Posted on 07/04/2006 8:42:50 AM PDT by DouglasKC
In Asia, Africa and Australia lives a remarkable creature, the archerfish, that shoots down its prey from the air above it with a burst of water. It uses its tongue and the top of its mouth to form a groove similar to a gun barrel. Then, by compressing its gills, it squirts water up to six feet with deadly accuracyin spite of the distortion caused by seeing the target from below the surface of water.
What's so amazing about the archerfish's ability to shoot straight? When light passes between air and water, it is refracted, which causes a distortion. If an archerfish simply aimed at the object where it appeared to be from below the water, it could never hit its target! Yet scientists have found that archerfish are able to strike their target when sighting upwards at angles of 40 degrees!
More amazingly, marine researchers have discovered that these fish can hit their prey whether the amount of refraction is large or small. They have also found that the fishes' binocular vision allows them to see clearly at considerable distances above them, an ability other fish do not have.
An experiment
Here is an experiment. In a clear glass of water, hold a pencil at an angle halfway under the water and look at it from different positions. Notice how the pencil appears different below and above the water. That is the refraction of the light changing from the water to the air.
So how can the archerfish compensate for this distortion and know how to shoot at the right place?
Evolutionists don't know
Evolutionists still don't know how the archerfish got its amazing abilities. They can only wonder! Viewed through the distortion of evolution, they cannot explain how the archerfish gradually learned to not aim where its eyes see but to aim instead at a different spot where the target actually is.
Without its binocular vision, it could not see the object with such precision, and without the special shape of the upper mouth and a specialized tongue, it could not make the groove it needs to shoot the concentrated jet of water. Many factors have to appear togetherand be perfectly formedfor this shooting mechanism to work. This, of course, goes totally against Charles Darwin's evolutionary theory, which is based on a gradual, step-by-step process.
Darwin wrote in The Origin of Species, "If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed, which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down" (1859, p. 171).
The archerfish offers precisely such an example, since several complex systems must all appear at the same time, perfectly and not gradually formedbinocular vision, a specialized mouth and tongue, specialized gills to compress and expel water and an aiming system based in the brain and not in the eyes. If any of these parts is missing, the mechanism will not hit the target and no survival advantage is created.
Shooting down Darwin's theory
When you get down to the facts, the archerfish with one squirt of its gills shoots down Charles Darwin's entire theory of evolutionand that by Darwin's own admission!
So evolution doesn't have the answer to this mystery. But the Bible does. Genesis 1:20-21 says that God created all the creatures that live in the water. He created a great variety of perfectly formed fish, including the archerfish with all its special features, such as binocular vision, other specialized organs and a built-in ability to compensate for the distortion of the water. VT
Isn't that circular logic? Because it exists, that proves that evolution is true?
Unless it starts out eating baby water skimmers.
Neither every goldang unusual natural phenomenon nor every strange critter is a dadburn miracle!
If everything is a miracle, then nothing is a miracle. Comprendez? Capiche?
Anyway, Happy 4th of July!
have you ever done "blind spot" experiments? The ability of the brain to provide missing information, even very complex patterns, freaks me out as much as (or ore than) an episode of "MindFreak."
It is humbling that God created a process (Evolution) that ended up with such a beautifully complex thing such as a human being.
It is sad that CRIDers put handcuffs on the ability of The Almighty.
You're right, and it's called evolution by variation and selection.
Here's your answer, once and for all. Ready???
Drum-roll please....
GOD CREATED EVOLUTION!!!!
TA DA!!!
Stop wasting your time worrying about evolution. The theory of evolution is not even a remote threat to faith. Geesh!
The Archerfish also has another special significance.
During World War II, the USS Archer-Fish, a submarine, discovered, followed and sunk the mightiest Japanese aircraft carrier ever built, the Shinano. The Shinano, a 72-ton carrier, on its maiden voyage.. was sunk before she ever fired a shot!
That could be. Darwin wrote that 150 years ago. He did not have the means to view rapid evolution like we do today. As I understand, evolution says nothing about origin, that's why I don't understand why creationists have their panties in such a knot.
Why can't creationists also recognize evolution?
The existence of God would explain it. Why wouldn't it?
Psssst!
God's messing with your head.
;->
And creationists do know? Is it because God made the earth in seven days? Does that adequately explain why this fish is able to spit at targets?
_________________________
You are asking the wrong question. WHY is never an answerable question. Antecedents are never knowable. Causes expand backward to include an infinity of alternatives.
The only valid question is WHAT. By understanding WHAT the fish is doing we are able to learn HOW it occurs. HOW gives us imagination and invention.
A piece of wood, a spring and 2 or 3 pieces of wire are not a mousetrap. To kill mice is WHAT, unless, that is, you are making a model airplane - another WHAT. In which case HOW is instrumental.
Without thought no amount of random shaking together produces a mousetrap or a model airplane. WHAT is the ineffible force that creates each.
Perhaps, if you restricted your arguments to reality rather than absurd strawmen, you would carry more credibility.
Because it has evolved special skills unique to its environment proves that TToE is true.
But to some degree, TToE says "survivors survive." This is not circular logic -- it is a theory based on the observation on how so many different species under different circumstances physically change over time to adapt to their environment. Those that cannot adapt cease to exist (despite the example of Liberals, but this is over a LONG period of time).
Existence IS proof of TToE.
No doubt...They apparently can determine trajectory, altitude, velocity, wind speed and direction, speed of the flying bug, as well as anticipate the bug's changes in direction, speed, etc...
They're smarter than I am (no comments please)...
I wonder if anyone's ask them their views on evolution...
LOL!!! You're gonna get it!!!!!
LOLOL! Well said.
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