to*consider and draw lessons from

what He has created. Therefore, man’s re-

sponsibility is to consider God's miracles

and turn only towards Him.

114

*a*u***ahya

A Solution to Traffic Problems from Locusts!

Auto accidents cost millions of lives every year. In its search for a so-

lution, the scientific world no* believes that locusts might offer just such

a remedy. Even though locusts travel in swarms of millions, research has

shown that they never collide with one another. The answer to how lo-

c***s*a**** ****g*s* l*d to***e o**ni*g ******h******* *******f***h*r**o*.

Experiments determined that locusts send out an electronic signal to

any body approaching them to identify that body’s location, and then

change direction a***rd*n*l*.*80

Inve*to*s*are now trying to im-

plement the method locusts em-

pl*y*in **der to r*s*lve a *r*b-

lem that has remained in-

115

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

tractable for years. These creatures, behaving in the way God inspires

th*m to, are among the clearest proofs of creation.

Birds’ Flight Methods as a Model for High-Speed Trains

When Japanese engineers and scientists were designing their high-

speed 500-Series electric trains, they encountered a major problem:

Examining wild birds for the perfect solution, soon they found the design

they were seeking and implemented it successfully.

Ow* Flight and High-Sp*e* *ra*n *oise

In the high-speed trains developed by the Japanese, safety is one of

the most important factors* A second is compatibility with Japanese envi-

ronmental standards. Japan’s noise regulations regarding railway opera-

tors are the strictest in the world. Using current technology, it’s not actu-

ally that difficult to go faster, though it’s hard to eliminate noise while do-

ing so. Under Japanese Environment Agency regulations, a railway’s

116

Harun Yahya

noise levels must no* ex-

ce*d 75 decibels *t a point

25 meters (82 feet) away

from the center of railway

track in urban areas. At a

crossing in a town, when

cars st*rt to move all at

once on the green light,

they create more than 80

decibels. This goes to

show just how quiet the

high-speed Shinkansen

train must be.

The reason for the

noise that a train produces

up to a certain operation

speed is the rolling of its

wheels on the tracks. At

speeds of 200 kmph (125

mph) or over, however,

the sound source becomes

the aerodynamic noise caused by its movement through the air.

The major*s**rces of aerodynamic nois* are *he pantog*aphs, or *ur-

rent colle*tors, used to take in electricity from o*erhea* catenary.

Engineers, realizing that they couldn’t reduce noise levels with the con-

ventional recta*gular pantograp*s, concentrated their research on *ni-

mals that move quickly, yet silently.

Of all birds, owls make the least noise during flight. One of the ways

they manage this is through the plumes of their wings. In addition, an

owl’s wings have many small saw-toothed feathers (serrations) visible

117

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

even to the naked eye, which other birds lack. These serrations generate

smal* vortexes in*the ai***low. Aerodynamic noise ste*s ***m*vort*xes

forming in the air flow. As these grow in size, the noise increases. Since

owls’ wings feature*many saw-t*ot*ed pro*ections, they form smaller vor-

texes instead of large ones, and the owls can fly very quietly.

When Japanese designers a*d engineers tested stuffed owls in a

wind tunnel, they once again witnessed the perfection of these birds’

wing design. *ater, they succeeded in efficiently reducing train noise by

using wing-shaped pantographs based on the principle of the owl’s ser-

rations. Thus the pantograph system developed by the Japanese, inspired

by nature, beca*e the*quietest functio*in*. 81

The Kingfisher’s Dive and High-Speed Trains’ Entry into Tunnels

The *unne*s**n**h* line* us*d ** hi*h-speed*trai*s represen*ed an-

other problem fo* engineers to solve. When a train enters a tunnel at a

high speed, atmospheric pressure waves rise up and gradually grow up

to*be lik* tida**waves tha* approach th* exit o* t*e tunne* at *h* s*me**on-

ic speed. At the exit, the waves then return. At

the tunnel’s exit, part of the pressure waves

is released with a sometimes explosive

noise.

Harun Yahya

Since the pressure of the waves is about one thousandth of atmos-

*h*ri****e*sure*** l**s, t**y*************t***s t*******i****pre*su*e*****s,

which form as shown in the di*gram.

The very disturbing noise created under the influence of the p*essure

waves can be reduced by widening the tunnel, but the task of altering the

cross-sectional area of tunnels is very difficult and*expensive.

At first, en*ineers thought that *educi*g*the *ross-sectio*al area of

trains and making the forefront shape sharp and smooth migh**be

a solution. They put these ideas into action in an experi-

mental train, but remained unable to eliminate

the m*cro-pressur* waves it cre*ted.

Wondering if similar dy-

namics arose in nature, the de-

signers a*d engineers thought of

the kingfisher. In order to hunt its

prey, the kingfisher dives int* water,

which has greater fluid resistance

than air, a*d it experiences sudden

119

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

To catch its prey, the king-

fisher dives from low-resis-

tance air into high-resis-

tance water. Just as the

bird’s beak facilitates such a

dive, it also prevents its

body from harm. But the

kingfisher still needs to be

able to see its prey as it

dives into the water. God

has created the bird with a

protective mechanism to

protect its eyes without hin-

deri*g its ability to see and

sei*e its prey und*rwater.

When one bears in mind the

fact that underwater objects

appear to be somewhere

else than where they really

**e ***n*on*****k* *t****m

from above the water, the

impor*ance of *h** *ec*mes

even clearer.

changes in the resistance like a train does when it enters a tunnel.

Accordingly, a train traveling at 300 kmph (186 mph) needs to have

a forefront shape like a kingfisher’s beak, which facilitates the bird’s div-

ing.

Studies conducted by the Japanese Railway Technical Research

Institute and the University of Kyushu revealed that the ideal shape to

suppress tunnel micro-pressure waves*was a shape of revolving parabo-

loid or a wedge. * close-up cross-section of a kingfisher’s upper and low-

er b*a* form p*ecisely thi* shap*. 82 The king**sher*is yet *noth*r *xample

of how *ll living things are *reated with exactly what they need to sur-

vive—and whose designs can serve as models for human beings.

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Harun Yahya

Peacock Feathers and Self-Changing Display Signs

In a peacock's feathers, the ker-

atin protein together with the

b**** f*athe********* m**a**n,**he

only pigment these feathers con-

tain, allow light to refract so that we

can see the color. The light and dark

colors we see in feathers derive

from the directional layering of ker-

atin. Peacock feathers' exceedingly

bright hues stem from this structural feature.

Nature inspired one Japanese company to develop reusable displ*y

signs, whose surfaces are structurally altered under ultraviolet light

which changes the materials’s crystalline alignment, thus eliminating cer-

tain colors so as to display the desired message. These signs can be used

over and ove* and imprinted with new images. This eliminates the cost of

producing new signs, as well as the ne*d for using toxic paints. 83

121

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

A Computer Solution from Butterflies

We use computers so extensively that they’ve become part of every

moment of our lives 24 hours a day—at home, at work, even in our cars.

Comp*t** techno*og* is d*veloping rapidly*day *y day, and incre*sing

living standards require of computers’ functioning to increase at the same

pace, growing faster all the time. The latest models can achieve breath-

taking speeds, and faster chips mean that computers can carry out more

tasks in less time. However, faster chips lead to greater consumption of

electricity, which warms up the chips as a result. It is essential for com-

puter chips to be cooled do*n to prevent them from melting. The existing

fans are no longer sufficient to cool down the latest generation of chips.

Designers seeking a solution to this problem eventually declared that they

had found a s*lution in nature.

Butterfly wings contain a perfect structure in their design. Research

carri*d out at T*fts University has revealed that there is a cooling system

in butterfly wings. When this system is compared to that in computer

122

Harun Yahya

chips, it has a much better performance. A team headed by assistant re-

search professor of mechanical engineering Peter Wong was funded by

the American*National Science Foundation to study how iridescent but-

terflies control heat.

Sin*e butterflies ar* co*d-bloo*ed,*they ha*e t* co*stantly reg*l*te

their body temperatures. This is a serious problem, because friction dur-

ing flight leads to considerable quantities of heat. This heat needs to be

cooled down at once. Otherwise, the butterfly will not survive. The solu-

tion is provided by the millions of microscopic scales, called thin-film

structures, clinging to their wings. The heat g*nerated is thus dispersed. 84

T*e team est***tes*that thi* *ese*r*h will become u*eful f*r*chip

manufacturers like Intel and Motorola in the near future. But in butt*r-

*l**s* th*s m*tc**es***es**n*has b*** ****nd f*r ***lon* a* t*** *a*** That

butterfly wing* embody such a flawless solution introduces us to the wis-

dom and power of the Creator. That power belongs to God, Who has do-

minion and power over all.

123

J*** 12, 2*01*news r*le*se ***l*sh*d*by

America’s Sandia National Laboratories

announced that as a result of their work,

they h*d “approached the visual acuity of

the eye itself.” The report stated that using

64 computers, a digital image was produced that took them on-

ly seconds to acquire. 85

This is a most important development, yet one point

shouldn’t be forgotten. In as little as one-tenth of a second, hu-

man eyes form an image that takes up no more space than one

square milli*eter on the retina. With this in mind, it can be seen

that the human eye is much faster and more functional than 64

computers, using the very latest technology.

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

Technology Is Unable to Match the Design in the Human

Heart

Human beings live for an av*r*ge of between 70 an* 80 years. The

human heart beats some 70 to 80 times a minute, for a total of several bil-

lion times during the course of an individual’s lifetime. The Abiomed

company, known for its research into artificial hearts, has stated that de-

spite all its work, it will be unable to imitate the flawless functioning that

the heart displays successfully over the years* For the company’s newly-

*evelope* artificial heart to beat 175 million beats, or abou* five years, ap-

pears a significant target. 86

A product of the latest technology, this artificial heart was te*ted in

calves before human beings, although the calves survived for only a few

months. The artifi*ial heart*developed by the co**any has been *ut in

safety trials in human heart failure patients in 2004* But, obviously re-

searchers find the human heart so difficult to imitate. Steven Vogel of

Duke Universi*y* a biomechanic who*has also written a book on this sub-

Alan Snyder

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Harun Yahya

ject, describes why:

It’s that the engines we have available, whatever their pow-

er output or efficiency work so differently.*Muscle is a soft,

wet,*contractile **gine* and that’s j*st unlik* anything *n

our technological armamentarium. So you can’t im-

itate a heart 87

Like the genuine article, Abiomed’s ar-

tificial heart consists of two ventricles.

Th*re th* similarity*end*, ho*ev*r. Alan

Snyder of Penn State, a bioengineer who

led the research, explains the difference in

these terms: “In the natural heart, you’re us-

ing muscle as a container and the container pumps on its own.” 88 Pumps

that work along the same lines as the heart contain a container and a sys-

tem that pumps the fluid. In the heart, however, the container carries out

its own pumping. That is the difference Snyder summarized.

Researchers, wondering how to make a heart that contracts by itself,

set the interior walls of the two ventricles into motion by placing a sepa-

rate engine between them. This artif*cial heart wor*s with a battery locat-

ed in the patient’s abdomen. This battery has to be recharged continuous-

ly by radio waves emitted by a re*hargable battery pack patients will

wear in a harness.

Our natural hearts, on the other hand, have no need of a battery for

energy, because they boast an incomparable muscular design capable of

creating its own energy in every cell. Another feature of the heart that

can’t be replicated is the incomparable efficiency of its pulses. In fact, the

heart can pump five liters of blood a minute while at *est, which can rise

to 25-30 liters during exercise. Kung, Abiomed’s director, describes this

extraordinary change of tempo as “a challenge that currently no mechan-

ical device can meet.” The artificial heart made by the company can only

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Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

pump 10 liters a minute at best, which is not sufficient for a great many

ordinary activities. 89

The real heart is nourished and strengthened according to its needs

by th* blood it pumps. *uch a heart can work for 50 to 60 years wi*h no

need for repairs. The heart possesses the capacity for self-renewal, which

is wh* it n*ve* lose* its*ability for *nin*erru*t*d work**T*i**** y** ano*h-

er feature that makes it impossible to imitate artificially.

Our heart, which scientists can only dream of matching with present-

day technology, shows to us th* superior knowledge of our Creat*r and

our Great Lord—God.

From the Immune System, a So*ution to the Computer Virus

Menace

Once a single computer is affected by a virus, this means that other

computers in th* world may soon be contaminated as well. Many com-

pa*ies, therefore* have seen it necessary to set up*an “immune sys*em” to

protect their network systems from viruses and continue to carry out in-

*ensive rese*r*h in****s a*ea. One of*t*e*c*n*ers t*a* *s carry*n* o*t*this

work is the virus isolation laboratory at the IBM's Watson Research Center

in N*w York**The**, a hi*h-security *i*robiolo*y la*o*a*or* wor*s**ith

lethal viruses, also producing programs that can diagnose the 12,000 or so

viruses identified so far—and also isolate the viruses from a computer in

a safe manner and then kill them.

IBM is only one of the firms trying to construct a worldwide immune

system to protect its existing computer systems from virus threats in the

cyberspace. Steve White, one of the company’s executives, states that to

achieve that en*,*an immune system like the human body’s is needed.

It's only the existence of an immune system that allows the human race to ex-

ist. Only an immune system in cyberspace *ill allow it to exist. 90

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Harun Yahya

Pursuing this analogy between the computer and living things, re-

searc*ers have begun producing protective programs that function like

our own immune systems. They believe what we have learnt from epi-

demiology (the branch of science which studies contagious diseases* and

immunology (which deals with the immune system) will be able to pro-

tect electronic progr*ms from new threats in the same way that antibod-

ies protect living organisms.

Computer viruses are clever self-replicating programs designed to

infiltrate computers, multiply b* copyin* themsel*es and damage*or “hi-

jack” the computers they enter. Indications that such viruses are present

include a slowing down of the computer system, occasional mysterious

damage to files, and sometimes, complete failure or “crashing” of the

computer itself—much as with the various diseases that affect human be-

ings.

1*9

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

To protect our computers against the menace of viruses, identifica-

tion programs*search every code in the computer’s memory to find traces

of viruses that have previously been identified and stored in the pro-

grams’ memory. Computer viruses carry traces of the signature of the

software wri*er that let them be recognized. When the computer’s search

program recognizes that telltale signature, it warns that the computer has

been infected with a virus.

Even so, anti-virus programs can’t of*er complete protection for com-

puters. Some programmers can write new viruses within a matter of a few

**ys and again insert them*into cyberspace*through ju*t*one*infected

computer. That being the case, it’s vital that anti-virus programs be con-

stantly updated so that they have the information they need to recognize

new viruses. New anti-virus programs need to be added constantly, there-

fore, to protect against the virus threat.

With the increasing spread of worldwide use of the Internet, these

viruses have begun to spread very much faster and to inflict serious harm

to infected computers. IBM **searchers have found solutions by imitating

natural examples. First of all, just like biological viruses in nature, artifi-

cial computer viruses use the host programming to multiply. Starting

from that analogy, researchers investigated how the human immune sys-

tem works to protect the body.

When it encounters a foreign organism, the body immediately begins

to build antibodies that will recognize the invader and destroy it. The im-

mune system doesn’t need to analyze the who*e*of a cell that might result

in a si*knes*.*Once any prelim*na*y i*f*ction*has been suppressed, the

body keeps a number of the appropriate antibodies in readiness, to re-

spond immediately to any future recurrence. Thanks to these standby an-

tibodies, there is no need to examine the entire infecte* cell. Similarly, ex-

isting anti-virus programs also c*ntain an "antibody" that recognizes not

the w*o*e compu*er virus, but rather its si*nature.

