Page 31 - Design in Nature

The Miraculous Design in the Flight of Insects 29

DOUBLE BALANCED WING SYSTEM
Protective layer Wing
(body shell) 4
1 2 3

Adjoining Inner
Second piece
tissue section
of chitin
Side
Flexing side
surface of
muscles
chest

Some flies flap their wings up to a thousand times per second. In order to facilitate this
extraordinary movement, a very special system was created. Rather than directly moving
the wings, the muscles activate a special tissue to which the wings are attached by a pivot-
like joint. This special tissue enables the wings to flap numerous times with a single stroke.

different from the grasshopper's muscles. The nerve signals only alert the
muscles in preparation for the flight and, when they reach a certain level of
tension, they relax by themselves.
There is a system in flies, honeybees, and wasps that transforms wing
flaps into "automatic" movements. The muscles that enable flight in these
insects are not directly tied to the bones of the body. The wings are attached
to the chest with a joint that functions like a pivot. The muscles that move
the wings are connected at the bottom and top surfaces of the chest. When
these muscles contract, the chest moves in the opposite direction, which, in
turn, creates a downward pull.
Relaxing a group of muscles automatically results in contraction of an
opposite group followed by relaxation. In other words, this is an "automatic
system". This way, muscle movements continue without interruption until
an opposite alert signal is delivered through the nerves that control the
8
system.
A flight mechanism of this sort could be compared to a clock that works
on the basis of a wound spring. The parts are so strategically located that a
single move easily sets the wings in motion. It is impossible not to see the
flawless design in this example. The perfect creation of Allah is evident.