Nature's Explosive Secrets: The Bombardier Beetle

In the book "Creation: The Origin of Life," Prof. M. Trope presents the results of a cutting-edge study by a German scientist about an advanced mobile biological bombing system in nature. This system, perfectly designed, inspires awe and admiration. It involves a living creature known as the 'bombardier beetle.'

 

This beetle defends itself against its enemies using an extremely sophisticated bombing mechanism. Beyond its visual and digestive systems, the beetle has an additional and highly sophisticated system that includes two chemical 'laboratory' chambers for the production of explosive substances, a mixing chamber, and explosion chambers.

 

Here's how this system works: In one of the initial two chambers, a chemical substance called hydroquinone is produced, while hydrogen peroxide is produced in the other. When these two substances are mixed in a lab setting, an explosion occurs instantly;

 

But astonishingly, within the beetle's body, these two substances are excreted into a storage chamber and can coexist without exploding and destroying the beetle. A thorough investigation revealed that in this chamber, there exists a third substance that inhibits the explosion. As a threat approaches, and the beetle prepares for its bombing, the storage chamber's gate opens, and the mixture flows into the explosion cells.

 

At the critical moment, when the predator's jaws are open and the beetle is almost captured, a special enzyme composed of substances that neutralize the explosion-inhibiting substance is secreted from a side tube. A loud bang is then heard as two jets of foul, boiling liquid are shot directly into the face of the startled predator, leaving it momentarily paralyzed, while the beetle continues on its way as if nothing happened...

 

Points to ponder: Who designed the arrangement of laboratory chambers, storage rooms, and explosion cells in such a clever and orderly manner? Who concocted the precise recipes for producing hydroquinone and hydrogen peroxide from the beetle's food? Who crafted the formula for the explosion-inhibiting substance, as well as the neutralizing agent?

 

Who determined the exact quantities required for the mixture of various materials? 

Who constructed the explosion cells to withstand the necessary pressure without detonating themselves when the beetle ejects its load at its foe? How does the beetle's timing and control system manage to time everything so precisely, down to fractions of a second, to repel an attacking enemy just in time?

 

A fraction-of-a-second lead would result in a missed target, while a tardiness of the same duration would see the explosion occur after the beetle had been swallowed... And one final note: the beetle measures only 7 to 10 millimeters in size!