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Harun Yahya

As we have seen, the solutions to many problems in the technical

arena that leave us floundering already exist in nature. Our immune sys-

tem, of which every detail has been thought out and which functions per-

fectly, was ready to protect us before we were even bo*n. It is Our Lord

*ho w*tches and*prote*ts all. In **e ver*e *t i* re*ealed:

My Lord is the Preserver of everything. (Qur’an, 11: 57)

From the Eye to the Camera: the Technology of Sight

The eyes of vertebrates resemble spheres with openings called pupils

through which light enters. Behind the pupils are lenses. Light passes first

through these lenses, then through the fluid that fills the eyeball, finally

striking the retina. In the retina there are some 100 million cells known as

rods and cones. The rod cells distinguish between light and dark, and the

cones detect colors. All these cells turn the light falling onto them into

electrical signals and send them to the brain via the optic nerve.

The eye regu*ates the i*tensity*of the light en*ering it by means of*the

iris, s*rrounding the pupil. *he iris is able to expand and *ontract, thanks

to its tiny muscles. Similarly, the amount of light entering a camera is re-

stricted by a device known

as a diaphragm. In his book

Wild Technology, Phil Gates

describes how the camera

is a very simple copy of the

eye:

Cameras are primitive,

mechanical versions of

vertebrate eyes. They are

light-proof boxes equipped

with a lens to focus an im-

131

a*e on film that is briefly exposed when a shutter is opened. In eyes the image

is focused by changing the shape of the lens, but cameras are focused by chang-

ing the distance of the lens from the film. 91

Focusing

This is the first step in taking a photograph. The**ame kind of focus-

ing of an image is also necessary in order for it to fall clearly onto the sen-

sitive retina *n th* eye. With cameras,*this is done by han* or*automati-

cally in more sophisticated models. Microscopes and telescopes, used to

s*e *p close *nd far a*ay,*ca* a*so be fo*used, ye* *h*s p*ocess a*ways in-

volves a certain loss of time.

The human eye, on the other hand, performs this process constantly

by itself, and*very quickly. Furthermore, the method it employs is so su-

perior that it cannot possibly be imitated. Thanks to the muscles around

it, the lens sends the image onto the retina. Very flexible, this lens easily

changes shape, sharpening the point on which light falls by expanding or

contracting.

If the lens didn’t do this automatically—for inst*n*e, if we had to

132

*a**n***h*a

consciously focus on the object of our attention—then we’d have to make

a constant effort to be able*to se*. Images in our sight would blur in and

out of focus. We would require time to see anything properly and as a re-

sult, all *f our actio*s would be slowed down.

Because God has made o*r eyes flawless, however, we experience

none of these difficulties. When he wants to see anything, no one has to

wrestle with setting his eyes’ focus and make various optical calculations.

In order to*see an object clearly, it is sufficient to*look at it. The rest of the

process is handled automatically by the eye and the brain—moreover, it

all takes place in the space of time it takes to wish to do it.

Light Settings

A photograph taken *n the daytime will be very clear, but not when

the same film is used to take a picture of the night sky. Yet even though

our eyes open and cl*se in less than one-tenth of a second, we *an see the

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Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

stars quite clearly, because our eyes automatically set themselves accord-

ing to various in*ensities of light. Muscles around the pupil a*low this to

happen. If our surroundings are dark, these muscles expand, the pupil

widens and more light is all*wed into the eye. With plenty of light, the

muscles contract, the pupil shrinks and less light is permitted to enter.

That is why we enjoy c*ear vi*ion bo*h night and day.

A Window on a Colored World

The eye “snaps” both a black-and-white picture an* a colored one*at

the same time. Thes* two pict*res are*later combin*d in t*e br*in, *here

they take on a normal appearance, in much the same way as four-color

photography comb*nes black with red, yellow, and blue to produce a re-

alistic full-color image.

The rod cells in the retina perceive objects in black and white, but in

a detailed manner. The cone cells identify the colors. As a result, the sig-

nals receive* are analyz*d, and our brains fo*m a col*red image of the

outside world.

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Harun Yahya

The Eye’s Superior Technology

Compared with the eye, cameras possess a very primitive structure.

Visual images are many times more precise than those obtainable with

even the most highly developed camera. As a result, images perceived by

the eye are of much higher quality than those provided by any man-made

equipment.

This whole idea can be better grasped i* *e examine *he principles of

a TV camera, which operates by transmitting numerous dots of light.

During br*a*cas*, a scanning proc**u*e is *ppl*ed, *n* the obje*t be*o*e

the camera is thus divided into a specific number of lines. A photocell

lamp scans all the dots in each line consecutively, from left to right.

Having finished scanning one line, it moves on to the next, and the

process continues. T*e light values of each dot are analyzed, and the re-

sulting signal is emitted. This photocell scans 625 or 819 lines in one-twen-

ty fifth of a second. When one entire image is complete, a new one is

transmitted. In this way the quantity of signals emitted is very high, all

created at a dazzling speed.

The eye’s mechanism is much

more functional. One can

clearly understand the as-

tonishing perfection of

its structure when

one considers that it

never needs to re-

pair or replace any

parts.

135

B*o**me*ics: *echn**ogy *mi*ate**Natu*e

As medical science ad-

vances, the human eye’s

miraculous nature is being

ever better understood. By ap-

plyin* to technology the

knowledge we’re acquiring

about the eye, ever more ad-

vanced cameras and countless

optical systems are being de-

veloped. But no matter how

much technology advances,

the electronic devices man-

ufactured so far remain a

primitive copy of the eye

itself. No computer-sup-

ported camera or other

man-made gadget can rival the human eye. 92

So how did t*i* c**p*ex struct*re *n the *ye e***ge?

It is undoubtedly impossible for any structure this complex to form

itself by trial and error, over a long period of time. The eye’s structure is

such that it won’t be*able to work if even one component is lacking. No

design c** come ab*ut by c**nce, and the eye reveals a very clear and in-

comparable design. This leads us to the question of Who designed it. The

only Originator of the design is God. The fact that such an organ has been

given to us, allowing us to perceive everything round us in the best pos-

sible way, is a great reason for*us to thank Him. As we are told in one

verse of the Qur’an,

Say: “It is He Who brought you into being and*gave you hear*ng,

sight and hearts. What little thanks you show!” (Qur’an, 67: 23)

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Harun Yahya

Scientists’ Attem*t to Imitate the Eye

Amazed at the eye’s functioning, and

seeking to duplicate its superior fea-

tures in the technological field,*scien-

tists have recently begun to examine

more closely the flawless mecha-

nisms of living things in nature. A

number of studies in biomimetics

have greatly accelerated progress in

the technological arena.

Computer Circuitry Imitates Nature

Inner retina

Outer retina

Optic nerve

Iris

Cornea

The retinal cells in our eyes recognize and in-

terpret light, then send this inf*rmation to other cells to which they are

connected. All these visual processes have inspired a new model for com-

puters.

The retina, consisting o* nerve cells tightly linked to one another, is

not restricted to only perceiving light. Before signals from the retina are

transmitted to the brain, they undergo a huge number of processes. For

instance, cells that compose the retina process*informati*n to ac*entuate

the edges of objects, called*"edge extraction," boost the powe* of the elec-

trical signal and carry out adjustments, depending on whether the ambi-

ent illumination is dark or bright. Yes, powerful modern computers are

capable of c*rrying out similar functions, but the retina’s neural network

uses a relatively much smaller amount of energy. 93

One research team, led by Carver Mead of the California Institute of

Technology, is looking into the secrets that allow the retina to carry out all

*he*e*pro*e********ea******T****her***th*t** **lte*h*****o***t**i**a

Mahowald, M*ad designed electroni**c*rcu*ts containing light*re*eptors

137

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

like those in the eye, with a structure similar to

the retina’s neural network. Also as in the reti-

na, these l*ght receptors are connected to oth-

ers, allowing the electronic circuit components

to communicate with o*e another, just as reti-

nal cells do. 94

Despite all these efforts, however, it’s

Carver Mead

proved to be impossible to imitate the retinal netwo*k’s circuitry, because

of the vast *umber of individua* cel*s in the living retina and*the connec-

tion* **t*e*n t*e*******gn**n*****rs*****r****** ar******t*y****to***-

derstand how the retina’s neural network operates and are designing sim-

pler circuits which, ideally, can perform similar functions.

Harun Yahya

The Fly’s Ear Will*Cause a Revolution i* Hearing D*vices

Researc*ers from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., began studying

hearing systems in nature in order to design more sensitive auditory

equipment. As a result, they realized that the ear of Ormia ochracea, and its

extraordinary design could lead to a revolution in hearing aids. The ear of

this species of fly can identify a sound’s direction in a most accurate man-

ner. As an arti*le of U.S. National Institute on Deafness and Other

Communication Disorders describes it:

Humans were co*sidered the best creatures at locating sounds Because hu-

mans have six or so inches between their right and left ears, the difference be-

tween what each ear hears is greater, making it easier to compute the location of

the sound. But with its right ear only half a millimeter away from its left, Ormia

has a much bigger challenge in telling the difference. 95

Identifying the direction of sounds is essential for Ormia’s survival,

because it must locate crickets as a source of food for its larvae. The fly de-

posits its eggs atop the cricket, and its larvae feed on the insect after they

emerge.

Ormia has very sens*tive ears design*d to establ*sh*th* locat*on of a

chirping cricket. It can pinpoint sounds exceptionally well.

For locating sounds, the human brain uses a similar method to that

of Ormia. For this purpose, it’s enough f*r s*und to reach the closer ear

first, then*the more distant *ne. When a sound

wave strikes the eardrum’s membrane, it is con-

verted into an electrical signal and immediately

transmitted to the brain. The brain calculates the

milliseconds of difference between the sound’s

reaching both ears and thus determines the direc-

tion it came from. The fly, whose brain is no larg-

er than a pinhead, performs this calcul*tion only

Ron Hoy

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Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

in 50 nanoseconds, 1,000 times faster than we

can. 96

Scientists are trying to use the exception-

ally functional design of this small fly’s ear in

the manufacturing of hearing and listening

devices under the brand name of ORMIA-

FON. As we have shown, even the tiny fly

possesses a superior structure and design that

demolishes evolution’s nonsensical theory of

"coincidence." In the same way, this minute

creature’s every organ and feature display the

infinite might and *nowledge of our Creator.

It is impossible for such a tiny yet complex creature to be recreated even

by skillful scientists working together and employing the most advanced

technology, let alone *hrough an imaginary "evolutionary" process.

Even this tiny fly constitutes a self-evident proof of God’s superior

creation.

140

ince the designs in nature are quite flawless,

their i*spirations are now **equently em-

ployed in architectural designs. All the fea-

tures necessary in a structure, such as energy

savings, beauty, functionality and durability

have already been created in the natural world. No matter how

many superior systems human beings may run across, their imita-

tions can never be as good or practical as the originals.

In order to copy nature’s design**an* imple*ent them in ar-

chitectural design, a high level of engineering know-how is essen-

tial. Yet the living things in the natural world know nothing about

load bearing or architectural principles. Nor do they have any op-

portunity of understanding them. All living things behave in the

manner God inspires in them. In one verse, He reveals that all liv-

ing things are under His control:

… There is no creature He does not hold by the forelock

(Qur’an, 11: 56)

Buckminster Fuller, an architect famous

for using forms in nature in the structures

he designed, said that the designs in na-

ture make marvelous models. According

to Fuller, what makes nature’s dynamic,

functional and light weight technology es-

sential is “optimum efficiency.” (“Invisible

Architecture,” Bonnie Goldstein DeVarco,

http://members.cruzio.com/~devarco/na-

ture. htm) The picture shows Fuller with a

design inspired by the microscopic crea-

tures known a* radiolarians.

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

Oyster Shells—a Model for Light,

Sturdy Roofs

The shells of mussels and oysters re-

semble wavy hair because of thei* irregu-

larly shapes. This shape allows the shells,

despite being very lightweight, to with-

stand enormous pressure. Architects have

employed their structure as a model for de-

signing various roofs and ceilings. For ex-

ample, the roof of Canada’s Royan Market

was designed with the oyster shell in

mind. 97

Architect Eugene Tsui is known for

using the designs in nature in his

structu*es. Ts*i*does not em*loy

the right angles and straight lines

we are accustomed to, but instead

prefers the soft lines found in na-

ture. Structures planned along

these lines, he says, are better able

to withstand the destructive ef-

fects of earthquakes, wind and

wa*er. (National Georaphic

Channel (Turkey), Animal

Inventors, 25/11/2001)

An oyster shell and

the Royan Market

144

The oyster shell’s curved shape

makes it especially resistant.

Corrugated cardboard dupli-

cates the curved lines found in

oyster

shells,

making

stronger

than

ordinary,

flat

cardboard.

Harun Yahya

The Munich Olympic Stadium and Dragonfly Wings

Dragonfly wings are one three-thousandth*of a millimeter thick.

Despite being so thin, however, they are very strong since they con-

sist of up to 1,000 sections. Thanks to this compartmental structure

the wings do not tear, and are able to withstand the pressure that

forms during flight. The roof of the Munich Olym*ic Stadium was de-

signed along the same principle.

The Munich Olympic Stad*um

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

From the Water Lily *o the Crystal Palace

Built for the first World’s Fair in London in 1851, the Crystal Palace

was a technological m*rv*l of *lass and iron. *ome 35 meters (108*feet)

high and*covering an area of approximately 7,500 square meters (18

acres), it featured more than 200,000 panes of glass, each 30 by 12* cen-

timeters (12-by-49 inches) in size.

The Crystal Palace was designed by lan*sc*pe designer Joseph

Paxton, who drew inspiration from Victoria amazonica, a species of water

lily. Despite its very fragile appearance, this lily possesses huge leaves

that are strong enough for people to stand on.

When Paxton examined these leaves’ undersides, he found they

were supported by fibrous extensions like ribs. Each leaf has radial ribs

stiffened by slender crossribs. Paxton thought these ribs could be dupli-

cated a* weight-bearing iron struts, and the leaves themselves as the glass

panes. In this way, he succeeded in constructing a roof made of glass and

iron, which was very light yet still very strong. 98

The water lily begins growing in the mud at the bottom of

Amazonian lakes, but in order to survive, it needs to reach the surface.

146

The structure of the wa-

ter lily was used when

building the Pan Am

Terminal at New Y*rk’s

John F. Kennedy Airport.

The

diagram

the

left

shows

how

roof

de-

signed along the lines of a

water lily leaf distributes

the load.

The Crystal Palace in London

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

When it comes to the surface of

the water it stops growing, then

starts forming thorn-tipped

buds. In as little as a few hours,

these buds open into enormous

leaves up to two meters across.

The more area they cover on the

surface of the river, the more

sunlight they can obtain with

which to carry out photosynthe-

sis.

Another thing the root of

t*e water *ily re*uires**s**x**en,

of which t*ere*is little in the

muddy bottom where the plant is rooted. However, tubes running down

the long stems of the leaves, which can reach as much as 11 meters (35

feet) in height, serve as channels that carry oxygen from *he leaves down

to the roots. 99

As the seed starts to grow in the depths of the lake, how does it know

that it will soon need light and oxygen, without which it can’t survive,

and that everything it requires is at the surface *f the water? A plant that

*as only just begun to *e*minate is unawar* t*at the water **o*n* h*s a

surface up above, and knows nothing of the Sun or oxygen.

According to evolutionist logic, therefore, new water lilies should

have drowned under several feet of water and become extinct long ago.

*et the fact is that these water lilies are still around today, in all the*r per-

fection.

