Seashells ~ FREE Article for Kids

SUPER SEASHELLS ~ BY SPECIAL DESIGN

FREE article for kids taking a look at God’s exquisite designs in seashells giving glory to Him as Creator. We’ll take a look at why seashells are so tough and how scientists copy God’s designs to improve our technology… although their designs are never anywhere near as good… enjoy!

BIBLE VERSE THINK SPOT ~ WHAT EVENT IS THIS DESCRIBING?

Psalm 104:5-9 Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed forever. You covered it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains. At Your rebuke they fled; at the voice of Your thunder they hasted away. They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which You had founded for them. You have set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth. Answer.

SEASHELL FUN FACTS ~ DID YOU KNOW:

Did you know that seashells have been found in deserts and near the top of Mt Everest? :o
During the worldwide flood of Noah described in Genesis 7 and 8, flood waters covered all the mountains with water, sweeping everything else away. What evidence would we expect to find still around today to confirm this? How about billions of dead things buried in rock layers, laid down by water all over the earth? And what do we find? Billions of dead things, buried in rock layers, laid down by water all over the earth… “There is only one possible explanation for this phenomenon—the ocean waters at some time in the past flooded over the continents… Psalm 104:8 describes the mountains being raised at the end of the Flood and the Flood waters draining down valleys and off the emerging new land surfaces. This is consistent with much evidence that today’s mountains only very recently rose to their present incredible heights… The fossilized sea creatures and plants found in rock layers thousands of feet above sea level are thus silent testimonies to the ocean waters that flooded over the continents, carrying billions of sea creatures, which were then buried in the sediments these ocean waters deposited. This is how billions of dead marine creatures were buried in rock layers all over the earth”. Source: Answers in Genesis
An engineer at the University of California studied abalone, then designed tough but light armour which can stop bullets. He alternated hard and brittle layers, with thinner layers of more flexible materials, just like God did.

SEASHELL ~ ARTICLE FOR KIDS ~ FREE PRINTABLE (A4)

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ARTICLE TEXT

SUPER SEASHELLS ~ BY SPECIAL DESIGN

If you have ever been to the beach you may have seen seashells along the shore. Seashells are very brittle and look fragile, but they are extremely strong and tough! They are made from lots of minerals—mainly calcium carbonate (CaCO3)—which stick together with a tiny amount of protein glue. Then they build on one another to make a shell. The more minerals there are, the bigger the shell gets. If a shell is hit, it usually will not crack all the way through. Why are shells so strong? The secret is in the way they are designed. Scientists have put very thin pieces of glass into shells while they were growing, then removed and studied them under a microscope. They have copied God’s very clever designs, to produce tougher man-made materials, although they are nowhere near as good. Technology copying God’s living designs is called biomimetics. Let’s have a closer look at shells…

The Conch Shell is a great engineering masterpiece. The animal grows its beautiful pink shell by first making an outer layer. This is called a periostracum. Tiny crystal rods—much smaller than we can see—grow on top of that in a crisscross pattern, three layers at a time. They are held together by a tiny amount of glue. Each layer of crystal rods faces 90° to the rods in the next layer. This makes them extremely tough. And the animal living inside the shell can do something incredible that no man-made material can do—it can repair itself. Within 24 hours, it seals the wound, then adds many fine layers of tiny crystals, before starting to add the tiny crystal rods.

Abalone have brilliant colours inside their shells which is made into beautiful jewellery. The shell is made of two types of calcium carbonate: one for the rough outside (calcite) and one for the smooth pretty inside (aragonite—also called nacre or mother-of-pearl). The animal grows its shell by first making an outer layer. Tiny crystals—much smaller than we can see—grow on top of that, all facing the same direction. Then the crystals grow sideways into tiny tiles. Each layer of tiles is separated by a very thin layer of glue (conchiolin), which bonds all the layers together. The tiles within each layer have a tiny amount of ‘wriggle room’ to move, which helps absorb the impact if the shell is hit.

An engineer at the University of California studied abalone, then designed some tough, but light armour which can stop bullets! He alternated hard and brittle layers, with thinner layers of more flexible materials, just like God did. Many people have been persuaded to think God’s exquisite designs happened all by themselves over millions of years. But no one could sit down and make a shell. All the chemical processes that make up shells—including the crystal minerals and protein glue—have to work together very precisely; otherwise there would just be a big mess! Seashells have been exquisitely designed by God—who knew exactly what He was doing! He is the Master Designer and Artist, whose skill is way beyond ours.

INFORMATION

Information from creation.com ~ a fabulous site with lots of scientific information from a Biblical perspective. Written by Ph.D. scientists (previously evolutionists who were indoctrinated by atheist universities) who have come to believe that God says what He means and means what He says. Got questions about God? This is where you will find real answers. Like me, they are all about reinforcing the authority of Scripture and giving glory to God as designer. We CAN and MUST take God’s Word seriously.

THANK YOU / MERCI BEAUCOUP!

A very big thank you to D. Walther for very kindly providing the translation of this article for us on behalf of all our French speaking children.

And when you write to your sponsored child, don’t forget to tell them about the awesome Creator behind these magnificent designs…

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