The Catch in Creation | The Institute for Creation Research

The Catch in Creation

When you think of getting your blood pressure taken, you no doubt think of the tight pressure on your arm and the loud ripping noise of the Velcro cuff. Indeed, we've all experienced the benefits of that amazing fabric, Velcro (brand name since 1959). The name comes from the French word velours meaning loop ("vel") and the French word for crochet meaning hook ("cro"). Many wonder just how man was able to progress through the centuries without it. As well as the blood pressure cuff, the more common application of this artificial fabric is in tennis shoes and cloth wallets.

The story of Velcro's discovery is straightforward but is nonetheless a testimony to how God designed His creation—and what we can learn from it. In 1941, Swiss engineer and mountaineer George de Mestral returned from an afternoon of hunting. He found it difficult to remove cockleburs and thistles from both his clothing and his dog and decided to investigate why this was so. Under the microscope Mestral discovered hundreds of exquisitely designed hooks on these seeds. Upon examination of his pants he found the fabric formed loops perfect for catching the pesky cockleburs. He had his answer, and an idea.

Photo: Mark Armitage
(Electron Microscope).

In 1948, Mestral began work on a special locking tape with the help of a local weaver. He discovered that nylon hooks formed under ultraviolet light would latch into tiny nylon loops. With more work Mestral finally sold the rights to his invention and became a millionaire.

There are many examples of how man has looked to the creation for technological inspiration. This has spawned an emerging science called biomimicry—the idea that nature has perfected millions of manufacturing and design processes that man can imitate.

And imitate he has, from the construction of solar cells based on leaf design to Velcro. In an ironic and sad twist, secular engineers, architects, and designers produce detailed products and inventions they freely admit they copied from nature (biomimicry), yet they insist both these objects and intelligent copiers are the result of millions of years of time, chance, and random mutations requiring no higher Architect!

Natural man gives credit only to the creation ("3.5 billion years of evolution"), rather than the Creator (Romans 1:20).

*Frank Sherwin is a zoologist and seminar speaker for ICR.

Cite this article: Sherwin, F. 2007. The Catch in Creation. Acts & Facts. 36 (6).

The Latest
NEWS
Creation's Easter Message
While many Christians still consider the creation doctrine a fringe issue, a proper understanding of the Christian message finds creation at its core...

NEWS
ICR Veteran Don Barber Retires
Don Barber   After 34 years with the Institute for Creation Research, Director of Enterprise Technology Don Barber will retire...

CREATION.LIVE PODCAST
The Sanctity of Life | Creation.Live Podcast: Episode 23
Abortion is a big issue culturally and in the church. How can believers love our neighbors and act as the hands and feet of Christ when it comes...

NEWS
Plant Receptors Are Designed to Control Immunity and Development
God has designed plants to continuously track their environment.1 They do so with specially designed detectors (also called receptors) on...

CREATION PODCAST
Homo Naledi: The Lies Behind Evolution's Rising Star | The Creation...
Homo naledi, once evolution's 'rising star,' was considered to be a prime example of human evolution. But is it really proof? Or...

NEWS
A Subsurface Ocean on Mimas?
Scientists have analyzed data obtained from the Cassini spacecraft and concluded that irregularities in the orbit of Saturn’s moon Mimas indicate...

NEWS
In Theaters March 20 & 21: The Ark and the Darkness
Is Genesis true? What about Noah’s Flood? How did Noah fit the animals on the ark? Wasn’t it a local flood? Have you asked these questions? Though...

NEWS
Enigmatic Fossil Plants
The pre-Flood world thousands of years ago was unlike the world of today.1 Unfamiliar animals and plants were common, and there were a lot...

NEWS
Surprisingly Colorful Fossil Snail Shells
Finding organic compounds such as flexible dinosaur collagen and complete bone cells1,2 is becoming common, much to the shock and consternation...

NEWS
March 2024 ICR Wallpaper
"He is not here; for He is risen, as He said." (Matthew 28:6 NKJV) ICR March 2024 wallpaper is now available for mobile, tablet,...