Amazon lilies, after reaching the light and oxygen they need, curl

their leav*s upwards at the edges so that they do not fill with water and

sink. These precautions may help them survive, but if the species is to

148

Harun Yahya

continue, they need some insects to carry their pollen to other lilies. In the

Amazon, beetles have a special attraction to the color white and therefore,

select this lily’s flowers to land on.*With th* arrival of this six-legged

guests, who will allow the Amazon lilies to survive down the generations,

the petals close up, prevent*ng the insec*s from escaping, w*ile offering

them*large quantities of pollen. After holding them imprisoned for the

whole night and throughout t*e next day, the flower then releases them,

also changing color so that the beetles do not bring its own pollen back to

it. The lily, formerly a shining white, now adorns the river in a dark pink.

No doubt that all these flawless, perfectly calculated, and consecu-

tive steps are not the work of the lily itself, which has no foreknowledge

or pla*ning abilities, but flow from the infinite wisdom of God, its

Creator* All the details summarized briefly here*demonstrate that, like all

things in the universe, God created them with all the necessary systems to

ensure their survival.

Left: Cross section of the water lily.

Below: The water lily's leaf and flower on the wa-

ter’s surface.

149

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

A Structure that Makes Bones More Resistant

Even today, the Eiffel Tower is accepted as a marvel of engineering,

but the event that led to its design took place back to 40 years before its

construction. This was a study in Zurich aimed at revealing "the anatom-

ical st*ucture of*the t*igh*bone."

In the early 1850s, the a*atomist Hermann von Meyer was studying

the part of the thigh bone that inserts into the hip joint. The thigh bone

head extends sideways into the hip socket, and bears the body's weight

off-center. Von Meyer saw that the inside of the thigh bone, which is ca-

pable of withstanding a weight of

one ton when in a vertical posi-

tion, consists not of one single

piece, but contains an orderly lat-

ticework of tiny ridges of bone

known as trabeculae.

In *866, when the Swiss engi-

neer Karl Cullman visited von

Meyer’s laboratory, the anatomist

von Meyer showed him a piece of

bone he had been studying.

Cullman realized that the bone’s

structure was designed to reduce

t*e ef*ect* of *eight load a*d

pressure. The trabeculae were ef-

fectively a series of studs and

braces arranged along the lines of

force generated when standing. As

a mathematician and engineer,

Cullman translated these findings

The Eiffel Tower was built with a structure

similar to that of the thigh bone head.

Than*s*to this design, the tower acquired

an unshakable structure*that also solved the

ventilation problem.

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Harun Yahya

The latticework,

copied from bones,

has become one of

the basic elements

employed in con-

struction techniques

today. It requires

fewer materials, and

makes for a building

framework that’s

both strong and

flexible.

Many architects and construction engineers duplicate the internal structure of bone,

which increases its load-bearing capabilities and provides enormous strength. Roofs *an

be built to cover large areas thanks to the use of ribbed structures similar to those in

bone.

i*to *p*l*c*bl* the*ry an* the*mod*l lead to th* de*ign of t*e Eiffel

Tower.

As in *he thigh bone, the Eiffel Towe*’s met*l c*rve* forme* a latt*ce

bui*t*f*om metal studs and brace*. Thank* to this structure,*the tower w*s

easily able to stand up to the bending and shearing effects caused by the

wind. 100

Harun Yahya

The Radiolaria Design Used as a Model in Dome Design

Radiolaria and diatoms, organisms that live in the sea, are virtual c*t-

alog* of ideal solutions to *rchitectural problems. In*fact* these tiny crea-

tures have inspired a great many large-scale ar*hitectural projects. The

U.S. Pavilion at EXPO ’76 in Montreal is just one example. The pavilion’s

dome was inspired by the radiolarians. 101

153

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

*he E*rt*qu*ke***o*f*Design ****one***mbs

The construction of honeycomb* offers a g*eat*many important a*-

vantages, including stability. As the bees in the hive give directions to one

another in the so-called “waggle dance,” they set up vibrations that, in a

structure of such small dimensions, can be equated to an earthquake. The

walls of the comb absorb these potentially damag*ng vibrations. Nature

magazine stated that architects could use this superior structure in de-

signing e*rthquake-proof buildings. Included in the report was*the fol-

lowing statement by Jurgen Tautz of the University of Wurzburg, in

Germany:

Vibrations in honeybee nests are like miniature earthquakes generated by the

bees, so it’s very interesting to see how the structure responds to it

Understanding the phase reversal could help architects predict which parts of a

building will be especially vulnerable to earthquakes They could then

strengthen these areas, or even introduce weak spots into non-critical areas of

buildings to absorb harmful vibrations. 102

As*t*is**** sh*ws* t*e**om** t*a**bees *on-

struct with such flawless preci*ion exper-

tise are marvels of design. This structure

within the comb thus paves the way for

architects and scientists, giving them

new ideas. It isn’t chance that

allows bees to construct t*eir

combs so perfectly, as evolu-

tioni*t* claim* but God, the

Lord of infinite might and

knowledge, Who gives

them that ability.

154

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

Architectural Designs Dra*n from Spider Webs

Some spiders spin webs that resemble a tarpaulin covering thrown

o*er a bush. T*e *eb is borne by stretched thre*ds a*tached to the edges

of the bush. This load-bearing system lets the spider spread its web wide,

while still making no concessions as to its strength.

This marvelous technique has been imitated by man in many struc-

tures to cover wide areas. Some of these include the Jeddah Airport’s

Pilgrim Terminal, the Munich Olympic Stadium, the Sydney National

Athletic Stadium, zoos in Munich and Canada, Denver Airport in

Colorado, and the Schlumberger Cambridge Research Centre b*ilding in

England.

To learn these web-building techniques all by itself, any spider

species would have to undergo a long period of engineering training.

That, of course, is out of the question. Spiders, knowing nothing about

load-bearing or architectural design, merely behave in the manner God

inspires in them.

156

Harun Yahya

1. The Munich Olympic Stadium

2. Munich Zoo

*. Jeddah Air**rt

4. Denver’s Airport

5. Sydney’s National Athletic Stadium

157

ike areas contaminated with

radioactivity and deep space,

the depths of the sea are dangerous

places for human beings. Improvements

in electroni*s and *omputer technology have let us con-

struct robots that can work in such places. Eventually, this

discipline split away from electronics and mechanics to form a

branch of *cience in its own right—robotics. These days, those

who work with robotics have a new concept on their agenda: bio-

mimetic robotics.

Scientists and engineers engaged in robotics now believe

th*t*design*n* *ob*ts for a p*rt***lar*tas* isn'**v*ry*practical.

They *onsider it easier and makes better sense to*build robots

that imitate the features and abilities of living things, indigenous

to*the*en*i*onment* whe*e these **b*** a*e t* b**e*ployed* For

desert exploration, for example, they’ll create a biomimetic robot

resembling a scorpion or an ant. A book called Neurotechnology for

Biomimet*c*Rob*ts*con*ains the f*ll*wi*g inf*r*ation ****his su*-

ject:

Biomime*ic robots differ from traditional robots in that they are agile,

relatively cheap, and able to *eal with r*al-world *nvironments. The

engineering of these robots requires a thorough understanding of the

biological systems on which they are based, at both the biomechanical

and physiological levels.

The ultimate goal is to develop a truly autonomous robot, one able

to navigate and interact with its environmen* solely on the basis of

sensory feedback without prompting from a human operator. 103

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

What le* scientists to imitate

living things was their flawless

ph**ical designs. En*ineer*H**s J.

Schneebeli, designer of the robotic

device known as the Karlsruhe

Hand, stated that the mor* he

worked on robotic hands, the more

he admired the human hand. He

added that they still need plenty of

time to duplicate even a few of the

*any task* that a h*m*n h*nd can

accomplish. 104

On occasion, scientists from such different disciplines as computer

technology, mechanics, electronics, mathematics, physics, chemistry and

biology must join forces to replicate just one feature of a living creature.

Yet evolutionist thinking still maintains that the extraordinarily complex

structures of living things could have come about unplanned, of their

own accord.

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Harun Yahya

Robotics Is Imitating Snakes to Overcome the Problem of

Balance

For those engaged in robotics, one of the problems they encounter

most frequently is maintaining equilibrium. Even robots equipped with

the very latest technology can lose their balance*when walking. A th*ee-

year-old child can manage to regain balance with no difficulty, yet robots

lacking this ability are, of necessity, stationary and of very little use. In

fact, one robot that NASA prepared for duty on the planet Mars couldn’t

be *sed at all, for that very reason. After that, *obot experts abandoned at-

tempts to build a balance-establishing mechani*m and instead looked to

a creature that never loses its balance—the snake.

Unlike other vertebrates, snakes lack a hard spine and limbs, and

have been cre*ted in *uc* a way as to enter cracks and *revices. The* can

expand and contract the diameter of their bodies, can cling to branches

and glide over rocks. Snakes’ properties inspired for a new robotic, inter-

planetary probe developed by NASA's Ames Research Center which they

161

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

called the "snakebot." This robot thus was designed to be in a constant

state of balance, without ever getting caught up by obstacles. 105

The Balance Center in the Inner Ea* Astounds Robotics

Experts

The inner ear performs a vital role in our system of balance, control-

ling our whole body at every moment and allows us to perform the deli-

cate adjustments required by a tightrope walker, for example.

This center of balance in the inner ear, known as the labyrinth, con-

sists of three small semici*cular canals. They are 6.5 mm (0.26 in) in di-

ameter and, in cross-section, the hollow space inside them measures 0.4

mm (0.016 in). The three are laid out in orthogonal planes. An individual

canal senses rotations in one of three orthogonal directions. Thus the three

canals combine their results and give the ability to sense rotations in any

direction in three-dimensional space.

Inside each of these three canals*is a viscous fluid. At one end of the

162

*arun Yahya

tube is a gelatinous cap (cupu-

la), which sits on a bulged

area (crista) covered with sen-

sory ha*r cells. W*en we *urn

our heads, walk, or make any

movemen*, the fluid within

these canals lags behind be-

cause of inertia. The fluid

pushes against the cupula, de-

flecting it. This deflection is

measured by the hair cells in

the crista as the hairs’ vibra-

tion alters the ion balance in

the cells connected to them,

producing electrical signals.

These signals produced in the inner ear are transmitted by means of

nerves to the cerebellum at the back of our brain. These transmitter nerves

from the labyrinth to the cerebellum have been shown to contain 20,000

nerve fibers.

The cereb*l*um interprets this information from the labyrinth, but in

order to maintain balance, it also needs other information. Therefore, the

cerebe*lum receives c*nstant information from the eyes and from muscles

throughout the body, rapidly analyzing all this information and calculat-

ing the body’s position relative to gravity. Then, based on these instant

calculations, it notifies the muscles via*the nerves of the exact movements

they should make to maintain balance.

These extraordinary processes occur in less than 1/100th of a second.

We are able to walk, run, ride a bicycle, and play sports without even be-

*ng awar**al* **is i* goi** on. Yet *f we*e we to put down on*pa*er*all *he

calc*lations going on in our bodies at any one instant, the formulae

Anterior semicircular canal

Horizontal semicircular canal

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Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

Balance is brought about by a most extraordinarily complicated system, since the human

body is in constant motion. That means the *rain must constantly recalculate th* body’s

center of gravity, and send instructions to the muscles i* light of this.

would fill thousands of pages.

Totally flawless, our bal*nce system functions by means of several

very complex mechanisms, all interconnected and working together.

Modern science and technology have yet to unravel*all the details of their

operative principles, let alone imitate them.

It is of course impossible for such a complex design to have come

about by chance, as evolution theory would have us believe. Every design

reveals the existence of a conscious designer. Our balance system’s supe-

rior design is one more proof of the existence of God, Who created that

system so impeccably, and of His infinite wisdom.

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Harun Yahya

I* the face of this realization, man’s resp*nsibility is to give thanks to

God, Who gave him such a structure.

A*Rob*t*Scorpion Able to Withsta*d Ha*sh *esert

Conditions

In the United States, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

(DARPA) is working to develop a robot scorpion. The reason the project

selected a scorpion as its model is that the robot w*s to operate in the

dese*t* Scorpi*ns*h*ve been able to survi** harsh*desert condi*ions*e*er

since the*r cr*ation. But another**e*son*why DARPA *electe**a scorpion

was that along with being able to move over tough terrain very easily, its

reflexes are much simpler t*an those of

mammals—and can be imitated. 106

Before developing their robot, the

researchers spent a long time observing

the movements of live scorpions using

high-speed cameras, and analyzed the

video data. 107 Later, the coordination

and organization of the scorpion’s legs

wer**used *s * starti** p*int f** *he

model’s creation.

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Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

DARPA’s objective is to have its 50 cm (2* in) robot scorpion reach a

tar*et *0 *m*(*5 mi*es) a*ay in t*e desert *nd*t*** *et***—enti*e** o* its

o*******hou* r**e**i** a** ****c**o*s.***8

University in Boston, the robot has no ability to “think through” complex

problems. Upon *ncountering a diffi*ulty, it merel* relies on its ref*exes.

This allows it to overcome any obstacles that might impede its progress—

a rock, for example. At the front, the robot has two ultrasonic sensors.

Should it encounter an obstacle more than half its own height, it will try

going around it. If the detector on the left identifies an obsta*le, *t will

turn to the right. The robot can be asked to go to a specific region and,

with a cam*ra in its tail, send back to base images of the location.

The U.S. Army was greatly impressed by t*e trials held in Arizona.

Target

Rocky terrain

Camera and radio connections

Ultrasound sensors

Infrared sensors

Harun Yahya

The scorpion robot, built using advanced technolog** possesses a complex structure.

Even though a great many scientists and engineers worked on this robot, it can only

travel towards a pre-established target.

Con*rol chip, which determines

which step will be taken first

6-volt regulator for the

control and drive chips

Interface, used for re-

**o*****i*g**** *on-

trol chip

Drive chips using 100

mAmp apiece

Warning lamps for

indicating chip

malfunctions

R2 connection permit-

ting two-directional

movement

Unit serving as leg

muscle

Two-directional

air valves

transmission

Power

cable

External air cable, which feeds the air

valves with 6-bar air

1. When the robot scorpion encounters a rock, first it scans it with ultrasound to decide

whether it’s too high to climb.

2. The robot moves awa* from the obstacle and goes around it, looking for a gap with

one sensor and looking forward with the other.

*.*** fi**i** * *a*,********r****s *h***e**it*** w*d*****ugh*t* p*s**t***u**.

4. Once it moves through the gap, the scorpion moves on towards its target.

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Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

It is hoped that the robot’s ability to find its way to a target are could be

particularly useful in cluttered battlefields such as towns. 109

Just Like a Real Lobster, This Robot Will Identify Water

Currents

Even fully-equipped human divers have difficulty in moving

*hr*ugh turbul*nt and m*rky waters, crawling along the bott*m where it

may be rough, sandy or covered with algae. Lobsters can, and very easi-

ly too. But so far, no robot made for use on the sea bed has been success-

ful in such environments.

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Harun Yahya

Joseph Ayers, Director of the Marine Science Center at Northeastern

University in Boston is leading * project to*de*elop a robo* t*at imitates

the lobster. As he describes it, the project’s “technical goal is to capture the

performance advantages that the animal systems hold in the target envi-

ronment.” 110

They expect to use this “robo-lobster” in finding and disarming

mines. Ayers says the *obot will be ideally suited to this kind of work:

the sequence of behavioral acts that a lobster performs when it searches for

food is exactly what one would want a robot to perfor* to find and neutralize

underwater mines. 111

Lobsters’ shape helps them resist tumbling or moving in fast-moving

water.*They are able to proceed in the direction they want under the most

difficult conditions**even over very rou*h terrain. In t*e same way, the

robo-lobster will use its tail and claws for stability.

