Page 268 - The Origin of Birds and Flight

266 The Origin of Birds and Flight

The Earth’s Earliest Insect Fossil

In February 2004, scientists announced discovery of the old-
est known insect fossil. The findings, published in Nature
magazine, put in insect flight, the technology of which is
most complex, back to 170 million years ago.1 This fossil
shows that there were also flying insects 70 million years be-
fore the oldest known fossilized insect wing. These fossilized
creatures appear in the Earth’s strata fully formed, with no in-
termediate forms leading up to them

1. “Fossil Find Is World’s Oldest Insect,” Scientific American, 12
February 2004;
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID=00079
73F-A85D-102A-A85D83414B7F0103;
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/11/science/11CND-INSECT.html

In one verse of the Qur’an, Allah reveals that human beings should
reflect upon the fact of creation:
O humanity! An example has been made, so listen to it carefully.
Those whom you call upon besides Allah are not even able to create a
single fly, even if they were to join together to do it. And if a fly steals
something from them, they cannot get it back. How feeble are both the
seeker and the sought! (Surat al-Hajj, 73)

THE SUPERIOR FLIGHT TECHNIQUES OF INSECTS
Insect flight is too complex to be replicated, despite the advanced
21st century technology and accumulated knowledge in the field of en-
gineering. The structures that make this action possible in flies are, ac-
cording to scientists, a marvel of technology. From this point of view,
they are like robots created for flight. Biology professor Michael
Dickinson compares flies to marvels of mechanical technology and goes
on to say:
Flies are extraordinary creatures. Human beings invariably see them