Insects such as the ubiquitous butterfly belong to the huge phylum Arthropoda (creatures having paired, jointed appendages and a chitinous exoskeleton). There is no indication this phylum evolved from some other group. Indeed, arthropods “have a rich fossil record extending to the very late Precambrian period” as arthropods.¹

Recently, I hosted a visiting pastor from a large church at ICR’s Discovery Center. As I guided him through our Dallas museum, one conversation affirmed how important ICR’s mission is—not only to proclaim the scientific evidence that aligns with Scripture but to educate, equip, and encourage church leaders in their calling.

Without a doubt, humans, chimpanzees, and other organisms share similar features. An early explanation was that these features reflect similar designs because they serve similar purposes. Then evolutionary theory hypothesized that similar features were explained by (and are evidence for) descent from a common ancestor. Which explanation matches the evidence?