On the *obot, m*cro-el*ctro-mecha*ical sensors (MEMS)*imitate the

lobst*r’s sensory *rgans. Equ*pped *i*h water current sen*ors and anten-

nae, the robot can adapt its movements to the currents of the water

around it. A live lobster uses hairs to determine the direction of currents,

Robo-lobster

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Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

and the robot lobster’s electro-mechanical sensors are intended to do the

same thing. 112

The Lobster’s Technique for Identifying Scents

Underwater creatures such as crabs and lobsters use their sense of

smell to find food, mates or to flee from predators. One study carried out

by researchers from the Universities of California at Berkeley and

Stanford revealed how lobsters smell the world around them.

Lobsters possess a very *ensitive sense of smell, whose features will

open up new horizons for robot engineers trying to build new odor sen-

sors. Mimi A. R. Koehl, a professor of integrative biology in the College of

Letters & Science at University of California, Berkeley, says:

If you want to build unmanned vehicles or robots to go into toxic sites where

you do not want to send a scuba diver, and if you want those robots to locate

something by smell, you need to design noses or olfactory antennae for them. 113

Lobsters and other crustaceans smell by flicking a pair of antennules

tow*****he***ur*e*of **e o*o****o*tha* **e*chem*s*nso*y h*irs *n th**ends

of the antennules come into contact with the water-borne odor molecules.

*he spiny lobster Panulirus argus, which lives in the Caribbean Sea, has

a*t*nnules 30 cm (3 to

4 inches) *n l*ngth. On

the outer edge of one

of the split ends of its

antennules are hairs

resembling a brush—a

r*g*on par**c***rly

*e**it**e****ch******s.

A group of re-

searchers led by

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Harun Yahya

Professor Koehl made a mechanical lobster that flicked its antennules in

the same way. Tests and observations of this robot, dubbed Rasta Lobsta,

were per*or*ed*to *tudy in d*ta*l*the techniq** th*t lob*te** **ploy*in

order to smell.

When the lob-

ster wants to smell

something, d*ring

the downstroke, it

pushes the anten-

nule through the

water fast enough

for the*wa*er b*ar-

ing the odor to

Hairs on the lobster antennule

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Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

penetrate into the brush of sensory hairs. On the return stroke, however,

it sweeps more slowly, so the water is unable to move bet*een the hairs

and the odor plume that penetrated between *he hairs during the down-

stroke are trapped until the next rapid downstroke.

The antennules move forward and back at the ideal speed for the

lobster to be able to smell. Tests have shown that if the antennules moved

more s*o**y* **e*water would not*fl*w b****en t*e*hai*s,*r*duci*g**he

crustace*n’s ability to smell. Therefore, it uses its antennules in such a

manner that it’s able to preserve and capture even small differences in

odor concentration in a plume. 114

Structure of Worm Muscles Lead the Way to New

Mechanical Systems

The skin covering a worm’s cylindrical body consists of fibers that

are wound in a crossed helical form around and along the body—a most

impressive design. The contraction of muscles in the body wall leads to an

increase in the internal pressure, and the worm is able to change shape as

the fibers in the skin allow it to go from short and fat to long and th*n. This

is the basis of how worms move.

This matchless mechanical system is presently inspiring new projects

at Reading University’s Centre for Biomimetics. In one experiment, cylin-

ders of various fiber angles were arranged along the lines of the worm’s

anatomy. The plan is to fill these cylinders with a water-absorbent poly-

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Harun Yahya

mer g*** Water causes this*g** to expand. *n th** way, chemical energ**is

converted to mechanical energy in just the right place, and the resulting

pressure will be contained *afely inside the helically-wound bag. Once

the swelling and contracting of the polymer gel is controlled, it is hoped

that the resulting system will *perate *ike an artificial muscle. 115

Every living thing that man takes as a model, and every system in it,

is a sign of God for those who believe. This truth is expressed in a verse:

And in your creation and all the creatures He has spread about

t*ere are signs for people with certainty. (Qur’an, 45: 4)

Changing shape, expanding and contracting by

the use of pressure, is frequently used in nature.

The worm, octopus, starfish and anemone are

some of the best examples; yet shape-changing

is found m*ch le** fre*ue*tly i* technologic*l

e*ui*ment.**n **ose***w example********* ex*st,

hydraulic pressure is employed. In lifts, for exam-

ple, hydraulic liquid is pumped into a thin cylinder to

raise heavy objects. To lower the lift, the cylinde* is emp-

tied again. Starfish also use hydraulic pressure to move. Along the under*ides of**ts

arms, the echinoderm possesses tube-like feet, attached to an internal, fluid-filled tub-

ing system. When its muscles co*tract the tubes, the resulting hydraulic pressure sends

fluid to the feet. Using its muscles, the starfish uses hydraulic power to set up a wave

motion in its feet, moving forward and back and allowing the starfish to progress in one

direction.

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Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

The Gecko’s Feet Open New Technological Horizons

These small lizards are able to run

very fast up walls and walk around

clinging to the ceiling, very comfortably.

Until recently, we didn’t understand

how it could be possible for any verte-

brate animal to climb up walls like the

cartoon and film hero Spiderman. Now,

years of research have finally uncovered

the secret on which their extraordinary ability depends. Little steps by the

gecko have led to enormous discoveries with tremendous implications,

particularly for robot designers. A few can be summarized as follows:

- Researchers in California believe that the lizard’s “sticky” toes can

help in developing a dry, and self-cleaning adhesive. 116

- Geckos’ feet generate an adhesive force 600 times greater than that

of friction. Gecko-*ike robots could climb up the walls of burning build-

174

Harun Yahya

ings to rescue those inside. Dry adhesives could be of great benefits in

smaller devices, such as in medical applications and computer architec-

ture. 117

- Their legs act like springs, respond*ng automatically when they

touch a surface. This is a particularly appropriate feature for robots,

which have no brain. Geckos’ feet never lose their effectiveness, no mat-

ter how mu*h they are us*d; the* are self-cleaning and they also work in

a vacuum or underwater. 118

- A dry adhesive could help hold slick body parts in place during

nanosurgery. 119

- Such an adhesive could keep car tires stuck to the road. 120

- Gecko-like robots could be used to repair cracks in ships, bridges

and piers, and in the regular maintenance of satellites. 121

- Robots modeled after the geckos’ feet could be used to wash win-

dows, clean floors, and ceilings. Not only will they be able to climb up flat

vertical surfaces, but overcome any obstacles they meet on the way. 122

175

reating technology—all the manufacturing

methods and*equipment used in a particular

branch of industry—is no easy matter, because

so m*ny components need to be brought to-

gether. In order to produce technology in any

given area, first of all we need to possess information. Next, the

scientists and technical personnel who are to use this informa-

tion must be added to the equation. These personnel need the

right materials and the facilities in which to make use of them.

*or all these reasons, pr*ducing technolog* i* a dif*icult bus*-

ness. Indeed, the history of those advances

we describe as “technological” is by

no me*ns a long one. *ven today,

though many countries enjoy

technology, very few of them

actually produce it.

As scientific circles have

noted, most of the technologi-

cal products emerging as the

result of investment, information

and research have their “originals”

and counterparts in nature.

Phil Gate*, a well-known scientist and author of the book

Wild Technology, expresses this in the following terms:

M*ny *f our *e*t*inventions are c*pied f*om, o* alr*ady i* us* by,

ot*er living things. We have only discovered a tiny fraction of the

va*t numbers of living org*nisms that sh*re *ur planet. Somewhere,

amongst the millions of organisms that remain undiscovered, there

are natural inventions that could improve our lives. They could pro-

vide new medicines, building materials, ways of controlling pests

and dealing with pollution. 123

Bi*mimetics: Technolo*y Imitates Nature

Every niche of our surroundings—from the sky to the land to the

depths of the oceans—are full of countless “technological” marvels, each

of them a product of creation. Even the simplest industrial product has a

designer and place where it was manufactured. That being so, it would be

obviously irrational to claim that living things, possessing systems in-

comparably superior to huge factories with their state-of-the-art machin-

ery, could have arisen through chance, by themselves, as a result of nat-

ural conditions.

Every living thing possesses a superior, perfect design that emerged

flawless and complete from*the very*day of its creation, because *od is

He Who creates flawlessly.

In this chapter we’ll examine some marvels of creation and compare

them to present-*ay techn*logy. We should regard these examples *s food

for thought, as God instructs us in the *ur'an, “An instruction and a re-

minder for every penitent human being.” (Qur’an, 50: 8)

Light Sensors in Plants

Some s*ecies of plants are acutely sensitive to changes in light inten-

sity. *hen nigh* falls, they close up the*r petals.*Some flowering plants

even do this in cloudy weather, in order—scient*sts believe—to protect

178

Some flowers, sensi-

tive to light, close

their petals when it

grows dark and

keep them clos*d

until dawn. Others

keep their flowers

facing the sun

throughout the day.

Harun Yahya

Above: In a light sensor, the electrical circuit consists of a great many parts. If just one is

removed or only one connection altered, the circuit fails to work. The light sensors in

plants possess a feature similar to this circuit: The slightest defici*ncy in the system will

make the sensor totally useless.

their pollen from dew and approaching rain. We humans also use sensors

that detect light intensity changes, and use them in lamps that go o* when

it gets dark at night and turn themselves off at dawn. 124

The Eider Duck and Its Insulation System

Our bodies generate *eat energy by digesting the food we’ve eaten

during the day. The best way to prevent the loss of this warmth is to keep

it from leaving our bodies too soon. That is why we wear varying layers

of clothing, depending on the

*eather. Warm air, tra*ped b*-

tween the layers, is unable to reach

outside. Preventing energy loss in

this way is known as insulation.

The eider duck employs the

exact same method. Like many

birds, its feathers enable it to fly

179

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

and also keep it warm. It uses its

soft and fluffy chest feathers in

building it* nest. This do*n pro-

tects the eggs and the emerging

featherless chicks from the cold air.

Since the eider’s feathers retain

warm air, they exemplify the very

best form of natural insulation. 125

Modern mountain climbers

keep their bodies warm by wear-

ing*special costumes fil*ed with

feathers with high heat-retaining properties, similar to those of eider

feathers.

Fiber Optic Technology in Living Creatures

Fiber optics are transp*rent glass cables capable of t*ansmitting light.

Since optical fibers can be easily bent and twisted, they can “pipe” light

into even the most inaccessible locations* Fiber optic cables also possess

the advantage of being able to carry coded messages loaded onto them,

much better than oth*r**a*les ca*.

The polar bear’s fur is very similar to an optical fiber, carrying the

rays of the faint polar sun directly to the animal’s body. Since the fur pos-

*esses *iber*optic capabi*ities, *he sun’s rays make direct c*ntact wit* the

Optical fiber

Light being reflected

down the fiber

180

Harun Yahya

bear’s skin. So great is its fur’s

capacity to transmit light that

despite the harsh polar cli-

mate, the animal’s skin

turns dark, as if sunburned.

The light, converted into

heat and absorbed, helps

warm the bear’s body.

Thanks to its fur’s unique

feature, the bear is able to keep

its body warm even under the

freezing polar conditions. 126

Bears’ fur*i* not t*eir o*** feature that we c*n*l*ar**fr*m. Th*y can

spend up to six months a year in hibernation, doing so by putting their ex-

cretory systems on hold and without suffering toxic buildups in their

****d.*D***ove**********hey*d* t*** *****h*l* ** t****ig** a*****t d**-

betes. 127

The polar bear isn’t the on-

ly living thing possessing

fiber optic technology.

Leaves of the Fenestraria

plant, which lives in the

deserts of South Africa,

are nearly entirely buried

in the sand. This protects

Fenestraria from water

loss and grazing animals.

The tip of every leaf is

transparent: Light enters

here and can travel down

t***l*a*. **h****a**** **ld

Technology, 67.)

181

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

A**ti****rd******g**o*nt***C*r*e***Hea***x*****e*s

In the coldest climates, local birds generally have

their feet either in cold water or standing on ice. Yet

there is no question of them ever freezing. All of them

possess circulatory systems that reduce heat loss to

a minimum. In these birds, heated and chilled

blood circulate in different blood vessels, but these

vessels run close together, however. In this way,

warm blood flowing to the extremities down-

wards warms the cold blood circulating u*-

wards. This also reduces*the shock of cold

blood returning to the body from the feet. This

natural heat exchange mechanism, known as

counter-current, is the same as that *sed in

various machine*. 128

182

Harun Yahya

In these counter-current heat exchangers, as engineers refer them,

two fluids (liquid or gas) flow in opposite directions in two separate but

contiguous channels. If the fluid in one channel is warmer than in the*oth-

er, heat passes from the warm fluid to the colder one.

Can Plants Use an Electrical Switch?

The carnivorous Venus flytrap catches insects that land on its hinged

trap and trigger the ha*rs on it. These hairs act like electrical switches. The

instant one is touched, it gives off electrical signals that change the water

balance in the plant’s cells,

and trigger the flow of wa-

ter out of *ells along the leaf

midrib, closing the trap. 129

The switches control-

ling the flow of current in

electrical circuits operate in

much the same way. When

the switch is turned off,

electric current cannot flow.

As soon as it is turned on

and the circuit is completed,

******r* elect*ic ******t **-

gins to flow along the wire

once again. Similarly, ani-

mals and plants use a gre*t

many biological switches to

initiate or halt the flow of

electrical signals to the rele-

vant parts of their bodies. 130

The Venus flytrap’s cir-

183

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

cuit actually works like two

electrical switches connected

together in series. Two hairs

must be stimulated before the

trap to close. 131 This precaution

prevents unnecessary closing

triggered by such phenomena

as raindrops.

Of course, the Venus fly-

trap knows nothing about elec-

tric current or the switches that

let these currents flow. Nor is it

possible for the plant to*receive

Switch off, circuit incomplete

Switch on, circuit

completed

and current flows

any kind of training in these

areas. Tha* being so, how does it come by*this knowledge, which even a

human being can’t learn without special instruction, and how is it able to

employ it so flawlessly? God, the Ruler of al*, teaches the plants what to

do. The Venus flytrap acts under His inspiration.

184

The snail’s drilling system is even able to rasp holes in rocks.

The snail’s tongue, called a radula, resembles a large-toothed file. Thanks to this de-

sign, the mollusk is able to rasp holes in leaves and pick up algae

on rocks.

Teeth on the radula are so hard that some desert snails are

even able to make holes in rock. (Phil Gates, Wild Technology,

45.)

The giant excavators humans use to dig tunnels perform a

si*ilar function *o the radula. However, the tips of these ma-

chines’ drills wear out and have to be frequently replaced.

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

*f Nerve Cells Lacked Insula*ion

Nerve fibers carry messages from the brain to the muscles and other

organs, and from there, messages back to the brain. The fibe*s *re coated

with a special, fatty substance known as myelin that works just like the

plastic insulation around an electric cable. Were it not present, then the

electrical signals would leak away into the surrounding tissues, either

garbling the message or damaging the body. 132

186

Harun Yahya

Electric cables are designed to protect from injury those who touch

them and also to avoid any loss of power due to electricity leakage. Tough

and durable plastics are used for this purpose.

Prairie Dogs’ Ventilation Technology

Many animals build underground shelters that require special fea-

tures to defend them from predators.

In such shelters, the tunnels need to be at a specific distance from the

surface and parallel to t*e g*ound, or*else they may easily be flooded. If

the tunnels are dug at a sharp angle, that poses a risk of collapse. Another

problem in tunnel construction is meeting the need for air and ventilation.

Prairie dogs are social ani-

mals, living in large groups in

burrows they construct under-

ground. As their population

grows, they dig new burrows,

joining them up with tunnels.

The space that such complexes

occupy can sometimes equal

the size of a small city, and thus

ventilation assumes a vital im-

portanc*.*Therefo*e pra*rie

dogs build aboveground tow-

ers where their tunnels emerge,

r*t*** *i******c*n******h*** l*t

air be drawn into the city be-

low.

