Giraffe Physiology Defies Evolution
by Owen Borville
June 2, 2019
Biology
The giraffe is the tallest land mammal on Earth, reaching up to 20 feet tall, as even its legs are taller than most humans. The giraffe can run up to 35 miles per hour for short distances and spends most of its time standing up, including to sleep and to give birth. The giraffe has long been used by proponents of evolutionist ideas, in particular the long neck that is believed to have gradually increased in length slowly over millions of years of time and many generations. The neck is believed to have gradually extended in length in order to enable the giraffe to reach leaves and plant-based food hanging high in the trees.
However, several other features of the anatomy of the giraffe are difficult for the evolutionists to explain. Evolutionists have trouble explaining how a giraffe can drink water from the ground. Giraffes are native to sub-Saharan Africa, which has an extremely dry climate and despite the fact that giraffes consume much plant food that already has much water content, the giraffe desires and needs drinking water. Anyone who has observed a giraffe drink water from the ground will admit that it is a very awkward sight. In addition to its long neck that helps to reach plant food from the trees, the giraffe must extend this long neck downward to the ground to reach the water. Despite its long neck, its legs are also extremely long and therefore its neck is not quite long enough to reach the water on the ground. The giraffe must awkwardly spread its two front legs apart to lower its body in order to reach the groundwater. In addition to this awkward process, many have questioned how the blood in the giraffe's neck does not rush toward its brain and "blow its brains out" while reaching for the groundwater. After suddenly raising its neck back up after drinking the water, this sudden change in blood flow could also be dangerous for the animal. How does the giraffe reach for groundwater and pull its head back up without this sudden blood flow blowing its brains out or causing suffocation?
Scientists have identified that the giraffe has a very strong heart, particularly one of the strongest hearts of all of the mammals. This strong heart helps with blood flow up the neck toward the brain and enables the giraffe to extend its head and neck downward and back up again without any issues. Scientists have investigated the arterial blood pressure in the heart and the neck of the giraffe and have determined that the arterial pressure near the giraffe heart is about twice that of humans in order to provide more normal blood pressure and perfusion of blood flow to the brain. Another important question is that of how giraffes avoid the concentration of blood and tissue fluid in their neck toward the brain while lowering their heads to drink water. Scientists have determined that the blood and tissue fluid pressures that govern transcapillary exchange vary greatly with exercise and that these pressures, combined with a tight skin layer, move fluid upward against gravity. Scientists have also determined that the blood vessels and the structure of the capillary system in the giraffe's neck prevent blood and fluid from excessively accumulating when lowering its neck downward. Vasoconstriction causes the blood vessels to narrow by way of small muscles in their walls so that blood flow and fluid is slowed or blocked, and therefore prevented from accumulating and concentrating toward the brain. Design is apparent.
The unique design of the giraffe body and its bodily functions reflects the intellect of a unique and powerful Creator that installed the design at once and did not form gradually over millions of years. The unique design of the blood circulation system of the giraffe could not have evolved over millions of years and must have been created at once during a unique creation event. Other interesting facts about giraffes include the fact that a baby giraffe can stand up and walk within an hour of birth. The baby calf is born and falls to the ground while the mother is standing up. If this calf does not get up quickly, it will be eaten by a lion. This does not sound like evolution but grand design by an intelligent designer. How can a baby giraffe be born mostly fully mature and be able to walk in less than an hour? Creationists recognize that God is the Creator of all life. Life cannot come from non-life, despite the faulty interpretations by evolutionists, who believe that all life originated by accident and pure chance over millions of years. They believe that if only there was enough time, all life could have randomly evolved from inorganic molecules to living cells and tissue to complex life forms into today's form. Only an intelligent and powerful supernatural force could cause non-life to become life and develop all of the complex features of the living things on Earth today. If something is impossible, it cannot happen regardless of how much time passes by. Therefore, the fact that there is life at all is the product of the work of an intelligent designer that created all life.
