Psalm 104:24
What tiny shrimp-like creature is a bright iridescent blue one moment and then – in the blink of an eye – invisible the next? It's the Sapphirina copepod, also known as the "sea sapphire." Though the sea sapphire is only about a tenth of an inch long, it is surely one of the most amazing creatures in God's creation. As an article at the Deep Sea News website points out, "The secret to the sea sapphire's shine is in microscopic layers of crystal plates inside their cells. In the case of blue sea sapphires, these crystal layers are separated by only about four ten-thousandths of a millimeter, about the same distance as the wavelength of blue light." Now here's where the creature's vanishing act comes into play. "When blue light bounces off these crystal layers, it is perfectly preserved and reflected. But for other colors of light, these small differences in distance interfere, causing the colors to cancel out." And what happens when they cancel out? The creature vanishes! You really need to see this. If you go to the Creation Moments website and search on the term "sea sapphire," you can then click on a link that will take you to a video of the sea sapphire in action. (Video below) No one can deny that the sea sapphire's vanishing act doesn't rival what the most accomplished illusionists can do. Its unique abilities clearly point to a Creator who never ceases to amaze and delight us with His magnificent creatures!
Notes: R.R. Helm, "The Most Beautiful Animal You've Never Seen," Deep Sea News. Photo: Courtesy of http://drista.ti-da.net.
Creation Moments, Inc., P.O. Box 839, Foley, MN 56329 www.creationmoments.com Comments are closed.
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