Beetles That See in 3D

cogdogblog, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

on May 6, 2010

Seeing the amazing design of the jewel scarab beetle is like looking at a sign that reads, "Made By God!"

Watching a movie in 3D isn’t very enjoyable without 3D glasses. We need the glasses to see a special kind of light called circular polarization, or CP. Human eyes cannot detect this type of light without help.

Did you know that there is a special kind of beetle that can actually see CP light? God not only designed the jewel scarab beetle, Chrysina gloriosa, with eyes that can see CP light; but He also gave these beetles the ability to reflect CP light off their bodies. Scientists think that jewel scarab beetles might use their special abilities to communicate with each other and to hide from predators.1

When we look at the workmanship in an intricately carved piece of wood, or the technology behind a DVD player, we know that someone created these items. Seeing the amazing design of the jewel scarab beetle is like looking at a sign that reads, “Made By God!”

Footnotes

  1. University of Chicago, “Beetles Stand Out Using Avatar Tech,” PHYS ORG, April 14, 2010, http://www.physorg.com/news190484433.html.