| | » | Bees Trick Plants Into Flowering Sooner
Scientists Unable to Replicate the Procedure
When bumble bees experience a shortage of pollen, they seem know a trick that will help them solve the problem. They will bite the plants in a certain way that causes the plants to produce flowers earlier than they would have normally, up to a month sooner.
Researchers in Europe tried to replicate what the bees are able to do but with only limited success. While the bees could make the plants flower up to 30 days earlier, the scientists managed to do it for a maximum of just five days.
The worker bees use their mandibles and tongue to make holes in various plant species. But they do not use the tissue itself for any purpose, such as making their nests. Worker bees from other species were also found to damage flowerless plant species in similar ways.
“We really tried to replicate with the best of our ability,” said Professor Consuelo De Moraes, from ETH Zurich, the university in Switzerland which conducted the research. “It’s possible that the bees also have some cue that they are providing to the plants that is specific to the bee. And that could be secretions that we don't know about but it's something that we plan to investigate.”
One other possible explanation for this behavior, which the scientists are also investigating, is that it could be the plants themselves and not the bees which initiate the flowering process. Because the plants need to spread their pollen, perhaps they have “evolved” a new strategy when they detect pollinators damaging their leaves.
Comment: The more we learn about nature, the more amazed we are or should be by the abilities of God’s creatures. Here we either have bees which know a trick to increase their food supply or plants which have a trick to spread their pollen when times are tough.
Secular scientists often are amazed by what they find in God’s world, without crediting God, of course. For instance, writing about galaxies in the secular science magazine, Discover, the author David Eicher concluded His article with the following: “Truly, the universe is so big that it’s hard to comprehend. On one hand, the enormity of the universe makes us feel small. Our brief lives happen so quickly, and we wink out, mostly unaware of the incredibly large cosmos around us. But the fact that we are sentient, that we can ponder the stars and galaxies far away from us, makes life in the universe a truly amazing thing. And we’re just starting to get to know the immense world of galaxies.”
That statement reminds me of King David who declared: “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them” (Psalm 8:3-4)? Yet, King David knew to Whom credit for our wonderful universe should go. He wasn’t just left in a state of wonderment or tempted to credit the blind process known as evolution when thinking of nature’s surprises.
King David considered that the most surprising thing was that God even thinks about us sinful beings at all. Yet, despite His many tasks in managing this universe, God thought enough of us to send His only Son down to Earth to lead a perfect life and then suffer and die for our sins so that by faith we could enjoy eternity in heaven. Whether we are amazed by our gigantic universe or the tiny bumble bees around us or anything else, we can’t forget that the best is still to come.
Reference: Adam Smith, “Bees using secret trick to make plants flower, leaving scientists baffled,” The Independent / Yahoo News [May 22, 2020].
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QUESTION OF THE DAY
Which cooking oils are best?
The American Heart Associaton recommends unsaturated fats, which are liquid at room temperature. Most cooking oils are unsaturated with the exception of coconut, palm and palm kernel oils. Highly recommended oils include oils made from flaxseed, canola, soybeans, olives and sunflowers.
Source: “Ask the Doctor,” UCLA Health [April, 2020], page 8.
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About Me--Warren Krug
Decades ago I attended a so-called Lutheran university where I could have lost my faith. The science professors promoted the theory of evolution and made fun of anybody who believed in the account of creation as presented in the book of Genesis. Thanks be to God, some creationist literature and the Bible soon helped get me back on the right track. Ever since then I have taken an active interest in the creation/evolution controversy.
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