Gods Creation, 100 / evolution, 0
A new study of daddy longlegs has revealed something you probably wouldn't expect: in some species, Dad spends days guarding his eggs, cleaning them and driving away threats.

Researchers studied parental care across 165 species of daddy longlegs, also called harvestmen. These creatures are arachnids, but they aren't actually spiders. The researchers added 85 new records of parental behavior. Of those, 78 showed either male or female parental care, while only seven showed no care.

But researchers interpreted these behaviors as having arisen multiple times through evolution.

There's an important difference between what was observed and what was assumed about the past.

Scientists observed daddy longlegs already caring for their offspring. They didn't observe parental care evolving. Instead, they placed those behaviors onto a proposed evolutionary family tree and used computer models to estimate how that care supposedly arose in ancestors no one observed.

And think about what that care requires. A daddy longlegs must recognize and remain near its eggs, detect danger, process what's happening, and respond appropriately. Its senses, nervous system, instincts, and movements must work together.

The biblical account gives us a very different starting point. Genesis tells us that God created living creatures “after their kind” and commanded them to “be fruitful, and multiply” (Genesis 1:21–22). These creatures were created with the abilities necessary to reproduce and survive from the beginning.

Even a daddy longlegs guarding a tiny cluster of eggs points us back to the wisdom of its Creator.

Psalm 104:24 says, “O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all.”