The Gravity of Giraffe Physiology. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20020042320.
by Owen Borville
June 2, 2019
Biology
The giraffe is the tallest land mammal on Earth, reaching up to 20 feet tall, as even its legs are taller than most humans. The giraffe can run up to 35 miles per hour for short distances and spends most of its time standing up, including to sleep and to give birth. The giraffe has long been used by proponents of evolutionist ideas, in particular the long neck that is believed to have gradually increased in length slowly over millions of years of time and many generations. The neck is believed to have gradually extended in length in order to enable the giraffe to reach leaves and plant-based food hanging high in the trees.
However, several other features of the anatomy of the giraffe are difficult for the evolutionists to explain. Evolutionists have trouble explaining how a giraffe can drink water from the ground. Giraffes are native to sub-Saharan Africa, which has an extremely dry climate and despite the fact that giraffes consume much plant food that already has much water content, the giraffe desires and needs drinking water. Anyone who has observed a giraffe drink water from the ground will admit that it is a very awkward sight. In addition to its long neck that helps to reach plant food from the trees, the giraffe must extend this long neck downward to the ground to reach the water. Despite its long neck, its legs are also extremely long and therefore its neck is not quite long enough to reach the water on the ground. The giraffe must awkwardly spread its two front legs apart to lower its body in order to reach the groundwater. In addition to this awkward process, many have questioned how the blood in the giraffe's neck does not rush toward its brain and "blow its brains out" while reaching for the groundwater. After suddenly raising its neck back up after drinking the water, this sudden change in blood flow could also be dangerous for the animal. How does the giraffe reach for groundwater and pull its head back up without this sudden blood flow blowing its brains out or causing suffocation?
Scientists have identified that the giraffe has a very strong heart, particularly one of the strongest hearts of all of the mammals. This strong heart helps with blood flow up the neck toward the brain and enables the giraffe to extend its head and neck downward and back up again without any issues. Scientists have investigated the arterial blood pressure in the heart and the neck of the giraffe and have determined that the arterial pressure near the giraffe heart is about twice that of humans in order to provide more normal blood pressure and perfusion of blood flow to the brain. Another important question is that of how giraffes avoid the concentration of blood and tissue fluid in their neck toward the brain while lowering their heads to drink water. Scientists have determined that the blood and tissue fluid pressures that govern transcapillary exchange vary greatly with exercise and that these pressures, combined with a tight skin layer, move fluid upward against gravity. Scientists have also determined that the blood vessels and the structure of the capillary system in the giraffe's neck prevent blood and fluid from excessively accumulating when lowering its neck downward. Vasoconstriction causes the blood vessels to narrow by way of small muscles in their walls so that blood flow and fluid is slowed or blocked, and therefore prevented from accumulating and concentrating toward the brain. Design is apparent.
The unique design of the giraffe body and its bodily functions reflects the intellect of a unique and powerful Creator that installed the design at once and did not form gradually over millions of years. The unique design of the blood circulation system of the giraffe could not have evolved over millions of years and must have been created at once during a unique creation event. Other interesting facts about giraffes include the fact that a baby giraffe can stand up and walk within an hour of birth. The baby calf is born and falls to the ground while the mother is standing up. If this calf does not get up quickly, it will be eaten by a lion. This does not sound like evolution but grand design by an intelligent designer. How can a baby giraffe be born mostly fully mature and be able to walk in less than an hour? Creationists recognize that God is the Creator of all life. Life cannot come from non-life, despite the faulty interpretations by evolutionists, who believe that all life originated by accident and pure chance over millions of years. They believe that if only there was enough time, all life could have randomly evolved from inorganic molecules to living cells and tissue to complex life forms into today's form. Only an intelligent and powerful supernatural force could cause non-life to become life and develop all of the complex features of the living things on Earth today. If something is impossible, it cannot happen regardless of how much time passes by. Therefore, the fact that there is life at all is the product of the work of an intelligent designer that created all life.
The Gravity of Giraffe Physiology. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20020042320.
