I read this article on NatGeo on how shells get their shapes, and was as astounded by the wonder of it all, almost as much as I was amazed by how gaping an absence there was in acknowledging the hand of a Creator.
The article highlighted that new studies by Derek Moulton, professor of applied mathematics at the University of Oxford, and his colleagues have revealed that the fascinating variety of seashells can be explained by a few simple mathematical principles.
At every paragraph my breath was taken away at the sheer impossibility of such intricacy happening by chance, and something deep within just couldn’t help giving praise to the Maker of such beauty.
When I read this quote, I felt slightly sad.
Math and physics, along with a little evolutionary luck, combine to help form some of the world’s most fascinating creatures.
– NatGeo
And felt compelled to re-write it.
An ingenious combination of math and physics, wielded by the Almighty who is the author of both and more, combine with the intricate artistry of a loving Maker to form these fascinating architectural exoskeletal wonders of calcium and carbonate.
– Lyn Kang
Just look at this! Who knew?
The images in blue were made by X-ray artist Hugh Turvey via a method called blueprinting.
For these images here, Turvey combined two techniques. To see inside the shells, he layered x-ray film, which exposes interior densities, with cyanotypes. The latter is a camera-free technique of placing objects on salt-treated paper that turns blue when exposed to UV light and water (aka blueprinting).
I have often wondered how shells like this were formed. Now we know!
Already so gorgeous on the outside, an image like this just shows the spirals and chambers of a lovely shell – the inner floors and rooms, so to speak. All this beauty to house a little mollusc, the most delicate home for the most vulnerable of creatures.
And the wavy lips of a clam – say hello to anti-symmetry.
I must say, I can agree in part to the conclusion of this article:
Seashells, then, are not purely constructs of either biology or physics, nor can they be adequately described by either mathematical modeling or Darwinian theory alone. The exacting, sculptural beauty of shells that we find so enchanting emerges from a confluence of geometry, mechanics, ecology, evolution, and luck. Every shell you’ve ever scooped out of the sand or marveled at in a museum is a palimpsest layered with secrets that science is still untangling—a physical manifestation of our planet’s complexity and splendor.
– NatGeo
All this is testament, not just to the confluence of factors stated above, but indeed secrets that science may never fully untangle. Truly, these tiny shells are palimpsests and physical manifestations of God’s indescribable and uncontainable majestic skill in designing creation.
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