Being Genuine

Yesterday morning as I pulled out of the gate after checking cows I spotted several bugs on a goat weed (woolly croton) along the county road.  My first thought was ladybugs.  Since I'm always looking for things to photograph to use in this Blog I decided to pull out the trusty iPhone and take a couple of pictures.  As I zoomed in and really looked at them, I quickly realized they weren't ladybugs at all.  They were the right size and shape and had similar coloration, but these appear to be segmented -- similar to a roly poly or, pill bug that rolls up in a ball when threatened.  I didn't pick them up to examine closely, but I didn't see any legs either.  So, I don't know if they are actually insect or, something else.

I have posted these photos on a number of sites where there are groups who study "bugs" professionally.  So far, no one has identified them for me.  Hopefully, eventually I will get the answer.  Until then, they remain unknown.

Mimicry is an interesting phenomenon in nature.  It usually involves a species that is "highly palatable" to predators evolving mechanisms, such as coloration, that disguise it to look like something "less palatable" or, even dangerous to its natural predators.  It is a defensive adaptation to danger.

There are other types of mimics who look like some benign species but are in fact, something dangerous.  This is a bit like the "wolf in sheep's clothing" and is often used by predators to attract and catch their prey.  A Praying Mantis, or Walking Stick is a good example of this type of mimicry.  They look like part of the plants on which they wait for their prey.

People use mimicry too and for the same reasons.  Some are predators who appear benign and others try to appear "rough and tough" when they are "softies" at heart.  It is all part of the natural world and the survival mechanisms we have adapted over time.

I prefer genuineness.  It is rare in people.  Most folks either try to stand out, or to blend in -- depending on their personality.  It is great to find those rare individuals who just "are what they are" and don't pretend.  Be genuine.

In the meantime, if you know what those critters are in the photos, please comment and let me know!

Logical Creationism

If I decided to play God and build life, how would I logically start?

One thought is that I might start with a simple protein.  I could then replicate that protein with slight variations until I had a number of them that could be combined for a particular function -- much like modules in a computer software are developed.  By continuing the process of replication and alteration, I could begin to build more and more complex organisms.

In order to shortcut the process, it would be logical to build proteins that were capable of multiple functions depending on specific coded switches within them to determine how they would act.  Again, software is built similarly.  Over time, various modules could be "plugged" together to create a wide variety of organisms/biological machines that would display a huge variety of characteristics.

It would also be logical for simplicity sake to make the organisms self-sustaining through the ability to feed themselves and to reproduce.

If, at the end of a relatively long period of time, the knowledge to create these organisms was lost, it would be a matter of examining the wide variety of then living organisms to begin the process of analyzing them for clues of how they were made.  From the evidence available, it would appear that an evolutionary process occurred that involved tiny mutations at the most basic structural level (the protein) in order for such variety to arise.  A "Theory of Evolution" from an unknown source (primordial soup) of the original proteins would be a logical conclusion.  Although incorrect, such a theory would be "intuitively obvious" because of the minute differences in the makeup of various beings.  In fact, the genetic makeup of organisms as different as chimpanzees and humans would vary by only a tiny percentage.

Suppose the purpose of the creation process was ultimately to create a thinking being that would over time grow to a developmental level that would provide companionship for the original creator?  Suppose that to enter into such a relationship required the "leap" into a realm beyond the physical limitations of the created order?  Suppose that a "roadmap" was created to provide guidance to the created, self-replicating, thinking beings to find the "keys" to make that leap into the next realm which was in itself a "sifting" process?

Hmmm....like in most things, I won't get the patent on this one.  It seems to me that it has already been done.

If you are interested in what the current scientific thought on this might be, try the article linked here.