Air travels from regions of

high pressure to areas of low.

187

Biomim*tics: Tec*n*l*gy I*itates Nat*re

Some of the towers that prairie dogs build are taller than others. Their dif-

fere*ces in height give rise to different levels of air pressure in the tunnel

entrances. This way, air enters towers with low air pressure above them

and emerges through ones with high pressure. Air drawn into the tunnels

passes through all the nests, thus establishing an ideal air circulation sys-

tem. 133

To construct a ventilation system such as employed in prairie dogs'

tunnel*, knowledge of tunnel building, of high and low air pressure, and

how they change with altitude are all essential. All *hese considerations

require consciousness, and all these activities indicate the presence of rea-

son and judgment. T*e*ef*re, we need to exa*ine the sourc**of this intel-

ligence in the prairie dogs, since clearly it does not belong to the animals

themselves—and, contrary to what evolutionist* claim, cannot ha*e re-

sulted from blind chance.

God,*W*o provides cou*t*ess examples in nature for*mankind to

Harun Yahya

ponder upon, created

prairie dog*, like all liv-

ing things on Earth.

Every rational person

needs to think, listen to

the voice of his con-

science and turn to God

whenever he encoun-

ters an example of beau-

ty; because God is the

All-forgiving, the Lord of infinite justice. In the Qur’an, God gives glad

tidings to servants who believe in Him:

Your *or* ****s*best wha* is ** **ur s*l*es* *f y** *r**r*ghteous,

He is Ever-Forgiving to the remorseful. (Qur’an, 17: 25)

189

Biomimetics: Technolo*y Imitates*Nature

Wasps and the Paper Industry

A series of chemical processes turn logs of

wood into a kind of pulp that can later be

made into paper. However, the natural inven-

tors of paper are actually wasps.

To build their nests, wasps use paper that

they make by mixing their saliva with shreds of chewed wood. Our fur-

niture industry makes chipb*ard in exactly the same way, although using

glue instead of saliva. 134

Any wasp resembles a particularly efficient tree-processing and pa-

****ma**n* f*c*o*** ****v*r,**l**o***h**processe* *arr*e* *u* *y*l*******-

dustrial complexes,

wasps perform with-

in their own tiny

bodies. The paper

industry still has a

lot to learn from

wasps!

This diagram shows the

v****us ******s** i* **-

per manufacturing. If just

one of the*e stages were

sk*pped, no paper could

be pr*duced. The equiva-

lent to all these processes

is carried out in the tiny

body of the wasp, just a

few centimeters long.

190

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

A Robotic Arm Inspired by the Elephant*s Trunk

Base

S*oulder

Wrist

Elbow

Yaw

Pitch

Roll

As scientists tried to design a robotic arm, one of the worst

problems they faced was achieving freedom of movement. In order

for a robot’s arm to serve any useful purpose, it must be able to

perform all the movements required by that particular task. In

nature, God has created all creatures with the ability to move

their limbs in such a way as to meet all their needs. An ele-

phant’s trunk, with its 50,000 or so muscles, 135 is one of the most

striking examples.

The elephant is able to move its trunk in any direction it

wants and can perform tasks requiring the gre*test care an* sensi-

tivity.

One robotic arm constructed in the U.S. at Rice University clearly re-

veals the elephant trunk’s superior design. There*is

no single skeleton-like structure in the trunk,

thus endowing it with enormous flexibility and

lightness. The robotic arm, on the other hand,

does have a spine. The elephant’s trunk pos-

sesses a degree of movement which allows it to

move in any direction, whil* the ro*otic arm is

*o*p***ed****3*****r*e**o**fr*ed*m *n**6

links. 136

This only goes to show that the elephant

trunk is a special structure, whose every particular

feature reveals the nature of God’s flawless art in

creation.

Left: A robotic arm with six degrees of freedom. Above: A ro-

bot*c trunk, modeled on the elephant’s, has 32 degrees of free-

dom. Elephants’ trunks have incomparably greater abilities and

freedom of movement. If they had to use these artifi*ial trunks

*nstead of their o**, they’d encounter severe difficulties.

192

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

Conclusion

Scientist* are continually ama*ed*** th* in*omparabl* s*ructure* and

systems they discover in nature—and they express *heir wonder by copy-

ing them to create new technologies for mankind’s benefit. They’ve real-

ized that those impeccable systems and extraordinary techniques that na-

ture employs, far superior to their own knowledge and capabi*ities, offer

*ncomparable solutions to existing problems. Accordingly, they’re now re-

sorting t* natural designs in a great many areas where, after years *f effort,

they’ve been unable to come up with solutions. As a result, they’ve been

able to produce successful results within very short spaces of time.

Furthermore, by imitating nature, scientists have saved considerable terms

of time a*d effort, and applied material *esources far more effectively.

Recognizing the superior nature of natural designs, evolutionists are

suffering yet another disappointment, another loss of hope. Once again,

their unscientific claims that living things develop gradually, from the

simple to the complex, and that the designs of living things came about

through chance has been demonstrated to be untrue. Also, they’ve had to

accept, albeit un*illingly, that the incomparable art that has so astonished

them—that the knowledge a*d reason they so greatly admire—cannot be

the work of chance, but only of our Almighty Creator.

It is God, the Lord of the worlds, Who creates the f*awless and un-

matched systems in all liv*ng things; He Who creates everything flaw-

lessly. Those who refuse to accept this fact will suffer an irreparable sor-

row on the Day of Judgment. In the Qur’an, God describes how such peo-

ple waste their time in this world. The Qur’an describes in these terms the

impeccable nature of our Lord’s artistry:

He, Who created the seven heavens in layers. You will not find any

flaw in the creation of the*All-Merciful. Look again—do you see

any gaps? Then look again and again. Your sight will return to you

dazzled and exhausted! (Qur'an, 67: 3-4)

194

arwinism, in other*words the theory of

evolution, was put forward with the aim

of denying the fact of creation, but is in

truth nothing but fail*d, unscientific non-

sense. This theory, which claims that life

emerged by chance from inanimate matter, was invalidated

by the scientific evidence of clear "design" in the universe and

in living things. In this way, science confirmed the fact that

God created the universe and the living things in it. The pro-

paganda carried out today in order to keep the t*eory of evo-

lution alive is bas*d solely on the distortion of the scientific

facts, biased interpretation, and lies and falsehoods *isguised

as science.

Yet this propaganda ca*not conceal the truth. T*e fact

that the theory of evolution is the greatest deception in the

history of science has been expressed more and more in the

scientific world over the last 20-30 years. Research carried out

after the 1980s in particular has revealed that the claims of

Darwinism are totally unfounded, something that has been

stated by a large number of scientists. In the United States in

particular, many scientists from such different fields as biolo-

gy, biochemistry and*paleontology recognize the invalidity of

Darwinism and employ the fact of creation to accou*t for the

origin of life.

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

We have examined the col*apse of the theo-

ry of evolution and the proofs of creation in

great scientific detail in many of our works,

and are still continuing to do so. Given the

enormous importance of this subject, it

will be of great benefit to summariz* it

here.

T*e Scientific Collapse of

Darwinism

Although this doctrine goes back as far as

ancient Greece, the theory of evolution was advanced

extensively in the nineteenth century. The most important development

that made it the top topic of the world of science was Charles Darwin's

*h* Ori*in*o* Sp***es, published in 18*9. I* this boo*, he denied that*God

created di*ferent living species on Earth separately, for he claimed that

all living beings had a common ancestor and had diversified over time

through small changes. Darwin's theory was not based on any concrete

scientific finding; as he also accepted, it was just an "assumption."

Moreover, as Darwin confessed in the long chapter of his book titled

"Difficulties on Theory," the theory failed in the face of many critical

questions.

Darwin invested all of his hopes in new scientific discoveries,

which he expected to solve these difficulties. However, contrary to his

expectations, scientific findings expanded the dimensions of these diffi-

culties. The defeat of Darwinism in the face of science can be reviewed

under three basic topics:

1) The theory cannot explain how life originated on Earth.

2) No scientific fi*ding shows that the "evolutionary mechanisms"

198

Harun Yahya

proposed by the theory have any evolutionary power at all.

3) The fos*il record proves the exact opposite o* what the theory

suggests.

In this section, we will examine these three basic points in general

outlines:

The First Insurmountable Step: The Origin of Life

The theory of evolut*on posits that all living species evolved from

a single living cell that emerged on the primitive Earth 3.8 billion years

ago. How a single cell could generate millions of complex liv*ng spe*ies

and, if such an evolution really occurred, why traces of it cannot be ob-

served in the fossil record are some of the questions that the theory*can-

not ans*er. However, first and foremost, we *eed to ask: How did this

"first cell" originate?

Since the theory of evolution denies creation and any kind of su-

pe*n*tural*i*tervent*on, it maintains that the "first cell" originated coin-

cidentally within the laws of nature, without any design, plan or

arrangement. Acc*rding to the the*ry, inanimate matter must have pro-

duced a living cell as a result of coincidences. Such a claim, however, is

inconsist*nt with the most unassailable rules of biology.

"Life Comes From Life"

In his book, Darwin never referred to the origin of life. The primi-

tive understanding of science in his time rested on the assumption that

living beings had a very simple structure. Since medieval times, spon-

taneous generation, which asserts that non-living materials came to-

gether to form living organi*ms, had been widely accepted. It was com-

monly believed that insects came into *eing from food leftovers, and

199

B*omimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

mice from wheat. Interesting experiments

were conducted to prove this theory.

Some wheat was placed on a dirty piece

of cloth, an* it was believed that mice

would originate from it after a while.

Similarly, maggots developing

in rotting meat was assumed to be

evidence of spontaneous genera-

tion. However, it was later *n-

derstood that worms did not

appear on meat spontaneously,

but were carried there by flies in

the form of larvae, invisible to

the naked eye.

Even when Darwin wrote The

French chemist Louis Pasteur

Origin of Species, the belief that bac-

ter*a could*c*me**nto *xis*enc* fro* no*-*iv*ng ***ter *as*wid*l* ac-

cepted in the world of science.

However, five years after the publication of Darwin's book, Louis

Pasteur announced his results *fter long studies and experiments, that

disproved spontaneous generation, a corner*tone of Darwin's theory. In

his triumphal lecture at the Sorbonne in 1864, Pasteur said: "Never will

the doctrine of spontaneous generation recover from the mortal blow

struck by this simple experiment." 137

For a long time, advocates of the theory of evolution resisted these

findings. However, as the development of science unraveled the com-

plex structure of the cell of a living being, the idea that life could come

in*o b*ing *oi*cidental*y faced an eve* gre*ter impasse.

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Harun Yahya

Inconclusive Efforts *f the

Twentieth Century

The first evolutionist who took up

the subject o* the origin of life in the

*we**ie** ce*t*ry*was t** *e***n*d

Russian biologist *lexander Oparin.

With various theses he advanced in the

1930s, he tried to prove that a living cell

could originate by coincidence. These

studies, however, were doomed to failure,

and Oparin had to make the following confes-

sion:

R**si** bi*logist Alexa*der****rin

Unfortunately, however, the problem of

the origin of the cell is perhaps the most obscure point in the whole study of the

evolution of organisms. 138

Evolutionist followers of Oparin tried to carry out experiments to

so*ve this problem. The best known experiment was carried out by the

Ameri*an chemist Stanley Miller in 1953. Combining the gases he al-

leged to have existed in the primordial Earth's atmosphere in an *xper-

iment set-up, and adding energy to the mixtur*, Miller synthesized sev-

eral organic molecules

(amino acids) present in

the structure of proteins.

Barely a few years

had pas*ed before it was

revealed that this experi-

ment, which was then

presented as an important

Stanley Miller

201

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

step in the name of evolution, was invalid, for the atmosphere used in

the experiment was very different from the real Earth conditions. 139

After a long *ilence, Miller *onfessed th*t the atmosphere me*ium

he used wa* unrealistic. 140

All the evolutionists' efforts throughout the twentieth century to

explain the origin of life ended in failure. The geochemist Jeffrey Bada,

from the San Diego Scripps Institute accepts this fact in an article pub-

lished in Earth magazine in 1998:

Today as we leave the twentieth century, we still face the biggest unsolved p*ob-

lem that we had when we entered the twentieth century: How did life originate

on Earth? 141

One*of the evolutionists’ gravest decept*ons is the way they imagine that life could have

emerged spontaneously on what they refer to as the primitive Ear*h, represente* *n the

picture above. They tried to prove these claims with such studies as the Miller experi-

ment. Yet they again suffered defea* in the face of the scientific facts: The results ob-

tained in *he 1970s proved that the atmosphere on what they describe as the primitive

E*rth **s t*tally**nsuited to life.

202

One of the facts nulli-

fying the theory of evo-

lution is the *ncredibly

complex structure of life.

The DNA molecule located i* the

nucleus of cells of living beings is an

example of this. The DNA is a sort of databank

formed of the arrangement of four different

molecules in different sequences. This data-

bank contains the codes of all the physical traits

of that living being* When the human DNA is put

into writing, it is calculated that this would result

in an encyclopedia made up of 900 volumes.

Unquestionably, such extraordinary information definitively

refutes the concept of coincidence.

The Complex Structure of Life

The primary reason why the theory of evolution ended up

in such a great impasse regarding the origin of life is that even those

*iving organisms deemed*to be the simples* hav***ncredibly comp*ex

structures. The cell of a living thing is more complex than all o* our

man-made technological products. Today, even in the most developed

laboratories of the world, a*living cell canno* be produce* by bringing

organic chemicals together.

The conditions requ*red for the formation of a cell are too great in

quantity to be explained away by coincidences. The probability of pro-

teins, the building blocks of a cell, being synthesized coincidentally, is 1

in 10 950 for an average protein made up of 500 amino acids. In mathe-

matics* a probability smaller than 1 over 10 50 is considered*to be impos-

sible in practical terms.

The DNA **lec*l*, wh*ch is loc*ted i* the *ucleus of a cell *nd

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Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

which stores genetic information, is an incredible databank. If the in-

formation coded in DNA were written down, it would make a giant li-

brary consisting of an estimated 900 volumes of encyc***edias consist-

ing of 500 pages each.

A very interesting dilemma emerges at this point: DNA can repli-

cate itself only with the help of s*me specialized proteins (enzymes).

However, the *ynthesis of these enzymes c*n be real*zed only by th* in-

formation coded in DNA. As they both depend on each other, they have

to exist at the same time for replication. This brings the scenario that life

originated by itself to a deadlock. Prof. Leslie Orgel, an evolutionist of

repute from the University of *an Diego, Califor*ia, co*fesses this fact

in the September 1994 issue of the Scientific American magazine:

It is extreme*y impro*able that pro*eins and*nucleic acids, both of which a*e

structurally complex, arose spontaneously in the same place at the same time.

Yet it also seems impossible to have one without the other. And so, a* first

glance, one might h*ve to conclude that life could never, in fact, have originat-

ed by*chemic*l means. 142

*04

No doubt, if it is

impossible for life to

have originated from

natural causes, then it

has to be accepted

that life was "created"

in a supernatural

way. This f*ct explic-

itly invalidates the

theory of *volution,

whose main purpose

is to deny creation.

Harun Yahya

Imaginary Mechanism of Evolution

The second important point that negates

Darwin's theory is that both co*cepts put forward

by the theory as "evolutionary mechanisms" were

unders*ood to have, in reality, no evol*tionary

power.

Darwin based *is evolution allegation entirely

on the mechanism of "natural selection." The

importance he placed on this

mechanism was evident in the

name of his book: The Origin of

Species, By Means of Natural

Selection…

Natural selection holds that

those living things that are

stronger and more suited to the

natural conditions of their habitats

will survive in the struggle for life.

