Diatoms, Triangles, and our Creator God

Many diatoms, a group of specialized single-celled plants, are shaped like triangles. These shapes are so highly ordered that they exceed existing human nanotechnology manufacturing capability. Evolutionists believe that sunlight striking these diatoms drove them gradually to end up as triangles by successive steps. Others believe that they went triangular to defend themselves from predators. A better explanation is that our Creator God designed them in this incredible way from the beginning, without the aid of evolution.

Selections from The Mighty Triangle: A Microscopic Hammer of Design, by Mark H. Armitage.

(These selections by Marko Malyj are of the article published in Creation Research Society Quarterly Journal, Volume 47, Number 4, Spring 2011)

Diatoms, a group of specialized single-celled plants that live in aquatic systems, exhibit remarkable geometric body styles—particularly when it comes to triangles. Diatoms are known for the intricate beauty of their self-manufactured shells, but they also represent a massive component of all aquatic bio mass, upwards of 80% in some cases. They capture more global carbon than all terrestrial rainforests combined (Karthick, 2009).

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"Simple" diatoms are better than human technology

These shapes are so highly ordered that they exceed the existing human nanotechnology manufacturing capability (Gordon, et al., 2008; Hildebrand et al., 2009). Optics manufacturers have discovered centric diatoms can be used as ready-made lenses to focus very small spots (10nm) of laser light. They are not only better than anything humans can currently manufacture but can also be cheaply and rapidly cultured in enormous numbers (DeStefano et al., 2007; Vrieling et al., 2000). Other new applications of diatom nanostructure include the development of robotic nanoscale medical machines for highly localized drug delivery or tissue repair, for use in biophotics as mentioned above, and for 3D computing development (Gordon et al., 2008). Actual living computers made from diatom chips could be in our future!

Evolutionists grope toward the triangle

Evolutionists contend that their complex geometric shapes and symmetry might form by a successive series of very small changes that produce intermediate steps (DeCarlo and Metaxas, 1998; Martindale and Henry, 1998; Finerty, 2005; Busch and Zachgo, 2009); each improving over the last to eventually arrive at perfect shapes, such as the triangular shape seen in Figures 5–12. It strains one’s credulity to imagine a long series of steps to arrive at a perfect triangular shape, yet these workers are convinced that it can happen in spite of the lack of evidence, including fossil evidence.

A very sophisticated mathematical formula (called the Superformula) that allows one to generate flat geometric shapes by the manipulation of relevant variables was recently published (Gieles, 2003). Geometric shapes, such as triangles employed by diatoms, can be derived in this fashion, but only in two dimensions: top to bottom and left to right.

What cannot be explained by this single (and very complex) formula is the three dimensional symmetry that diatoms make by the untold giga-billions each and every day. It requires two or more superformulae multiplied together to account for these three-dimensional symmetrical body shapes (Wikipedia, 2010).

Stories of triangle evolution

Many, such as Bunn (2009), contend that the earth is constantly absorbing high-energy sunlight and that this alone, plus natural law, is sufficient for the evolution of complex body shapes in direct opposition to the second law. But it is counterintuitive (and unobserved) to assume that sunlight striking a round or amorphous diatom can drive it to become a triangle by successive steps. Triangle body shapes are a hallmark of design.

Predation of diatoms by more advanced organisms is an explanation of triangular body shape that, as of late, has taken root. It is postulated that complex geometric body shapes may have evolved and continue to evolve) to counter the ever escalating “arms-race” of predation (Hamm, 2005). Triangles represent an effort by the diatoms to escape predation by staying “one step ahead” of the predator and display a body shape that would “confuse” or otherwise “confound” them. 

Diatoms, Triangles, and Truth

No matter what absurd yarn evolutionists spin to explain symmetry and specific shape in living organisms, one cannot escape the gnawing intuition that these compelling structures are there because of some purposeful planning.

We must conclude that diatom triangles are designed by a Designer. This is the only explanation that fits common intuition, and is supported by the empirical evidence. What is even more incredible is that this Designer has revealed Himself to us through the Bible and His Son, Jesus Christ.

References (selected)

Busch, A., and S. Zachgo. 2009. Flower symmetry evolution: towards understanding the abominable mystery of angiosperm radiation. BioEssays 31:1181–1190.

DeCarlo, D., and D. Metaxas. 1998. Shape evolution with structural and topological changes using blending. IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence 20(11): 1186–1205.

Finnerty, J.R. 2005. Did internal transport, rather than directed locomotion, favor the evolution of bilateral symmetry in animals? BioEssays 27(11): 1174–1180.

Gordon, R., D. Losic, M.A. Tiffany, S.S. Nagy, and F.A.S. Sterrenburg. 2008. The glass menagerie: diatoms for novel applications in nanotechnology. Trends in Biotechnology 27(2): 116–127.

Hamm, C.E. 2005. The evolution of advanced mechanical defenses and potential technological applications of diatom shells. Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology 5(1): 108–119.

Hildebrand, M., S. Kim, D. Shi, K. Scott, and S. Subramanium. 2009. 3D imaging of diatoms with ion abrasion scanning electron microscopy. Journal of Structural Biology 166:316–328.

Karthick, B. 2009. Genome sequencing of cells that live inside glass cages reveals their past history. Current Science 96(3): 334–337.

Martindale, M.Q. and J.Q. Henry. 1998. The development of radial and biradial symmetry: the evolution of bilaterality. American Zoologist 38:672–684.

Wikipedia. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superformula (accessed 5/9/10)