Tell me this is the work of a benevolent designer, and explain why he would do such a thing?
The emerald cockroach wasp (Ampulex compressa) relies on cockroaches for its grisly life cycle. The wasp's sting leaves the cockroach able to walk, but unable to initiate its own movement. It then administers another, more precise sting right into their victim's brain. The venom works to block a neurotransmitter called octopamine which is involved in preparations to execute complex behaviors such as walking. The wasp then grabs the cockroach's antenna and leads it back to the nest. The cockroach walks "like a dog on a leash". Once home, the merciless wasp lays an egg on the docile cockroach's belly, and the larva, once hatched, devours the hapless insect.
Gruesome but cool video: http://www.bgu.ac.il/life/Faculty/Libersat/movies/Wasp_movie_short.mpg
2007-11-30T08:11:34Z
Hope, does this sound like something someone with ultimate goodness and the best intentions would put together? Why such a gruesome method of survival?
2007-11-30T08:12:27Z
dear Suzanne, wouldn't God also have designed the roaches? And does He not love all His creation?
Simon T2007-11-30T08:28:35Z
Favorite Answer
But then they are just roaches, it is not like they are important as humans, those are Gods special people with domain over all the animals.
Better questions are about the Guinea worm, or the River Blindness parasite, or the liver fluke. Those all kill or maim God's favorite creation, often the little children who they like to claim are innocents.
For the ID crowd an explanation of why sickle cell syndrome gives (only) partial resistance to malaria, but also has the chance to kill the person from sickle cell anemia. Also why is it that only those of African decent get this blessing/curse?
I guess all creatures have free will. I wouldn't call it a flaw in G-d's design. Although I couldn't imagine how He would have thought up such a way for a wasp to kill a cockroach. I feel G-d does have good intentions. It's just that we as humans can't help but mess that up every 10 seconds.
The sad thing is, however gruesome and horrible this wasp/roach thing is, it's NOTHING, nothing compared to what humans do to one another. Wasps do that to roaches, another species, because they MUST do it to survive. They don't do it with any malicious intent. Humans do to one another - wars, torture, genocide, rape, child abuse, burning, poisoning... just because they can. Or because they don't like the look of someone. Or because they don't like the god of someone else. And they do it with the intention to hurt and draw sick satisfaction from it.
Not to even mention what they do to animals and the nature... :(
This being said - we were "created in gods image", weren't we? Figures, huh...
Evolution in the wild is an amazing phenomena. Kinda scary, considering that just as we domesticate horses, it's possible that something else may one day "domesticate" us.
As for the question: of course not, it's not nice to play with the faithful's heads like that. You know the writers of the bible didn't even know such insects existed, much less their complex and complicated behaviors (that do, indeed, show intelligent thought).