For example, in a deer herd under

the threat of attack by wild ani-

mals, those that can run faster will

survive. Therefore, the deer herd

will be comprised of faster and

stronger individuals. However,

unquest*onably, this mechanism

will not cause deer to evolve and

transform themselves into another

l*ving speci*s, f*r insta*c*, hor*es.

Therefore, the mechanism of

French naturalist Lamarck

Lamarck believed that giraffes evolved

from such animals as antelopes. In his

view, the necks of these grass-eating ani-

mals gradually grew longer, and they

*ven*********rne****** gi******.***e l**s

of inheritance discovered by Mendel in

1865 proved that it was impossible for

properties acquired during life to be hand-

ed *n to subsequent generations.

Lamarck’s giraffe fairy tale was thus con-

signed to the wastebin of history.

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Biomimet*cs: Technology Imitates Nature

natural selection has no evolutionary power. Darwin was also aware of

this fact and had to state this in his book The Origin of Species:

Natural selection*can do noth*ng*until favour*ble individual d*fferences *r vari-

ations occur. 143

Lamarck's Impact

So, how could these "favorable variations" occur? Darwin tried to

answer this question from the standpoint of the pri*itive understand-

ing of science at that time. According to the French biologist Chevalier

de Lamarck (1744-1829), who lived before Darwin, living creatures

passed on the traits they acquired during their lifetime to the next gen-

eration. He asserted that these traits, which accumulated from one gen-

eration to another, *aused new species to be formed.*For i*stance, *e

claimed that giraffes evolved from antelopes; as they struggled to eat

the leaves of high trees, their necks were extended from generation to

generation.

Acci**ntal *utat*o** de*elop in-

to defects in humans as well as

**he**l*ving*be*n*s***he

Chernobyl disaster is an eye-

opener for the effects of muta-

tions.

206

Darwin also gave similar examples.

In his book The Origin of Species, for in-

stance, he said that some bears going into

wate* to find food transfor*ed the*-

selves into whales over time. 144

However, the laws of inheritance dis-

covered by Gregor Mendel (1822-84) and

verified by the science of genetics, which

flourished in the twentieth century, utter-

ly demolished the legend that acquired

traits were passed on to subsequent gen-

erations. Thus, natural selection fell out of

Harun Yahya

favor*as an evolutionary mechanism.

Neo-Darwinism and Mutations

In order to find a solution, Darwinists advanced the "Modern

Synthetic Theory," or as it is more commonly known, Neo-Darwinism,

at the end of the 1930s. Neo-Darwinism added mutations, which are

distortions formed in the genes of living beings due to such external fac-

tors as radiation or replication errors, as the "cause of favorable varia-

tions" in addition to natural mutation.

Today, the model that stands for evolution in the world is Neo-

Darwinism. The theory maintains that millions of living beings formed

as a result of a process whereby numerous complex organs of these or-

ganisms (e.g., ears, eyes,*lungs, and wings) underwent "mutations," that

is, genetic disorders. Yet, there is an outright scientific fact t*at totally

undermines this theory: Mutation* do not cause li*ing beings to devel-

op; on the contrary, they are always harmful.

The reason for this is very simple: DNA has a very complex struc-

ture, and random effects can only harm it. Th* American geneticist B. G.

Ranganathan explains this as follows:

First, genuine mutations are very rare in nature. Secondly, most mutations are

harmful since they are random, rather than orderly changes in the structure of

genes; any random change in a highly ordered system will be for the wors*, not

for the better. For example, if an earthquake were to shake a highly ordered

structure such as a *uilding, there would be a random *hange in*the framework

of the building which, in all probability, would not be an improvement. 145

Not surprisingly, no mutation example, which is u*eful, that is,

which is observed to develop the genetic code, has been observed so far.

All mutations have proved to be harmful. It was understood that muta-

tion, which is presented as an "evolutionary mechanism,* is actually a

207

*iomime*i****Tec***log* *mit**** Nat*re

The larger picture belongs to a 100-million-year-old Nautilus fossil. On the left is a

Nautilus living in our day. When we compare the fossil with today’s Nautilus (on the

*igh* is the cross section of *he c*eature’s shell), we see *ha* t*ey both have the *ame

identical characteristics.

genetic occurrence that harms living things, and leaves them disabled.

(The mos* common effect of mutation on human beings is cancer*) Of

course, a destructive mechanism cannot be an "evolutionary mecha-

nism." Natural selection, on the other hand, "can do nothing by itself,"

as Darwin also accepted. This fact shows us that there is no "evolution-

ary mechanism" in nature. Since no evolutionary mechanism exists, *o

such any imaginary process called "evolution" could have taken place.

The Fossil Record: No Sign of Int*rmediate Forms

The clearest evidence that the scenario suggested by the theory of

evolution did not take place is the fossil record.

According to this theory, every living species has sprung from a

predecessor. A previously existing species turned into something else

over time and all species have come into being in this way. In other

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Harun Yahya

words, this transformation procee*s gradually over millions of years.

Ha* th*s been the case, nume**us interme*iary species*should

have existed and lived within this long transformation period.

For instance, some half-fish/half-reptiles should have lived in the

past which had acquired some reptilian traits in addition to the fish

traits they already had. Or t*ere should have existed some reptile-birds,

which acquired s*me bird traits in addition to the reptilian traits they

already had. Since these would be in a transitional phase, they should

be disabled, defective, crippled living beings. Evolutionists refer to

these imaginary creatures, which they be*ieve to have lived in the past,

as "transitional forms."

If such animals ever really existed, there should be millions and

even billions of them in number and variety. More importantly, the re-

mains of these strange creatures should be present in the fossil record.

In The Origin *f Species, Darwin explained:

If my theory be true, numberless intermediate varieties, linking most closely all

of the species of the same group together must assuredly have existed

Consequently, evidence of their former existence could be found only amongst

fossil remains. 146

Darwin's Hopes Shattered

However, although evolutionists have been making strenuous ef-

forts to find fossils since the middle of the nineteenth century all over

the world, no transitional forms have yet been uncovered. All of the fos-

sils, contrary to the ev*lutionists' expectations, sho* that life appeared

on Earth all of a sudden and fully-**rmed.

One famous British paleontologist, Derek V. Ager, admits this fact,

even thoug* he is an evolutionist:

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Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

FFAALLSSEE

Evolutionist newspapers and maga-

zines often print pictures of primitive

man. The only available source for

these pictures is the imagination of

the artist. Evolutionary theory has

been so dented by scientific data that

today we see less and less of it in the

serious press.

The point emerges that if we examine

the fossil record in detail, whether at

the level of orders or of species, we

find – over and over again – not

gradual evolution, but the sudden ex-

plosion*of one gro*p at the expense of

another.

147

This means that in the fos-

sil record, all livi*g spe*ies

suddenly emerge as fully

formed, without any intermediate forms in between. This is just the op-

posite of Darwin's assumptions. Also, this is very strong evidence that

all living things are created. The only explanation of a living species

emergin* suddenly and complete in every detail without any evolu-

tionary ancestor is that it was created. This fact is admitted also by the

widely known e*olutionist biologist Douglas Futuyma:

Creation and evolution, between them, exhaust the possible explanations for the

origin of living things. Organisms either appeared on the earth fully developed

or they did not. If they did not, they must have developed from pre-existing

species by some process of modification. If they did appear in a fully developed

state, they must indeed have been created by some omnipotent intelligence. 148

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Harun Yahya

Fossils show that living beings emerged fully developed and in a

perfect state on the Earth. That means that "the origin of species," con-

trary to Darwin's supposition, is not evolution, but creation.

The Tale of Human Evolution

The subject most often brought up by advocates of the theory of

evolution i* the subject of the origin of man. The Darwinist claim holds

that modern man evolved from ape-like creatures. *uring this alleged

evolutionary process, which is supposed to h*ve started 4-5 million

years ago, some "transitional forms" between modern man and his an-

cestors are supposed to have existed. According to this completely

imaginary scenario, four basic "categories" are listed:

1. Australopithecus

2. Homo habilis

3. Homo erectus

4. Homo sapiens

Evolutionists call*man'* so*called *irst ape-like ancestors

Australopithecus, which means "South African ape." These living beings

a*e actually nothing but an old ape species that ha* become extinct.

Extensive research done on various Australopithecus specimens by two

world famous anatomists from England and the USA, namely, Lord

Solly Zuckerman and Prof. Charles Oxnard, *hows that these apes be-

longed to an ordinary ape species that became extinct and bore no re-

semblance to humans. 149

Ev**utionists c*a*s*** the next stage**f *uma* evoluti** a* "h*mo*"

that is "man." According to their claim, the living beings in the Homo

series are more developed th*n Australopithecus. Evolu*ionists devise a

fanciful evolution scheme by arranging different fossils of these crea-

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Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

*ures in a particular order. This scheme is im*gina*y*because it has *ev-

er been proved that there is an evolutionary relation between these dif-

ferent classes. Ernst Mayr, one of the twentieth century's most impor-

tant evolutionists, contends in his book One Long Argument that "partic-

ularly historical [puzzles] such as the origin of life or of Homo sapiens,

**e extremely difficult*a*d may even*r*sist a **nal* satisfying explan*-

tion." 150

By outlining the link chain as Australopithecus > Homo habilis >

Homo erectus > Homo sapiens, evolutionists imply that each of these

species is one another's ancestor. However,*recent findings of paleoan-

thro**log*sts have revealed that Australopithecus, Homo habilis, and

Homo erectus*lived at differen* parts of the world at the same time. 151

Moreover, a certain segment of humans classified as Homo erectus

have lived up until very modern times. Homo sapiens nean*arthalensis

and Homo sapiens sapiens (modern man) co-existed in the same region. 152

This situation apparently indicates the invalidi*y of the claim that

they are ancestors of one another. Stephen Jay Gould explained this

deadlock of the theory of evolution, although he was himself one of the

leading advocates of evolution in the twentieth century:

What has become of our ladder if there are three coexisting lineages of hominids

(A. afric*nus, the robust australopithecines, and H. habilis), none clearly de-

rived from*another? Mor*over, *one of the t*ree display any evolutiona*y

trends during their tenure on earth.153

P*t*brief*y* t*e scenario *f human evolution, which i* "upheld"

with the help of various drawings of some *half ape, half human" crea-

tu*es*appear*n* in the me*ia and cour** boo*s, that is, frankly, by

means of propaganda, is nothing but a tale with no scientific founda-

tion.

Lord Solly Zuckerman, one of the most famous and respected sci-

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Harun Yahya

entists in the U.K., who carried out research on this subject*for years and

studied Australopithecus fossils for 15 years, finally concluded, despite

being an evolutionist himself, that there is, in fact, no such family tree

bran*hing *ut from ap*-like creatur*s to man.

Zuckerman also made an interesting "spectrum of science" ranging

from those he considered scientific to those he considered unscientific.

*ccording to Zu*ker*an's spectrum, th* most *scien*ific" – that is, de-

pending on concrete data – fields of science are chemistry and physics.

After them come the biological sciences and then the social sciences. At

the far end of the spectrum, which is the part considered to be most "un-

scientific," are "extra-sensory perception" – concepts such as telepathy

and sixth sense – and finally "human evolution." Zuckerman explains

his reasoning:

We then move right off the register of objective truth into those fields of pre-

sumed biological science, like extrasensory perception or the interpretation of

man's fossil history, where to the faithful [evolutionist] anything is possible –

and where the ardent believer [in evolution] is sometimes able to believe sever-

al contradictory things at the same time. 154

T** ***e*** **m****voluti*****i******n *o n***in* b****he*****u-

diced interpretations of some fossils unearthed by certain people, who

bl*ndly adhere*to their theory.

Darwinian Formula!

Be*ides all the tech*ical evidence we have dealt with so far, let us

now for once, examine what kind of a superstition the evolutionists

have with an example so simple as to be understood even by chi*dren:

The theory of evolution asserts that *ife is formed by chance.

According to this claim, lifeless and unconscious atoms came together

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Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

to form the cell and then they somehow formed other living things, in-

cluding man. Let us think about that. When we bring together the ele-

ments that are the building-blocks of life such as carbon, phosphorus,

nitrogen and potassium, only a heap is formed. No matter what treat-

ments it undergoes, this atomic heap cannot form even a single living

being.*If you like, let us formulate an "experiment" *n this s*bject and

let us examine on the behalf of evolutionists what they really claim

without pronouncing loudly under the name "Darwinian formula":

Let evolutionists put plenty of materials present in the composi-

tion of liv*ng things such as phosphorus, *i*rogen, c*rbon, oxygen, iron,

and m*gnesium into big barrels. Moreover, let them ad* in these bar-

Compared to cameras and sound record*ng devices, the eye and ear are

much more complex,*m*ch more successful and possess f*r supe*ior

features to these products of high technology.

214

Harun Yahya

rels any material that does

not exist under normal

conditions, but they think

as necessary. Let them add

in this mixture as many

*mino acids and as many

proteins – a single one of

which has a formation

probability of 10 -950 – as

they like. Let them expose

these mixtures to as much

*eat and moisture as they

like. Let them stir these

with whatever technologically developed device they like. Let them put

the foremost scientists beside these barrels. Let these experts wait in

turn beside these barrels for billions, *nd*even trillions of years. Let

them be free to use all kinds of conditions they believe to be necessary

for a human's formation. No matter what they do, they cannot produce

from these barrels a human, say a professor that examines his cell struc-

ture und*r the electron microscope. They cannot produce giraffes, lions,

bees, canaries, horses, dolphins, roses, orchids, lilies, carnations, ba-

nanas, oranges, apples, dates, tomatoes, melons, watermelons, figs,

olives, grapes, peaches, peafowls, pheasants, multicoloured butterflies,

or millions of other living beings such as these. Indeed, they could not

obtain even a single cell of any one of them.

Briefly, unconscious atoms cannot form the cell by coming togeth-

er. They cannot take a new decision and divide this cell into two, then

take other decisions and create the professors who first invent the elec-

tron microscope and then examine their own cell struct*re under that

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Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

Technology in the Eye and the Ear

microscope. M*tter is

an unconscious,*lifeless

heap, and it comes to

life with God's superior

creation.

The theory of evo-

lution, which claims the

*pposite, is a total falla-

cy completely contrary

to reason. Thinking

even a little bit on the

claims of evolutionists

disclose* this r*ality,

just as in the above ex-

ample.

Another subject that remains unanswered by evolution*ry theory

is the excellent quality of perception in the eye and the ear.

Before passing on to the subject of the eye, let us briefly answer the

question of how we see. Light rays coming from an object fall opposite-

ly on the eye's retina. Here, these light rays are transmitted into electric

signals by cells and reach a tiny spot at the back of the brain, the "cen-

ter of vision." These electric signals are perceived in this center as an

image after*a series of processes. With this technical background, let us

do some thinking.

The brain is insulated from light. That means that its inside is com-

pletely dark, and that no light reaches the place where it is located.

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Harun Yahya

**us*******ce*t****f*****on**is

never touched by light and may

even be the darkest place you

have ever known. However,

you observe a luminous, bright

world in this pitch darkness.

The image formed in the

eye is so sharp and distinct that

even the technology of the

twentieth century has not been

able to attain it. For instance,

look at the book you are read-

ing, you* hand* with which **u

are holding it, and then lift your

head and look around you.

Have you ever seen such a

sharp and distinct image as this

one at any other place? Even the most developed television screen pro-

duced by the greatest television producer in the world cannot provide

such a sharp image for you. This is a three-dimensional, colored, and

extremely sharp image. For more than 100 years, thousands of engi-

neers have been trying to achieve this sharpness. Factories, huge

premises were establ*shed, much resea*ch has been done, plans and de-

signs have been made for this purpose. Again, look at a TV screen and

the book you hold in your hands. You will see that there is a big differ-

ence in sharpness and distinction. Moreover, the TV screen shows you

a two-dimensional image, whereas with your eyes, you watch a three-

dimensional perspective with depth.

