Scallop Eye Intelligent Design
by Owen Borville
July 27, 2020
Biology
The scallop, a shelled bivalve mollusk of saltwater habitats that has two hinged shells that are formed of calcium carbonate, and has complex eyes across its mantle, specifically 200 small eyes about one millimeter in size. These eyes differ from most animals and humans. Human and mammal eyes feature lenses (the cornea) that focus and bend the light that passes through it, as the light is focused into the retina, or the light-sensitive tissue layer at the back of the eye. In addition to its eyes, the scallop does not have a brain like most animals, making its complex eyes even more intriguing.
However, scallop eyes use biological mirrors called tapeta that operate like powerful telescopes, which reflect light instead of absorbing it. The mirrors in scallop eyes can process more wavelengths of light than lens-based eyes. These biological mirrors sit on the back of the retina and incoming light is reflected from the mirror back into the retina, which allows enhanced vision in dim-light underwater environments that the scallop lives. The scallop’s tiny mirrors are made from 20 to 30 layers of flat, square, guanine crystals, and the layers themselves are made of closely-tiled crystal plates. Guanine is a bio-material and a building block of DNA. The concave, parabolic mirror of the crystals allows the eyes to focus and retro-reflect light instead of through a lens as found in many other eye types. Two retinas exist, layered on top of each other, for seeing both proximal and distal light. The guanine-crystal mirrors are living material and grow, while the scallop's eyes control the growth and arrangement of the crystals to enable the scallop to process incoming light.
Scientists note the high optical quality of the tapeta mirrors and are puzzled why the scallop eyes have two retinas, why it has or needs mirrors on its eyes, and why it has up to 200 eyes. The design of the scallop eye is even being used to develop new man-made optical devices. The origin and evolution of this anatomy is difficult to explain with evolutionist methods over millions of years and proclaim the characteristics of an Intelligent Design a few thousand years ago.
by Owen Borville
July 27, 2020
Biology
The scallop, a shelled bivalve mollusk of saltwater habitats that has two hinged shells that are formed of calcium carbonate, and has complex eyes across its mantle, specifically 200 small eyes about one millimeter in size. These eyes differ from most animals and humans. Human and mammal eyes feature lenses (the cornea) that focus and bend the light that passes through it, as the light is focused into the retina, or the light-sensitive tissue layer at the back of the eye. In addition to its eyes, the scallop does not have a brain like most animals, making its complex eyes even more intriguing.
However, scallop eyes use biological mirrors called tapeta that operate like powerful telescopes, which reflect light instead of absorbing it. The mirrors in scallop eyes can process more wavelengths of light than lens-based eyes. These biological mirrors sit on the back of the retina and incoming light is reflected from the mirror back into the retina, which allows enhanced vision in dim-light underwater environments that the scallop lives. The scallop’s tiny mirrors are made from 20 to 30 layers of flat, square, guanine crystals, and the layers themselves are made of closely-tiled crystal plates. Guanine is a bio-material and a building block of DNA. The concave, parabolic mirror of the crystals allows the eyes to focus and retro-reflect light instead of through a lens as found in many other eye types. Two retinas exist, layered on top of each other, for seeing both proximal and distal light. The guanine-crystal mirrors are living material and grow, while the scallop's eyes control the growth and arrangement of the crystals to enable the scallop to process incoming light.
Scientists note the high optical quality of the tapeta mirrors and are puzzled why the scallop eyes have two retinas, why it has or needs mirrors on its eyes, and why it has up to 200 eyes. The design of the scallop eye is even being used to develop new man-made optical devices. The origin and evolution of this anatomy is difficult to explain with evolutionist methods over millions of years and proclaim the characteristics of an Intelligent Design a few thousand years ago.
