Amazing Insects consists of seven chapters, a preface, a conclusion, an 8-page glossary, and more than 70 references. Each chapter focuses on a particular aspect of insect design, and ends with a few summary points. It is well written, with several illustrations. Dr. Clendenon does a good job of sharing his enthusiasm for the wondrous world of insects, and how they have been designed in amazing diversity and complexity.

The first chapter describes some of the remarkable abilities of insects, such as the 4,000 mile round trip migration of the globe skimmer dragonfly. The different types of metamorphosis are described in chapter two, and the process of complete metamorphosis (holometamorphosis) is elaborated on in chapter three, with special emphasis on metamorphosis in butterflies and honeybees. Precise timing of hatching of the egg and genetic regulation of hormonal expression are just two of the complexities of development. Assembly of the butterfly proboscis, used for sipping nectar and other fluids, illustrates the appearance of intelligent design. This chapter also outlines the difficulty of explaining the origin of metamorphosis through random mutation. The evidence points to intelligent design as the best explanation for the origin of insects and their diversity.

The fossil record of insects is described in the fourth chapter. The fossil of a springtail (order Collembola) discovered in Devonian sediments is the first fossil insect known from the fossil record, although some systematists consider springtails not to be true insects. The fossil cannot be an ancestor of insects, as it is clearly already specialized as a springtail. Aside from the Devonian springtail, the first true insects known from the fossil record have wings. I found records in the Paleobiology Database of three orders of winged insects from Lower Carboniferous sediments. Another nine orders of hexapods, seven of which are winged, are known from Upper Carboniferous rocks. Among these are representatives of each of the four types of metamorphosis. The abrupt appearance of disparate types of insects in Carboniferous sediments has been called the Carboniferous Insect Explosion.

Chapter 5 presents an argument for intelligent design, including some examples from insects. I encountered a few sentences in this chapter that could benefit from some editing, but I was able to understand the points without difficulty.

Intelligent design can be safely inferred from the problem of the origin of proteins. Beta-lactamase is a bacterial enzyme of 150 amino acid units, linked together in a precise sequence. The probability of assembling a molecule of beta-lactamase by random combination of amino acids is calculated to be 1 in 10¹⁷⁴. Of course, this calculation assumes that all the necessary amino acids are readily available under suitable conditions for chemical linkage, a requirement that has never been observed in natural inorganic systems. Furthermore, the calculated number of possible events in the history of the observable universe is 10¹³⁹, a number that is 35 orders of magnitude smaller than the number of random trials needed to construct a molecule of beta-lactamase. Such examples justify the conclusion that intelligent design has been active in the origin and history of life.

Insects provide examples of intelligent design. The information coded in the DNA of a butterfly that directs its metamorphosis is a compelling example of intelligent design. The structure and development of insect wings shows purpose and planning, implying intelligent design. The gear structure and neural control of the jump of the Issus planthopper is another example.

The sixth chapter reviews what the Bible says about insects. The creation account does not explicitly mention insects, but the creation was organized ecologically rather than taxonomically, a point not noted in the book, but consistent with the views expressed in the biblical text. Therefore, flying and aquatic insects may have been included in the filling of their respective habitats on creation day 5, and terrestrial insects would have been included in the filling of the land habitats on creation day 6.

The biblical record of a global flood provides an explanation for formation of insect fossils. The majority of fossil insects were formed by the flood. The sequence of burial reflects the density and mobility of creatures as well as their ecological zonation in pre-flood habitats. An ecological progression from coastal regions to uplands can be seen in the sequence of insect fossils. Springtails are common in soil, and are known from some coastal areas. Flying Paleoptera are associated with lower wetlands of Carboniferous sediments. Mobile Neuroptera can be linked with upland Mesozoic fossils, and diverse insects are found in Cenozoic strata. The book attributes insect survival to their presence in the ark. There can be no doubt that insects would be present in the ark – how could they possibly be excluded? However, I would add another possibility to that mentioned in the book. The biblical text specifies the animals saved in the ark had nostrils and walked on the land. Since insects do not have nostrils, they are not included among those saved only in the ark. It is likely that many insects may have survived the flood outside the ark.

The concluding chapter discusses the adaptability of insects. Since all terrestrial organisms were created as herbivores, there must have been substantial changes to living organisms, including insects, to account for predation and parasitism. Hemipteran insects (true bugs) all have similar mouthparts, but some species use them for herbivory and some for predation or parasitism. This indicates a change in behavior. Several insect species have been observed to have changes in diet, especially changes in choice of host plant. Some predators and parasites are capable of herbivory, such as feeding on pollen. Examples of diet change in living insects show that one cannot always determine the diet of fossil insects merely by examining their mouthparts.

The adaptability shown by insects may result from a designed system of “just-in-case” genes. These would be genes that can remain quiescent for generations, but then may be expressed when certain environmental signals are received. The adaptability of insects suggests they may have been created with “engineered biological flexibility.”

The text ends with a brief conclusion. There is much more to the world of insect than is seen by the casual observer. Intelligent design can be inferred from the complex specified information shown by butterfly metamorphosis and the genetic flexibility of insects. The abrupt appearance of disparate insects with fully formed wings in the Carboniferous Insect Explosion points away from common ancestry and evolution and toward creation and flood-related fossilization. 

Reviewed by Jim Gibson, PhD