For many years, tens of thousands of engineers have tried to make

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Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

a three-dimensional TV and achieve the vision quality of the eye. Yes,

they have made a three-dimensional television system, but it is not pos-

s*ble to*wa*ch it witho*t p*tting on*spec*a* 3-D gl*sses; mor*over, it*is

o*ly *n artificial three-dimension. The background is*m*re*b*urred, the

foreground appears like a paper setting. Never has it been possible to

produce a sharp and distinct vision like that of the eye. In both the cam-

era and the television, there is a loss of image quality.

Evolutionists claim that the mechanism producing this sharp and

distinct image has been formed by chance. Now, if somebody told you

that the television in your room was formed as a result of chance, that

all of its atoms just happene* to come together and make up this device

that produces*an image, what would you think? How can atoms do

what thousands of people cannot?

If a device producing a more primitive image than the eye could

not have be*n formed by chance, then it is very evident that the eye and

the image *een by the*e*e could not have been f*rmed by chance. The

same situation applies to the ear. The outer ear picks up the available

sounds by the auricle and directs them to the middle ear, the middle ear

transmits the sound vibrations by intensifying them, and the inner ear

sends these vibrations to the brain by translating them into electric sig-

nals. Just as with the eye, the act of hearing finalizes in the center of

hearing in the brain.

The situation in the eye is also true for the ear. That is, the brain is

insulated from sound just as it is from light. It does not let any sound in.

Th*re*ore, no matter how*noisy is th* out*i*e* the *ns*de o* the brain*is

completely silent* Nevertheless, the sharpest sounds are perceived in

the brain. In your completely silent brain, you listen to symphonies, and

hear all of the noises in a crowded place. However, were the sound lev-

el in your brain*measured by a precise device at that moment, complete

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Harun Yahya

Movement

Thought

Touch

Speech

Sight

Taste

Hearing

Smell

We live our whole life in our brains. People we see, flowers we smell* music we hear,

fruit we taste, the moisture we feel with our hands—all these are impressions that

become "reality" in the brain. But no colors, voices or pictures exist there. We live in

an environment of electrical impulses. This is no theory, but the scientific explana*ion

of how we perceive the outside world.

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Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

silence would be found to be prevailing there.

As is the case with imagery, decades of effort have been spent in

trying to generate and reproduce sound that is faithful to the original.

The results of these efforts are sound recorders, high-fidelity*systems,

and systems for sensing sound. Despite all of this technology and the

thousa*d* of e**ineers an* ex*e*ts*who have *een working*on this*en-

deavor, no s*und has yet been obtained that has the same sharpness

and clarity as the sound perceived*by*the ea*. Think of the highest-qual-

ity hi-f* systems produced *y *he largest company in the music indus-

try. Even in these devices, when sound is recorded some of it is lost; or

when you turn on a hi-fi you always hear a hissing sound before the

music starts. However, the sounds that are the products of the human

body's technology are extremely sharp and clear. A human ear never

perceives a sound accompanied by a hissing sound or with atmospher-

ics as does a hi-fi; rather, it perceives sound exactly as it is, sharp and

clear. This is the way it has been since the creation of man.

So far, no man-made visual or recording apparatus has been as sen-

sitive and successful in perceiving sensory data as are the eye and the

ear. However, as far as seeing and hearing are concerned, a far greater

truth lies beyond all this.

To Whom Does the Consciousness that Sees and Hears

within the Brain Belong?

Wh* watches an alluring world in the brain, listens t* symphonies

and the twittering of birds, and smells the rose?

The stimulations coming from a person's eyes, ears, and nose trav-

el to the brain as *lectro-chemical nerve impulses. In biology, physiolo-

gy, and biochemistry books, you *a* fin* many details about how*this

image forms in the bra*n. H*w*ver, you will neve* come a*ross the

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Harun Yahya

most imp*rtant fact: Who perceives these electro-chemical nerve im-

pulses as images, sounds, odors, and sensory events in the brain? There

is a consciousness in the brain that perceives all this without feeling any

need for an eye, an ear, and a nose. To whom does this consciousness

belong? Of course it does not belong to the nerves, the fat layer, and

neurons comprising the brain. T*is is why D*rwinist-materiali*ts, who

believe that everything is comprised of matter, cannot answer these

questions.

For this consciousness is the spirit created by God, which needs

neither the eye to watch the images nor the ear to hear the sounds.

Furthermore, it does not need the brain to think.

Everyone who reads this explicit and scientific fact should ponder

on Almighty God, and f*ar and seek refuge in Him, for He squeezes the

entire universe in a *itch-dark place of a few cubic centimeters in a

three-dimensional, colored, shadowy, and luminous form.

A Materialist Faith

The information we have presented so far shows us that the *heo-

ry of evolution is incompatible with scientific findings. The theory's

claim regarding the origin of life is*inconsistent with science, the evolu-

tionary mechanisms it proposes have no evolutionary power, and fos-

sils demonstrate that the required intermediate forms have never exist-

ed. So, it certainly follows that the theory of evolution should be pushed

aside as an unscientific idea. This is how many ideas, such as the Earth-

centered universe model, have been taken out of the agenda of science

throughout history.

However, the theory of evolution is kept on the agenda of science.

Some people even try to represent criticisms directed against it as an

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Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

"attack on science." Why?

The reason is that this theory is an indispe*sable dogmatic belief

for some circles. These circles are blindly devoted to materialist philos-

ophy and ado*t Darwinism because it is the only materialist explana-

tion that can be put forward to explain the workings of nature.

Interestingly enough, they also confess this fact from time to time.

A well-known geneticist and an outspoken evolutionist, Richard C.

Lewontin from Harvard University, confesses that he is "first and fore-

most a materialist and then a scientist":

It is not that the me*hods and institutions o* science somehow *ompel us accept

a material explanation of the phenomenal world, but, on the contrary, that we

are*forced by our a priori adherence to material causes to create an apparatus of

investigation and a set of concepts that produce*material explanatio*s, no mat-

ter how counter-intuitive, no matter how mystifying to the uninitiated.

Moreover, that materialism is absolute, so we cannot allow a Divine Foot in the

door. 155

These are explicit statements that Darwinism is a dogma kept alive

just for the sake*of ad*erence to materialism. This dogma maintains **at

ther* is no being save matter* Theref*re, it argues that inanimat*, un-

conscious matter created life. It insists that millions of different living

species (e.g., birds, fish, giraffes, tigers, insects, trees, flowers, whales,

and human *ein*s) origina**d as a result *f the inter**tions between

matter such as pouring rain, lig*tning flashes, and so on, out of inani-

mate matter* Th** is * precept contr**y b*t***o r**son and sci*nce. Y*t

Darwinists continue*to defend it just so as "*ot to allow a Divine Foot in

the door."

Anyone who does not look at the origin of living beings with a ma-

terialist prejudice will see this evident truth: All *iving beings are works

of a Creator, Who is All-Powerful, All-Wise, and All-Knowing. This

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Harun Yahya

The magicians of Pharaoh were authorities

on subjects ranging from astronomy to

medicine. They exploited their prestige to

influence the public and only to reinforce

the oppressive rule of Pharaoh. Above is

an ancient Egyptian relief showing the ma-

gicians holding the world.

Anyone free of prejudice and

the influence of any particular ide-

ology, who uses only his or her

reason and logic, will clearly un-

derstand that belief in the theory

of evolution, which brings to

**** th**s****s***i*n* *f **ci***es

with no knowledge *f science or

civilization, is quite impossible.

As explained above, those

who believe in the theory of evo-

lution think that a few atoms and

molecules thrown into a huge vat could produce thinking, reasoning

professors and university students; such scientists as Einstein and

Galileo; such artists as Humphrey Bogart, Frank Sinatra and Luciano

Pavarotti; as well as antelopes, lemon trees, and carnations. Moreover,

as the scientists and professors who believe in this nonsense are edu-

cated people, it is quite justifiable to speak of this theory as "the most

potent spell in history." Never before has any other belief or ide* so tak-

en away peoples' powers of reason, refused to allow them to think in-

Creator is God, Who created the

whole universe from non-exis-

tence, designed it in the most per-

fect form, and fashioned all living

beings.

The Theory of Evolution: The

Most Potent Spell in the

World

223

In t*e same way that the beliefs of people who worshipped crocodiles now seem odd

and unbelievable, so the beliefs of Darwinists are just as incredible. Darwinists regard

chance and lifeless, unconscious atoms as a creative force, and are as devoted to that

belief as if to a religion.

telligently and l*gically, and hidden t*e truth fro* them as if*they had

been blindfolded. This is an ev*n worse and unbelievab*e blindness

than the Egyptians worshipping the Sun God Ra, totem worship in

some parts of Africa, the people of Saba w*rshipping the Sun, the tribe

of Prophet Abraham (p*uh) worshipping idols they had made with

their own hands, or the people of Prophet Moses (pbu*) worshipping

the Golden Calf.

In fact, God has pointed to this lack of r*ason in the Qur'an. In

ma*y*v*rs*****e ****als*tha* so*e*peo*les'*min*s***ll be*cl**e* *nd

that they will be powerless to see the truth. Some of these*verses are as

follows:

As for those who do not believe, it makes no difference to them

whether you warn them or do not warn *hem, they will no* believe.

God has sealed up their hearts and hearing and over their eyes is a

blindfold. They will have a terrible punishment. (Qur'an, 2:6-7)

… They have hearts with which they do not understand. They have

224

Harun Yahya

eyes with which they *o not see. The* have ears with which they

do not hear. Such people are like cattle. No, they are even further

astray! They are the unawar*. (Qur'an, 7:179)

Even if We opened*up to th*m a door into heaven, and t*ey sp*nt

the day ascending through it, they would only say: "Our eyesight

is befuddled! Or rather we have been put under a spell!" (Qur'an,

15:14-15)

Words cannot express just how astonishing it is that this spell

should hold such a wide community in thrall, keep people from the

truth, and not be broken for 150 years. It is understandable that o*e or

a few people might believe in impossible scenarios and claims full of

stupidity a*d illogicality. However, "magic" is the only possible expla-

nation for people from all over the world believing that unconscious

*nd lifeless atoms suddenly decided to come together and form a uni-

verse that functions with a flawless system of organization, discipline,

reason, and consciousness; a planet named Earth with all of its features

so perfectly suited to life; and living things full of countless complex

systems.

In fact, the Qur'an relates the incident of Prophet Moses (pbuh) and

Pharaoh to show that some people who support atheistic philosophies

actually influence others by magic. When Pharaoh was told about the

true religion, he told Prophet Moses (pbuh) to meet with his own magi-

cians. When Moses (pbuh) did so, he told them to demonstrat* their

abilities first. The verses continue:

He said: "You throw." And when they threw, they cast a spell on the

people'* eye* and caused them to feel great fear*of them. They pro-

duced an extremely powerful magic. (Qur'an, 7:116)

225

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

226

Harun Yahya

As we have seen, Pharaoh*s magicians were able to d*ceive every-

one, apart from Moses (pbuh) and those who believed in him. However,

his evidence broke the spell, or "swallowed up what they had forged,"

as the verse puts it:

We revealed to Moses, "Throw down your staff." And it immedi-

ately swallowed up what they had forged. So the Truth took place

and*what they did was shown to be false. (Qur'an, 7:117-118)

As we can see* *hen people r*alized that a*spell had be*n cast*up-

on them and that what they saw was just an illusion, Pharaoh's magi-

cians lost all credibility. In the present d*y too, unless those who, under

the influence of a similar spell, believe in these ridiculous claims under

their scientific disguise and spend their lives defending them, abandon

their superstitious beliefs, they also will be humiliated when the full

truth emerges and the spell is broken. In fact, world-renowned British

writer and philosopher Malcolm Muggeridge, who was an atheist de-

fen*ing evolution for some 60 years, but who subsequently realized the

truth, *eveals the position in which the theory of evolution would find

itself in the near future in these terms:

I myself am convinced that the theory of evolution, especially the extent to

which it's b*en applied, will be one o* the great jokes in the history books in the

future. Posterity will m*rvel t*at so very flimsy and dubious an hypothesis

could be acce*ted with the incredible credulity that it has. 156

That future is not far off: On the contrary, people will soon see that

"chance" is not a deity, and will look back on the theory of evolution as

the worst deceit and the most terrible spell in the world. That*spell is al-

ready rapidly beginning to be lifted from the shoulders of people all

over the world. Many people who see its true face are wondering with

amazement how they could ever have been taken in by it.

227

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

Notes

* Na*o***h*o**** **an* **i**i** *o**-

thing by manipulating the placement of

pieces that vary in size from 0.1 to 100

nanometers (nm)—roughly the range of

size between atoms and molecules.

2 Janine M. Benyus, Biomimicry,

Innovation Inspired By Nature, William

Morrow and Company Inc., New York,

1998;

http://www.biomimicry.org/reviews_text.htm

3 “Biomimicry,” Buckminster Fuller

*nstitut*;

http://www.bfi.org/Trimtab/spring01/bio-

mimicry.htm

4 Michelle Nijhuis, High Country News,

July 06, 1998, vol. 30, no. 13;

http://www.biomimicry.org/reviews_text.htm

5 Phil*p Bal*, “Life’s less*ns in design,”

Nature, January 18, 2001.

6 A Conversation with Janine Benyus,

“*i*m*m*cr*****la*ned;”**tt**//*******-

mimic**.org*faq.*tml

7 http://www.*atchtower.org/library/g

/2000/1/22/article_02.htm

8 h*tp://www.rdg.ac.uk*biom*metics/ pro-

jects.htm

9 Bilim ve Teknik (Science and

Technology Magazine), TUBITAK

Publishings, August 1994, p. 43.

10 Philip Ball, “Life’s lessons in design”,

Nature 409, 413-416 (2001).

11 “Biomimicry: Secrets Hiding in Plain

Sight,” NBL 6.22, November 17, 1997;

http://www.natlogic.com/resorces/nbl/v06/n

22.html

12 Janine M. Benyus, Biomimicry:

Innovation Inspired By N*ture, William

Morrow and Company Inc., New York,

1998;

http://www.biomimicry.org/reviews_text.htm

13 Ed Hunt, “Biomimicry: Genius that

228

Surrounds Us,” Tidepool Editor;

h*tp://*w**bi*mimicry.or*/*eviews*tex*.h*m

14 Robin Eisner, “Biomimetics: Creating

Materials From Nature’s Blueprints,” The

Scientist, July 08, 1991; http://www.the-sci-

entist.com/yr1991/july/research_910708.ht

15 Jim Rob*ins, “Engineers Ask Nature

for Design Advice,” New York Times,

December 11, 2001.

16 David Perlman, “Business and Nature

in Productive, Efficient Harmony,” San

Francisco Chronicle, November 30, 1997,

p. 5;

http://www.biomimicry.org/reviews_text.htm

17 Ilhan Aksay, “Mal**me Biliminin

Onderlerinden” (A leading figure in material

science), Bilim ve Teknik (Science and

Technology Magazine), TUBITAK

Publishings, February 2002, p. 92.

18 Billy Goodman, “Mimicking Nature,”

Princeton Weekly, Feature-January 28,

1998;

http://www.princeton.edu/~cml/html/publici-

t*/PAW19980128/0128feat.htm

19 Ilhan Aksay, “Malzeme Biliminin

Onderlerinden” (A leading figure in material

science), Bilim ve Teknik (Science and

Technology Magazine), TUBITAK

Publishings, February 2002, p. 93.

