Bravo...Rapture man, I agree. The Bombardier Beetle shows much design with its dual chambers to keep the mixture of chemical from exploding prematurely. First how did it know to develop 2 different chemicals that when combined cause an explosion, Is it a chemist? Second, it had to know that the mixture of the two would cause it to self destruct so it has 2 separate chambers for storage, HOW DID IT KNOW the 2 chemicals cause such reactions? Third Just because a beetle has such chemicals within its body, How does it know to evolve a valve to shoot the mixture from? And so on...
Bombardier Beetle from Wiki...(Wiki includes evolution as a possible explaination)
Bombardier beetle - Wikipedia
Bombardier beetles are
ground beetles (Carabidae) in the
tribes Brachinini, Paussini,
Ozaenini, or Metriini—more than 500
species altogether—which are most notable for the defense mechanism that gives them their name: when disturbed, they
eject a hot noxious chemical spray from the tip of the abdomen with a popping sound.
The spray is produced from a reaction between two chemical compounds,
hydroquinone and
hydrogen peroxide, which are stored in two reservoirs in the beetle's
abdomen. When the aqueous solution of hydroquinones and hydrogen peroxide reaches the vestibule, catalysts facilitate the decomposition of the hydrogen peroxide and the oxidation of the hydroquinone.
[1] Heat from the reaction brings the mixture to near the
boiling point of water and produces gas that drives the ejection. The damage caused can be fatal to attacking insects. Some bombardier beetles can direct the spray in a wide range of directions.
The beetle's unusual defense mechanism is claimed by some
creationists to be an example of what they call
irreducible complexity,
[2] though this is refuted by evolutionary biologists.
When the beetle feels threatened it opens a valve which allows the aqueous solution from the reservoir to reach the vestibule. The
catalases lining the vestibule wall facilitate the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide into oxygen gas and water. The reaction proceeds as follows:
2 H 2 O 2 ( a q ) ⟶ 2 H 2 O ( l ) + O 2 ( g ) {\displaystyle 2H_{2}O_{2(aq)}\longrightarrow 2H_{2}O_{(l)}+O_{2(g)}}
The peroxidase enzymes facilitate the oxidation of the hydroquinones into
p-quinone, as shown in the reaction below:
C 6 H 4 ( O H ) 2 ( a q ) ⟶ C 6 H 4 O 2 ( a q ) + H 2 ( g ) {\displaystyle C_{6}H_{4}(OH)_{2(aq)}\longrightarrow C_{6}H_{4}O_{2(aq)}+H_{2(g)}}
The net reaction is:
C 6 H 4 ( O H ) 2 ( a q ) + H 2 O 2 ( a q ) ⟶ C 6 H 4 O 2 ( a q ) + 2 H 2 O ( l ) {\displaystyle C_{6}H_{4}(OH)_{2(aq)}+H_{2}O_{2(aq)}\longrightarrow C_{6}H_{4}O_{2(aq)}+2H_{2}O_{(l)}}
Evolution of the defense mechanism
The full evolutionary history of the beetle's unique defense mechanism is unknown, but biologists have shown that the system could have evolved from defenses found in other beetles in incremental steps by
natural selection.
[9][10] Specifically,
quinone chemicals are a
precursor to
sclerotin, a brownish substance produced by beetles and other insects to harden their
exoskeleton.
[11] Some beetles additionally store excess foul-smelling quinones, including
hydroquinone, in small sacs below their skin as a natural deterrent against predators—all
carabid beetles have this sort of arrangement. Some beetles additionally mix
hydrogen peroxide, a common by-product of the metabolism of cells, in with the hydroquinone; some of the
catalases that exist in most cells make the process more efficient. The chemical reaction produces heat and pressure, and some beetles exploit the latter to push out the chemicals onto the skin; this is the case in the beetle
Metrius contractus, which produces a foamy discharge when attacked.
[12] In the bombardier beetle, the muscles that prevent leakage from the reservoir additionally developed a valve permitting more controlled discharge of the poison and an elongated abdomen to permit better control over the direction of discharge.
[9][10]
The unique combination of features of the bombardier beetle's defense mechanism—strongly exothermic reactions, boiling-hot fluids, and explosive release—has been claimed by
creationists and proponents of
intelligent design to be an example of
irreducible complexity.
[2] Biologists such as the taxonomist Mark Isaak note however that step-by-step evolution of the mechanism could readily have occurred.
[
Gene duplication does nothing to increase information in the cell NOTHING! And, mutations are always downward, never upward. It's a double whammy and when you call them on it? What is their response? "You don't understand Evolution"
