Page 148 - Design in Nature

MECHANIC SYSTEM DESIGN OF CREATURES
Often, the design of moving systems is much
more challenging to designers than stationary
structural systems. For instance, the problems
encountered in the design of a hand-drill are much
more numerous than in that of a jug. This is because
the former is based on functionality but the latter on
form, and function oriented designs are more
complicated. Each component of design should serve a
purpose for a specific goal. Absence or malfunction of a
single component renders the system useless.
Designs with such errors are doomed to failure.
Mechanical systems designed by humans generally have more
flaws than commonly believed. Many of these systems have been
designed by trial and error. Although some defects are eliminated
during the prototyping phase prior to the product’s introduction to the
market, not every defect can be prevented.
The same argument cannot be made for mechanical systems in nature.
All the mechanical systems in all creatures are perfect. Allah has created all
creatures flawlessly. Let us take a closer look at some of the examples of this
perfect creation.

The Skull of Woodpecker
Woodpeckers feed on insects and larva, laid inside tree trunks that they
uncover by pecking. They carve their nests in living healthy trees, which
takes carving skills just as great as those of carpenters.
The great spotted woodpecker can make up to nine or ten strikes per
second. This number increases to fifteen to twenty in smaller species of
woodpeckers, one of which is the green woodpecker.
While the green woodpecker drills for a nest, the working speed of its
beak can exceed 62 mph (100 km/h). This does not affect its brain in any
way, which is the size of a cherry. The time lag between two consecutive
strikes is less then one thousandth of a second. When it starts pecking, head