The direction finding system peculiar to insects: Halteres

The perfect structures in nature are blessings our Lord bestowed upon us from His infinite knowledge. The complex systems in nature are beyond the knowledge and scope of scientists and provide unique solutions to many problems. Therefore, scientists seek the help of natural structures for many issues for which they cannot find answers, despite many long years of research and investigation. Imitating and utilizing these structures continuously direct humanity towards goodness and truth.

Every animal has unique qualities of creation which astonish people. While some have the most ideal shape that enables them to move in water (hydrodynamics), some use senses which are completely unfamiliar to us. Many of these senses have just been discovered quite recently. Scientists are amazed in the face of these unique structures and systems they discover in nature every day, and they are using these to produce new technologies for the benefit of humanity. The insect navigation systems known as “halteres” are  one of these.

Gyroscope: The Direction Finding System of Technological Equipment

Gyroscopes which were designed to prove that the earth spins on a certain axis by Leon Foucault in the year 1852, are used today to ascertain the direction of technological equipment such as spaceships, modern cars, missiles, planes, ships and satellites. Gyroscopes can best be described as a mechanism comprising a rotor journaled to spin about one axis, the journals of the rotor being mounted in an inner gimbal or ring; the inner gimbel is journalled for oscillation in an outer gimbel, which is journaled in another gimbel for a total of three gimbels. When the rotor spins once, it shows resistance to change the spinning direction. Thus, even if the location of the gyroscope changes, the direction of the chamber’s spinning axis does not change. Gyroscopes have come to be inseparable parts of moving vehicles.

These technological components are designed in a very intelligent way using the delicate qualities of Newtonian physics. For such an instrument to be used for a specific purpose, very many small pieces need to be assembled in an ingenious way. However, this instrument invented by scientists in the 19th century has been used by insects for hundreds of millions of years.

Halteres: Direction Finding Organs of Insects

The biological gyroscope created by Almighty Allah for insects to find their directions is called a “haltere.” Halteres are made up of a thin bar and a structure shaped like a ball at the end, and work as spinning chambers exactly like gyroscopes. The halteres move in synchronous motion with the insects wings. When the insect changes its direction during flight, the vibrating halteres thus exert a force on the body just like a gyroscope. This force is sensed by receptors at the point where the haltere is connected to the body. This information is then sent to the animal’s brain and so balance and direction are found.

Halteres are of vital importance for the insect, ensuring that the animal can easily find its way even if the insect’s sight is completely obscured. However, in conditions when the working of the halteres is prevented, the animal is essentially rendered helpless.. (W.C. Wu, R.J. Wood and R.S. Fearing, “Halteres for the micromechanical flying insect,” In Proc. IEEE Int'l Conf. Robot. Automat., Washington, DC, May 2002)

This presents a profound dilemma for the theory of evolution because it is not enough to have wings in order to fly. In addition, halteres which enable direction finding, and that ensure the insect stays on balance during flight, are required. This situation proved one more time that a living being cannot develop gradually as claimed by evolutionists. Obviously, Allah has created the insects that have the halteres with their bio-gyroscopic system and wings flawlessly. Our Lord reveals this in one verse of the Quran as follows:
 

“He is Allah – the Creator, the Maker, the Giver of Form. To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names.Everything in the heavens and earth glorifies Him.He is the Almighty, the All-Wise.” (Surat al-Hashr, 24)
 

New Jiroscopes Designed in Haltere Style:

Scientists Are Designing New Jiroscopes Imitating Halteres

In the project that imitates the flying techniques of insects and is called “Flying Mechanical Insect (FMI)”, researchers from the University of California have found that new types of gyroscopes use much less power, and can be used with much greater success in sharper maneuvers, and that it is much more decisive against releases formed as a result of wing flaps.

Evolution Disproved Yet Again by Halteres

Evolutionists have experienced a new disappointment and hopelessness with the acceptance of the miraculous creation of living beings in nature. Because it is proven yet again that the unscientific claims of evolutionists, that living beings have evolved from simple to complex and that the structure in living beings has come into existence by coincidence, are invalid. Allah, the Lord of all things, is the One Who creates unique and flawless systems in living beings.

Almighty Allah has created insects with such flawless qualities. Insects have countless features like sensitive antennas, chemicals used to communicate, bodies like robots, resistant structures enabling them to live in every condition, poisons used for defense and attack, creating common living environments with other living beings, metamorphosis, hunting and camouflage tactics. One of these miraculous and amazing features of insects is their direction finding systems, given unto them by Almighty Allah, Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, and Benefactor of all living things.