20 Ibid.

21 Julian Vincent, “Tricks of Nature,”

New Scientist, August 17, 1996, vol. 151,

no. 2043, p. 38.

22 Ilhan Aksay, “Malzeme Biliminin

Onderlerinden” (A leading figure in material

science) Bilim ve Teknik (Science and

Technology Magazine), TUBITAK

Publishings, February 2002, p. 93.

23 “Learning From Designs in Nature,”

Life A product of Design; http://www.watch-

Ha*un Yahya

tower.org/library/g/2000/1/22/article_02.htm

24 Ibid.

25 Benyus, Biomimicry, pp. 9*-100.

26 “Learning From Designs in Nature,”

Life A product of Design; http://www.watch-

tower.org/library/g/2000/1/22/article_02.htm

27 Julian Vincent, “Tricks of Nature,”

New Scientist, August 17, 1996, vol. 151,

no. 2043, p* 38.

28 Ibid., p. 39.

http://www.rdg.ac.uk/AcaDepts/cb/97hep-

worth.html

30 Julian Vincent, “Tricks of Nature,”

New Scientist, August 17, 1996, vol. 151,

no. 2043, p. 39

31 Ibid., p. 40.

32 J. M. Gosline, M. E. DeMont & M. W.

Denny, "The Structure and Properties of

Spider*Silk," Endeavour, Volume 10, Issue

1, 1986, p. 42.

33 “Learning From Designs in Nature”,

Life A product of Design; http://www.watch-

tower.org/library/g/2000/1/22/article_*2.htm

34 "Spider (arthropod)," Encarta Online

Encyclopedia 2005

35 J. M. Gosline, M. W. Denny & M. E.

DeMont, “Spider silk as rubber,” Nature,

**l.*3*** *o* *9**,**p* **1-***;**tt***/ia-

go.stfx.ca/people/edemont/abstracts/spi-

der.html

36*“How Spiders Make Their Silk”,

Discover, vol. 19, no. 10, October 1998.

37 Shear, W.A., J. M. Palmer, “A

Devonian Spinneret: Early Evidence of

Spiders and Silk Use,” Science, vol. 246,

pp. 479-481;

http:/*faculty.washington.edu/yagerp/silkpro

jecthome.html

38 Ali Demirsoy, Kalitim ve Evrim

(Inheritance and Evolution), Meteksan

Publishing Co., Ankara, 1984, p. 80.

39 For further details see Harun Yahya’s

Design in Nature , Ta Ha Publishers,

January 2002.

40 Jim Robbins, “Engineers Ask Nature

for Design Advice,” New York Times,

December 11, 2001.

*1 Jim Robbin*, “Engineers Ask Nature

for Design Advice,” New York Times,

December 11, 2001.

42 John Whitfield, “Making Crops Cry

For Help,” Nature, April 12, 2001, p. 736-

737.

43 Ibid.

44 Ibid.

45 Peter Weiss, “Soaking Up Rays,”

Science News, August 4, 2001.

46 Ibid.

47 “Learning From Designs in Nature,”

Life A product of Design; http://www.watch-

tower.org/library/g/2000/1/22/article_02.htm

48 Stuart Blackman, “Synchronised

Swimming,” BBC Wildlife, February 1998,

p. 57.

49 Waikiki Aquarium Education

Department, December 1998;

http://waquarium.mic.hawaii.edu/MLP/root/

html/MarineLife/Invertebrates/Molluscs/Nau

tilus.html

50 “The Designing Times,” vol. 1, no. 8,

March 2000;

http:*/www.godandscience.org/evolu*ion/de

sign.html

51 Philip Ball, “Astounding Bat Mobility,”

Nature, February 2, 2001.

52 Ibid.

53 For fu*ther details see Harun Y*hya’s

Design in Nature , Ta Ha Publishers,

January 2002.

54 Phil Gates, Wild Technology, p. 52.

55 Betty Mamane, “Le surdoué du garnd

blue,” Science et vie Junior, August 1998,

pp. 79-84.

56 Sonar means “Sound Navigation and

Ranging.’’

57 “Yale Sonar Robot Modeled After Bat

and Dolphin Echolocation Behavior,” Yale

University—Office of Public Affairs;

http://www.robotbooks.com/sonar-

robots.htm

58 “Biomimicry,” Buckminster Fuller

229

Biom*metics: Technology Imitates Nature

Institute;

http://www.bfi.org/Trimtab/spring01/bio-

mimicry.htm

59 New S*ientist, October 14, 2000, p.

20.

60 “Kirlilige Bal›k Dedektoru”, Science;

trans.: Mustafa Ozturk, Bilim ve Teknik

(Science and Tec*nology), TUBITAK

Publishings, February 1991, p. 43.

61 “Kusursuz Ucus Makineleri” (Flawless

Flying Machines), Reader’s Digest, trans.:

Ruhsar Kansu, Bilim ve Teknik (Science

and Technology), TUBITAK Publishings,

no. 136, March 1979, p. 21

6******mim*cry,* **ur*********a**h;

http://www.yourplanetearth.org/terms/de-

tails.php3?term=Biomimicry

63 For further information see Harun

Yahya’s Darwinism Refuted, Goodword

Books, New Delhi, 2003.

64 “Biyonik, Dogay› Kopya Etmektir,”

(**o***s *opies***ture) Sc*e*ce*** V*e,

trans.: Dr.Hanasl› Gur, Bilim ve Teknik

(Science and Technology), TUBITAK

Publishings, July 1985, pp. 19-20.

65 Necmi Kara, “Yak›ts›z Ucus”

(Fuelless Flight*, Bilim ve Teknik (Science

and Technology), TUBITAK Publishings;

http://www.biltek.tubitak.gov.tr/dergi/98/oca

k/yakitsiz.html

66 “Biyonik, Dogay› Kopya Etmektir”

(Bionics Copies Nature), Science et Vie,

trans.: Dr.Hanasl› Gur, Bilim ve Teknik

(Science and Technology), TUBITAK

Publishings, July 1985, p. 19.

67 Michael Dickinson, “Solving the

Mystery of Insec* Flight,” Scientific

American, June 2001.

68 Ibid.

69 Ibid.

70 Hideki Takagi, Ross Sanders,

"Hydrodynamics makes a splash," Physics

World, September 2000.

71 “Heat-seeking vipers may help with

U.S. defense, UT Austin researcher finds,”

On Campus, vol.28* no.08, 27 June 2001;

http://www.utexas.edu/admin/opa/oncam-

230

pus/01oc_issues/oc010627/oc_vipers.html

72 Ibid.

73 Ibid.

74 International Wildlife, September-

*cto**r 1992, p. 34.

75 Ann M*rie Cunningham, "Clothes

*hat Change Color," Sci*nCentral.*nc.,

www.sciencentral.com.

76 Parker, A.R., “Light-reflection strate-

gies,” American Scientist (1999a) 87 (3),

248-255; http://www.rdg.ac.

uk/Biomim/00parker.htm

77 Parker, A. R., “Water capture by a

desert beetle,” Nature 414, 2001, pp. 33-

34.

78 Ibid.

79 Stuart Blackman, “Fatal Flasher,”

BBC Wildlife, April 199*, vol.16, no.4, p.

60.

http://www.milliyet.com.tr/2001/07/31/yasa

m/yas07.html

81 Eiji Nakatsu, "Learning From Nature -

A Flight of Wild Birds and Railways,"

h*t****w*w.w*s**org**ir**atching*contri*u-

tion/97_910e.html

82 Ibid.

83 “Biomimicry”, Buckminster Fuller

Institute;

http://www.bfi.o*g*Trimtab/spring01/bio-

mimicry.htm

84 Ilan Greenberg, "Butterflies Show

Path to Cooler Chips," Wired News,

http://wired-vig.wired.com/news/technolo-

gy/0,1282,10163,00.html.

85 “N*w standa*d set for scientific visu-

alizations”, S*ndia National Laboratories,

News Releases, July 12, 2001;

http://www.sandia.gov/media/NewsRel/NR2

001/vizcor.htm

86 Robert Kunzig, “The Beat Goes On,”

Discover, January 2000.

87 Ibid.

88 Ibid.

89 Ibid.

90 “The Internet strikes back,” New

Harun Yahya

Scientist, May 24, 1997.

91 Phil Gates, Wild Technology, p. 54.

92 David H.Hubbel, Eye Brain and

Vis*on, Scientific American Library, 1988, p.

34.

93 Jim Giles, “Think Like A Bee,” Nature,

March 29, 2001, pp. 510-512.

94 Ibid.

95 “SWAT’z new?—fly that’s setting the

hearing world abuzz”, NIDCD, February

13, 2003;

http://www.nidcd.nih.*ov/heal*h/educa*ion/n

ews/swatz.asp

96 Peter M. Narins, “Acousti*s: In a Fly’s

Ear,” Nature 410, 2001, pp. 644-645.

97 “Biyonik, Dogay› Kopya Etmektir”

(Bionics Copies Nature), Science et Vie,

trans.: Dr.Hanasl› Gur, Bilim ve Teknik

(Science and Technology), TUBITAK

Publishings, Jul* 1985, p. 21.

98 Smithsonian National Zoological

Park;

http://www.fonz.org/zoogoer/zg1999/28(4)b

iomimetics.htm

99 David Attenborough, The Private Life

Of Plants, Princeton University Press,

1995, p. 291.

100 Smithsonian National Zoological

Park;

http://www.fonz.org/zoogoer/zg1999/28(4)b

iomimetics.htm

101 “Biyonik, Dogay› Kopya Etmektir,”

(Bionics Copies Nature) Science et Vie,

trans.: Dr.Hanasl› Gur, Bilim ve Teknik

(Science and Technology),*TUBITAK

Publishings, July 1985, p. 21.

102 Erica Klarreich, “Good vibrations,”

Nature Science Update, April 3, 2001.

103 Joseph Ayers, Joel L. Davis and

Alan Rudolph, “Neurotechnology for

Biomimet*c Robo*s;”

http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/de-

fault.asp?sid=059CE164-6183-4410-8320-

D58*8734*95A&ttype=2&tid=*812

104 For further information see Harun

Yahya’s For Men of Understanding , Ta Ha

Publishers, April 2*03.

105 Kevin Bonsor, “How Snakebots will

Work,” Howstuffworks; http://www.howstuff-

w*r****o*/*n**eb****tm

106 Duncan Graham-Rowe, "Walk like a

scorpion," NewScientist; 21 April 2001.

107 “B*ological Analysis,” AIS Approach;

http://ais.gmd.de/BAR/SCORPION/biolo-

gy.htm

108 Ibid.

109 Duncan Graham-Rowe, "Walk like a

scorpion," NewScientist; 21 April 2001.

110 Yvonne Carts-Powell, “Robots mimic

living creatures,” OE Reports;

http://w*w.spie.org/web/oe*/sept**ber/s*p

00/cover1.html

111 Ibid.

112 Ibid.

113 Robert Sanders, “Lobster sniffing:

how lobsters’ hairy noses capture smells

from the sea,” UC Berkele* Campus News,

November 30, 2001;

http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/re-

leases*2001/11/30_lob*t.html

114 Ibid.

115 Projects at the Centre for

Biomimetics;

http://www.rdg.ac.uk/Biomim/projects.htm

116 BBC News Online, June 7, 2000;

http://news.bbc.co.uk/low/english/sci/tech/n

ewsid_781000/781611.htm

117 World Wealth International, vol. 1,

no. 1, F*bruary 2001; http://www.world-

wealth.net/samplemag/ArticleGeckoPrint.ht

118 Fenella Saunders, "Robo-Geckos,"

Discover, September 2000, vol. 21, no. 9

119

Ibid.

120

Ibid.

121

Ibid.

122

Ibid.

123 Phil Gates, Wild Technology, p. 5.

124

Ibid., p. 55.

125

Ibid., p. 64.

126

Ibid., p. 67.

127 “Biomimicry”, Your Planet Earth

231

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

Glossary 1.0.1; http://www.yourplan-

etearth.org/terms/details.php3?term=Biomi

micry

128 Phil Gates, Wild Technology, p. 65.

129 For further information see Harun

Yahya’s For Men of Understanding , Ta Ha

Publishers, April 2003.

130 Phil Gates, Wild Technology, p. 66.

131 http://www.bitkidunyasi.net/ilgincbitk-

iler/*lgincbitkiler1.html

132 Phil Gates, Wild Technology, p. 67.

133 Animal Inventors, National

Geographic Channel (Turkey), November

25, 2001.

134 Phil Gate*, Wil* Technology,*p. 16.

135 Ric*ard *aw*ins, C*imbing Mount

Improbable, W.W. Norton & Company,

September 1996, p. 92.

136 “The Elephant’s Trunk Robotic Arm;”

http://ece.clemson.ed*/crb/labs/biomimet-

ic/elephant.htm

1*7 Si*ne* Fo** Kla*s *ose, M*l*cular

Evolution and The Origin of Life, W.H. Fre-

eman and Company, San Francisco, 1972,

p. 4.

138 Alexander I. Oparin, Origin of Life,

Dover Publications, NewYork, 1936, 1953

(reprint), p. 196.

139 "New Evidence on Evolution of

Early Atmosphere and Life", Bulletin of the

American Meteorological Society, vol 63,

November 1982, 1328-1330.

1***St*nl** M*ller,*Mole*ular E*olut**n

of Life: Current Status of the Prebiotic

Synthesis of Small Molecules, 1986, p. 7.

141 Jeffrey Bada, Earth, February 1998,

p.***.

142 Leslie E.*Orgel, "The *rigin*of Li*e

on Earth", Scientific American* vol. 271,

October 1994, p. 78.

143 Charles Darwin, The Origin of Spe-

cies by Means of Natural Selection, The

Modern Library, New York, p. 127.

144 Charles Darwin, The Origin of Spe-

cies: A Facsimile of the*First Edition, Har-

vard University Pres** 1964, p* 184.

232

145 B. G. Ranganathan, Origins?,

Pennsylvania: The Banner Of Truth Trust,

1988, p. 7.

146 Darwin, The Origin of Species: A

Facsimile of the First Edition, p. 179.

1*7 De*ek A. A*er, *The Natur**of*t*e

Fossil Record," Proceedings of the British

Geological Association, vol 87, 1976, p.

133.

148 Douglas J. Futuyma, Science on Tri-

al, Pantheon Books, New York, 1983, p.

197.

149 Solly Zuckerman, Beyond The Ivory

Tower, Toplinger Publications, New York,

1970, pp. 75-14; Charles E. Oxnard, "The

Place of Australopithecines in Human Evo-

lution: Grounds for Doubt," Nature, vol

258, p. 389.

150 "Could science be brought to an end

by scientists' belief that they have final

answers or by society's reluctance to pay

the bills?" Scientific American, December

1992, p. 20.

151 Alan Walker, Science, vol. 207, 7

March 1980, p. 1103; A. J. Kelso, Physical

Antropology, 1st ed., J. B. Lipincott Co.,

New York, 1970, p. 221; M. D. Leakey, Ol-

duvai Gorge, vol. 3, Cambridge University

Press, Cambridge, 1971, p. 272.

152 Jeffrey Kluger, "Not So Extinct After

All: The Primitive Homo Erectus May Have

Survived Long Enough To C*exist With

Modern Humans", Time, 23 December

1996.

153 S. J. Gould, Natural History, vol. 85,

1976, p. 30.

154 Zuckerman, Bey*nd The Ivory

Tower, p. 19.

155 Richard Lewontin, "The Demon-

Haunted World," The New York Review of

Books, January 9, 1997, p. 28.

156 Malcolm Muggeridge, The End of

Christendom, Grand Rapids:Eerdmans,

1980, p. 43.