The absence of transitional forms leaves every evolutionary origin of insects (members of the class Insecta, order Arthropoda) surrounded by mystery. Some fossils are found in Middle Devonian rocks, and they are present in such astonishingly large numbers and variations in rocks from the Upper Carboniferous period, that this period has been called the “Age of Insects.” Fossils of dragonflies in Upper Carboniferous rocks with a wingspan of 0.5 to 1 meter are not rare. When we first see dragonflies, large or small, they are just that – dragonflies.
What about cockroaches? Dr. Betty Faber, an entomologist at the American Museum of Natural History, in a recent interview says that:
“Several fossils of cockroaches… from the Carboniferous period of Earth’s history make one thing clear. Even then, 350 million years ago, cockroaches looked disgusting. They haven’t changed much since then.”
Some cockroaches were larger in the past. Fossils of cockroaches found in Upper Carboniferous rocks reach up to 10 cm in length. Today’s cockroaches, therefore, are not as disgusting as they were in the past.
Although organisms such as spiders, some small creatures, and centipedes – are not insects, they are called insects. At the annual symposium of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1983, a fascinating report was presented on the discovery of significantly well-preserved fossils of centipedes and spider-like creatures. Although we must rely on a newspaper article for our information at this time, this report appears to be reliable and certainly interesting. The fossils are said to be 380 million years old and are among the oldest ever found, and they were discovered by Dr. Patricia Bonamo and J.D. Grierson from the State University of New York at Binghamton.
In this article, it is stated that “these creatures were already highly developed” and that they had a “close resemblance to today’s living creatures.” What these claims simply mean is that these creatures, which appeared in the fossil record for the first time, were fully formed, and that they have not changed much until today, probably 380 million years later. Fossils of some creatures that resemble known spiders were so well-preserved that their auditory organs could be recognized. One of the scientists, analyzing the fossils, noticed that “they look like they died yesterday.” All these facts fit perfectly with predictions based on the creation model, but are completely contradictory to what is expected based on the theory of evolution.
Evolutionists believe that flying insects evolved from non-flying insects. There is a constant debate among evolutionists about what developed into wings in the non-flying insect. If just one intermediate form between non-flying and flying insects could be found, the conflict would end, but so far, no transitional fossil has been found. Thousands of fossils of non-flying insects have been discovered. Thousands of fossils of flying insects are found on museum shelves. Where are the thousands of intermediates that should have existed? The most logical conclusion is that transitional forms were never found because they never existed.
Furthermore, flying insects have two different types of wings. When they do not fly, the wings of Paleoptera are raised, as in the case of a small fly, or to the sides like in dragonflies. Neoptera insects have a mechanism for folding that allows them to fold their wings back over the abdomen. Transitional forms between these two types of flying insects are not known.
- Literature
- M. Kusinitz, Science World, 4. Feb. 1983, p. 12-19.
- New York Times Press Service, San Diego Union, 29. May