Lids, Lashes, and Lunar Rovers | The Institute for Creation Research

Lids, Lashes, and Lunar Rovers

Our amazing eyes are kept clean and moist due to the blink reflex stimulated by receptors on our eyes and eyelashes. When the lash is touched or the eyeball begins to dry, receptors fire and we immediately blink, protecting the eye from debris or injury and moisturizing the surface. It is clear from their clever design and cooperative function that God created our eyelids, lashes, and receptors to "stand guard" for our eyes.

A recent discovery indicates our lashes must measure at just the right length to work properly. Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology1 studied 22 mammal lash lengths and reported that, from giraffes to hedgehogs, lash length was (not surprisingly) of "optimum" length—about one-third of the width of the given mammal's eye. At this length lashes "trap a protective layer of air on top of the eye" that reduces evaporation and debris entrance by 50 percent.

If lashes were too short, they would be ineffective. But if they're too long they actually direct air and particles onto the eye causing irritation and drying.

Evolutionist Elizabeth Pennisi of Science magazine suggested that "lashes had evolved to be a particular size relative to the eye."2 Declaring eyelash lengths simply "had evolved to be" is hardly a scientific or sufficient explanation for how such optimal function is exhibited in mammals across-the-board.

According to evolution, our ancient ancestors were the early salamander-like tetrapods. Where did their eyelids come from—to which the important lashes would later attach?

It is quite likely that it will never be certain when early tetrapods, or their fish relatives, evolved the eyelid or its muscles.3

What about the origin of the eye?

The first eye probably had appeared well before the Cambrian, but we cannot be certain of that because of an inadequate fossil record.4

The lack of certainty in the evolutionist response leaves many questions unanswered, while creation scientists trace God's hand in the well-designed function of lids and lashes in the protection of the eye.

Without acknowledging the Creator or His remarkable design, secular scientists are attempting to copy lash design (an example of a "bio-inspired solution") that "could lead to passive self-cleaning devices for optical sensors and planetary rovers."5

References

  1. Pennisi, E. The downside to long lashes. Science. Posted on sciencemag.org January 7, 2015, accessed Feb. 23, 2015.
  2. Ibid.
  3. Clack, J. 2012. Gaining Ground. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 224.
  4. Schwab, I. 2012. Evolution's Witness How Eyes Evolved. New York: Oxford University Press, 39.
  5. Pennisi, The downside to long lashes.

*Mr. Sherwin is Research Associate, Senior Lecturer, and Science Writer at the Institute for Creation Research.

Article posted on March 9, 2015.

The Latest
CREATION.LIVE PODCAST
Searching for Truth Across the Globe | Creation.Live Podcast:...
How can we bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the truth of creation to others outside our small spheres of influence?   Host...

NEWS
Marine Mammals: Designed for Deep Diving
While you’re reading this, hold your breath. What is now happening is your blood is delivering the last of oxygenated blood cells to your tissues...

CREATION PODCAST
Humanity's Demise at the Hands of Genetic Entropy | The Creation...
Welcome to the fourth episode in a series called “The Failures of Old Earth Creationism.” Many Christians attempt to fit old earth...

NEWS
''Inside-Out'' Fossil is Amazingly Preserved
It is widely known that vast numbers of fossils—vertebrate and invertebrate—have been discovered incredibly well-preserved.1,2...

NEWS
The Resurrection and the Origin of Life
At Easter time we focus on the cardinal Christian doctrine of the Resurrection. Without the Resurrection, Christianity is a sham. The truth that Jesus...

NEWS
Is an Ancient Extinct Tree-Dweller Our Relative?
Human evolution has always been hazy with seemingly as many attempted explanations for how we evolved from animals as there are paleoanthropologists. Evolutionists...

NEWS
The Return of the Dire Wolf?
There’s been much recent excitement about the birth of three dire wolf (Aenocyon dirus) puppies by a Dallas-based biotech company: Colossal Bioscience....

CREATION PODCAST
Cracks in the Layers: Lake Suigetsu and the Old Earth Illusion...
Welcome to the third episode in a series called “The Failures of Old Earth Creationism.” Many Christians attempt to fit old earth...

NEWS
Fish Fossil Vomit
A rather unsavory news story recently appeared regarding fossilized vomit. Although it’s hardly dinner table conversation, it nonetheless supports...

NEWS
Dino Footprints Down Under
Dinosaur trackways1 are once again making the news. Australia is the setting of a remarkable series of dinosaur tracks attributed to ornithischian...