The Immense Complexities of God's Creation

In our lab yesterday, we were given a microscope and some samples of immature aquatic creatures, we were also given a key to identify these creatures down to their order. I often don't think about all these creatures that exist and serve specific purposes in nature, I rarely keep my eyes open in search of such things, generally because I take them for granted or consider them to be unimportant or insignificant. Our lab yesterday served to open my eyes to how truly amazing God's Creation is, having been in several Biology classes I knew about many species and already had an idea of some the complexities of our planet, but this Biology class has really illuminated on some unique and complex organisms that are often overlooked, and I think it is just amazing how complex and unique each one of God's creatures is. I looked at 5 different specimens, each one different from the last in at least one unique trait that is generally over looked, such as the type of mouthparts one has, or the presence of wing flaps on another. The small but identifiable differences in each specimen is so incredibly detailed and unique, I can only believe that these creatures were designed, by an All-Knowing God who is perfect and knows exactly what each creature needs to make this world in which we live function correctly. Every organism serves a specific purpose designed by a Creator God who has nature work in perfect motion, and he has given us as humans the responsibility to maintain, preserve, strengthen, and maximize the productivity and success of our surroundings.

Biodiversity is being threatened!

Recently in my Biology class one of the main topics has been the decrease in biodiversity and its causes. Habitat loss (which leads to a decrease in biodiversity)is accelerating at an alarming rate! One half of the world's original forests have been removed and at a rate ten times faster than they can be replenished. This fact coupled with the increasing number of invasive species, global warming, and the increase in agriculture have contributed to extinction rates of animals being ten to even a hundred times greater than in previous times of extinction. Many scientists believe we are currently living in the Anthropocene Era, which is the age of human dominance. As I briefly mentioned before hand, agriculture is growing at an alarming rate due to the continuous increase in the human population, between 10-15% of the Earth's surface is agriculture, this truth helps to explain why many species are going extinct or becoming extirpated, because agriculture is moving into these animals environments and destroying their habitats causing them to evacuate, or lose their lives.

DDT

DDT stands for dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, this is an inorganic insecticide that was projected as a harmless and incredible agent in eliminating the spread of disease through insects. DDT was used unsparingly from World War II on through the sixties, in WWII the insecticide was used to control the spread of malaria and typhus amongst troops and civilians, following the war DDT was made available to the public for the use as an agricultural insecticide, making the production and application of DDT increase even more. In 1972 the US government passed a law banning the use of DDT in agriculture, and was soon followed by a worldwide ban. However, the use of DDT in diseased areas, such as certain parts of Africa, is still allowed however the use of DDT even for this purpose is still highly controversial amongst many groups. The use of DDT reached its peak in the fifties, when men, women, and children were practically submerged in DDT in order to rid their neighborhoods and homes of mosquitos and other pests. DDT's demise was caused by a woman by the name of Rachel Carson who wrote the famous book Silent Spring which highlighted the impacts of widespread application of DDT. In Silent Spring Carson questioned how smart it was of the US government to blindly spray DDT without knowing the possible biological affects the chemicals would have on our environment and the lives of the animals who take in the chemicals, as well as human health. This book ignited the American people and in their anger forced the US government to change their ways and eventually eliminate the application of DDT in the United States.