16 In kings' palaces

   

  Ian Fletcher/ shutterstock

Notice the geometry and absolute precision of the web construction. The spider draws the silk from its spinneret before placing it in position on the web

 

"The spider ... is in kings' palaces"

said king Solomon  (Proverbs 30.28 KJV), no doubt drawing on his own domestic experience!

 

Today we recognise some 34,000 different species of spiders, flourishing in nooks and crannies across the globe. Their distinctive feature is the web, an intricate structure made of fine strands of silk, and taking numberless different forms: spiral orb webs, tangle webs, funnel webs, tubular webs, trapdoor webs and cobwebs. The web is the spider's home and its trap for prey, other airborn insects which get caught in its strands.

 

The web is the product of a remarkable system in which the spider itself produces the raw material ('spider silk') and then deploys it with an astonishing degree of engineering skill. The material (protein) is produced by glands in the spider's abdomen and converted to silk strands by spinnerets which produce a number of different 'grades' of silk. These are used for different purposes by the 'host' spider in constructing its web and in other tasks

 

This system is a classic example of 'design', a number of different elements all working together to achieve a common purpose, united by a predefined goal. Could an evolutionary system, based on random variation and without a target,  achieve the same result, a mythical 'appearance of design' but not the reality?

 

In 1972 a famous German engineer, Frei Otto, established a new research group called "biology and nature". In the 1970s he produced a number of revolutionary structures which clearly reflect the impact of his study of spider's webs, among them the Munich Olympic stadium of 1972 (see right). These structures are sometimes described as 'tensile' because they rely so heavily on steel cables strung in tension between other supports like masts or towers. But the spider got there first! 

The resemblance is obvious – see the web of the Agelenopsis spider on right.

 

But surprisingly the spider has an advantage over the engineer – his spider sik is stronger than steel! 

It is also tougher than Kevlar, the toughest plastic that we have so far invented, used to form bulletproof vests.The key is the silk's flexibilty, like rubber, up to 300%, whllst maintaining its strength. 

(For more about silk, see HERE)

 

How have these characteristics all come together in such a remarkable way?

And how has the spider learnt to use them?

THIS DIAGRAM, BASED ON THE ARANEUS DIDEMATUS SPIDER. SHOWS THE RANGE OF SILKS AVAILABLE AND THEIR DIFFERENT USES                                                                        Zeng and Ling 2019

2. The diagram above shows seven different types of silk this spider can use for different applications. Note particularly in green the sticky capture fibres at the heart of the web, and also in orange the special cement required to glue the silk together at crossing points and junctions – without this the web would fall apart (for more information on silk types, see HERE).

 

1.  The raw material for the silk is produced by glands in the spider's abdomen. It consists of exceptionally large and complex protein molecules which give the silk its immense strength. 

We have not yet succeeded in copying this material. If and when we do, it will of course simply demonstrate how much intelligence was required to create it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Here is an Electron Microscope close-up of part of a spinneret that extrudes the liquid protein into threads – you can see the silk emerging from the tiny tubules. The spider seizes the threads with its feet to drag them out, and in the process the threads harden off to their full strength. Spinnerets come in pairs, from one to four pairs in total, but they do not spin!

 

 

The problems facing an evolutionary explanation of the spider's existence are obvious

Both the raw material of the silk and the instrument (spinneret) that makes it usable had to appear by accident simultaneously and evolve together if either were ever to be of any value. Of what conceivable value is a partly-formed non-functional spinneret? The appearance of purpose and foreknowledge and advanced planning are undeniable and completely outside the realm of neo-darwinism.

 

But there is another element to the complete package which is crucial, and that is the spider's constructional skill. This amazing silk is worthless without the skills to use it. The spider is not an engineer. Its tiny brain knows nothing of the structural principles and the stresses and strains involved, but it can choose the right specification of silk to suit its particular role in the web. It knows nothing of geometry and yet can produce a web distinguished for its beauty, symmetry and precision. Its skills are innate, written by its Maker into its genetic makeup, to be passed down the generations of its offspring.

SEE THE SPIDER AT WORK!

Go to YouTube.com and search for 'spider builds web'.

 

An obvious question: How does the spider avoid being stuck in its own web?

Answer: ' spiders only touch the web with the tips of their feet (tarsi) which have a none-stick coating. In addition, a special claw in the end of each foot grips the foot and pulls it against springy hairs. When the claw is released, the springy hairs push the web strand away, stopping it from sticking'.    BBC Science Focus Magazine.

So now you know. Another outbreak of happy accidents (over a very long period of time of course) allows the spider to live and fight another day!

Modern translations of the Bible suggest that king Solomon was talking about lizards rather than the spider. Solomon spoke about the entire natural world (see I Kings 4: 33), but more to the point, he laid the foundation for all genuine scientific enquiry:

 

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning

 of wisdom..."                                             Proverbs 1 : 7

 

To attempt to understand Creation whilst denying the Creator is absurd. That's the word used by Paul in his advice to Timothy: 

"avoid profane babbling and the absurdities of so-called knowledge".                                   1 Timothy 6: 20 NABRE  

 

"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created..."               Revelation 4: 11

 

 

 

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Intelligence and purpose in the natural world

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